INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN STUDY
???????????Format?
???????????This study is a verse by verse inductive study of the Gospel of John.? The format is fairly simple.? Most lessons open with an “Introduction” that centers on questions focused on a certain topic.? These questions are designed to help the audience to focus their thinking on a subject that the biblical text is going to bring up.? Then someone in the audience is asked to read a portion, often just a verse or so of the biblical text.? Immediately questions are asked of the audience.? This process continues until the end of each lesson:? read the text, ask questions.? The design is to have the audience ponder the biblical text, to think of what God is saying in the Bible, and what God is saying to them today through the Bible.? The questions often open with easy factual answers.? Once the audience is used to talking, used to giving answers, and used to thinking, then questions of a more “spiritual-substance” type are introduced.? The questions hopefully encourage honest sharing and thinking.? The format is based on a simple premiss:? the Bible itself and thinking about the Biblical text’s message will help people most.
???????????The text is not reproduced in these lessons, so that any version can be used.? The biblical text is referred to in bold print and the letter Q means this is a question to be asked of the group.? The two letters RQ refer to a rhetorical question that is to be asked of the audience but an answer is not expected.
???????????Focus ?
???????????The design of this study is to have your audience think and teach themselves as much as possible.? 1)? First, it is my experience that the more speaking the audience does immediately (within 20-90 seconds of the study’s beginning), the more participation can be expected as the study progresses.? The audience gets used to talking, used to being heard, used to thinking and being an active participant themselves.? 2) I do not give answers to some of the questions, it is my suggestion that the leader should not say anything, but let their audiences’ answer stand.? If I do have answers, it is my hope that such an answer will given by the audience.? The leader merely confirms with a quick statement.? If the audience comes up with the answers, then I believe they will learn more.? Sometimes your additional comments can bring focus or emphasis but hopefully in a manner that is working with at least some of their answers.? 3) I believe letting them read the text gets them involved and pushes the focus away from yourself to some degree.? I often pick people to read, especially ones I do not know who would be likely to enjoy being included.? 4) You could pick someone to open and another to close the group in prayer and further spread the participation.
???????????Preparation
???????????I wrote these lessons to be used in a college Bible Study in the dorms at Azusa Pacific University which started at 10:00 p.m.? The series took 2 years to complete.? We often began with singing and then started the study which was always done before 11:00 p.m.? I have taught all of these lessons once roughly in the form they are now in and then preached in various church settings with the same material (obviously using the material in another format).? Our group numbered from 20-40, and some have used this format (that I wrote on the Gospel of Mark) with a group of 80 by having the group divided into groups of 20 with four separate leaders doing the preparation.
???????????I began my work by doing a detailed structural outline of the entire passage.? Pondered what I was reading, wrote notes all through the margins of my outlines.? Then I read commentaries to double check and enrich my efforts.? I used extensively William Temple’s Readings in The Gospel of John and Rudolf Bultmann’s The Gospel of John and I also frequently checked with William Barclay’s The Gospel of John and Raymond E. Brown’s The Gospel According to John.? Much of what I read confirmed what I was already seeing but at times it showed me things I missed.? However, at times my work with the text itself and trying to look at what John was saying dominated everything.? My work can be seen in the title headings of the outline of each lesson, and in my selection of questions that guide the discussion.
???????????Use
???????????I do not expect you to rigidly follow the notes.? I did not do that myself the first time I taught it.? I adapted, shortened, improvised, etc.? When the music went too long, I often dropped the introductory part or shortened it so as to focus more on the text itself.? This work is meant to be of help and was designed to be adapted. I obviously adapted it when I preached from this material.? (It must also be confessed that I did not always follow my own advice and spoke too much when discussion lagged.)
???????????I believe the one thing that helped most was to believe it must be the Holy Spirit that does the real teaching.? I prayed for this.? I wanted my audience to be different people, recreated by His Word.? That is something no leader can do.? Second, I believe God’s Word has power beyond the expertise and wisdom of the leader.? If the Word is read, heard, pondered, and believed God’s people will be stronger because they heard from Him.? Third, I believe people should think and be involved in the learning process and the gains garnered in running a study this way seem to outweigh the risks such a format entails.? The Spirit needs to speak into and through hearts, and any individual may be the one used by God to bless others during the study as much as the leader.
???????????My suggestion is that you the leader first pray, read the biblical text, the notes and then perhaps William Temple or Barclay in your own preparation.
???????????Lesson Divisions
???????????The following is the Scriptural divisions each lesson follows.? You will notice lesson # 36 is recap lesson on part of the prayer in John 17, otherwise each lesson follows right on through the Gospel in its canonical order.? Included is a one page print up that can be distributed when lesson # 36 is taught to focus on certain aspects of Jesus’ model prayer.
?????????????????????????????????
Lesson # 1 ????????????????John 1:1-18 ?????????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 2 ??????????????????John 1:19-51
Lesson # 3 ????????????????John 2:1-12 ?????????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 4 ??????????????????John 2:13-25
Lesson # 5 ????????????????John 3:1-21 ?????????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 6 ??????????????????John 3:22-36
Lesson # 7 ????????????????John 4:1-27 ?????????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 8 ??????????????????John 4:28-54
Lesson # 9 ????????????????John 5:1-17 ?????????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 10??? John 5:18-30
Lesson # 11 ??????????????John 5:31-47 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 12??? John 6:1-27
Lesson # 13??? ??????????John 6:28-51 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 14 ????????????????John 6:52-71
Lesson # 15?? ???????????John 7:1-31 ?????????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 16??? John 7:32-53
Lesson # 17 ??????????????John 8:1-30 ?????????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 18 ????????????????John 8:31-59
Lesson # 19 ??????????????John 9:1-12 ?????????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 20 ????????????????John 9:13-24
Lesson # 21 ??????????????John 10:1-21 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 22 ????????????????John 10:22-42
Lesson # 23 ??????????????John 11:1-57 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 24 ????????????????John 12:1-11
Lesson # 25 ??????????????John 12:12-28 ?????????????????????????Lesson # 26 ????????????????John 12:29-50
Lesson # 27 ??????????????John 13:1-20 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 28 ????????????????John 13:21-38
Lesson # 29 ??????????????John 14:1-14 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 30 ????????????????John 14:15-31
Lesson # 31 ??????????????John 15:1-17 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 32 ????????????????John 15:18-16:4
Lesson # 33 ??????????????John 16:5-15 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 34 ????????????????John 16:16-33
Lesson # 35 ??????????????John 17:1-10 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 36 ????????????????John 17:11-26
Lesson # 37 ??????????????John 18:1-14 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 38?? ?John 18:15-40
Lesson # 39 ??????????????John 19:1-16 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 40 ????????????????John 19:17-42
Lesson # 41 ??????????????John 20:1-31 ???????????????????????????????????????Lesson # 42 ????????????????John 21:1-25