Light Bulbs Exploding: Illuminating Small Group Bible Study

Light Bulbs Exploding

Illuminating Small Group Bible Study

Rod Culbertson

Light Bulbs Exploding

Illuminating Small Group Bible Study

Copyright ©

2021

Rod Culbertson. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers,

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paperback isbn: 978-1-6667-0871-4

hardcover isbn: 978-1-6667-0872-1

ebook isbn: 978-1-6667-0873-8

09/17/15

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright ©

2001

by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible,® copyright ©

1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020

by the Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org), are used by permission. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Modified Inductive Bible Study Method

Chapter 2: Lesson Planning: The Art of Asking Questions

Appendix One: Disciple Investing through Modified Inductive Bible Study (MIBS)

Appendix Two: Disciple Investing through Modified Inductive Bible Study

Bibliography

"Practical! Light Bulbs Exploding provides a clear, concise, and easy-to-follow and understandable approach to the who, what, when, why, how, and benefits of using modified inductive Bible studies. The book explains how this approach can be transformative in people’s lives as they interact with God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, others, and prayer. It also includes two suggested outlines for Bible studies using the books of 1 John and Malachi."

—Mark Lowrey

Founder, Reformed University Fellowship (RUF)

As one of the University of Florida students who was in the first inductive Bible study that Rod taught there almost forty years ago, I profited immensely from being under his knowledge and teaching. I realize as I am reading this book that my own personal Bible study, as well as the methods and ideas that I use when I lead Bible-study groups, stem largely from the teaching and methods I learned way back then as a new believer and student of the Word! I highly endorse this book for those who want to study the Bible and lead others into understanding its truths.

—Wendy Howell Thomas

Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) Participant

"I have known Rod for over forty-five years . . . fifty-five counting little league baseball. Working together as RUF campus ministers, it was our firm conviction that small-group Bible studies were/are the lifeblood of a campus ministry. We have since discovered the same is true of the local church. I wish I had this book in hand years ago. Rod helps the reader to understand both the importance of modified inductive Bible study and the tools needed to be an effective Bible-study leader. Light Bulbs Exploding needs to be in the hands of every pastor and church leader wanting their people to experience the Bible coming alive in a small-group context."

—Hal Farnsworth

Founder of RUF at Vanderbilt University

The practical benefit of this work is in the application of the principles to the books of 1 John and Malachi. The principles and structure of the modified inductive method of Bible study are clearly demonstrated with a model that can be followed.

—Richard P. Belcher Jr.

Reformed Theological Seminary

Dedication

With great gratitude for his godliness, humility, giftedness as a teacher of the things of God, and kindness extended to me when I was a fledgling seminary student at Columbia International University (Columbia Graduate School of Bible and Missions in that day), I wish to dedicate this book to the late Dr. William Larkin, New Testament scholar, author, and friend, who not only served CIU well for years but served me personally, along with hundreds of other CIU students and Bible students around the world. He listened to me express my struggles during that challenging first year of seminary in the fall of 1977, and he taught me to love Greek, to understand its usefulness, and to utilize it in my ministry. He exposed me to everything contained in the New Testament, except for the Gospels, and I well remember the diligence required to master the material he covered in his courses. A quiet man who maintained an even disposition, Dr. Larkin was not a man lacking in conviction. He had a strength of character that enabled him to teach with firmness, and yet he reflected the warmth and diplomacy of the evangelical pluralism that distinguishes CIU as an institution. While I was a student, he helped me navigate the world of Presbyterianism and even took me to a presbytery meeting. He once drove two hundred miles round trip one Sunday to hear me preach my third sermon ever—just because he was interested in me. Dr. Larkin was loyal to me after I graduated from CIU (MDiv) and moved on to learn the ropes of real ministry with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at the University of Florida. We corresponded over the years, and staying in touch led to a constant, though intermittent, friendship that grew through time. Eventually, after I joined Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, I was permitted to call him Bill, which confirmed a friendship that would last a lifetime. Sadly, he declined quickly in his late sixties and my mentor was gone—too early for me. Nevertheless, the great gift he gave me—beyond seeing his love for Christ, his family, and his school—was the pleasure and joy of hermeneutics, better known as the science of biblical interpretation. I fell in love with Greek exegesis, diagramming sentences, sermon preparation, and teaching the text. The art of properly handling the word of God using the original Greek text was essential to the decades of expository preaching and teaching that has characterized my ministry. This book, Light Bulbs Exploding, is certainly a small piece of fruit that was harvested from the fertile tree of Bill Larkin’s classroom instruction. I hope that this work will be both engaging and beneficial to others as they disciple believers in exploring the word of God through both inquiry and the detailed excavation of truth. May the Lord use it to grow his kingdom by his Holy Spirit’s power. Bill Larkin would like that!

