Myth #1: Tell Us More vs. Look for More
Many study guides in the Christian market today focus on content or rely on a teacher to help people find truth. People erroneously believe if they hear more, or have more information, they are learning more. Information alone does not change lives. Consider for a moment the person who spends hours scouring books or websites for information about heart disease, but never makes any changes to his or her diet or exercise regimen. It’s not about information.

The liquid method is a learning model and discovery is the central means by which learning takes place. God’s word is the source of truth and God’s spirit is guide and revealer of all truth.

Myth #2: More Questions vs. the Right Questions
Many Christian study guides ask questions that have painfully obvious answers that no self-respecting learner should have to answer. Others are empty yes-or-no questions that require hardly any thought at all. And the worst questions of all are the ones where the writer has a specific answer in mind and is willing to wring every ounce of energy out of the group to get the answer he is looking for.

Rather than write a list of very specific questions that push group members through a rigorous examination of “What does this verse say?” or “What did the writer mean by that?” the liquid method depends on four carefully written questions that lead them through an inductive learning process. It’s about having the RIGHT questions, not simply more questions.

Myth #3: What We Know vs. How We Change
The goal of all Bible study is life change. The longest stretch of learning is from the head to the heart. It’s much easier just to keep accumulating information than it is to change our lives.

The liquid method is designed to push learners toward a point of change. Ultimate personal change is a matter of the heart. As God changes our hearts, our “steps” always head in a different direction. 

— copyright 2007 by the author and BuildingSmallGroups.com.