Teaching inductively:  a quick reference.

Part 1:  When you first come to a passage to prepare a study: Digging

1.	Pray
2.	Read the passage and its context several times and ponder it using some or all of the following:
a.	Memorize it (if reasonable)–then I can take it with me and mull it over anywhere
b.	Notice repeated words/ideas/patterns.
i.	What patterns are making me curious?
c.	Write a paraphrase–put it in my own words.
d.	Notice moods–how does it make me feel?  
i.	If all I feel is guilty or something negative, that’s a sign that I need to look deeper–there’s bound to be good news in there somewhere (God doesn’t show my condition without also showing His provision.  His aim is not to discourage, but to lead me to repentance.)
e.	Notice significant words and thoughts
i.	How do I know if it’s significant?
(1)	Is it good news?  
(2)	Does it challenge the way people typically think?
3.	Ask fact questions for the first verse in the passage.
a.	Write questions that highlight the language in a verse.
i.	The answer should be found only in what the verse actually says
ii.	Answers should highlight and emphasize the important details noticed in reading and pondering
iii.	Fact questions are supposed to make sure people are hearing the words of the verse
iv.	Sometimes having a dictionary handy to get good definitions of the words will be wise.
v.	Sometimes the most important facts only become apparent as I continue to interpret and my fact questions will need further modification

Example fact questions:  Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  

!	From that time on, Jesus began what kind of activity?  
"	He began to preach
!	What action did He call for when He preached?
"	He said, ‘Repent.’
!	What does the word ‘repent’ mean?
"	Turn around–usually to turn away from sin
!	What reason did he give for His call to repentance?
"	The kingdom of heaven is at hand
!	What is at hand?
"	The kingdom of heaven

4.	 Interpret the facts
a.	First identify pertinent issues–important facts or patterns which are puzzling 
i.	How do I know which issues are pertinent?
(1)	How closely is this issue related to the big picture/themes/basic point of the passage that I noticed while reading?  In other words, does this issue matter?  (Be careful of eliminating it too quickly, but avoid obvious distractions such as, “I wonder why it says that He began to ‘preach and say’?  Why not just preach?”)    
(2)	Does the text address this issue here?  In other words, if I asked a question about this issue, could someone answer it from the passage without jumping to Ellen White or some other Bible writer or book?  Sometimes you won’t know if it is answerable in the context until you look, but again many obvious sidetracks can be eliminated if it is obvious that the text does not talk about a particular issue.  (For instance: “Does the kingdom of heaven have a limited number of people in it?”  This may or may not be a useful question, but Jesus is not talking about how many are in the kingdom here so chances are that it’s irrelevant for understanding the passage.)

Example pertinent issues:  Matthew 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  

!	What was significant about ‘that time’?
"	This is significant because we’ve just seen references to time in v. 12 –John the Baptist had just been arrested.
!	What is repentance?
"	major theme
!	What is the kingdom of heaven?
"	a major theme in the book of Matthew–it would be important to get more insight into this.
!	What does it mean for the kingdom of heaven to be near?
"	this is of huge importance.  Jesus doesn’t say much but these words are the heart of his 9-word sermon!  Also, John the Baptist was preaching the same thing back in 3:2.
!	What is the relationship between repentance and the nearness of the kingdom?
"	again this is the heart of Jesus’ message

b.	Construct interpretation questions using the two kinds of interpretation questions.
i.	Context questions:  
(1)	shed light on one fact or detail in your verse by asking what the context can tell me about that fact
(2)	keep context questions focused on one fact or they can get too long and too confusing

Example Context questions:  Matthew 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  

!	Why did Jesus begin to preach at ‘that time?’ 
"	v. 12 He heard that John had been arrested.  (This is at least a partial answer it might take a follow-up question like, ‘Why would Jesus wait until John was taken into custody? 3:2, John’s voice preaching that the kingdom was at hand has been silenced.  3:3 John was preparing the way for Jesus, when His work ended it seems logical that it was Jesus’ time to start.)
!	What would it look like in this context to repent (taking into account the dictionary definition of ‘repent’)?
"	Immediately after this Jesus calls several men to turn from what they are doing and follow Him as he teaches, preaches and heals

ii.	Comparison questions:
(1)	Give insight into two or more facts by exploring the relationship between them.  
(2)	The answer must still come from the text
(a)	either through a deeper look at the verse under examination
(b)	or the context

!	Example Comparison questions:  Matthew 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  How is the nearness of the kingdom related to repentance?
"	v. 17 the nearness of the kingdom is the reason for repentance.  ‘Repent for (because) the kingdom is at hand.’  (Again this would need a little follow-up to make sure people are hearing the significance of this.  What is so significant about the fact that the kingdom was near before Jesus called for repentance?  We do not repent to make God come near us, but when He comes near, in spite of us, that is our opportunity to repent.  We could not repent if He did not draw near first.)
!	How is the kingdom of heaven ‘at hand’?
"	Jesus Himself is at hand–He tells the fishermen to leave what they’re doing (repent) and follow Him.  His nearness is the reason for their turnaround.  
"	v. 23ff  The kingdom is present in His miracles.  Under God’s rulership no one is sick and dying.

c.	Answer your own questions:  
i.	Right now I’m trying to hear the text for myself.  Later I’ll polish the questions for teaching someone else.  So for now I want to try on all my questions to see where they take me.  (This is the exciting part.  Soon it’s easier to see when a question is a good one even before seeing the answer in the text.)
ii.	Make sure all questions are answerable from the text–I may know the answer, but how could someone else find it using the passage I’m studying (not jumping all around to other texts and other authors).
iii.	Take note of anything I haven’t understood yet.  Keep pursuing it with more context and comparison questions if I still am not seeing Jesus clearly, or if a major piece of the puzzle remains unsolved.
iv.	Repeat prayerfully until the ‘Aha!’ moment hits.
d.	Worship
i.	Take appropriate actions based on whatever conviction is coming through.  Why would I want to challenge anyone else to apply this scripture to their life if I don’t want it applied to mine?

