How to create an A-H-A moment in your Bible study group

Aha moments are defined as those times when we have a moment of clarity and understanding. Aha moments are a sudden burst of insight we formerly did not have. Aha moments are wonderful things to experience in Bible study as people read and explore God’s Word together. Using the word Aha as an acrostic, here are 3 ways to create an A-H-A moment:

A-nswer a burning question.
H-elp people connect the dots.
A-sk probing questions.

First, you must answer a burning question. As I teach the men and women in my Bible study group, I ask myself, “What kinds of questions does the text create?” If I have those questions, my group members do, too, most likely. Those are the kinds of burning questions that just beg to be answered in the Bible study. For instance, try asking “If God is a God of love, why does the text say that He ordered the people who lived in the Promised Land to be killed as Israel possessed the land?” There’s a burning question that people will wrestle with, but may not ask during the Bible study.

Second, you must help people connect the dots. Do not assume the people in your group know the Bible as well as you, the group leader. You’re the one with the study tools and resources they may not possess, so use all of the information at your disposal to help them connect theological dots. Show them how an Old Testament verse is quoted in the New Testament, perhaps used in a new way by a writer. Introduce them to the fulfillment of prophecies. Show them how Jesus was foreshadowed in the Old Testament. All of these things help people make sense of what can be a confusing book.

Third, you must ask probing questions. A probing question gets below the surface answer people usually want to offer. When a group member answers a question I’ve posed, I listen carefully to their response, then sometimes say, “Tell us some more about that.” That causes the person to think critically about their response, why they said what they did, and how they see their thought connecting to the Word of God. Probing questions cause people to think more deeply and critically about their emotions, opinions, and feelings. A good probing question will: