4 Strategies for Preventing Group Conflict

Managing potential conflict can build stronger community

By BSF Staff

Be honest—is there someone in your Bible study group you just don’t like? Or two people who always disagree? Do you leave without feeling heard and understood by others?  

As you share vulnerably and openly, you may also begin to disagree, annoy each other, and even cause hurt. 

Yet when you approach these situations with compassion, your group can grow together and prevent conflict from escalating. In community, we live out Jesus‘s command, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).  

Use these four helpful strategies to navigate relational challenges in your small groups.  

1. Listen well

Your group may have members from different denominations, theological perspectives, life circumstances, cultures, and more. What if these differences could bring richness and depth to your group rather than tension?   

Unity is not built by being the same but by respecting and appreciating the different gifts that each person brings to your group. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (Romans 12:6).  

What could you learn by listening to each other? While another person is speaking, try to focus on understanding their perspective rather than formulating your own response (or judgment).  

Some helpful responses may be:

• What I hear you saying is [summarize their viewpoint as you understand it]. Is that right?  
• I understand why you believe ______. Have you also considered _____?  
• I know that this is an issue we don’t agree on. Would you be interested in getting coffee with me so I can learn more about your perspective?

What if differences could bring richness and depth your group rather than tension?

2. Build empathy

Our different personalities and experiences might make it easy to misinterpret another’s behavior. What one person experiences as bold, another may interpret as rude. What one person believes to be helpful advice could feel like criticism to the recipient.  

Knowing this reality, how can you show grace to each other? Remember, your small group is made up of real people navigating real life. Before assuming the worst, try to consider a situation from their perspective.  

Here are some responses that might help:

• I notice that you seem [emotion] about this topic. Do you want to talk about it?  
• I know that you are trying to _____. It actually makes me feel _____.  
• You seem stressed today when _____. Is there anything you want to share?  

God calls us to bear with one another and to forgive as we have been forgiven (Colossians 3:13). 

Your small group is made up of real people navigating real life.

3. Evaluate your own heart

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or discouraged by any relational challenges in your group. But not all disagreement or even discomfort is bad. When we are faced with differences of opinion or personality, we may want to back away, but it could be a time to lean in and grow together! 

To evaluate the group dynamic, think back to the expectations your group established when you began meeting with each other:  

• Is the tone of your conversation respectful?  
• Are you giving every group member a chance to speak?  
• Do you respect perspectives that are different from your own?  
• Are you showing grace to others when they offend you? 

Pray for God’s wisdom to help you discern where there is tension and build peace. The wisdom of God is described as pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, impartial, and sincere (James 3:17-18).   

Not all disagreement or even discomfort is bad.

4. Ask for help

If there is conflict or tension in your group that you are not sure how to handle, it might be time to speak with your group leader. 

Remember: the goal is not to gossip or create more conflict but to build relationships and create a stronger group dynamic. It may be best to set up a one-on-one meeting with your leader in an environment outside of your regular group meeting.

Navigating relational challenges can be a heavy task. But take heart: We worship the Prince of Peace! 

5 Tips for Better Group Conversations

Encouraging deep and meaningful Bible study discussions

By BSF Staff

In a small group Bible study, the goal is always to create a healthy, secure space where open and honest conversations flow and everyone feels equally free to contribute. Some groups find their groove from the word “go,” while others move at a slower pace. 

Whether it feels natural or takes intentional time, studying the Bible in a group is helpful for proper Scripture interpretation and long-term spiritual growth. For “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).  

The following five tips will help you encourage deep, free-flowing conversation in your groups:

1. Remove distractions

Focusing after a long day of work, parenting, or other life circumstances can be difficult. If we want to put worries aside to be present in our groups, we have to be intentional. What specific behaviors or habits could you use to shift your focus before sitting down with your group?

One method is to get out a piece of paper and write down everything on your mind. Write down anxieties, distractions, expectations of the evening, plans for tomorrow, and anything else consuming your thoughts. Getting our mind-clutter out and onto the page frees us to focus on one another.

Remember Paul’s advice in Philippians to “not be anxious about anything” but to turn to prayer. As a result, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).  

If we want to put worries aside to be present in our groups, we have to be intentional.

2. Be vulnerable

Commit to being open with your group. If you choose to be vulnerable, it will lead others to do the same! Your group and discussion will be better for it. 

While it can be scary to let yourself show weakness or not have all the answers, you are called to true community. That means showing the real you and your real life. Share your true prayer requests and answers to questions, not just what you think is acceptable or will make others think well of you. 

James tells us, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16).  

If you choose to be vulnerable, it will leads others to do the same!

