Module 4 Meeting 2 - Countryside Church

MODULE 4
Scripture: Meeting 2

DISCUSS last week’s scripture exercise. Share ways that God spoke through his Word. Then spend time together working through the discussion questions for the Beginning video below.

THE POINT OF THE VIDEO: God created us as royalty, gave us responsibility, and invites us into relationship.

Discussion Questions

1. “Is a can opener a can opener if it never opens a can?” What does our answer to this question say about where we draw purpose?

2. Our identity comes from the one who made us, not by what we do. How is this understanding of identity different from other popular understandings in our world?

3. Read Genesis 1:26–28 (NLT): 26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” 27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Today we know that when Genesis was written, Israel’s neighbors had their own ideas of why we were made. Many of them believed that humans were created out of violence in order to be slaves. However, Genesis gives us a very different picture. What do these differences mean for how we should understand ourselves?

4. When it comes to questions about our origins, people often want to focus on the “how.” We wonder if God created the world in 6 literal days, or whether or not he used evolution to do it. These “how” questions are important, but sometimes they draw us away from the point of Genesis. Genesis is much more interested in the “why” of creation than the “how.”

God created us as royalty, gave us responsibility, and invites us into relationship. Why would an almighty God want to do such a thing?

5. What unique responsibilities has God given you charge over? How can you represent him well in those areas?

6. How does understanding our God-given royal status address lies of low self worth?

7. Take a moment to review what we mean by the word Trinity: there is one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What does the fact that God exists in

8. What are the areas of your life that you are most likely to keep isolated from God?

9. Just as God entered into a covenant relationship with Abraham, God wants to have an allen compassing relationship with us. Let’s commit to moving those isolated areas of our lives out into the open. God doesn’t want a relationship with part of you—he wants it all.

Assignment

ASSIGNMENT: Read the Introduction to Inductive Bible Study below, and practice Inductive Bible Study with 1 John 1 at the bottom of the exercise. Also, watch the video, Fall, in preparation for the next meeting.

Introduction to Inductive Bible Study

By Megan Koch, Jake Thurston & Alex DeBat

Inductive Bible Study is an incredible way to encounter God’s Word. Often when we read the Bible, we take it in quickly, or we read it at face value. Consider the difference between looking at a postcard of the ocean, and what it’s like to put on a wetsuit and get underwater to explore the ocean yourself. Inductive Bible study invites us to take a deep dive into Scripture.

To add another illustration, you could look at it this way: Every passage of scripture we read is like a diamond. We read it one way, then turn it in the light to examine it from another angle. Suddenly we discover there are endless things to uncover and experience within even just one small passage of God’s Word.

This is the living Word of God. God is constantly speaking and revealing himself to us, but especially through Scripture. So when we dive into a passage, we can be confident that God is present, active, and talking to us as we study. You can encounter God right now through his Word, and this experience can change you, if you let it.

Inductive Bible study is simply a method of studying Scripture that pulls out as much of the text as we possibly can for a deep reading. Instead of simply chewing on a verse that sticks out to us, inductive Bible study allows us to ask questions, seek deeper meaning behind the text, and figure out how to apply those deeper truths to our lives.

Click through the arrows for a guide on how to read the Bible inductively.

Step 1: Pray

Before you start, pray that God would work through the Scriptures to teach you or show you something today.

Step 2: Get Familiar

Get familiar with the Passage you are reading. Whether it is a small phrase or a whole passage, read it over 2 to 3 times. No need to underline or write down thoughts just yet. Simply get to know the passage.

Step 3: Observe.

What does the text say?

Read through the passage again, this time writing down in your journal observations you have about the reading. You’re not making any interpretations just yet, but getting even more familiar with everything that’s going on. To help you make observations, consider answering the following key questions:

Key Questions For Finding Observation

Who is speaking? Who are the main characters?
What is happening? What is the scene taking place? What is the cultural
context?
When did or when will the events take place?
What type of Bible literature is this? (Narrative, Law, Poetry, Prophecy, Gospel, Letter)
Are there times of day mentioned?
Where is the activity taking place? Inside, outside, in the country, in a town, by a lake?
Are there town or city names? Geographical notes on the land?
What are the grammar uses in the passage that bring attention to certain words or phrases? Examples include:
- cause and effect phrases
- repeated words
- comparisons (similes, metaphors)
- conditional phrases (if this happens, then this happens)
- Run-on sentences
- Conjunction words (but, therefore, however, although, whenever, yet)

If these don’t help, stick to asking Who, What, When, Where, and How? (“Why?” will come later) All of these questions should help the passage open up.

Step 4: Interpret

What does the text mean?

The “interpret” step begins answering the “why” question to your text. This is the step that puts a magnifying glass on the truth that’s hidden behind every text in Scripture, and requires a bit more thinking to come up with the answers. This is where a resource like a Study Bible or “The Bible Project” on YouTube.com can be extremely useful when making interpretations.

Figuring out what the passage means can be tough, so consider pondering these key questions in prayer or in your journal to help:

Key Questions for Making Interpretations:

Review your observations, and begin asking “why” each observation may be significant. (For example: Why is it significant that Jesus goes to the desert to be tempted by the devil in Matthew 4?)
Read the surrounding passages of Scripture to help you understand the greater picture of the author’s intentions. (For example: If studying 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, read 1 Corinthians 11 and 12 to understand the train of thought that leads to 1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
What was the cultural context behind the passage? (For example: Why was it so shocking for the disciples’ feet to be washed by Jesus in John 13? What does that reveal about their culture)
What is the author ultimately trying to communicate to his/her audience?
Why would God have this passage in the Bible?
If you could summarize the passage in your own words, what would you say?

Step 5: Apply

What is God saying to me?

After you have observed what the text says and interpreted what the text means, then you see what the text could be saying to you. What does God want you, personally, to take away from reading this passage? Consider prayerfully asking these key questions to help you apply the Truth from Scripture you just uncovered:

Key Questions for Application:

1. Is there a central truth that I need to put into practice?

2. Is there a promise, command, or an example to follow or avoid?

3. Does it show me a sin that I need to confess?

4. How do I respond to what the passage is saying?

5. What are the implications for the community I’m a part of?

6. Does it challenge how I see the world?

7. What is my next step?

8. How does the passage teach me a new characteristic about God?

Practicing Inductive Bible Study

Now it’s your turn to practice Inductive Bible Study! Remember, the key isn’t to answer every question that’s given here in this guide, but to have a fluid conversation with God about why he may be communicating to you through His Word in this moment. Use the guide above as a reference as you practice.

Open your Bible to 1 John 1. Take yourself through the passage slowly. Walk through the chapter step by step as the guide directs. Do not rush.

Don’t jump from one step to another quickly. Just when you think you’ve seen all you can see, press in a little farther before you move on; God might have even more for you if you stick around a while.

Journal your notes and what God reveals to you. Return ready to discuss the experience with your discipler.

For Further Reference

If you want an additional resource to Inductive Bible Study, check out these videos:

For a library of videos to help you learn about and study the Bible, check out The Bible Project on youtube:

The Discipleship Pathway is a collaborative work between Pastors Phil Wiseman & Megan Koch of Table Church and Pastor Jake Thurston of The Ransom Church.