Sword Bible Study Method
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
This picture of a sword helps us to teach any passage of the Bible. When we think of a sword we think of four parts of the sword and six questions we need to ask.
The tip points up to the heavens:
What do we learn about God? Jesus? Holy Spirit?
The handle is held by people:
What do we learn about people?
Use the acronym “SPEC” to help remember 4 questions on the blades:
Left Blade:
S – Is there a sin to avoid?
P – Is there a promise to believe?
Right Blade:
E – Is there an example to follow?
C – Is there a command to obey?
Instructions:
During the “Look Up” part of the 3/3’s meeting, you can tell the Bible story, then read the story from the Bible. After telling and reading the story, first pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach everyone how to understand and obey this passage (John 14:26). Next, ask these questions one at a time. The questions are open for anyone to answer from the Bible. As people answer from scripture, the Holy Spirit will teach everyone how to understand and obey God and His Word. As the facilitator, keep the group focused on the specific story or passage you are studying. If there are seasoned believers in the group, they may intimidate new believers by jumping around from passage to passage. We do not want new believers to think that simply “knowing” a lot equals maturity. However, each week as believers learn more scripture, while obeying it, God will mature them in His timing. It’s always better to let people discover the truth for themselves than for the teacher to tell them. Trust the work and power of the Holy Spirit! Also, make sure all the answers come from the Bible, not simply someone’s opinion or “what I think this means to me.”