Archive for Bible Study – Page 2

Connect Through Prayer and Bible Study 2: Speak to God

Prayer and Bible study are powerful tools for connecting. When we pray with people, we demonstrate that we care and that God cares. When we open God’s Word together, we hear His plan to love us into relationship with Him through Jesus.

What are practical ways to connect through prayer and Bible study? Take these actions together:

  1. Bible study. Open God’s Word together. Examine the context. Together seek to understand what God’s message was to the original hearers. What was the point of the passage? Then seek to apply that message or point to life today. Finally seek to understand God’s personal message to each of you.
  2. When you opened God’s Word, He spoke. Now, what is your response to what God said in Bible study? This is your opportunity to agree with Him, to confess to Him, and to make requests of Him in response. Speak, write, or pray your response to Him.
  3. God spoke. You responded, but God expects change as a result of the encounter with Him in His Word. What does He want you to do, and are you willing to do what He expects? Are you willing to commit to change? Tell Him in prayer or writing.
  4. To this point, you have not carried out the change that God desires. It is important to review your response to His expectations over the next few days. Are you making progress? Bottom line: did I do what God expected? The is where the encouragement of a friend or reviewing a journal can help us to keep our commitments to God.

These steps of prayer and Bible study offer great opportunities for connecting. They allow us to demonstrate transparency. We become encouragers and cheerleaders. Connections matter!

Darryl Wilson serves as Sunday School & Discipleship Consultant for the Kentucky Baptist Convention and is the author of the Sunday School Revolutionary blog. He served churches in Kentucky and South Carolina as Minister of Education & Administration.

Connect Through Prayer and Bible Study 1: Read Your Bible

 

No one would think of birthing a baby and just leaving it to fend for itself.   So it is with new Christians We cannot afford to leave them alone. We must help them learn how to feed themselves and grow in the love of God.

As new Christians, they need to know that they never “walk” alone but have a Savior who will help them through life’s circumstances.   They have to learn to talk to God just as they talk to friends. Too often they hear people pray flowery prayers in public and think they need to pray in King James to be acceptable to God.

Secondly, they need to learn about God and who He is.  This they do by reading the Bible.  Too many have been hampered in their spiritual growth by starting at Genesis and when they get to Exodus and Leviticus they get discouraged.  It is important to share with them that Bible is not like any other book and it would be best to start at the gospels and learn about Jesus and what he did before going through Levitical law.  I have found that many new Christians relate well to John as he gives some explanation to some of the things happening.   Our goal should not be to make biblical theologians out of them, but people who fall in love with Jesus and the person who saved them.

Dr. Mark Yoakum is the Director of Church Ministries for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. He has served as Minister of Youth, Minister of Music, Minister of Education and Executive Pastor in churches in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas.

Invitation 3 – The Gospel Invite

Amazingly, just last Sunday (August 11), our pastor told the church that the student he was baptizing had been led to Christ the previous week in her small group.

Wait.

What. Just. Happened?

Yes, it’s true. It is possible for people to commit their lives during a small group meeting. Why don’t we see this more often?

In addition to all the reasons that may exist, there are three primary reasons why we do not see more people (children, students, and adults) coming to Christ in our small groups.

  1. We do not invite lost people to our groups. (See yesterday’s post)
  2. We do not offer opportunities during the group meeting for people to receive Jesus.
  3. We do not aware of the spiritual conditions of the people in our group.

Here are some ideas to help your group be more evangelistic.

First, if you are using curriculum that is doctrinally sound, then there are opportunities to explain the gospel and extend an invitation to receive Christ. LifeWay curriculum has at least one study per quarter that is intentionally designed as a gospel opportunity.

Second, discover the spiritual condition of the people in your group. Ask people to share their spiritual story (testimony). Engage group members in one-on-one spiritual conversations.

Third, offer opportunities to receive Christ as Savior and Lord during group meetings. You do not have to sing Just as I am, or have background music. They do not have to “walk the aisle” in small group. Simply ask the group to raise their hand if they want to receive Christ. Or… invite them to visit with you after the group meeting or send you a text message during the week.

Generally, the more open and free the Bible discussion is, the more freedom a lost person in the group has to ask gospel questions and respond to opportunities to receive Christ.

Invitation 2-Invite to Group

One of the best and most overlooked opportunities to introduce people to Jesus is a small group. Why? Because many people need to kick the tires of Christianity. What better place to give Christianity a test drive than in a small group of believers. Instead of hearing about prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and ministry… invite a friend to actually experience it.

