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6 Ways to Lead Better Bible Study Discussions

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These six habits can help small group leaders facilitate meaningful and enjoyable Bible-saturated conversations.

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Dundonald Church | Resources Search Results

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These Bible study guides are available to download as PDF files for easy printing. They're written for small groups, individuals, and 1:1 study.

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A helpful article to read as a growth group, at the beginning of the year.

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Another year, another Bible study group. Time to sign up, turn up and get things rolling for another year.

Time also perhaps to ask some questions about your small group. Do you feel as if you just go along because that's what you're expected to do? Does the group have a clear purpose, or does it just exist because it has always existed? More to the point, what part are you going to play in this year's group? What can you be doing to make the group a success?

There are many books and guides and training materials for small group leaders (like Growth Groups from Matthias Media), but what about the humble group member? What can each of us be doing to make the most of our small groups?

Why go in the first place?

People go to small groups for all sorts of reasons: to fulfil expectations, to make friends, to pursue romantic possibilities, to receive encouragement and counsel, to learn, and so on.

While most of these might be perfectly acceptable reasons to join a small group, the first and indispensable reason must be clear in our minds. Our primary reason for belonging to a small group is to give us opportunity to love and encourage other people in Christ. It's not about Me; it's about Them. And it's about Them because of Christ.

This after all is what the Christian life is about. Our most basic principle is to love other people as Christ has loved us, to lay down our lives for them as Christ did for us. This applies as much to small groups as it does to marriages, families, workplaces, and larger Christian meetings. We go to small groups not primarily to have our needs met, but to meet the needs of others. Of course, we have needs too, and no doubt they will be met along the way-but we can let others worry about that. In fact, paradoxically, the more we focus on loving others, and doing whatever we can for them, the more encouragement and strength we find ourselves.

There are many ways we can love and encourage the other people in our groups. Here are five powerful ones (complete with alliterative titles).

1. The power of presence

This is the simplest and most obvious, but is no less powerful for being so. Just being there each week without fail is a powerful encouragement to the other members of the group. In making the group time a solid commitment, to be missed only in times of emergency, you send a very clear message to the other members: "Being with you matters very much to me. Unless something very important comes up, you can expect me. Encouraging you is a top priority."

Conversely, inconsistent attendance sends a somewhat less encouraging message: "I don't mind coming, but it's not that important. If I feel a bit tired or something else crops up, don't expect me. Being with you and encouraging you isn't really a very high priority for me."

Turning up regularly requires no extraordinary gifts or talent, but it is a powerful way of loving other people.

2. The power of preparation

Most small groups complete their evening's Bible study with a plaintive plea from the leader for people to read the passage and prepare for next week's study. The leader knows full well that most people won't, but there's no harm in trying!

However, preparing for the group time is another powerful way to love the members of the group. Of course, having read the passage, or done the homework, greatly increases the benefit you yourself receive from the discussion. More importantly, however, it equips you to encourage others by what you say. Rather than throwing in whatever occurs to you at the time, you have actually thought about the Bible passage and the issues that it raises. You are much better prepared to say things that stimulate and encourage and teach others if you have bothered to give it some thought beforehand.

3. The power of prayer

Paul's friend and fellow worker, Epaphras, would have made an ideal small group member. According to Paul, he was always "wrestling in prayer" for the Colossians, that they might "stand firm in all the will of God". Paul was able to vouch that in doing so, Epaphras was "working hard for you" (Col 4:12-13).

Praying for others is hard work, but real work. It is one of the most loving things we can do for our fellow group members, not only because it is through our prayers that God does his work in people's lives, but because it is such a quiet, inconspicuous form of ministry. Making a casserole for someone, by comparison, is much more satisfying-you see something very tangible for your efforts, and you have the pleasure of delivering it to the person and receiving their warm expressions of thanks. Prayer has none of those rewards. You do it for one reason only: that you care for that person and want what is best for them in Christ. And so you pray for them.

4. The power of personality

The alliteration may be starting to stretch a little thin here, but the point is solid enough-that a powerful way of loving others in your small group is to be willing to share your own life and personality with them.

This is by no means an easy thing to do. Many of us would much rather keep quiet and not give too much away. However, by opening up and sharing our lives and thoughts and struggles and joys, we do others a great service. We not only show them that we have the very same struggles that they have (but thought they were alone in suffering); we also encourage them to open up as well.

Of course, it is anything but loving to indiscriminately dump everything we are thinking or feeling onto the group. We need to heed the advice of Proverbs and think carefully before we speak; as well as the words of Ephesians 4: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Eph 4:29).

5. The power of love

Whatever you do in the group-every word you say, every action-do it for the sake of others. Look for how you can support and help the leader. Look for ways to care for the members of the group-those who could really do with a phone call or visit; those who would benefit from having someone to pray or read the Bible with; those who need financial or other material help; those who just need a friend to have pizza and a video with.

Belonging to a small group can be a very demanding exercise. It can cost us our lives, because that is what it means to be a follower of Christ-to lay down our lives for the sake of others. If we grasp the possibilities, small groups represent an enormously fruitful opportunity for doing just that.

(Want to print this article to give to other people? Download it free as A4 or US letter.)