3. Build community

The first step to building community in your group is showing up! Make sure that your group is a priority in your life. As much as you are able, show up to every group meeting.  

However, showing intentional care and interest in other group members should extend beyond your weekly meeting. Could you follow up with a member on a prayer request they shared during your discussion? Is there a need you could meet for them? Would you extend an invitation to get to know someone personally outside of your group?  

Hebrews reminds us, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25).  

Showing intentional care and interest in other group members should extend beyond your weekly meeting. 

4. Stay on topic

During your group discussion, it is best to stay focused on the passage and follow the guidance of your group leader. 

While it’s always great to share your perspective and life with the group, it may be best to hold back from giving your review of a recent movie, bringing up a divisive political topic, or telling a long story about a recent vacation during your discussion time. 

Before you speak, think, “Is this relevant to the group discussion? Am I talking to draw attention to myself or to share for the good of the group?”  

5. Grow together

Just as there is always room to grow in God’s Word, there is room for everyone to grow in group Bible study. If you commit as a group to growth, you will all be able to look back and see how far you’ve come by the end of your time together.  

Jesus Invited the Unlikely; Will You?

An invitation to BSF can change a life for eternity

By Brooke Sims, BSF Chief Ministry Development Officer

I was the last person you would expect to say “yes” to a BSF invitation.   

In my early 20s, I had little Bible knowledge and had never done a Bible study. I did not believe in Jesus, and I was working long hours in a high-pressure public accounting firm.  

Who would have invited me? It would make more sense to invite someone who knew more about Scripture or who had more time on their hands. Right? Well, maybe not. 

Jesus invited the least likely. Who would have chosen a fisherman or tax collector for a disciple? Jesus chose the least likely to follow Him and the world was forever changed.  

Someone chose to invite me to BSF even though I was busy, inexperienced, and skeptical. And to my surprise and theirs, I showed up. Without that invitation, I would never have come to saving faith in Jesus. I am eternally changed because someone extended a simple invitation.   

What is holding you back from inviting your “least likely” friend or family member to BSF?  

Jesus chose the least likely to follow Him and the world was forever changed. 

Are they too busy? 

Most people in the world today are busy—busy with work, children, caring for aging parents, pursuing an education, and much more. But Jesus is needed every bit as much in a busy life as He is in a quiet life.  

When the disciples were called to follow Jesus, many of them had bustling careers. Simon Peter was a busy fisherman who cared for his wife and family. Did this stop his brother Andrew from telling Peter about Christ? Absolutely not. Scripture tells us, “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus”  (John 1:41-42a).  

We often think people may be too busy for a Bible study. Thankfully, Jesus is never too busy to reach us. God works in every season of life and faithfully calls His people in unexpected circumstances. 

Does BSF seem too difficult?

When you consider inviting someone new to BSF, maybe you worry that the questions will be too difficult. Perhaps the in-depth approach will be too challenging for a new believer or unbeliever without Bible study experience.  

When I first joined BSF, my understanding of God and the Bible was pieced together from the world, not the Word. Until I studied Scripture for myself, the idea of Jesus as Savior and Messiah seemed illogical.

However, the daily, personal questions from BSF gave me the courage to open my Bible. The guided study helped me to learn what the Bible said for myself. In community with others, I had the freedom to express my confusion and ask questions. The lecture and notes were like water for my parched soul. God used the study of BSF to bring me to salvation. 

As someone who has studied with BSF as a non-believer and then as a dedicated follower of Christ, I can confidently say that God uses in-depth study to mature people wherever they are in their faith. The Holy Spirit does the work; we are simply called to extend the invitation.  

The Holy Spirit does the work; we are simply called to extend the invitation.   

Are they too skeptical? 

God may be calling you to invite someone who has questions that you simply cannot answer. You are not alone.  

In John 1:45, Jesus’s disciple Philip extended an invitation to his skeptical friend Nathaniel, saying, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  

When Nathaniel exclaimed, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Philip simply said, “Come and see” (John 1:46). This faithful disciple relied on Jesus’s truth to answer Nathaniel’s questions. He simply extended the invitation, trusting God to do the rest.

When I entered the doors of BSF for the first time, I was skeptical. I had questions about Jesus that none of my friends could answer to relieve my doubts. Only when I opened God’s Word did I discover the answers I truly longed to find.  

One of the most effective ways to reach skeptical people is to let them read the truth for themselves. 

The world offers endless suggestions; only Jesus has the solution.

Regardless of life-stage or church experience, all people seek answers the world cannot provide. We long for meaning and purpose. We want to be truly known and truly loved. We need forgiveness and a path forward. The world offers endless suggestions; only Jesus has the solution.  