Part 2:  Making a finished, presentable study built on your insights.

1.	Establish your purpose 
a.	What insight/conviction did I experience which you want to lead the group to see?
i.	How did I hear good news in my passage?
ii.	This is very important!!!  I must be going somewhere or my study will go nowhere.  Just ask , ‘What did I see in here that was so exciting that I want others to see it too?’
iii.	Now ask, ‘How did I see it?  What questions did I ask myself that unlocked this insight for me?’  Imagine going on a hike to a beautiful hidden lake, high in the mountains.  When I get there I am awestruck by the green mossy banks, the crystal clear pool, the broken granite walls towering to the sky.  Now I need to retrace my steps, remembering how I got there so I can lead my friends back to see what made me draw in my breath with a gasp.  The lake is my purpose, my goal.  I want others to see the beauty I saw.  Here’s how: 
2.	Rework the questions you used above.
a.	Chances are the questions I first wrote need some polishing to make them flow smoothly from one to the next.  Also it’s likely that I’ll need to leave some of them out.  In most cases I cannot possibly cover ever detail in the passage.  On my hike I probably made a lot of wrong turns, and even though some of them led to beautiful views, I can leave them out when I lead my friends back because I am taking them to see the lake.
i.	How do I decide what to leave out?  
(1)	It depends how much time I have.  When teaching in a very short time, leave out anything that doesn’t flow directly from the facts to the good news I want people to see.
(2)	If I have more time I can include more of the questions that will just help people understand the flow of thought in the passage (the beautiful views), but my questions should still flow toward the Big Idea–the point I want people to carry away, the best good news I’ve seen in the passage (the lake at the end of the hike).  
b.	Make note of any needed ‘Follow-up’ questions:  
i.	Sometimes your ‘raw’ interpretation questions lead to other important issues and a follow-up question is needed to make sure the group is hearing the significance of those issues.   (This presupposes that I am hearing the significance of them!)  Some of the example questions above have follow-up questions attached for reference.
ii.	A typical follow-up question might be as simple as ‘Who is hearing this?’  Or “What’s significant about . . .”  After an interpretation has come through.
iii.	Be especially prepared to follow-up when the gospel is coming through.  Emphasize the hope!  
c.	Be prepared to illustrate and emphasize.
i.	Sometimes an idea needs extra emphasis before it will come alive for people in the group.  How can I do that?
(1)	If the idea caught me I can always tell a personal story explaining why it’s a meaningful idea for me.
(2)	If someone else in the group is getting excited about what they are seeing, I can invite them to explain what is grabbing them and why.  (All this will happen very naturally in most cases).
3.	Write application questions. 
a.	What has really struck me about this passage?  I’m standing here at the Lake with my friends, what reaction do I imagine they’ll have?  How can I be prepared to help my friends share their reaction with God and with the rest of the group?
i.	Notice the points of contact between the passage and the ‘real life’ of people today.
(1)	look for universal feelings, widely held beliefs or misconceptions, calls for decision or action in the passage.
ii.	Prepare to apply on the Big Idea–the major points where people are going to be feeling conviction.

Example Application question:  Matthew 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  (Building on the universal need for acceptance and meaning/purpose and the call for action in the verse.) 

!	We already noticed that repentance is a result of the kingdom coming near, and not the other way around.  Jesus is near to you now.  He has been with us tonight.  He has not waited for you to get your act together and He’s saying to you, ‘Repent.’  What would it look like for you to repent?  Write it down in a sentence or two.
!	Who would like to share what you wrote?
"	‘follow-up’ What do you plan to do with this conviction?

iii.	Some useful tools for application questions include this chain.
(1)	How do you feel about . . . ? (whatever conviction or picture of God has come through in the study).
(2)	What would be an appropriate response?  Or what would it look like if a person were to take this seriously?  (Write responses on the board).
(3)	Which of these (responses on board) do you need most?  Pick one and write it down.
(4)	What is the first step you’d have to take?  (Measurable and attainable)
(5)	When are you going to do it?
(6)	Who is going to hold you accountable?
iv.	Some other kinds of application
(1)	Personal response
(a)	What do you have to say to God?  About God?
(b)	Write a prayer, song, create something that expresses your response.
(2)	Corporate response
(a)	If we were taking this seriously as a group, what would it look like?
(b)	What would be our first step toward making that a reality?
(c)	When will we do it?
4.	Go teach it and evaluate
a.	What went well?
b.	What could have gone better?
c.	How clearly did the gospel come through?
d.	How well did I achieve my purpose?  (Did they see the Lake?  Why or why not?)