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Are you making much of a difference in the lives of your fellow group members?

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Crossroads Christian Church - Library of Bible Studies

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http://www.reading121.org/

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Sundays About Us Vision + Beliefs Staff Team Ministry Apprentices Mission Partners Safe Ministry Policies - Morning Church - Night Church - Heathcote Church - LiveStream Teaching Series

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You can download Bible study resources below Out Of Step With God (Jonah) The Revolution Of Man (Luke) My Work, God's Plan A Song For Every Situation (Psalms) For Such A Time As This (Esther) Church Off The Rails (1 Corinthians) A Tale Of Two Cities (Isaiah) Worship In Every Direction Heading For Home (1 Peter) Gospel Giving Ordinary Advice For Extraordinary Times (Proverbs) The Doctrine Of The Resurrection Chosen: The Doctrine Of Election Genesis: Origins - Part 2 (Genesis) [...]

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Loads of short, sharp 15 minutes discussions on different elements of leading a growth group

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The Maturity Podcast

Christianity 33 Followers   76 Episodes

Back around 2012 to 2016, Dave Moore and Richard Sweatman spoke together about how we can better lead our Growth Groups. We're Bible loving theological types but this podcasts covers lots of pragmatics. Hopefully easy to listen to! more

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Back around 2012 to 2016, Dave Moore and Richard Sweatman spoke together about how we can better lead our Growth Groups. We're Bible loving theological types but this podcasts covers lots of pragmatics. Hopefully easy to listen to!

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We used this in our April 2022 Term 2 Leaders Launch Meeting

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The biggest difference between a small group that is spiritually, relationally, and biblically edifying and one that feels like an awkward waste of time is leadership.

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Posts about Small group ministry written by macarisms

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A website with lots of helpful animated videos, including explanations of biblical themes, and overviews of Biblical books

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We believe that the story of Jesus has the power to transform people and entire communities.

Your generous support helps us continue making biblical resources for our growing global audience.

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Study the Story of the Bible With Free Tools

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Learn the Bible with media tools that guide individuals and groups in studying its story. Use our videos and other free online resources.

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An Australian website with lots of eye-catching diagrams, maps and charts which help communicate the Bible

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Biblical resources for the visually-minded.

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A helpful website with a range of materials. You will find the best stuff here in the Bible Maps section

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Knowing the Bible is dedicated to expanding your understanding of the Bible by explaining concepts in their biblical, literary, and cultural contexts.

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Online article explaining this reader-driven approach to Bible study.
Be sure to check out the links at the bottom under the ‘Related Reading’ heading, especially the Swedish Method PDF Handout.

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Bible reading with ready ears and an open heart is engaging and fruitful. There's something fresh about letting God speak for himself, especially when you search the Bible yourself, making the effort to hear.

But why do it alone? Pray, listen to the voice of God, and help your friends and neighbours eavesdrop as they read God's word for themselves. They may hear him speak too.

I know lots of great approaches to Bible reading-but let me give you some ideas from my personal experiences in using the Swedish Method for Bible reading.

Here are some tips to get started.

Invite

Just say: "I would like to invite you to read the Bible with me". Speak with the confidence of your convictions-you would like them to read the Bible with you, wouldn't you? Don't start with the 'lame duck' question "Would you like to read the Bible?" In some cases people may, but the status quo is more likely to prevail, and it's far safer for people to say no, because they don't know what they're getting themselves into or where it might end up, and people are often wary of getting caught up with religious weirdos.

There is no need to describe the get together as a Bible study; many people won't know what that means, or they may assume it is a lecture of some sort.

Ask

When you meet to read the Bible, do it. Read a passage-that's what you said you would do. There's no need to give complex instructions about what you are going to do, and how you are going to do it. Get on with things and read it.

Then try the question "What impacts you from this passage?" and sit back and hear what God has been saying to them! You may be surprised at the light bulbs that come on.

Then it's your turn to say what impacts you; for example: "Something that impacts me from this passage is that the author said such-and-such." If they're shy, you could give your thoughts first, but keep them simple and short: tell them what impacts you (read the phrase or verse), and why it impacts you. The other person will see you as setting the norm for what this is all about. If there's just two of you then you can repeat the question-once, twice, even three times-whatever fits your available time.

Don't give the answer

But what if there is something they don't understand? Something that they're curious about? What if they ask for an explanation?

Whether to answer a question or leave it in the air is one of the most disputed points about the Swedish Method. Most Christians want to answer the question, and most newcomers want their questions answered... but don't rush in. We want to build confidence in Scripture, and we want to train people in how to read it by allowing it to speak for itself, and by modelling and gently pushing people along in their Bible reading skills. Allow what you do to demonstrate what you believe. We believe that God speaks in Scripture as a coherent whole, so what we need to do is keep reading and looking for his answers to our questions.

Once you start answering questions, it's hard to reverse that dynamic. If you start modelling by answering questions, your Bible reading friend will probably do exactly the same when they start reading the Bible with someone else-so don't complain if you hear down the track that they are simply sharing their own ideas more than the Bible.

