They know how to do that, right?

Truth is, when it comes to spiritual disciplines, maybe our students really don’t know how to it. We tell them they should pray, go to church, give regularly and so on and so on, but have we ever sat down and walked through what maintaining a life of discipline really looks like? Have we ever taught them to pray or even how to read the Bible? We demand they lead lives of discipline within their Christianity but we have never supplied them with the knowledge to do so.

So here’s one: next time you have a Bible study with a small group of students or one on one, use a Bible study method, and then encourage them to use it on their own for Bible study. At LeaderTreks, we pack our Field Guides full of Bible study methods, but one that is really common and very easy to understand is the OPA method. Goes like this:

Observations: Compile all the facts found in the passage. What sticks out to you or is interesting to you? You should be able to make about 20-30 observations.

Principles: Draw a few principles from the observations that you have made. What is God trying to teach you in this passage?

Application: How will you apply these principles to your life? Be specific… a good application will tell who, what, and when.

When you teach a student how to study the Bible they’ll be more apt to do it. And make sure you hold them accountable to their application. That’s important too.