When we do not invite others, eternal life and abundant life on earth are at stake. Too many of our friends and family walk through hard seasons without the truth and hope only Christ can give. How will we respond? 

What if you invited your “least likely” friend or family member to BSF this year? Who might come? Who might believe? How might a life—and the world—be changed for eternity because you invited that person to “come and see”? 

To invite a friend to join BSF, go to https://join.bsfinternational.org/, find your class, and click “invite a friend.” 

The Secret to John’s Faith

How did this disciple persevere in a lifetime of adversity?

By Bennett Rolan, Editorial Manager

If you could go back in time, what would you do differently? How have you matured? How have you changed?  

For each of us, time offers the benefit of hindsight. We learn from our mistakes, we strive to be better, and through the work of the Holy Spirit we grow in our faith.  

When we combine life experience with a commitment to pursue Christ, God grows our wisdom. Over time, we see the world differently.  

This is the gift we discover in John’s Gospel. Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, most scholars believe that the apostle John wrote his Gospel account toward the end of his life, 20 to 30 years after the other three were written. Early Christian writings even suggest that John may have been familiar with the three Gospels before recording his own account.*

After a lifetime reflecting on the words and teaching of Jesus, John carefully crafted his eyewitness account. Today we benefit from his hindsight. John’s Gospel is known for its unique content and timeline, but the author’s tone truly sets it apart.  

John’s enduring faith and love for Christ are evident in every chapter and verse.  

So how can we build a faith like John? When we examine his life, we uncover the source of his hope, freedom, and perseverance.  

After a lifetime reflecting on the words and teaching of Jesus, John carefully crafted his eyewitness account.

Hope in adversity

After Jesus’s resurrection and ascension to heaven, God grew the early Church. But as Jesus had warned in Matthew 10:16-39, the lives of these early Christians were marked by pain and persecution. While the Holy Spirit sustained these faithful believers, Jewish and Roman officials ruthlessly persecuted anyone who proclaimed the name of Christ.  

As one of Jesus’s disciples, John would have been at the center of this violent turmoil. He watched as government officials brutally martyred his friends and family, one by one. From Acts 12:1-2 we know that John’s brother James was among the first to be “put to death with the sword” in the name of Jesus. 

In AD 70, John would have grieved the deaths of an estimated 1.1 million Jews and Christians during the Roman siege of Jerusalem. And as his brothers and sisters in Christ suffered, John himself was hunted, persecuted, and exiled.  

John referred to himself as “your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus” (Revelation 1:9). 

As we reflect on those words, we realize that John fixed his eyes on Christ’s kingdom to come. Through Jesus’s love and sacrifice, John’s commitment to Christ remained steadfast. When he could have written a memoir of bitterness, John wrote a Gospel of hope.  

Through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, the words recorded by John encourage us today, “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).  

When he could have written a memoir of bitterness, John wrote a Gospel of hope.  

Freedom through humility 

Before writing his Gospel account or shepherding the early Church, John was simply a fisherman who chose to follow Christ. Known by Jesus as the “sons of thunder” in Mark 3:17, John and his brother James were two of the most vocal disciples from the Gospel accounts. In Mark 10:35-36, we read about the brothers’ request of Jesus, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”  

Asking for a place of prominence, James and John wanted greatness. But somewhere in the course of following Christ, John’s perspective changed. In his writing, John elevated the name of Jesus above all else. Instead of taking credit as “John, best among the apostles,” the author calls himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”   

The same man who once sought eternal greatness later chose to remain anonymous. Instead of proclaiming his own name, John anchored his identity in Christ.  

Through simply becoming “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” John proclaimed his identity in Christ alone. Instead of seeking fame or authority, John rested in his position as child of God (John 1:12).  

The same man who once sought eternal greatness later chose to remain anonymous.

Peace in perseverance

Through a lifetime of adversity, John persevered in faith. By shifting his perspective toward eternity, John held fast to these words of Jesus.  

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 

John’s faith was remarkable, but his story reminds us that God faithfully matures ordinary men and women. When we spend a lifetime reflecting on the person and words of Christ, we too can discover hope, freedom, and perseverance.  

Jesus Himself said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). 

To build a faith like John’s, join BSF’s next study of John’s Gospel: The Truth. Join a BSF class today!

*Mark L. Strauss, Four Portraits, One Jesus. A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2nd ed., 2020).

How to Read the Bible Like a Scholar

(Even when you are not!)

By Dr. Jonathan T. Pennington, Guest Contributor

What is the “right way” to read the Bible?  

