Groups Discussion Guide
Read Scripture. Go Deeper. Ask Questions. Take Action.
Loud and Clear
Scripture
1all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
Main Idea
We have all had conversations with our friends on our cell phones where the connection might not great and you can't understand everything they are saying. Sometimes we make up what they are saying based on what we "know" about them or simply agree because we don't want to ask them to repeat it. Other times someone on the phone is monopolizing the conversation and not listening to the other. If we aren't careful, we can do this in our conversations with God where we are talking non-stop without trying to hear what He is saying to us. When you want His influence in your life, you need to make time to let Him talk to you. God primarily talks to us through His scripture and in order for us to hear Him, we need a pattern in our lives to read and study scripture.
The best translation of the Bible is the one you read
Discussion Questions
- What is your favorite translation of the Bible to read? What do you like about it?
- What is your current system for creating a regular rhythm of spending time with God and reading the Bible?
- How have you noticed the impact of reading the Bible regularly?
- How have you noticed the impact when you haven't been spending time with God and reading the Bible regularly?
Summary
For us to be successful as a child of God, we need to have various patterns or habits to develop a deep relationship with Him. Part of this is daily scripture reading.
It can be heard to establish a pattern of reading scripture daily because we all have a deep desire to know God and recognize how important it is. Sometimes we can be over zealous and we over promise the time and intensity we will read the Bible. When we fall short of that, we feel guilty and end up stopping before we have established a clear habit or pattern of reading the Bible. There are a few ways to make it easier to start and maintain this habit. Once you start to establish the habit of reading or listening to scripture daily, you can build on that pattern by diving deeper into the context of scripture to explore how it applies to you.
The most important thing we can do is to let God speak to us daily through His Word. There are 5 components to developing this pattern of reading scripture regularly to allow God to speak to us "Loud and Clear".
Find a Translation You Understand
- Create a daily practice of interacting with God's word. His Word is the bread of life and you need to eat daily.
- Sometimes the easiest way to start a habit is to combine it with one you already do.
Form a Plan
- Some options for a plan: start with one book of the Bible, follow a person through the Bible, search a topic in the Bible, read the whole Bible, or even start with a daily verse.
Figure Out the Context
- The Bible was written for you but it wasn't written to you.
- To find out the context, ask "Who wrote it?", "To whom was it written?", and "What is its purpose?"
Focus Your Attention
- Is there a SIN to be avoided?
- Is there a PROMISE to be claimed?
- Is there an EXAMPLE to follow?
- Is there COMMAND to obey?
- Is there SOMETHING to know about God?
Follow What God Shows You
- Start to live out God's instructions for you daily.
If you start small and explore what you are reading, God's Word will have more impact on your daily life than it has in the past.
Take Action
- Look at a few translations of the Bible and see which one you understand the best. Pick one or two to test drive!
- Determine how you could incorporate reading the Bible everyday. This can be 3 minutes, a verse of the day, or listening to the Bible on your phone but the important part is to smart small enough that you can keep doing it.
- Daily or weekly start asking more in depth questions about your reading to understand the context and how God wants you to incorporate what you are learning into your life.
Announcements
- January 19-23 - Seek Week
- January 19th - Essentials at 1pm
- January 25th - Pastor Gerald will be at Velocity
