The Bible Drill has been around for a long, long time. I can’t even begin to tell you how long. I’m over 50 years old and I know we used Bible Drills in Sunday School when I was a kid. I remember a Sunday School Class in an old church. Our teacher called out the verse and with eagerness we raced through our Bibles, flipping the pages as quickly as possible to find the scripture. It was fun, it was energetic, and no one was embarrassed because we couldn’t beat the quickest kid in class. Our “self” esteem wasn’t ruined. Instead we took control of our own outcome and strived to do better, get faster, succeed. Why? Because we knew we were learning God’s Word. It was exciting and we looked forward to this Bible Drill Game every time we met.
One Bible Drill competition takes a different form. You are expected to hold a specific posture. Hold the Bible a specific way. Step forward and wait until the moderator calls on you to respond to a specific verse. You are not called for being first. Judges watch you for mistakes: failure to step forward or stepping forward too soon, giving an incorrect response, failing to stand straight or keep eyes on the drill caller until the “start” command is given. The index finger must be placed on the correct response. The Bible must be parallel to the floor with one hand flat on top and the other on bottom. No fingers can extend beyond the edge of the Bible. (This is from a Judges Guide available from LifeWay Church Resources). This Bible Drill also consists of some variations requiring the competitor to name the books of the Bible in a series, give the traditional names to specific passages, quote specific scriptures from memory.
Using The Bible Drills on this Site
The Bible Drills you find here are for a class setting that encourages everyone to participate in scripture examination and discuss the meaning and application of God’s Word.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 gives us a great explanation for the purpose of God’s Word. These scriptures indicate that God’s Word is for:
- Doctrine
- Reproof
- Correction
- Instruction in righteousness
- Completely equipping the man of God for every good work.
With this in mind, one of the ways we use these Bible Drills in class falls back to practices similar to what I experienced many years ago in my old childhood Sunday School class. Then, we add an Inductive Bible Study approach to the lessons. The leader doesn’t do all the talking. Instead, we ask questions that encourage the Bible student to respond and act on the the Holy Scripture.
The basic approach to an Inductive Study includes the following:
- OBSERVATION: What does God’s Word say?
- INTERPRETATION: What does God’s Word mean?
- APPLICATION: How do I apply God’s Word to my life?
First and foremost in these Bible Drills, we encourage you to PRAY. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work among the individuals or the group to provide the appropriate insight to scriptures. Ask for help setting aside any preconceived ideas or false thinking we may have as we look into God’s Word.
OBSERVATION
In the Bible Drill Lesson we start with OBSERVATION or a Hook. We consider the scriptures based on a topic, principle, or event in the Bible. The leader calls out the scripture one verse at a time. The students quickly search and find the scripture. Making note of the first to find the scripture. Once everyone has found the verse, the first person finding it reads aloud. We don’t make a big deal out of the person being “the first”. While others look for verses, they receive help from the ones who already found the scripture.
After the verse reading, we make a quick note of a few of the key words and ideas in the passage. No elaboration on the words and ideas. We just quickly write them down on paper or on a board. Then we move on to the next verse. This time asking the person who was first finding the previous verse(s) to refrain and help.
INTERPRETATION
Next, the leader guides us into INTERPRETATION or the Line. We go back and look at the scriptures again along with some quick notes we made. Then we discuss the true intent of God’s Word. We are careful to stick to God’s Word for exactly what it says in our discussions. We investigate “What if” questions in the context of scripture rather than human thinking. That is because more often than not, our limited self-centered human thinking distorts the meaning of God’s Word. We don’t want to distort what the verses really say. To guide INTERPRETATION, we use the discussion questions given in each lesson. Keep in mind that as a leader of the class, you may ask other questions that we did not included in the discussion guide available. Always listen to the voice or nudge of the Holy Spirit as you talk about the scriptures and ask questions. Take care to steer clear of human based ideas or thinking.
APPLICATION
Finally, the leader directs us to look within and consider APPLICATION or the SInker of the scripture into the individuals personal and spiritual life. Often APPLICATION challenges us to make a change in our own lives in order to become the person, the disciple, the minister, the teacher God wants us to be. We take the time to prayerfully address any decisions regarding Salvation, forgiveness, or other issues. We don’t limit the altar call to the worship service sanctuary.
God is amazing! His Grace is amazing! His Word is amazing! We live in a society that doesn’t seem to be as familiar with His Word as we should. We’ve been guilty of entertaining for the purpose of the Gospel, instead of really digging into God’s Word. The consequences of this are on full display right now in our country. We see a great disdain for scripture rather than an appreciation for the sacred direction that The Holy Bible gives us.
Our prayer is that these Bible Drills will help you and your group grow closer to God, learn what the scriptures really say, and that you discover how God speaks through this Word that He inspired.
If you have ideas on other ways to conduct the Bible Drill, we’d like to know what they are. Use the Contact Us Page to share with us or comment. We might even share your ideas in our Blog.
