If you want to take your Bible teaching to a new level, try cloaking it in mystery. Don’t just disseminate information – fill your Bible studies with small surprises and mysteries.

• Highlight the obscure – People perk up when they learn a fact that has gone unnoticed in their study of the Bible
• Focus on something unique – each Bible passage you study with your group will no doubt have one or two unique characteristics – point those out to your group
• Call attention to a curious detail – is there a word or phrase that is repeated several times in the passage you’re studying? in Haggai chapter 1, the phrase “Lord of Armies” is repeated a half-dozen times in a few verses – why? God challenged the people to “consider your ways” because the people were living self-centered lives and He wanted to emphasize that fighting against His will was going to be a losing battle – He is, after all, the “Lord of Armies”
• Pose a mystery and allow your group members to solve it – As you begin your Bible study, pose a mystery: “Why would Nehemiah not use the name ‘Jerusalem’ when talking to his king? Why instead did he substitute ‘Jerusalem’ with ‘the city of my fathers’? Create a mystery that your group members can solve as you guide their study.

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