Five Principles of Bible study

• Ask the right questions.
• Write down what you observe and discover.
• Apply your discovery to your life and thoughts.
• Study the Bible systematically.
• Strive to exhaust the passage you are studying.

Bible Study Tools in Order of Importance

• Translation of the Bible
• Concordance
• Dictionary
• Bible Dictionary
• Commentary

Methodical Bible study

• Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and insight.
• Make observations by asking questions.
• Seek answers from the scripture and then tools in order of importance.
• Apply the scripture to your life.

Questions to Ask When Studying the Bible

• What is the historical setting?
• What is the literary form?
• What are the key words?
• What important grammatical structure do I observe?
• What is the tense of the verbs?
• Is there something contrasted?
• Is there a paradox?
• Is the passage dependant on a preceding passage?
• Ask six questions: What? Who? Where? When? Why? and How?

Application of a Bible Passage

• Is there a promise to claim?
• Is there a command to obey?
• Is there a sin to confess?
• Is there a teaching to absorb?

Common Pitfalls of Youth Studying the Bible

• Looking past the obvious for the hidden.
• Failure to consider the historical in rushing to application.
• Narrow vision. (All scripture is true all the time.)
• Lack of discernment as to what is cultural and what is eternal.
• Lack of respect for God’s Word. (God’s Word means what it means, regardless of our beliefs or opinions.)
• Superstitious approach to God’s Word.

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A Mentor Helps a Protégé Reach Her or His Potential

Serve as a facilitator
Help them gain a vision of what should/could be accomplished and the personal benefits for them. Listen to their views and ask questions that help them gain insights. Share experiences that seem appropriate to the decisions they face but avoid giving advice unless specifically asked or it is perfectly clear that there is a need to do so. Help them develop a plan for achieving results, challenge the plan and their thinking until they (and you) are convinced that they know what they are doing and know how to achieve their goals. Remember you are a guide and you are there to help them.

Serve as a non-judgmental outsider 
Be an objective sounding board; ask questions about their aspirations and concerns. Ask about the organization, it’s goals, values and how people succeed. Ask about their relations with key people in their lives. Listen and summarize what you understand. Ask questions for them to reflect on key issues. Without taking sides, help them understand the realities of life in a way that helps them develop.

Take them through a defined process 
Clarify desired results, set goals, assess performance, develop plans and gather feedback. Getting their input and creating a sense of ownership on their part is the key to making the process successful.

Ask questions
Judiciously use questions to gather information, test your understanding, expand their thinking, reflect on issues, generate insights and sometimes pose important issues that may be too threatening if made directly. Skillfully, and appropriately using questions is an essential mentoring skill. Learn to use questions to help youth develop the answers rather than you providing solutions. Do not fall into the trap of asking questions for questions sake – use them intelligently and with a beneficial purpose.

Listen 
A mentor who knows how to listen actively – processing information, rather than just passively hearing — asks better questions and provides better feedback than one whose listening skills are not as well developed. Be a sounding board so they can talk and listen to themselves. Listen so you understand their aspirations and concerns. Listen with empathy when needed. Respond appropriately so they know they have been heard and understood. When you feel an urge to play the role of expert, listen instead.

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You don’t have to actually answer the questions below. Just read the text straight through, and you’ll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America title.
4. Name ten people who have won either the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners .

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

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While originally called the “ABC’s of Friendship” I think they also apply to mentoring!

(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in “you”
(C)alls you just to say “HI”
(D)oesn’t give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust “be” with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains things you don’t understand
(Y)ells when you won’t listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality

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A mentor helps the protégé to find his own unique voice, and freedom to sing that melody in his heart. He sees each life as an instrument and within each heart a potential melody. Each life “is rich with its own musical notes, rhythms and themes.” The mentor helps the protégé to discover the sweet harmonies and to discard the dissonance. He helps the protégé overcome the times of deafness and compose a grand symphony of the soul. He helps him to release the waiting song within. Each life is a new song on which he uses notes, rhythms, harmonies, and melodies in combinations that have never been used before. Ultimately, the job of a mentor is to help bring out what in already there. .

Sometimes their moving melodies diverge and at other times they are again rejoined in harmony. Sometimes the timing is out of sync and the notes are flat. There may be moments of discord, but the music continues and, with it, others draw near to listen. In time, as each plays his part, the Composer’s manuscript will be heard as he intended–as a grand symphony of life.