Acknowledgments

With much gratitude, I want to thank my hardworking and enthusiastic RTS teaching assistant, Katie Larson, for her faithful efforts in proofing and editing the text, as well as organizing all of the necessary requirements to make publishing this book possible. I certainly could not have accomplished this work without her. I also want to thank Mr. Chris Chaney, who read through the book and gave me some positive feedback from a layperson’s standpoint. I must also thank my beloved wife, Cathy, who allowed me to hide out in the mountains alone while I perfected the finished product. She supports me in every way possible. And finally, I thank the Lord Jesus Christ, who called this sinner to follow him and who has faithfully led the way as I heeded his call almost fifty years ago. To God be the glory.

Introduction

How Dr. Robert Traina Changed My Life and Ministry

Serendipitous Discovery

Many years ago, as I was in the final semester of my seminary career, I came across a book that I discovered on sale in the campus bookstore. I believe it was an unused new book in the used book section of the store. The title of the book was Methodological Bible Study, and the author was a seminary professor by the name of Dr. Robert Traina. Dr. Traina (1921–2010) was professor emeritus of biblical studies and, for nearly ten years, had been dean of the seminary and vice president for academic administration at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.

Asbury has historically been known as a Bible- and Christ-honoring school in the Wesleyan tradition. Now, I would readily admit that this book isn’t for everyone. However, when I first read it in seminary, I found it quite engaging. It is primarily a book on hermeneutics or the topic of biblical interpretation. The book assists the reader in learning how to approach the Bible without presuppositions. In other words, Dr. Traina trains a student of the Bible to look at God’s word afresh, as if for the first time ever. I personally give a five-star rating to the book, because it set the foundation for both my college ministry and my study of the Bible throughout the rest of my life. I am not exaggerating its influence, especially in my own ministry. Methodological Bible Study honed my skills of personal Bible study and helped me to develop materials for small group Bible study leadership. I believe that the serious Bible student will love this book, especially one who is interested in the science of interpreting the Bible. Of course, I am biased.

Nevertheless, the lessons I learned from Dr. Traina’s Methodological Bible Study became very relevant when I entered full-time ministry, particularly as I served in my first few years as a campus minister for Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at the University of Florida. Some biographical explanation might be appropriate at this juncture. My wife, Cathy, and I moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Gainesville, Florida, in July 1980. It was in Gainesville that I had to take the theory of seminary and apply it to practice. And as they say, "They didn’t teach me that in seminary!" Small group Bible study leadership was not a part of my seminary training. Of course, seminary can’t cover everything a minister needs to know. Professional ministry education is clearly only one facet of the disciple investing process. I certainly have a high view of seminary training, especially when it is based on a Christ-centered, Bible-centered, and Bible-believing curriculum. Seminary invests in the student, and the student invests in others as a result of the benefits of seminary. Hopefully, everyone involved in the process loves the Lord and is following Jesus as a disciple. Nevertheless, seminary does not fully prepare its graduates for the task of doing campus ministry, and I truly was confronted with that reality as a first-year campus minister.

Ironically, on that winter day in my seminary bookstore, early in 1980, Methodological Bible Study was just a book I picked up on a whim. It was not an assigned text or necessary reading for any of my courses. Call me crazy, but facing a full load of courses, including Hebrew, all of the course requirements (papers and exams), and an internship in a local church, while also being a newlywed of six months, I read Traina in my free time—sort of like a seminary hobby or outlet. Yes, some would say I was a bit imbalanced and over the top in my seminary world, and that was probably true. Nevertheless, looking back, I wonder, How could it be possible that I might earn a master of divinity degree in a program that didn’t include Traina as a required textbook? How could I survive ministry without this life-changing book? Possibly I might have picked up more basic hermeneutical training somewhere else along the line, but Traina was a ministry-transforming volume for me. At least, I soon discovered that it could and would be.

Failure Leads to Discovery

After graduating from seminary in June 1980, I would soon start my ministry with University of Florida (UF) students. However, honestly assessing the situation, I really didn’t know what I was doing during the first year of my labors at UF. Previously, I had been the recipient of multiple avenues and sources of disciple investing prior to coming to faith in Christ. And after I became a Christian, many people invested in my walk with the Lord, including two or three campus ministries. As far as trying to reach UF students, I attempted some Campus Crusade (Cru)-based ministry and some Navigator-type ministry, with a little InterVarsity Christian Fellowship methodology thrown in. I engaged in these collaborated efforts undergirded by a theological foundation based on Reformed theology and an emphasis on the local church. Without going into details, my first year of