PREPARING TO LEAD A LIFE BIBLE STUDY- Part 3

When it comes to teaching others the word of God, it is essential that we properly study it ourselves. Thus, we first looked at Observation (What does the passage say?) Then last week we looked at Interpretation (What does the passage mean?) Now we are going to look at the last step, Application (What does this passage mean to me?) If we have done our homework correctly up to this point in the Observation and Interpretation  steps, we will know if we are in  the Old Testament laws and that they are not binding on us today. Thus, when it comes to this last step of Application, we won't be laying OT laws upon ourselves or others. But apart from the small section of Mosaic laws, the rest of the OT is very important to apply. For example, Paul said that the stories of the disobedient wilderness wanderers "were written down as warnings for us." They occurred as "examples to keep us from setting our hearts on  evil things." The books of the N.T. hadn't even been gathered together when Paul wrote this of the OT-"All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in  righteousness" 2 Tim.3:16. And Hebrews 11 lists lots of people from the OT who are examples for our faith. By faith he still speaks.

I've heard some people say, "I just don't seem to be getting much out of the Bible. If only God would just speak to me!" But He has! As you seek to apply God's word, ask the following S.P.E.A.K. questions and you'll be surprised how much God has to say to you through His word. 

Is there a   Sin for me to confess? This leads to His pardon and peace.
Is there a   Promise to claim or a Prayer to utter?
Is there an Error to avoid or an Example to follow?
Is there an Answer to a question or a problem I've been facing?
Is there     Knowledge of God's character for which I can praise Him?

It is through God's word that He speaks  to us. And as He does, speak in response to Him in prayer and praise. Seek to make it a holy habit not to leave your Bible until you have done so. Here's a quote for your wealth Catcher- "Through the Bible, God speaks to us. Through prayer and praise we speak to God."

Here's a great video to pass on, especially to your unsaved friends. It's the testimony of Josh McDowell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYqvWvk6qBk

Announcements and Reminders

Congratulations! You've nearly made it through this long semester of NGL training. As we announced in our meeting Sunday, this will be the last blog for this season. (Enjoy a lighter load the remainder of the summer.) I've so enjoyed your responses to the blog and I hoppe you've learned a lot. Keep reading daily in the Word, sharing with others and meeting with you mentor. 

Our next NGL Leaders Training Meeting will be Sunday, August 24th at Bea's home- 3719 W. Marquette! Yum! Thanks so much Bea!

As always, feel free to email, text or call me anytime- c.773-742-2694.
yourstoserve,
dave

PREPARING TO LEAD A LIFE BIBLE STUDY Part 2- Interpretation

The most powerful tool God has given us to influence people is His Word, the Bible. But if we are going to share it with others, it is vital that we properly understand it first. We need to discover what it says, what it means and what it means for us today. Thus, last week we focused on Observation (What does it say?)- This is where we Look and List the FACTS we see when studying a passage of Scripture. FACTS stands for listing Fast Facts, Ask questions, Catch key words, Title the passage or Summarize it. This week we want to focus on Interpretation (What does  it mean?) Those things you and I had listed under Ask Questions, we now get to seek to discover their meanings. As we focus on Interpretation, we will use the 4 C's to help us properly interpret the word of God.

1. Context. This means that we pay attention to the surrounding verses or even chapters to make sure we are not taking a verse out of context. This often happens when people read the Old Testament and believe that they need to keep the Sabbath or any other number of old covenant practices. Since the context is a Mosaic command, we are not under it, but the New Testament teachings. Sometimes a confusing verse can be cleared up by just reading the context- the surrounding verses. For example, if you were reading through the book of Daniel or the book of Revelation, you might wonder what various symbols mean. Thankfully, by just reading a bit further, they are often explained. Context is crucial. So if we are to properly interpret a passage, we need to study the context.

2. Cross References. Study Bibles will have these alongside the text you are studying. They refer you to other places in the Bible where a similar word or phrase is used. It's been said that Scripture should be used to interpret Scripture. This is certainly true. But just remember to study the context of that cross referenced verse as well. It might refer to something different. You'll spot it.

3. Commentaries. I spent a small fortune "when I was your age" buying commentaries- books scholars wrote sharing the fruit of their deep and careful study of a book of the Bible. But now several commentaries are yours for free with a few clicks of a mouse. 