We all want to interpret Scripture correctly, but it can be difficult to know where to start. It seems everyone has their own opinion of what matters most. While some emphasize the historical context, others rely on church traditions or focus on modern-day applications. 

As a professor of the New Testament, I have the privilege of teaching new students and future pastors how to navigate Scripture. But you don’t have to be a pastor, theologian, or even a Teaching Leader to read the Bible like a scholar.  

I have found it is helpful to think about three distinct ways of reading the Bible. These can be described as informational, theological, and transformational. By using all of them together, we can not only understand confusing passages but also begin to see and know God personally through His Word. Let’s briefly look at each of these approaches. 

1. Informational 

What helps us correctly interpret Scripture as we study and learn?  

When we read the Bible informationally, we recognize God is speaking to us but that it is very possible to misunderstand Him. The Bible comes to us from different times and cultures and languages, over thousands of years. The Bible doesn’t change, but our interpretation of it can get overlaid with our own assumptions and misunderstandings. Informational reading helps us bridge those gaps and reveal those blind spots. 

Informational reading focuses on understanding the various contexts in which the Bible was written—literary, cultural, and historical.  

Take Psalm 1, for example.  

Informational reading directs us to ask questions about how this psalm is structured as a piece of literature. Psalm 1 is a poem, in particular a wisdom poem that uses a common theme in the ancient world called the “two ways.”  

One way represents those who increasingly come under the influence of the ungodly, walking and then standing and then stopping and sitting (1:1). The result of this way of life is that a person does not know God and becomes like dust in the wind (1:4-5). The other way is a life in which we meditate on God’s instructions. The result of this life path is a verdant, fruitful tree fed by streams of water (1:4). 

Understanding the “two ways” helps us read and apply the psalm effectively, while also shaping our reading of the rest of the psalms as we recognize this repeated theme. To get started with informational reading, a study Bible can help. In-depth Bible studies, like Bible Study Fellowship, also increase our informational knowledge. 

The Bible comes to us from different times and cultures and languages, over thousands of years.

2. Theological

How do we know we are on the right track in our interpretations? 

We need guidelines to help us stay on a faithful path. We need to read the Bible theologically.  

To help us understand these things, God has given teachers to the church (Ephesians 4:11), both now and in the past. Our Bible reading is enhanced when we read in conjunction with confessions of faith like the Apostles’ Creed and the works of theologians who help us put the whole Bible together.  

Think about your church: Do you read the Apostles’ Creed together? Did you sign a confession of faith to join as a member? Do you memorize catechism or use a prayer book each week?  

These are all examples of summaries of belief created by theologians and church leaders throughout history that provide a foundation of the basic truths of the Christian faith.  

These theological categories don’t replace the Bible, but they guide us into its proper reading. 

For example, one of the most famous theological reflections on Jesus is found in Philippians 2. The Apostle Paul was probably quoting an early Christian hymn when he wrote about Jesus: 

“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7 ESV) 

This raises some important questions. What does it mean that Jesus did not consider equality with a God “a thing to be grasped”? And what does it mean that he “emptied himself”? People have interpreted these words differently over the centuries, some of them in ways that end up denying the full deity of Jesus while He was on the earth. 

A theological reading of the Bible recognizes that we are not lone ranger Christians. 

We can turn to theological categories and creeds to help guide our interpretations. We know this passage cannot mean that Jesus is not God because we affirm Jesus as fully God and fully Man in our confessions of faith.  

A theological reading of the Bible recognizes that we are not lone ranger Christians reading the Bible outside of the helps God has provided through teachers and the creeds, confessions, and books they have written.

3. Transformational

Yet none of these interpretations matter if they do not shape our lives.  

When we read the Bible transformationally, we recognize that our work is not done unless God’s Word sinks deeply into our heads, our hearts, and our hands. This third mode of reading focuses on the Spirit-driven application of Holy Scripture to our lives. We can learn a lot about God informationally and theologically, but without focusing on transformation, it is possible to only know about God without actually knowing Him. 

We often quote 2 Timothy 3:16—“all Scripture is God-breathed”—to emphasize the inspiration and authority of the Bible. That’s good, but we need to keep reading beyond the first part. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that the purpose of God’s breathing into the Bible is so we can be taught, corrected, and trained “in righteousness.” This is a work of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to understand the Bible and empowering us to apply it to our lives. 

If we return to Psalm 1, we can read it transformationally by asking these questions: What is God calling me to do in response to these two ways to live? What kind of person is God inviting me to become through the habit of meditating on Scripture? How might this psalm shape my goals and values? What areas of my life does this psalm challenge me to reconsider and redirect toward God? 

The real aim in reading scripture is to see and know God Himself.