Christians are often so quick to jump in with answers (usually to explain hard passages) that we can create all sorts of problems for ourselves. We teach people to look to human authorities for the answers. We model Bible reading as dependent on experts. We shut people down and don't listen to them, out of misplaced enthusiasm and a desire for them to see what we have already discovered. There's plenty of room for encouraging the most delicate flower to discover the delights of God's word for themselves, and in the process learn how to.

There's another risk in jumping in to answer questions, and this is a serious one. We run the risk of simply explaining things from the depth of our own misinformed ignorance, however correct we believe ourselves to be. There's plenty of room for healthy humility in Bible reading. People see that and appreciate it. I'll never forget Paul Barnett presenting the gospel clearly to a group of our university friends at an evangelistic dialogue meeting at UNSW, and then listening gently for a whole evening to a bunch of non-Christians. We could have answered most of the questions that he gently side-stepped or protested his limited knowledge about. After he'd left at the end of the evening, our friends told us how wonderful the evening had been, and how helpful, and how they felt they could open up and talk without fear of being 'pounced on' by Christians who always seem to have all the answers.

Let's let God speak, rather than feeling we need to explain him or justify him all the time!

I think that, when meeting one-to-one, answering questions is not wholly unproductive, but it is far more motivating for the new reader if they discover that, with a bit of searching using the right tools, they can actually find the answers for themselves. Don't be put off by the fact that they may need to read some more of the Bible, and do a bit more homework-isn't that what we'd like to see? I remember John Chapman saying that you can read the whole New Testament on a wet Sunday afternoon!

When the Swedish method is used in groups (perhaps your friend is so excited by what they're learning that they want to invite someone else to join you to read the Bible), it is very important not to jump in to answer questions, especially if you want them to learn how to conduct this Bible reading approach in turn with their friends later on. We'll only ever reach the whole world with the gospel if we multiply our outreach efforts, and one of the strengths of this method is that it is easily repeatable and reproducible. So please, don't answer questions during the 'formal' meeting-unless they are obvious things, or the answer is somewhere previous in the passage or book under consideration. And even then, help motivate your reader to search for the answer, just like you, or any other commentator, could have done.

Do

Application is crucial. We're not spectators when we read God's word. As believers, we're praying for ourselves and our Christian and non-Christian friends as we come to read. We are expecting God to speak to us. The application may not always be something I have to do-it may be taking on board a particular Bible truth-however it will likely be something that helps us mature in our relationship with our Heavenly Father under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We haven't put a whole lot of effort into 'interpretation' of the Bible yet. That can wait until our observation skills have been honed through using the Swedish Method, and until we've learned inductive Bible reading skills inductively, through the observation, question, and application process. However, it is important that we don't end up with an intellectual exercise alone: that is not hearing God speaking to us.

"An application expressed in first-person singular" is a bit of a mouthful, but we can simply say: "From what I've read today, I'd like to put into practice in my life what I read in verse XYZ, that I live in such and such a manner. What would you like to put into practice?" This approach to application helps us avoid pointing the finger at others, and letting ourselves off the hook. We can't just throw around third-person arrows, such as blaming Christians for being hypocrites; we need to face up to what Scripture (God speaking) says to us.

Again, we want our actions to be consistent with what we believe. We haven't just read 'Mary had a Little Lamb'. We are reading God's words to us, so what is he telling us today? What difference does that make? I've heard of groups from other religions reading the Bible and asking "What should we do about this?" That is a respectful approach to hearing God speak. We are to act according to what webelieve. Of course, a group of non-Christians asking the question could almost be described as church planting before the people are converted! But with individuals we are modelling seriousness in hearing God speak.

Share

"Who could I tell?" This is a great question, and is not part of the original Swedish Bible Method. I learnt it from an Indian man (in Cambodia) who was previously involved in the Peace and Reconciliation movement in India that followed the burning of Graham Staines and his two sons in their car by Hindu extremists. He told me of the huge impact that this question has had in church planting in northern India.

The first time I used this questions was at a conference, with a group of overseas students. The Japanese girls in the group, who were out telling their friends what they had discovered from the first day, became Christians by the end of the week. Imagine their concept of the normal Christian life: it has to do with telling people about what they were reading in the Bible. If we all were doing that, we would hardly need to train anyone in personal evangelism or disciple-making: we would all be doing it!

It's so simple: tell someone what we've learned or discovered from our Bible reading. Once we get into the hang of it, we'll find it easier. We'll find more creative ways, and a wider range of people to talk to, simply through practice. Natural, conversational evangelism and discipleship-straight from God's word.

Record

Some people like to draw and doodle. I find that that the habit of drawing a light bulb, question mark, arrow, and speech bubble provide a repeatable, predictable structure, as well as somewhere to add personal notes. Making notes also increases the opportunity for accountability, as we report back in subsequent meetings how the Lord has answered our prayers in applying his Word to our lives. It also means that we have a record of the questions, so new discoveries can be tied back to previous questions. It all motivates and helps link the ideas together over time.

Some people prefer to talk rather than draw. My observation is that this usually reflects the preferences and, sometimes, insecurities of the person leading. I encourage you to draw and write, rather than just talk; there is something that engages and commits people in the process. Writing things down helps people to own their understanding, and means it's not so easy to just merge with someone else's opinion. You can actually ask them what they have written. Even when people are impacted by the same phrase or verse from Scripture, their reasons as to why it impacted them are often personal and distinct.

