PREPARING TO LEAD A LIFE BIBLE STUDY- 

Part 1

We know that leadership is intentional influence. The most powerful influencer is God and His word. Thus, we are told to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph.6:17). It is sharper than any two-edged sword, judging even the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Heb.4:12). But if we are going to share this most influential book,we need to study it and correctly handle it (2 Tim.2:15). Those that don't can end up twisting Scripture to their own ruin (2 Pet.3:16). So let's learn to properly dig out the gold out of God's word so we can  enrich many. When we begin studying the Bible, we want to come wanting to hear and do what God has to say to us through His word. That's why I want to encourage you to have a pen and your wealth catcher with you as you  read. It's your statement of faith that you're eager to catch the wealth that God want to share with you in His word. So let's get started by taking Romans 3:21-31 as a passage to study through. The three parts of discovery Bible study are Observation (What does it say?), Interpretation (What does it mean?) and Application (What does it mean to me?). This week, we will just focus on Observation. To do this, let's begin by reading the passage carefully, like Sherlock  Holmes, to discover all that we can from it. First, prayerfully read Romans 3:21-31 through a couple times- the first time to get the big picture then the second time to focus on the details. 

1. Now you're ready to LOOK and LIST the F.A.C.T.S of what you see in Rom.3:21-31. (This is Observation- observation is all about getting the FACTS). Post your response to the following-

Fast Facts- List at least 3 short, striking truths you see. These clear facts are often skipped over by people trying to find some deep, secret truth. But God is not trying to hide His truths from us. (For example, there are several striking truths in John 3:16- There is a God; He is loving; He loves the entire world; He loves us so much that He gave us His only Son, etc. Such points are how pastors can then preach an entire sermon or series on one verse.) 

Ask Questions. Imagine that you were there and ask questions that come to mind. How would you feel hearing this portion of Romans being read- is this passage good news or bad? Ask the good detective questions- Who, What, Where, When. Who is writing this to whom? What is this about? Where was the author or where were the people? When was this taking place? What would you like more insight on? List at least 3 questions you come up with. No answers needed at this point.

Check for key words- List at least 3 key words. These are words that strike you as important Bible words (gospel, grace, wrath of God, hell, etc) or because they are repeated or because you're not sure what they mean. In my Bible I like to circle key words and underline key phrases. I'll also draw lines to connecting or contrasting thoughts. I use a 4 color pen- Red for dangerous things like temptation, sin, hell and the devil; Green for God and God's promises.  The Black and Blue I'll use for writing notes in the margins of my study Bible. (Beware of using a felt tipped pen. It will bleed through to the other side.) I even use correction fluid when I make a mistake. Once I got teased as someone watched me do this- "Oh, so you just white out the parts in the Bible that are too convicting for you, eh Dave?!" Ugh! :)

TITLE this passage.What's your title for Rom.3:21-31?

Summarize the passage. This is optional. If it's hard to reduce the passage to one title, then go ahead and write a short summary of the story or passage. Remember, writing clarifies your thinking. What's the main thing and the plain thing?


Here's some added words on words to also be on the look out for-
Contrasts- words such as "but" or "however"  (This is huge in our passage.)
Comparisons- "like" "as"
Conjunctions- "and" (But only if this strikes you as important.)
Correlatives- "either, or; both, and"
Conclusions- "therefore, for, because, so then, for this reason"
Chronology- "first, second, next, hour, day, year, present, past, now, then, before, beforehand,
Consequences- "If, then, since
Confirmations- "Amen, surely, yes indeed
Commands or Questions
Constant or repeated usage- What important words are repeated?
Cultural expressions- "Greet one another with a holy kiss."
Christian terminology- words that may need some clarifying- propitiation, lamb of God, justification
Category of literature- Is this prose (regular writing), poetry, proverbs, prophecy, parables? OT or NT?
Quotations (Ya, I know- but it almost sounds like it should have started with the letter C. :)

Now that you're done, you should have at least 3 Fast Facts listed, 3 questions you listed, 3 key words listed and a title or short summary of the passage listed. Think how much better you now know this passage and can speak with more knowledge and influence regarding it.  And we haven't even gotten to Interpretation and Application yet. (We'll cover those in the next two blogs.)



Please enjoy and pass on this good mini-movie to the people you think would benefit from it. Keep sowing good seed. This includes loaning out Lifelines and sharing your testimony. (Did you notice how Pastor Mike did this in his great gospel message Sunday?) The more you sow, the more you can expect to harvest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbTK-mKxrAc

Announcements / Reminders


I am right proud of each and every one of you who have continued on with this NGL ministry. The bar has been set high and you have been rising to this leadership level. Well done! You'll be crossing the finish line in less than two months. Keep up the good work! 

Please review and be ready to quote Ephesians 2:1-10 at our next NGL leadership meeting, Sunday, July 13th. I want us to be able to quote this all together on stage at the end of August, if time permits.

Hope you're continuing to catch wealth with your wealth catcher.
Here's a couple great quotes for it from some fairly smart men-

"Thoughts disentangle themselves passing over the lips or through the pencil tips." Dawson Trotman- founder of the Navigators

"Write down the thought of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable." Sir Francis Bacon