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What We Do in SALT & LIGHT 2
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."
2 Timothy 2:15
PURPOSE: (a) to study the Bible using the Bible (b) to know the character of God and (c) to handle accurately the word of Truth.
After your group has shared their quiet times for a month or so, please study a book of the Bible together. Do the following with a book of the Bible you all agree to study. We recommended that you first start with a gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John), then go on to Acts.
1. We meet weekly. The first week we share from our own personal reading and on alternate weeks we study a chapter together. Please note, some chapters are very long. You may want to divide those into two sessions.
In addition to doing the study together every other week, you can add variety ever so often. Have your group members divide up in groups of 2 or 3. Each cluster can volunteer to do the various options listed below. Then after a given time frame, return as one group and share what they discovered.
2. Below are some suggestions you can prepare at home or you can just do together in your group. Your Leader will determine which components below you will do on a given week.
- Take turns reading the verses of the chapter out loud consecutively. Before you start reading, pray and ask God to: "Open your mind to understand the scriptures" Luke 24:45 and tell Him that you long for "your heart to burn within you while He is speaking to you… and ask Him to explain the scriptures to you" Luke 24:32
- Read relationally (converse with the Author Himself) while reading the chapter you are studying. (You can read relationally out loud as a group or each person can read alone silently). Note to Leaders: After you are assured that your group understands reading relationally & are comfortable with each other, you may introduce reading & pausing & praying out loud relationally in the group.
- Prayerfully discover the following: Who is writing the chapter you are reading? What do you know about him? Who is the audience…Christians, non-Christians or both?
- Whether at home or together, you can take notes on any insights that He gives you & jot down any questions that you asked Him about what you read… record His answer to you. *He's just waiting for you to ask!
- As God speaks to you about various passages within that chapter, cross-reference the ones He impressed upon you. Record what He shows you. Scripture always confirms scripture.
- Circle the words in the text that God impressed on your heart and circle words in the text that are repeated. Consider using a dictionary to look up the meanings. This will broaden your understanding of the context that the words are used in. Write down what you found. (If you have one, a Bible Dictionary is helpful too.)
- You can use any commentary that you would like for another perspective from the Spirit on the Words of God.
- On a sheet of paper, make 3 columns at the top with these titles:
God/Jesus/Holy Spirit |
Christians |
Non-Christians |
Verse 6 Powerful
Verse 19 Forgiving |
Verse 22 Bold
Verse 29 Fervent |
Verse 12 Skeptical
Verse 15 Afraid |
Now you will be making a list of characteristics for each title - as you see in the diagram above. Be sure to write down the verse where you found each characteristic. Example: vs.6 God is powerful. From the chapter that you just studied, please come to a conclusion as you ask the Lord for His insights, regarding the following:
- What have I learned about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit? What is He like in the chapter that I just studied? What words describe Him? (Please list in the appropriate column)
- What have I learned about the character(s): Christians & non-Christians in the chapter? What are they like? What words describe them? (Please list in appropriate column)
- Lastly, write down from the chapter you just studied what God's message is to you.
If you have any questions after reading all this, please feel free to ask! Email us at [email protected]
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