Throughout the Bible we are invited on a journey, a road trip. We are regularly welcomed to come and see, to taste and delight in God. The goal of reading the Scriptures is not merely to gain knowledge about God or to learn certain beliefs and behaviors. The real aim in reading Scripture is to see and know God Himself. This won’t fully occur until the new creation. But along the way, we get glimpses of what is to come. These glimpses of God happen especially through reading and studying the Bible. As we await the new creation, Scripture is crucial for discovering the meaningful and flourishing life that will last for eternity. 

This is adapted from Dr. Pennington’s latest book, Come and See: The Journey of Knowing God through Scripture. 

Want to learn more about how to read the Bible? Join a BSF class today! 

3 Reasons to Study John

There is always something new to learn.

By J. Keener, BSF Video Producer

How well do you know the book of John?   

For many of us, this Gospel account feels familiar. We may remember John as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” his account of the woman at the well, or the moment when Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water to meet Jesus.  

Wait, that account of Peter is not actually in John. What about the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’s birth story, or the parable of the prodigal son? 

This is embarrassing. How could I get this wrong?  I have read John before many times.  

If you are like me, the Gospel accounts often run together. As many times as I read them, my fading memory is just not enough to keep my Bible facts straight.  

But what if this reveals a deeper issue? Have I become complacent in my study of God’s Word?  

God has something new to tell us every time we open Scripture, even the chapters we know intimately. When we substitute a cheap paraphrase from memory, we miss the life-giving truth of Christ. 

If you think you have exhausted John’s Gospel, here are three truths that can offer a new perspective. 

God has something new to tell us every time we open Scripture—even the chapters we know intimately. 

1. What we return to reveals our hearts.

I remember a quote from my college days: “If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads, but what he rereads.” 

Whether a favorite novel, movie, or TV series, we return to what we like. What we spend time reading, pondering, discussing, and hearing influences our preferences, opinions, and behavior. Unconsciously, the things we return to over and over shape our hearts.  

The author of Psalm 119 says of God, “I seek You with all my heart… I have hidden Your word in my heart.”  

To be a people shaped by God, we must return to His Word again and again. And this year, we can return to the Gospel of John. Through our study, we will read, ponder, discuss, and listen. We will soak in the words of Jesus, hiding them in our hearts and allowing them to shape our lives.  Together, we can join in the discipline of reading and rereading His Word.  

To be a people shaped by God, we must return to His Word again and again. 

2. We have changed since we last read John.

I first read John when I was enrolled in the BSF Children’s Program sometime in the ’90s. Over time, my perspective changed.  

I reread John in my twenties, shortly after getting married. When John the Baptist compared himself to the friend rejoicing with the Bridegroom, it impacted me in a new way. And after planning a wedding, I had a greater appreciation for Jesus’s involvement with wedding logistics in John 2.  

I returned to John in my thirties after my father passed away. I cannot express how powerful it was to read Jesus’s reaction to Lazarus’s death with the two words, “Jesus wept.” I knew this story well. I had read it before, discussed it, and listened to many lectures and sermons about it. What struck me so intensely, as if it was new information, was the empathy and humanity of Christ. Jesus grieved and I was comforted. During that season, I desperately needed to read the promise in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”  

Miraculously, God’s Word relates to every experience life has to offer. 

God never changes, but we do. Miraculously, God’s Word relates to every experience life has to offer. Scripture is deeply personal and only becomes more personal each time we return to it.  

This year, I am a first-time father. I know God will reveal something new as I study John yet again. 

So take a moment to reflect, how have you changed in the past month, year, or decade? What will the Gospel of John reveal to you? 

3. We will gain a deeper knowledge of truth.

Do you ever feel bombarded by half-truths, misinformation, or downright propaganda?  

In our current age many strive to sculpt their own “truth” from the vantage point of their individual circumstances or emotions. It is hard to cut through the noise. We are left with a daunting question. 

Echoing the words of Pontius Pilate in John 18:38, we ask, “What is truth?” 

From John 14:6, Jesus’s answer is simple, profound, and life-altering. 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  

If Jesus is the truth, then our response is clear. We should desire to learn all we can, examining His words and studying His life. Because once we know the truth, Jesus promised, “the truth will set [us] free” (John 8:32). 

I have read John before, and I am reading John again. Not to get more head knowledge or to impress my Sunday school teacher. My hope is simple, to grow closer to God and learn even more about His love for those around me.  

Whether you have just finished reading John, read it in the past, or never read it before, God has something new to tell you through this amazing book.  

To experience the truth of John’s Gospel, go to https://join.bsfinternational.org/ to join a group.