Colin Marshall and Tony Payne have helped us see that making disciples is actually about making disciple-makers. Let's do the same with Bible reading. Through what we do in our Bible readings, we are modelling to and equipping other Bible readers to read with others, who then go out and do the same.

A keen missionary I know simply has the goal of inviting every woman she comes across to read the Bible with her. When I started in student work, my instructions were to go around the residential colleges, knocking on doors and inviting students to read the Bible with me. That's basically been the shape of my ministry since.

Let's do it: motivated, reproducing, applied Bible reading.

Related reading

You can try reading the Bible together using the Swedish Method and WhatsApp. Terry Blowes describes how her group used the Swedish Method for their first meeting, and what happened. And if you'd like to learn from someone else's mistakes, then Carl Matthei would love you to avoid his problems! Penny Morrison explains how her group adapted the Method to suit their study group, while we have a translation explaining where it originated. There is also an explanation and review on John Piper's site Desiring God.

Want? an easy overview that you can print to take along with you to your meetings to keep you on track? Here you are: Swedish Method PDF handout.

If this all sounds a bit familiar, maybe you read the first article by Peter on the method, written for The Briefing in 2009, or his tips for frustrated servants.

Here is a video of Isobel, Garbo and Melissa demonstrating how to use the Swedish Method:

1. To the best of my knowledge, the Swedish Method of Bible reading is so named in recognition of the anonymous pastor in a rural congregation who developed it in the locality of Vasteras, Sweden. It was later used by the IFES-affiliated Swedish student movement Credo, and popularised by Intervarsity/IFES staff worker Ada Lum. ↩

2. The current format has been developed in Latin America, with the addition of the speech bubble, following a conversation with Rev Raju Bhagwat about church planting experiences in Northern India (Raju is currently serving the Lord in Cambodia). ↩

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Motivated, reproducing, applied Bible reading: The Swedish Method - GoThereFor.com

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Bible reading with ready ears and an open heart is engaging and fruitful. There's something fresh about letting God speak for himself, especially when you search the Bible yourself, making the effort to hear. But why do it alone? Pray, listen to the voice of God, and help your friends and neighbours eavesdrop as they read God's word for themselves.

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The COMA Method Of Bible Reading – Gathering One2One

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To get you started reading the Bible one-to-one, what follows is a simple method of Bible study called the COMA method. COMA studies a Bible passage in four steps: Context, Observation, Meaning, and Application. To study a Bible passage in this way, simply ask and answer together a few questions cor…

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Matthias Media’s repository of digital resources.
*Requires account registration and $10/mth cost – so not actually free.

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Want to know more about what's included in a GoThereFor paid membership? Have a look at all the resources in the library for paid members.

Since Christians claim that the Bible is God's word, we need to give a defence or-to use the old terminology-an apology to the world for this claim.

Giving someone a Bible when they don't know Jesus (yet) is a great idea, but by itself it may not be as effective at saving souls as we'd think.

Shechem's actions were driven by where his heart was. That inhibited his ability (and willingness) to listen to Dinah, to see her resistance and accept it.

Implicit is a sense of stability; a properly cultivated vine and fig tree meant life in one place.

Oh, somebody's here. Better turn off the Christian music...

God is faithful; do I believe? That is what Jesus asks of each one of us.

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Want to know more about what's included in a GoThereFor paid membership? Have a look at all the resources in the library for paid members . Since Christians claim that the Bible is God's word, we need to give a defence or-to use the old terminology-an apology to the world for this claim.

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Bible Studies | Trinity Church Mount Barker

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Old Testament | New Testament | Topical & Thematic Old Testament Study Guides Deuteronomy: Living By Faith Under God's Promises Ezekiel: Hopelessness To Hope Genesis: Back To Our Beginnings Genesis: Beginnings - Part 1 Genesis: Beginnings - Part 2 Genesis: Beginnings - Part 3 Genesis: The Living God Haggai: What Are You Building?

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These leaders notes are helpfully detailed, biblically faithful, but not necessarily containing complete sets of questions for your group

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All our searchable Bible resources - talks, training videos, studies, articles and podcasts

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Navigate to the Courses section of the TGC website and you will find pages related to each book of the Bible.

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Courses from The Gospel Coalition - Free Online Learning

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Discover free online learning about theology and life from The Gospel Coalition. Learn more about God, his Word, and the Christian life.

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Browse through their archive of sermons and look for the PDF Bible studies in the column entitled ‘Study Guides’

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Join us in Term 1 2022 as we look at Matthew 14 - 19.

These chapters can, should we allow them, transform us more and more into the likeness of Jesus. The subtle creep from the self-sacrificial heart of the Gospel can easily happen. We slowly forget the call to take up our cross each day. Yet Jesus promises, through his self sacrifice and ours, to build it. In fact, as our prayers and efforts align with his, not even the gates of hell will prevail against it. This is his promise to us and this term we will be challenged to trust him.

Click here to download the "Counter Kingdom" bible study book.

In this series leading up to Christmas and the new year, we'll be visiting seven creation stories from across the Bible: five from the Old Testament (four of which will have studies in this booklet) and two from the New Testament.