4. Concordances. These list all the words of the Bible in alphabetical order, showing you all the different places that word is used. Keep in mind that a word is defined also by its context. For example, if I said, "It's by the trunk," you wouldn't know if I was talking about a car trunk, a storage trunk or an elephant trunk without the surrounding words. "Flesh" is a word in the NT that can refer to your flesh and bones or the same word is also used to refer to our sinful nature. So context also determines meanings when doing word studies with a concordance.   

Conclusions. After you've done all your study using the above 4 C's on a question you had regarding a word or portion of Scripture, you can now write your findings or conclusion. Because we are always open to learning, hold your conclusions open to further review if you glean important insights later. Such humility keeps us from getting into arguments. If they are wrong, agree to disagree agreeably.

To help you use the above interpretive tools of Context, Cross references, Commentaries and Concordances, I put together the following video. So please watch it. You'll want to click Full Screen to see it well.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCJl7GAAbLM&feature=youtu.be&hd=1

1. Please post your response to the following. Take one of your questions from the Ask Questions step last week and seek to discover it's answer on Biblehub.com. For example, if last week you wrote, "What does sacrifice of atonement mean in Rom.3:25?" Go online to Biblehub.com, type in Rom 3:25, then look at the Context and Cross references to that phrase in Rom.3:25. Then scroll down to the Commentaries and study this out. Or even try the Concordance (For the Concordance, remember to go the Interlinear, click on the Greek word and then click Summary. That is a gold mine of info!) Now share your Conclusion with me. Way to go!

2. Please enrich your wealth partner with something you're learning. Perhaps it might be from Romans or the following Youtube video. I wish the sound quality was better, but Nicky's testimony is still powerful. If you think it's appropriate, please pass it on to the unsaved person you're praying for. Sow good seeds. It's hard for things to grow without sowing and watering. So sow!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zelqF0mamCw

Announcements/ Reminders

We are almost at the finish line! See you next Sunday, July 13th at 11:30 for a very important NGL leadership training mtg.

Review Eph.2:1-10. Remember, repetition is the mother of learning. 

Here's more of our Romans reading guide.

July 9-  Read 5:1-11
July 10- Read 5:12-21
July 11- Read 6:1-14
July 12- Read 6:15-23
July 13- Read 7:1-14
July 14- Read 7:15-25
July 15- Read 8:1-21
July 16- Read 8:22-39
July 17- Read 9:1-18 (Happy Birthday Pastor Mike!)
July 18- Read 9:19-33
July 19- Read 10:1-13
July 20- Read 10:14-21


Want more on properly interpreting the Bible? Then read the following linked article on principles of properly interpreting the Bible.
https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-6-principles-biblical-interpretation

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

PERSUADING OTHERS  Part 2

As we discussed last week, "pleasant words make a man persuasive." As leaders, if we are going to persuade or influence others, we must strive to be pleasant. Did you notice how the Apostle Paul was pleasant when he presented the gospel to the philosophers in Athens? Though he was distressed by seeing the city full of idols, he began with a pleasant approach. Instead starting with criticism, he started with a complement. "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." Acts 17:22-23.

So often we focus on the faults of others, especially the lost. But what if we focused on their good qualities?
Even sinners have good qualities. Jesus said, "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? 'Even sinners love those who love them.'" Luke 6:32. I want to ask that we become good finders, not fault finders. Any fool can find faults in others. Just listen to one; he will run others into the dirt. As we seek to win others to the Lord, let's win them with love that sees beyond their faults, just as Jesus did with us. 

1. What positive qualities, even in small amounts, does the lost person you're reaching out to have? Write them out here and then send him/her a card or email stating such. (May I suggest that you adopt the practice of sending notes of commendation to others? This will win you friends and influence people for the rest of your life. It will be one of your most powerful practices as a leader. Try it, you'll like it and others will love you for it. As a matter of fact, I'll give you a money back guarantee on it! :) 

2. Check out the latest mini-movie for your quiver. Please pass this on to your wealth partner and any lost friends that you think it would be fitting. 

http://youtu.be/zN1r3AECook

3. Good job reading through the vast majority of Lifelines. Now that you are well familiar with it, it's time to start putting it to work for you. Share it with others. But don't give it away. Loan it out. You might say, "Hey, you've got a good head on your shoulders. Please look over the parts that interest you and give me your thoughts on it. I just need it back in a couple weeks. Thanks." This should motivate them to look it over and it will enable you to recycle Lifelines to others. Who will you loan it out to? 