While you are developing a friendship with a lost person, be sure to share experiences from your small group. Share stories of what your group does and how it impacts you. Whet their appetite. When you do offer to bring them to your group, they will be more than ready to accept your offer.

As a group, there are several things you can do to make your friend feel welcome.

  • Wear nametags. Put yourself in your guest’s shoes. It is difficult to meet 5-10 (or 20) people at once and remember their names. Nametags help.
  • Never let a guest sit alone in your group. Always make sure that a guest has people sitting around them and talking with them
  • Sometimes it is easier to invite a guest to a group fellowship (Baptist party) for their first interaction with the group.
  • Have a spare Bible or two available during group meetings.
  • Never call on a guest to pray or read.
  • Plan special group meetings that are conducive to guests.

It is important that the group still pray and study the Bible when guests are present. Guests will not be offended. If you invited a guest to play golf, imagine their surprise if you never left the putting green. Same would be true if you invited a guest to go fishing, but you did not take any bait or fishing rods. Guests expect the group to pray and study God’s Word together.

Go on. Invite friends to your small group. It will be a great experience for your friend, for you, and for your group.

 

Disciplemaking and Transformation

https://vimeo.com/sbtconline/review/290202284/fa7ab20b56

https://vimeo.com/sbtconline/review/290202284/fa7ab20b56

Today’s culture is obsessed with transformation. Many television shows are built on some sort of dramatic change leading to a complete metamorphosis. The climax of these shows is that moment when the bus is moved, the screens are rolled away or the person walks out from behind the curtain and there is a collective awe. These transformations are dramatic, and they amaze us. Unfortunately, our propensity for this nearly immediate modification, has caused some real issues in our understanding and process of disciple-making in the church.

Three ways the culture has created a wrong understanding of transformation:
1. Instant – Through the magic of TV editing, we have become accustomed to changes in 22-minute or 42-minute segments and therefore transformation is perceived as something nearly instantaneous. Some have taken this same approach in the church. Leaders frequently struggle or even disengaged if transformation is not quick and easy.
• The Truth – Transformation is a process. It is a long slow work in the lives of believers. It is never instant and often it’s very messy.
2. Complete – The key to each of these TV programs is they finish by the end of the show. The transformation is done just in the nick of time and it’s wonderful. It looks amazing. They undertook an immense task and they made it happen.
• The Truth – In our disciple-making it is never complete. We are always a work in progress, and everyone is different, so transformation has a unique look in each person.
3. Visible – These complete changes are clear to see. They show the before and after leaving no doubt that a massive work has been completed.
• The Truth – When we talk about making disciples this involves people, not things, and entails a transformation that begins on the inside and works its way out. It can be difficult to see the transformation and many give up on the process.

The mandate in Jesus’ commission, to his disciples and all believers, is to make disciples that will in turn make disciples. The original disciples, in the book of Acts, were sent out into the world to replicate their faith to every tribe and tongue. Sadly, today’s culture has become so focused on the instant that we have lost this beautiful art of transformation.

If you want to focus on spiritual transformation in your church here are three things to keep in mind.

1. Non-linear – (Sorry to drop a math term) Most of the time, transformation in someone’s life is one step forward and two-steps backward. We have so many struggles and issues to work through that it’s not a constant growth. It resembles the stock market with its ups and downs more than a straight climb. The key with this is to make spiritual progress. The speed of the progress is less important than the fact that there is movement in the right direction.

2. Clear Definition – A number of these television shows are so successful because they know what a good final result looks like. Too often in the church we start the process of transformation, but we have no idea what a disciple does or spiritually looks like. If we don’t know what we are trying to produce, we won’t get anywhere.
3. Multiplication – The end goal is always multiplication. Many times, we have a focus on helping people mature to live better Christian lives. There is nothing wrong with this desire. The struggle is that Jesus told us to make disciples. You are a disciple when you are making disciples of others who in turn will make disciples of others. It’s a chain that goes back to Jesus and will only end when he returns for his bride.

Transformation is from God. When we see it in the world or even a TV show it demonstrates a beautiful picture of redemption and change. He does it every day. However, the greatest picture of true transformation happens in the lives of people who turn from their sin and trust and walk with him. They in turn help others do the same, and this happens time and time again, disciples making disciples.