Over the last century in our society, and increasingly in the past twenty years, believing in God as creator has become increasingly unpopular. Changing attitudes in astronomy, geology, and biology challenge biblical narratives, and debates over what is "natural" abound.

Click here to download the 'Hark! The playlist of creation' bible study book.

The purpose of the studies in term 4, is to encourage us all to think about how we might shape our lives in such a way that we might grow "organic" opportunities to share the gospel with the people who we "do life with". We all have friends and family. Many of us will chat to people regularly in school, or work, at the school gate, in our sporting teams, or watching sporting events. We know that being a Christian isn't something that we turn on for Sunday and turn back off Monday morning, so how do we live our lives in such a way that we're being an effective witness to those around us? Are there opportunities that we could be making more of, and other opportunities that we could be creating

Click here to download the "How to talk about Jesus without being " bible study book.

In term 3 2021, we will look at the first 11 chapters of 1 Kings, seeing the Kingdom established under Solomon, Israel grow in prosperity and power and Solomon heart eventually turn from God. 'The heart' and 'wisdom' are the key recurring themes of these 11 chapters. Solomon asks for a 'heart that hears' God, and is granted wisdom. In time, Solomon's heart will grow divided as his love for his many wives and their many gods sees him growing deaf to the word of God.

Click here to download the 'Make wise my heart' bible study book.

We will be jumping back into Romans in term 2 2021. Romans 5-8 is Paul's complex and profound exploration of what Jesus' death and resurrection means for the human race that God put in charge of his creation.

Click here to download the 'Raised in Him' bible study book.

Welcome back to the Gospel of Matthew. We first started making our way through this book in 2019 when we covered chapters 1-4. Last year, 2020, we did the Sermon on the Mount, working through chapters 5-7. This year we will cover chapters 8-12.

Download the term 1 'Set Free, We follow' bible study book here.

After 70 years in exile, the people of Israel were coming back home. Join us in Term 4, 2020 as we explore the book of Ezra.

Download the term 4 'Homecoming' bible study book here.

" No other religious discourse in the history of humanity has attracted the attention which has been devoted to the Sermon on the Mount." observes, Craig L. Blomberg, " Philosophers and activists from many non-Christian perspectives who have refused to worship Jesus nevertheless have admired his ethic". From Mahatma Gandhi to Beyonce Knowles, people throughout the centuries have been influenced and encouraged by this sermon, which some have called "the greatest speech of all time".

Download the term 3 'Sermon on the Mount' bible study book here.

Paul's purpose for writing this letter to the church in Rome is the gospel. His desire is for the gospel to bring these Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome together but, at the same time, to see the good news of Jesus go out further and produce even more fruit.

For right now, is it not challenging to feel a strong sense of unity as we are isolated and unable to meet? Similarly, we may wonder how we might have any opportunity to share the gospel when we are not leaving the house, going to work, studying or seeing friends. However, in this time we must still believe the gospel has the power to transform lives.

Download 'The Gospel Shaped Church' bible study book or listen to this series sermons here.

As we face an uncertain time in our world, we have prepared a mini series to look at Mark 4 & 5. There are three stories where we will look at being Anchored: firm in the face of the storm, firm in the face of evil powers and firm in the face of sickness and death.

If you would like to join a bible study, contact the office on 02 9540 4558 or office@stlukesmiranda.org.au

You can also download the 'Anchored' bible study book or listen to weekly Sermons here.

Is our culture growing increasingly hostile towards Christians? How do Christians live faithfully in 2020?

These questions are the same that the people of God asked during the Exile. The book of Daniel is a great theological resource for God's people as they are having to stand against the tide of public opinion, persecution and censure.

If you are interested in learning more, you can download the 'Daniel' bible study book or listen to weekly Sermons here.

As we start 2020 together, we are going to spend five weeks looking at a series of 'one another' statements in the New Testament. The 'one anothers' of the scriptures speak into the various relationships that we find ourselves in as we follow Jesus, and in particular the relationships that we find ourselves in with the church family.

Click here to download the bible study book and here to listen to the one another sermons.

There are few parts of the bible more familiar to us than the early chapters of Matthew. Each December, as presents are wrapped and wreaths are hung, we return to the Gospel accounts of the birth of Christ. Yet to isolate these passages as 'The Christmas Story' can leave us blind to the picture Matthew is painting of "Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham". These studies offer us a chance to weight these passages without carols ringing in our ears. Matthew crafts his account of the birth of Jesus in deep dependence upon the Old Testament scriptures. More than that, The Gospel of Matthew tells the story of Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection as a continuation and fulfilment of the whole Biblical story.

Join us in Term 4 as we look at 'A Light to Lead us Home'. You can download the bible study book here.

In term 3 2019, we will be looking at the book of Ezekiel from the Old Testament. There is a lot of full-on activity going on in the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel (whose name means 'Strength of God', or 'God Strengthens') sees some mind-bending visions, he performs extreme acts like shaving his head with a sword, or lying on his side for a full year. Ezekiel is a real jewel of the Old Testament, filled with clear and powerful images that speak to humanity's capacity for self-deception, the fragility of our successes and God's unfailing love and commitment toward his underserving people.