Announcements/ Reminders

This week we will finish reading through the book of Acts. I hope you've been enjoying it as I have. And may the Lord use us to reach and teach others also. Starting  on July 1st, we will begin reading through a letter written by the apostle Paul, that many believe is the most important of all the letters of the New Testament. It's the book of Romans! It is so rich. Thus, we will slow down and read half a chapter per day to glean more of the gold within it. Here's the reading schedule to begin with- 

July 1- Read Romans 1:1-17
July 2- Read 1:18-32
July 3- Read 2:1-16
July 4- Read 2:17-29
July 5- Read 3:1-20
July 6- Read 3:21-31
July 7- Read 4:1-12
July 8- Read 4:13-25
July 9- Read 5:1-11
July 10 Read 5:12-21
July 11 Read 6:1-14
July 12 Read 6:15-23

Sunday July 13th will be our next NGL leadership mtg. See you there at 11:30

Until then, may you continue to enjoy the goodness of the Lord and the great summer days He's giving us. Giving thanks is our theme this month.





   

HOW DO YOU PERSUADE OTHERS?

As we're reading through the book of Acts, it's interesting to note how often the word "persuasion or "persuaded" is used. Paul sought to persuade/influence people to believe. But the hostile Jews sought to persuade the people not to follow Paul and the Jesus he presented. We know that if a person is hardened, the seed will not bear any fruit in their hearts. Even miracles did not persuade some people to receive the truth. But do remember, people swing from calm to crisis. And in their times of trouble, the truths they had rejected before can yet bear fruit in their lives. Here's an amzing earthly illustration  of such: Seeds discovered in King Tuts tomb, when recently planted still bore fruit. Ya' never know, so sow! 

So how do we persuade others? How do we influence them? Proverbs 16:21 gives us a great insight- "sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness" NASB. Other ways of translating this say, "pleasant words make a man persuasive." So if we are to persuade others, we must strive to be pleasant, not argumentative. I hope I'm over my past tendency to argue with those who opposed the gospel. Armed with all my Lifelines arguments, I may have won the argument, but I never won the person over. 

1. Read 2 Timothy 2:23-26 and share how this shapes your attitude and outreach to others.

Toward those who rejected Paul's message, he moved on. But with those who were receptive, Paul continued to sow seeds. May we do the same. If someone hasn't rejected you and your witness, look for ways to continue to sow good seeds. We could wish that people would get saved as soon as we shared with them, but that's not the case with most people or in farming. We sow in one season and reap in another. So keep sowing! 

But you may say, "I'm just not a great speaker!" However, think of the great resources and mini-movies you can easily pass on to others via the internet for free. What a great time in history we live in for such. Think about it. Before, if a person wasn't a confident or gifted speaker, he would have to try and get his pastor or such to speak to his unsaved friend. Now we can touch their hearts and minds via creative mini-movies. We just need to click a few keys to do so. So sow!

2. If the following mini-movie might be fitting for a friend or two, please pass it on this week. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK3hkZTnMkg

3. Read Lifelines pages 69-79 and share one thing you want to keep in mind as you reach out to others. (I've been looking forward to having you read this section because of the great article on page 70. Please note the author: )

Announcements / Reminders

Keep on reading through the book of  Acts. The chapter for each day's reading correlates with the day of the month. Easy Peasy.

Enjoy this month's theme of the attitude of gratitude. Be on the lookout for things to be thankful for. Being unthankful can be the beginning of a terrible downward spiral according to Romans 1:21-22. On the other hand, being thankful is one of the quickest ways to glorify God and to feel better. Try it, you'll like it. 

INFLUENCE PEOPLE THROUGH YOUR FAITH STORY - PART 3

I sure enjoyed being with you Sunday for our NGL leadership training meeting.
First we covered how like an ET, God came down to us so that we are not left with merely speculation regarding His existence and nature, but have been given revelation of Him. Then we discussed five evidences God has given us for our faith in Him.
1.The Person of Christ- His perfect love and life, His profound messages and miracles and His declarations as to who He was and is. For example, Jesus declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me." John 14:6. Jesus also said,"I and the Father are one" John 10:30. The Jews knew He was claiming to be God so they sought to kill Him. 
2. Prophecies He fulfilled- For example, ask your friend to read Isaiah 53 or Psalm 22. Who do you think this is describing? Yet it was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born! No other book has fulfilled prophecies! This is also clear evidence that the Bible is orchestrated by God, not man.
3. Post resurrection appearances! Jesus spent time with His disciples, even eating  with them. He was not some ghost or an hallucination.
4. Powerful testimonies of those who spent lots of time with Him. For example, John the Baptist said, "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" John 1:29.
5. Your own Personal testimony. Here we talked about the power of bringing in an emotionally descriptive word of how you were feeling before Christ. Perhaps you were feeling- guilty, meaningless, empty, angry, bitter, rejected, trapped, helpless, hopeless. Then I asked you think of an incident in your BC days that would illustrate that feeling. I asked you to call me to share your story, but I realize now that I've already had you write on this a few weeks ago. So here's what I want you to do instead.

