SPECKA Bible Study

The work of a missionary is multi-faceted. It often means 1) evangelizing 2) discipling 3) developing leaders 4) gathering them as a church with the stated goal of 5) walking away. We used the “MAWL method”: Model, assist, watch and leave. And, as I have shared, missionary works leads into developmental and humanitarian work, because how could it not? We see this in the NT as the early church grew and expanded. One of the Bible study methods that has been used successfully around the globe in this process is the SPECKA bible study method. It is very simple- we want things to be reproducible on the field- if it depends on Western funds and efforts it won’t outlast us!

Specka is simply sitting together before a short passage of Scripture- our team here has been going through 2 Timothy. The leader guides the discussion with these simple questions:

Sin- is there a sin to confess or avoid?

Promise- is there a promise to claim?

Example: Is there a good example to follow or a bad one to avoid?

Knowledge: Is there knowledge of God, man, ethics or doctrine?

Application: Is there a general application? Is there a personal application?

The good thing is people begin to realize they don’t have to go to seminary to lead Bible studies. (Most people, and especially new believes) don’t feel qualified to lead Bible studies. But with this simple method, people can find meaning in what they are reading, and leaders are reproduced because it is so simple. Further study is awesome, don’t get me wrong! I went to seminary and wouldn’t change it, but it isn’t a necessity to participate in the expansion of the Kingdom of God!

I say all this to share that I will take my turn tonight leading. We will look at 2 Timothy 4:6-9. What do you see in this passage? How would you answer the SPECKA questions (not every passage has something for each question obviously)?