Join us in Term 3 as we look at 'Old Habits, New Hearts'. You can download "Old Habits, New Hearts" bible study books, download the Ezekiel timeline image here or you can listen to the weekly sermons here.

In term 2 2019, we will be looking at 1 Corinthians "True Spirituality". Just like the Corinthians, our society still has an innate interest in spirituality. But just like those in Corinth, it is often sought in all the wrong places. Our goal, just like it was for Paul, is to show our friends, family and world, what it means to be truly spiritual. That it is not found separated from Jesus or from the church, but found through relationship with our Lord and his redeemed people.

If you'd like to dig a little deeper into "True Spirituality" with us this term, you can download our Bible Study Book, or listen to the weekly sermons here.

This 4-part study series, 'Peacemakers', applies the gospel pattern to arguments, disagreements and conflicts that arise within the church and beyond. We will consider why conflict arises, the opportunities provided by conflict and the gospel pattern for resolving conflict. God promises that as peacemakers sow peace they will reap a harvest of righteousness. Let's take God at his word and begin to sow.

Join us in Term 1 as we look at 'Peacemakers'. You can download "Peacemakers" bible study books, or you can listen to the weekly sermons here.

In the early 60s AD, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter 'to God's holy people in Ephesus'. In term 1, 2019 we will look at 5 metaphors Paul employs such that the Ephesians church may come to see itself clearly. These metaphors speak of how precious and important the church is in God's recreation of the world. These metaphors remind us of the necessity of unity and service as we care for the church. These metaphors remind us not to take the church for granted, but to arm it with faith and maturity against the devil's schemes.

If you are interested in learning more, you can download the 'Pictures of us' bible study book or listen to weekly Sermons here.

We will be looking at John 13-17 - the Lord's supper. The immanence of Jesus' crucifixion really sets the framework for this text. Key themes include the call for Jesus' disciples to self-sacrificially love and serve each other, to have confidence that Christ will return, and that his Spirit will be sent in the meantime. There are also themes around perseverance under trial and bearing fruit as Christians.

Join us in Term 4 as we look into the book of John. You can download 'The Upper Room Discourse' bible study books, or you can listen to the weekly sermons here.

During the seventy years the Jews suffered their Babylonian exile, God raised up several people to faithfully guide and direct His fallen people back to Himself. Among these people was a young woman named Esther. You can view a helpful illustration of the book of Esther here.

If you'd like to dig a little deeper into Esther with us this term, why not download our Esther Bible Study Book, or Esther Quiet times. You can also listen to the weekly sermons here.

I wonder if you've ever heard someone say, "I wish we could go back to just how it was in the early church!" Imagine hearing Peter preach on the day of Pentecost, seeing Paul raise a young man back to life, and witnessing many put their faith in Jesus for the first time. But all was not perfect and worthy of imitation. Indeed, I expect Paul might have replied to such a longing, "have you met the Corinthian Christians?!"

In 1 Corinthians Paul writes to answer their questions and address some of the difficulties in the church. Join us in Term 2 as we look at Paul's letter to the Corinthians. You can download 'The toxic church' bible study books, or you can listen to the weekly sermons here.

Welcome to the "Jesus Is ______." series

The Bible teaches that Jesus is for us. He has not abandoned us in our sins but gave His life as a ransom for many.

Join us in Term 1 as we unpack who Jesus is. You can download our Jesus Is___ Study Books, or you can listen to the weekly sermons here.

In 1 Peter we are encouraged to stand firm and persevere, even though life will be difficult for us as we stand against the tide as Christians.
Peter's profound theological statement about our true identity - being citizens of Heaven - rings true not only for those early exiled Christians in Rome withstanding challenging social and political temperatures, but also for us in our modern Western context.

Join us in Term 4 as we unpack the letter of 1 Peter together. You can download our 1 Peter Bible Study Books, or you can listen to the weekly sermons here.

The Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Samuel follow the rise and fall of Saul and David, the first 2 kings crowned over God's people. As we study the book of 2 Samuel, our focus will be on king David, a figure who looms large over the rest of the Bible.
2 Samuel, like many of the narrative sections of the Bible, can prove difficult to understand. This is not to say it is difficult to read: there is enough blood-shed, conspiracy and scandal to keep us interested. However, you can come away from the various stories feeling you may have missed the key message.

If you'd like to dig a little deeper into 2 Samuel with us this term, why not download our 2 Samuel Bible Study Books, or 2 Samuel Quiet Times. You can also listen to the weekly sermons here.

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Join us in Term 1 2022 as we look at Matthew 14 - 19. These chapters can, should we allow them, transform us more and more into the likeness of Jesus. The subtle creep from the self-sacrificial heart of the Gospel can easily happen. We slowly forget the call to take up our cross each day.

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Maturity Resources - Hunter Bible Church & Unichurch

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Want to go a little deeper with your small group icebreakers? What sets these ideas apart is they work to create community in your group. Whether it's by helping your members know each other better by learning names, sharing information or discovering new passages in the Bible, these ice breakers will help you go to that next level with your group.

For Team Building

1. Bible Squeeze Relay. Have participants get into two teams, form a line and hold hands. Starting with the first person, the team must pass a hand squeeze down the line. When the last person in line gets the squeeze, that person runs to the front of the line and looks up a pre-determined verse and reads it out loud to their group. When that person finishes, they start the squeeze and the relay continues.