1. Share your salvation story with at least one other person this week. (If you even have to pay a homeless person to listen to you, do it : )  See if you can also work in a fitting verse of Scripture, such as Romans 6:23 or John 14:6. Seek to keep your story under three minutes- there's beauty in brevity. So weed out rambling and unnecessary words.  
But what do I say after I finish sharing my story? Perhaps you could say, "Thanks for listening. Is there something you're wanting God to do in your life? Have you ever read the good news found in the gospel of John? May I send you a free link to it and a really good minimovie?  (Here again is the link to the gospel of John http://www.livingwater.org/booklet/index.htm )

2. Read pages 51-61 in Lifelines which is the section of the book entitled, "For Catholics Only" (Yes, you have my permission to read it even if you weren't raised Catholic :) Now write one thing from your reading that you think would be helpful to share with your lost Catholic friends or relatives.

3. There is power when people share even a brief testimony of how God has changed them. That's why I like the following mini-movie. Hope you do to. Please share it with an unsaved person and your wealth partner, encouraging him/her to pass it along as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uiz_jTpWy3o

Announcements & Reminders

Way to go on memorizing  the books of the New Testament! As always, feel free to call me up anytime.

Please review out loud Ephesians 2:1-10. Now call up your mentor and quote it to him/her by this coming Sunday. 

This month of June our character quality of the month is thankfulness. How thankful I am for warm weather after our long, cold winter. 

Oh Lord, help us cultivate the attitude of gratitude!

INFLUENCE PEOPLE THROUGH SHARING FAITH STORIES- PART 2

What a great story we read a few weeks ago in John 4. Remember the Samaritan woman at the well whom Jesus went out of his way to meet? He knew of her five failed marriages and her live-in boyfriend, but he didn't condemn her. Instead Jesus offered her living water- just what she was thirsting for. "Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ? They came out of the town and made their way toward him." I love the impact that her simple story and question had on her townspeople. "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, He told me everything I ever did."

You too have a story of salvation that can influence people. Are you sharing it with others? People can debate your beliefs, but they are unable to argue against your own story of what Christ has done for you. So share your story as often as possible. You don't have to become well versed in the Bible before sharing. The Samaritan woman certainly wasn't. Just share! What an amazing impact her sharing had on so many people. But don't stop there. Encourage them to read the words of Jesus, such as in the gospel of John. It was the words of Jesus that drew even more of those Samaritans to the Savior. They said to the woman, "We no  longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." So invite your unsaved friends to read the gospel of John for themselves. Here again is the link to a great online version of the John's gospel- http://www.livingwater.org/booklet/index.html

1. Please watch the following mini-movie and pass it on if you think it would help people you're seeking to reach.  

                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHiZ3KPxD-Q

2. Please call this week and quote to me the books of the New Testament, if you haven't done so yet. You can do it! (c.773-742-2694)

3. Read pages 40-50 of Lifelines and share one thing you liked from it.

Announcements & Reminders

So if someone challenges you and says, "Give me 5 solid reasons why faith in Christ is credible" you'll be ready to give them such by the time we're done with our next meeting- this Sunday, June 8th at 11:30. See you there!

Starting June 1st, we began reading through the book of Acts (Perhaps a more accurate title for it would be- "The Acts of the Holy Spirit though the apostles and other believers as they went out sharing their faith and building up the church." Okay, so it's a bit too long of a title, but you get the better idea of what the book is all about :) Keep in mind that the book of Acts is descriptive not prescriptive. In other words, it describes what happened right after Jesus went back into heaven. It describes amazing and even miraculous events, including Philip being teleported to a different place. Luke the doctor is not perscribing these miraculous experiences as the normal expectations for every believer. We are to go and make disciples, depending on His Holy Spirit whom we each received at salvation (Eph.1:13-14; 1 Cor.12:13), not to wait in Jerusalem seeking a miracle. Seeing lives transformed by the gospel are the miracles we seek. May the Lord use us to continue to spread His word and strengthen His saints.

Best of blessings!