Starting A New Bible Study?

RECENTLY A CHRISTIAN BROTHER, Danny Fernandez, and I were talking and he said that he would like to see how I would lead a Bible study.  Leading a Bible study can be broken into two very important parts:  First, in the initial meeting of a new study group, we should talk about the foundation of our Christian faith.  We will want to make sure we are all on the same page regarding doctrines which affect our eternal salvation.  

Second, in the next meeting we should begin an interactive discussion style expository Bible study through a chosen book of the Bible.

Is your church or study group getting ready to start a new Bible study or Sunday School class?  If this is a new group study, I would like to suggest affirming a strong foundation in doctrinal teachings, really understanding what your church believes and teaches (their Statement of Faith), and knowing your own personal Statement of Faith. 

To help you accomplish that, I suggest watching the three short videos below:  The first video is "Leading a Small Group Discussion," a 4 minute video by Ross Anderson of PursueGod.org.  The second is a video I created from my PowerPoint discussion titled "Bible Study: Essential Christian Doctrines."  And the third video is from a second PowerPoint discussion and is titled "Bible Study: Non-Essential Christian Doctrines."  In my Friends Ministry eNewsletter I have attached the two PowerPoint discussions.  Also, for your convenience, I have attached the supporting Word documents which can be printed and used for class notes.

Note:  For Friends who are reading this blog on Facebook or on the Bill & Dory Gray Christian Ministries blog site, those documents cannot be attached. However for anyone who wants them, if you will Message me your e-mail address I will be happy to send them to you.

Every believer should make it a goal to be able to put your own personal Statement of Faith in writing and test that against Scripture.  Acts 17:11 applies whether you are hearing a message, being led in a Bible study, or doing your own personal study.  Test that message or study against Scripture.  It can only strengthen your faith, to be able to articulate clearly and effectively what you believe and why you hold those beliefs.

In that second meeting your group should choose which book of the Bible you will study and then venture into that book in an indepth study.  New studies often start with the book of John which is foundational to our faith, but that is up to the group.   Let me suggest a way of viewing Scripture:  Genesis - John - Revelation.  

Genesis tells us of the beginning and how we and our universe came into being. 

Revelation tells us where we are going, revealing what is going to happen one day which will usher us into eternity, into God's presence - or into a place void of God's love, aka, hell. 

The Gospel of John sits between the books of Genesis and Revelation, telling us God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay our sin debt to Him and to offer all who will believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior, a free ticket on the Glory Train into eternity.

All the other books of the Bible build upon and support the foundation laid by those three books.

Whichever book your group chooses to study, I suggest you consider taking a verse-by-verse expository walk through that book, stopping along the way for discussions of the verses or group of verses.  That way no one gets left behind in their understanding of God's Word.  Keep in mind, it is more important to have everyone in the group well grounded in the Scripture passage or book you are studying - than to see how many verses you can "get through, or out of the way, in one night."   A good Bible study should never be a race for closure - but a mining for knowledge.

I have been in Bible studies where we covered a full chapter in one sitting - and I have been in Bible studies where some evenings we have discussed our way through only a few verses.  The number of verses is not important.  What is important is that you, as a group, have discussed, chewed on, and have a better understanding of what God's Word is teaching us.

In the mid-1980s, Dory and I were in a study of John led by a Bible study leader also named Bill.  The first night we only made it through three verses.  But I promise you, everyone in our group left with a good understanding of those three verses.  A successful Bible study should not be measured by how many verses you make it through - but did all in attendance leave with a good understanding of the verses you did study and discuss?

Please feel free to use these videos and study notes in any way that will benefit you, your church group, and your friends.  I only ask that you do not modify any of the material.  If you believe you see an error, let me know and I will definitely take a serious look at it and make any necessary corrections.

New Bible Study Playlist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiKSbPLiklU&list=PL_YT3Rttutri61xd6wmbOD7y0uibrt8KD

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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Can You Relate To What This Man Is Saying?

CAN YOU RELATE TO WHAT THIS MAN IS SAYING?  ~ I can, for what he is saying in his videos and podcasts reverberates with me, I can relate to what he is saying.  Like him I am not a pastor, not a teacher, not a theologian.  I am a Christian who has been studying the Bible for 32 years and began to do apologetic writing about 30 years ago.

While this man speaks to you in his videos and podcasts about the war society has been waging, and is stepping up in recent years, against our Christian faith - I attempt to do the same thing in my apologetic writings.

In my writings (Friends Ministry eNewsletter, Facebook Notes, Bill & Dory Gray Christian Ministries blog, and Facebook posts on current issues) - I try to mix discussions about Biblical issues in our Christian faith, with issues about what the secular society is doing to stifle our Christian faith.  I will discuss political issues which directly affect our Christian faith, and occasionally I will throw in bits of humor and human interest.  I offer this mix so that I do not get relegated to one narrow track in the road of life and ignored.

Do we who attempt to defend our Christian faith get ignored?  Let me answer that from a personal point of view.  I began doing Christian writing about 30 years ago.  Besides the ministries I mention above, I spent 7 years writing on the TimesDaily Religion Forum of my hometown newspaper refuting atheists, legalists, secularists, those in pagan religions such as Wicca, New Age, Humanism, and various other vanilla-flavored non-believers.  At times on that religion forum I had good discussions with other Christians, and even some believers who leaned more toward a liberal theology.

For several years I wrote as a guest columnist on Nathan Tabor's The Conservative Voice, an online newspaper with an audience of about 250,000 readers.  Most of my posts were on the Faith & Family page, but I did venture over to the Politics page occasionally.

At one time my Friends Ministry eNewsletter had about 1000 readers from around the world.  But today due to the extreme secular censorship of many internet providers, that number is far less.  Yet because I still have many faithful Friends from around the world, I can relate to what Jesus tells us in Luke 4:

Luke 4:24 (nkjv), "Then He (Jesus) said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.' "

Luke 4:24 (nasb), "And He (Jesus) said, 'Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.' "

Change that from prophet to Christian writer or blogger, and I can relate well to it.  For I have more interaction with Friends from the other side of the world, across America, and in other parts of Southern California - than I do in my own community.  Maybe it is caused by familiarity.  Not sure, but I have noticed it.

This man in the video, Ian Bayne, offers discussions about politics and our Christian faith on YouTube and other social media.  I do the same in my writings - defending the faith.

I do relate very much with one comment he made.  For a while he did mostly radio talk shows and podcasts.  So when he began to do videos he tells us that he was concerned that he speak to the viewing audience - and not just to his guest on the show.  Not wanting to be distracted when doing a video with a guest, he had the producer put a blinder on his microphone so that he talks to his listening audience, rather than having a one-on-one chat with his guest.  As Ian Bayne tells us, both are supposed to be addressing the viewing audience, not having a chat with one another.

About a year ago I began watching the Answers In Genesis YouTube show, which typically has three people sitting at a table discussing issues relevant to Genesis and our faith.  But those three spend 90% of their time with one-on-one chats between themselves.  I found myself yelling (quietly) to myself, "Hey, look out here!  We are your audience!  You are supposed to be talking to us, not chatting with one another."

After a few attempts, I finally gave up watching their videos.  Not because what they were saying is not relevant to my Christian faith.  But because I had a strong feeling they did not know I was out here.  They were too busy chatting with one another.

So I can personally relate to what this gentleman, Ian Bayne, is saying - and I appreciate his efforts to use podcasts and YouTube videos to defend our faith.

You And I Are In A War Whether We Want To Be Or Not https://youtu.be/B1eqJwrKYcs

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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