2. Photo Scavenger Hunt. Divide into groups with at least three people who have phones. The leader will call out picture categories, and the first team to locate a photo that matches on their phone must show the judge at the front of the room. Categories can include: pictures of feet, someone in a cap and gown, a person on a bike, the family dog or cat, a picture at the beach, picture of food, crazy Christmas clothes, etc.

3. Team Balloon Race. Good for a slightly larger group - with teams of 10 or more. Have participants stand in a line and place an inflated balloon between them and the next person (stomach/chest level is best) so that the entire team is lined up with the balloons wedged between them. Make a finish line some distance down the room. The group has to move in unison toward the finish line without dropping any balloons or they have to start over. The first team to reach the finish line and burst all the balloons together wins.

4. Bible Brains. Beforehand, compile a list made of 10 Bible characters or 10 well-known Bible stories. Divide into two groups and give each a die, paper and pencil and some Play-Doh. Set the timer for five minutes. One person from each team comes to the leader for the first word, returns to the team and rolls the die: one or two means they have to sculpt the word or story, three or four means they have to act out the word or story and five or six means they have to draw the word or story. (Have this written on a poster board as a guide). It continues until time runs out. The team who successfully guesses the most words or Bible stories wins.

5. Twizzler Tie Up. Form groups of two and hand participants 10 Twizzlers (make sure they are fresh). The goal for each team is to tie the Twizzler into a knot. The catch is that although they work together as a team, each participant can only use one hand. The first team to tie up all 10 is the Twizzler-tying champ!

1. Virtual Time Capsule. Divide people into teams of five and give them a large piece of paper and some markers. Have them draw or write words of 20 things they would want in a time capsule that would show people in the future what was important to them. Have them share this with the group.

2. Life Verse. Students often choose a verse from the Bible that represents their goals or purpose and call it their "life verse." What if that verse was randomly chosen for participants - for fun, of course! Have group members pair up, with one person holding a Bible while their partner, without looking, opens it and points to a random place on the page. Read aloud to see if they got a funny or thoughtful one as this random "life verse" is shared.

3. Find One in Five. Give your group five seconds to find one person who has something in common with them, but make it something unusual like a place they have traveled. Once they find someone, they yell, "FOUND ONE!" Then do it again, but they must find two people, and so on. Other questions: Find someone who has as many siblings as you, someone whose middle name starts with the same letter, someone whose mom's name is the same as your mom's name.

4. Team Shape Shifting. Divide into two groups facing each other. Give a set amount of time for Team A to observe Team B. Have Team B leave the room and change noticeable things (they can't put something in a back pocket, for example). Team B returns and Team A has 30 seconds to find the 10 changes. A couple of silly props like a rubber fish sticking out of someone's pocket or a fake spider in someone's hair are fun additions to this icebreaker.

5. Matchy, Matchy - Bible Version. Write out Bible references (like John 3:16) on one sticky note and the verse written out on the other and post them around the room all mixed up. Have participants work in teams to match the Bible verse with its reference.

Schedule weekly snack sign ups with a sign up! SAMPLE
For Learning Names

1. Bible Name Blitz. Give participants one minute to write down Biblical characters whose names start with the same letter as their own. The person with the most (correct) wins.

2. Fact or Fiction? The Story Behind My Name. Parents often share with their children the "story" behind their names. Give members the chance - either with the large group or divided into smaller groups - to tell the story behind their name or they can make one up. Groups can vote if the story sounds like fact or fiction. This can also be done with middle names.

3. Polite Pass. Try this when you first meet. Use a large ball and circle up. Have participants throw the ball to each other but the catch - pun intended - is to have the person who catches the ball say, "thank you, ___ (thrower's name) and the person who threw the ball replies with, "You're welcome, ___ (catcher's name). Go slowly at first to learn names and then pick up the pace in a speed round.

4. What-On-Earth Name Tags. Each group member gets a piece of construction paper, a marker and a piece of tape. Give people a chance to tear their paper into the shape of something that is interesting about them (the state where they were born, their favorite animal, a country they want to travel, etc.). Have them write their name in the center and then present their nametag to the group. "No, this isn't a banana, it's supposed to be Florida, where I was born!" Wear the nametag all night.

5. Shark Attack. This one is great for a youth group. Have participants start quietly "swimming" around. At the leader's signal, students get into a "school" of three. If there are any lone fish, the shark swims up, has the fish introduce themselves and then the fish fake a horrible death. Fish in groups of three have one minute to introduce themselves to each other. Start again, but change the number of fish required to form a group. Keep going until only one survivor remains.

6. My Better Half. Write out well-known pairs on tape or name tags and as people arrive put one half of the pair on each person and give them the task of finding the other half of their pair (mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, etc.). Have them introduce themselves and find out something interesting about each other. Have pairs get in groups of six and introduce their "better half."

7. Matchy Matchy - Name Version. Have participants take two sticky notes and write their name on one, with three little-known facts about themselves on the other. Stick these around the rooms, names separated from the facts. When you say go, people try to match up (other peoples!) names to facts and see how many they can get right.

