The VISION Inductive Bible Study Method is one of the simplest Bible study tools I know of that helps you take a passage of Scripture & write compelling questions for your small group.
They key to a great Bible study and discussion with young people is helping them discover the truth in the passage. There is an art to writing good questions that will invite participation. These Bible study tools take time and effort. When you start out it can be overwhelming to try to write well-crafted questions that will help your group understand the meaning of the passage and how to apply it to their lives. That’s why I put together the VISION Inductive Bible Study method. It’s one of the simplest Bible study tools you can find. It helps you take any passage of Scripture and write compelling questions that will help your group learn its meaning and the implications of what it teaches to their lives. Here’s how…
One of the most effective Bible study tools I use is the VISION Inductive Bible Study Method. Here is how it works:
(V) Verse:
As you read along in the chapter and a certain verse jumps out at you, write the verse down on the left side of your page…
(I) Inspect:
Make observations about the verse that stands out to you to get a basic idea of the context of the passage…
- What are the basic facts in this passage?
- Who, what, where, when, why?
- What do you notice about the way in which this passage is written?
- What repetitions, comparisons and contrasts, verb tenses, cause and effect are present?
- What kind of literature is it?
(S) Seek to Understand
After you have made observations of the passages, then go back and seek to interpret the meaning…
- Takes facts and builds on answers to the observation questions
- Why is the author saying this?
- How do we define these terms? (Look up vocabulary words you don’t understand)
- What is the significance of any of the observations you have made in the previous observation questions?
- What is the main point of the passage?
- What was the author trying to get across in this passage?
- What are some of the most important things this passage communicates?
- How might you summarize what this passage teaches?
(I) Implement
This is the application part of your study. Putting faith and learning into action is what Bible study is all about. But we need to push ourselves here at this point of the study. First, consider what are the individual applications (meaning what is God telling you to do with what you’ve learned), and secondly, what are the community applications (in what ways does this passage relate to my church or mission community… maybe what God is teaching me is relevant for others in my arena of influence… who might I share this with?)
- What issues does this passage highlight which are still issues today in my culture?
- What does this passage say about God, about people, about sin, about salvation, about living?
- How might I/we build into our lives the truths in this text?
- When might we apply these truths (what timing and circumstances does this truth relate to my life)?
- Where might we apply them (relationships, school, work, family, when I’m alone, etc.)?
- In what ways does this passage challenge my modern-day values and lifestyle?
- What behavior does this passage call for?
- How might I put into practice what I am learning from this passage?
(O) Obvious Question
At this stage of preparing your study, I often try to really quiet my thoughts and spend some time seeking God’s voice. I ask him, “From this passage, are you asking me an obvious question?” What questions might God be asking you? Sometimes as I study it raises a question in my mind a topic or question that I want to seek further clarification or guidance on… Write down any obvious questions that come to mind from your study so far.
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(N) Nuisance (anticipated obstacles)
Any time you set out to apply Biblical truth to your life and cooperate with God as he is transforming you into the likeness of Christ, there is going to be a battle. Satan will leave us alone as long as we are living a bland, salt-less life… but the moment we step out into the light and say “YES” to God and seek to obey and follow Him, there is going to be a skirmish for our loyalty. Realizing that the Devil really does have crafty schemes to snatch away what we’ve learned, it is wise to think ahead and consider your weaknesses to discern any anticipated obstacles you foresee that would keep you from following through on what you’ve learned.
Temptations are a nuisance to our spiritual life and they arise out of our own sinful desires or they are sent as a messenger of deceit by the Devil in order to damage our souls. So don’t skip this step… think through:
- “If I were the Devil, how would I attack me regarding what I’ve learned so that I wouldn’t apply it to my life?”
- Once you’ve thought through how you might be distracted by internal or external temptations, then make a game plan to stand up to temptation and follow through on what you’ve learned.
I’d love to hear your comments.
Depending on what age group and life experience you are dealing with, I would add a ‘What right looks like” part. Often they may have never seen what the Christian life live out when you take what the Bible says and then work to apply it to life. I know you have a part where they are working our what it meant to them in the “Where might we apply them (relationships, school, work, family, when I’m alone, etc.)?” If they can come up with the answers out of their own lives that is alway the most effective. A kind of 1Cor. 11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. A nice lay out of how to run a study 🙂
Thanks Randy for your input! I love your suggestion to include: “Where might we apply them (relationships, school, work, family, when I’m alone, etc.)?” I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!
If you have a chance, can you share more specifically what you had in mind with adding the question: ‘What right looks like”? I’m curious how you have used this. Thanks!