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1. Give your undivided attention. Show with your body language that you want to listen to that one person. Maintain appropriate eye contact. Occasionally during the conversation call the youth by name.
2. Concentrate on what the youth is saying. Because you can listen faster than the other person can speak, you will be tempted to think about something else or to interrupt.
3. Stop talking. You cannot listen if you are talking. James said, “be quick to listen, slow to speak” (1:19, NIV).
4. Be honest. Speak the truth in gentleness and love. Sometimes you will be in a situation in which a youth wants to talk to you, but you do not have enough time. Be honest and arrange another time to get together.
5. Acknowledge feelings. Sometimes a youth will specifically state his or her feelings such as “I’m so mad!” or “This is exciting!” or “I’ve been so discouraged.” If so, repeat back or paraphrase the feeling words used in order to communicate that you heard the feeling. Often, a feeling is not put into words but is communicated through vocal communication (such as loudness, pitch, speed, or emphasis) or body language (such as facial expressions, gestures, moving toward or away from you, or touching). Let the youth know you have observed the feeling but let the youth correct you if you are wrong. You might say, “I get the impression that you are hurt. Am I right?” Allowing emotion is not easy. Sometimes feelings are expressed in ways that make us feel uncomfortable. But when you attempt to squelch a person’s feelings, you are meeting your need for comfort, not the other person’s need.
6. Avoid advice and problem solving. A youth may say, “I’m not sure what I ought to do” or “I need your help” or “I have a problem.” Your immediate thought is that the youth is asking for advice or a solution to the problem. However, that is not what was said. More likely, he or she simply needs to talk to someone about the situation.
7. Be patient. Allow plenty of time. Do not expect all issues to be settled immediately. Don’t lose faith in God’s ability to help the youth solve his or her own problems if they can or need to be solved. Do not make decisions for the youth to speed up the process. Trust God to work in the youth’s life in ways you cannot.
8. Allow silence. It gives the youth time to reflect on what has already been said. Sometimes he or she is using the period of silence to decide whether to share with you at a deeper level.
9. Invite the youth to talk more. Ask open-ended rather than yes-no and specific information questions. Such questions lead to a dead end or only satisfy your curiosity. Questions based on what has already been expressed allow you to follow the direction the youth wants to take.
10. Tell about yourself. Hearing the youth’s story often reminds you of an incident or event in your own life. Resist the temptation to tell your story if the result will be shifting the attention to yourself. When you feel it is appropriate to tell your story, make it brief. The purpose of sharing your experience should be to give the youth permission to continue his or her story.

When you listen better, youth will talk more and share with you on a deeper level. Practice improving your ability to listen.

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According to a study of Big Brothers, Big Sisters in the USA, one of the largest mentoring organizations in the world

1. Be a friend
   • Don’t act like a parent
   • Don’t try to be an authority figure
   • Don’t preach about values
   • DO FOCUS ON THE BOND
2. Have realistic goals and expectations
   • Focus on overall development, not performance and change
   • Center initial goals on the relationship itself
   • Emphasize friendship over performance
3. Have fun together
   • Youth spell love – TIME
   • Informal activities lay the foundation for formal ones
   • Shared activities become great discussion starters
4. Give your protégé voice and choice in deciding activities
   • Help them to explore possibilities and then make their choices
   • Listen more than you talk
   • Question more than you Preach
5. Be positive
   • Praise and encouragement build self-esteem
   • Be supportive rather than critical – focus on solutions rather than problems
6. Let the protégé have much of the control over what the two of you talk about
   • Don’t push, be patient
   • Be sensitive and responsive to cues
   • Let them know that can confide in you without you becoming judgmental
7. Listen
   • Let youth vent without criticizing them
   • When you listen they see you as a friend, not an authority figure
8. Respect the trust your protégé places in you
   • Respond in ways that show you understand. This is not the same as agree
   • Reassure the protégé that you are there for them
   • Advice should not be dispensed but mutually discovered
   • If you have to convey concern or displeasure, do it with caring and understanding
   • Sound like a friend not a parent… youth easily discern the difference
9. Remember your relationship is with the youth and not the youth’s parent
   • Maintain cordial contact, but you are not there to be a spy for parents. You are there to be a champion for the youth
   • Keep your focus on the youth
   • You are not there to bring about the parents wishes, but to help the youth discover their potential
   • Be non-judgmental about the family
10. You are responsible for building the relationship
    • Take responsibility for making and maintaining contact
    • Don’t expect adult to adult relationships

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Creative Sermon Ideas
This 100 Page e-Book Includes All The Help You Need To Prepare Powerful, Life-Changing Youth Sermons That Will Turn Your Preaching Around And Make Your Youth Sit Up And Listen! Includes 7 Complete Sermons.
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