LAUNCH

One of Shawntel’s friends invited her to a Bible study on campus, so she decided to go. But she felt really nervous as she sat down with the other students in the room. She had heard people call the Bible God’s Word, so she knew it was important. But she didn’t know much beyond that. What’s it about? How does she understand it? What’s she supposed to do with it? It all felt very unfamiliar and intimidating. In what ways can you relate to Shawntel’s experience?

EXPLORE

1. Read Psalm 19:7-11. What words do these verses use to describe God’s Word?

2. What does God’s Word do based on these verses?

3. Read Psalm 19:12-14. What does the writer pray?

4. Connect verses 7-11 with verses 12-14. How do you think the things mentioned about God’s Word in verses 7-11 help us experience the things mentioned in verses 12-14?

5. Of all the descriptions and benefits of God’s Word in verses 7-14, which one do you like the most and why?

6. Read Matthew 4:4. When you think about how food sustains us and what it would be like to go a day without food, how does this compare with our need for God’s Word and what happens when we go without it?

APPLY

7. What’s a specific step you want to take to make God’s Word a regular part of your life?

8. “Stop and Pop” is a simple way to make the most of your time in God’s Word:

1.) Pray for God to speak to you through his Word;
2.) Start reading;
3.) Stop reading when something pops out to you. Pay attention to the word or thought that pops out to you and what’s happening in your heart.
4.) Talk to God or write to God about what pops out to you on the page and what happens in your heart.

How can you see “Stop and Pop” making a difference in your life as you do it regularly?

9. Take a few minutes silently to read Psalm 19:7-11 again and try out the four steps of “Stop and Pop.” Then talk about what pops out to you.

THE STUDY

LAUNCH

Shayla’s stomach is tied up in knots. Her dad is sick and has been out of work for the past several months. She has a big project due next week. And she’s wondering if she’ll be invited to the party next week. To top it off, it seems like her little brother is always nagging her and giving her a hard time. Sometimes it feels like a mountain of stress is weighing on her heart. One of her friends said she should pray and give her problems to God, but she doesn’t know how she would begin to do that. In what ways can you relate to Shayla’s experience?

EXPLORE

1. Read Philippians 4:6-7.  What does God tell us to do in verse 6?  What does he say not to do?

2. Why do you think God tells us not to be anxious about anything?

3. Why do you think God wants us to pray about everything, not just “big” things?

4. Why do you think God wants us to offer our prayers with thanksgiving?

5. What does God promise as we say “no” to anxiety and come to him about everything in prayer with thanksgiving?

6. Read Luke 5:15-16. Even though Jesus was the Son of God, why do you think he often took time to pray?

APPLY

7. It is amazing to be able to talk to the God of the universe whenever we want, so why is prayer sometimes hard to do?  Is it worth it?

8. What’s the biggest thing happening in your life right now that you need to stop worrying about about and bring to God with prayer and thanksgiving?

9. Writing your prayers down is a great way to remember what to pray for and to see how God has answered your prayers over time.  Start a prayer list right now. Write down three things you want to start praying for this week, then gather together as a group and pray.

THE STUDY

LAUNCH

As Dustin began to grow in his relationship with God and thought about talking to his friends about his faith, he was excited. After all, Jesus was changing his life. But he also felt nervous about it. How would he bring up the subject? What would he say? How would he handle it if he didn’t know the answer to someone’s question? As you think about talking to others about your faith in Jesus, how can you relate to Dustin’s experience?

EXPLORE

Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.

1. What did the writer choose not to rely on when he was talking to people about Jesus?

2. Why is it good to know we don’t need to be good with words or be super-wise to talk to people about Jesus?

3. What did the writer focus on when he talked to people about Jesus?

4. How did the writer feel as he was talking to people about Jesus?

5. Why is it good to know that weakness and fear don’t mean you can’t talk to people about Jesus?

6. What role does God’s Spirit play in us as we talk to people about Jesus?

Sometimes starting conversations with people about Jesus can feel hard. Understanding the definition of successful witnessing can help. Successful witnessing is:

“Taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.”

7. How do you think understanding this definition might help someone?

8. What happens when we take the initiative to talk to people about Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God? (verse 5)

APPLY

9. Take a minute to pray for God to open your heart to the people around you that need to know more of his love. Who does he bring to mind?

10. What are some ways that you could bring up the topic of God with this person?

11. What are some ways you could explain the good news of Jesus Christ to this person?

THE STUDY

LAUNCH

Tia placed her faith in Jesus last month, and she’s already felt the difference he’s made in her life. She has a joy and peace she never had before. She finds herself thinking about others when her life used to be pretty self-absorbed. And she’s been growing in meaningful friendships with other followers of Christ that have been really refreshing to her. But she’s wondering how God wants her to relate to these friends who share her faith in Christ. She’s heard people say that going to church is important, but it seems like there should be more to it than that. What advice would you give Tia?

EXPLORE

Read Acts 2:42-47

1. This passage is a snapshot of how the Christians lived in the days shortly after Jesus died and rose again. What kind of things stand out to you about their community?

2. Verse 42 says they were devoted to the teaching of the apostles (the leaders of God’s people at this time), living life together (some translations say “the breaking of bread”), and prayer. Why do you think they were devoted to these things?

3. Verse 43 says they kept feeling a sense of awe and that God was doing great things among them. How do you think this fed their desire to be together?

4. Verses 44-45 show that people were more important to them than possessions. How do you think this kind of generosity affected their relationships with each other?

5. Verse 46 shows that they continued regularly in the temple (a large-group setting) and in homes (a small-group setting). Why do you think both were important for their growth with God?

6. Verse 46 also states they did common, everyday things together, like eating meals. How do you think this contributed to growth with God and each other?

7. Why do you think that praising God (verse 47) was a regular part of their lives together?

8. What difference do you think it made for this community that new followers of Christ were joining every day (verse 47)?

APPLY

9. How do you think God would use this kind of community if it were a regular part of your life?

10. What’s a step you think God wants you to take to experience more of this kind of community in a large-group and small-group setting?

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