8. Name Times Five. Group four to six group members by giving them a lettered three-by-five inch card - mixed up so the groups are random - when they come in the door. Have them get in their letter group and interview the person next to them and write down the information on the card. They have 30 seconds to introduce their partner and have to use their name five times during the introduction (But they can't say, "Jane, Jane, Jane, she is so nice.")

Plan a small group potluck with a sign up! SAMPLE
For Sharing Information

1. Speed Chat. You'll need a timer, a buzzer and a list of questions. Make two circles, one inside the other. The inner circle will move, and the outer circle will stay stationary. Participants have a designated amount of time to chat about the Biblical topic called out by the leader. When the buzzer sounds, the inner circle moves one person to the right. For large groups, you may need to split the group up so the circles aren't too big.

2. What App Is That? Divide the group into teams. Call out some unique smartphone apps and see who has them. Create categories, such as most photo-sharing accounts, productivity apps or games or weirdest app. Create a rule where you have to stand or do something silly (i.e. place thumb to chin or stick out tongue) when you have a certain app.

3. Conversation Stack. Line up members from shortest to tallest and then pair them with a neighbor and have a stack of three to five questions that they need answered, going from general to more specific. Have pairs trade stacks with other pairs to keep the conversation flowing. : Try these 100 getting-to-know you questions.

4. Paper Caper. Have the group sit in a circle. Pass around a roll of toilet paper and have each person take some. When everyone has taken their share of the roll, advise them that for every square of paper, they have to tell the group something about themselves. For a larger group, split up into smaller groups of four and have them share among their group.

5. No, No! "Yes" or "No." Call up a group member and ask a series of questions and tell them their answer CANNOT be "yes" or "no" or they are out. Compile a pre-made list of questions, such as, "Were you born in _____ (state name)?" They must answer without using yes or no. For example, "I was born in ____." The fun comes in layering the questions and asking them quickly in order to get a yes or no. Do this with several people.

6. Ball of Questions. Take a large bouncy ball and in permanent marker write get-to-know-you questions all over it. Toss the ball around and have group members answer the question on the ball closest to their thumb. Ideas for what to write on your ball could include things like, "Tell about a time you got lost" or "Tell about your favorite vacation."

7. Hot Seat. Pick one person from the crowd to come up to the front of the room and be in the "hot seat." Hand out a few questions on scraps of paper for students to ask the person. You can do this one every week as a group gets to know each other.

As you lead your group members in these activities, remember that making an icebreaker "great" is one part preparation, two parts enthusiasm! Have fun, and in no time your group will be learning and growing closer without even trying very hard.
Julie David is a writer, youth volunteer and mom who thanks Seth and Nikki (the best youth leaders around) for sharing some of these great icebreaker ideas.

Additional Resources

50 Icebreaker Questions for Church Small Groups
Community Service Ideas for Small Groups
Bible Study Lesson Tips for Small Group Leaders
Get to Know You Questions for Small Groups
60 Small Group Bible Study Topics, Themes and Tips

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25 Church Small Group Icebreakers and Activities

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Want to go a little deeper with your small group icebreakers? What sets these ideas apart is they work to create community in your group. Whether it's by helping your members know each other better by learning names, sharing information or discovering new passages in the Bible, these ice breakers will help you go to that next level with your group.

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An excerpt from Growth Groups (Colin Marshall, Matthias Media). Easy reading with some tips about praying in our groups

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A treasure trove of articles about the practicalities and many facets of leading a growth group. From Crusaders Student Ministry in the USA

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Lives are changed for good when people study God’s Word together. Browse these helpful articles and tools to learn how to confidently lead a small group that helps others grow in Christ.

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From theology to accountability, church small groups can cover some heavy topics-causing some members to be slow to open up.

But sometimes all it takes is a little nudge to get a group talking. Here are 75 fun icebreaker questions along with multiple choice answers to warm up the room and get your people chatting.

You might want to bookmark this site on your device for whenever your group needs a jumpstart. Or, if your church has a social media presence, these questions make for great online polls to generate engagement.

1. Which would be more difficult for you to go a week without?

2. How do you feel about the first name you were given at birth?

3. Do you wish people happy birthday on social media?

4. Do you write/type up a daily checklist for yourself?

5. On a scale where one is a minimalist and five is a hoarder, where would you rank yourself?

6. What kind of Bible do you most often use at home for everyday reading?

7. If you could visit only one of Disney World's four parks, which would you choose?

8. If the apostle Paul were alive today, do you think he'd be active on social media?

Likely yes. He'd see it as a way to "be all things to all people."

Likely no. He'd see it as a distraction to ministry.

9. How many different organizations have you worked for in your lifetime? Follow-up question: Which one was the most unique?

10. What incorrect tech prediction from "Back to the Future II" do you most wish readily existed today?

Biometric door locks

Flying cars

Food hydrators (instantly cook frozen food)

Hoverboards (floating skateboards)

Fusion (converts household trash into car fuel)

Robots to pump gas, walk dogs, help cook, etc.

Smart clothing (automatic resizing, self-drying, shoes that tie themselves)

A time machine

11. Would you rather have a fast forward, pause, or rewind button on your life?

12. Poll: Which of these "cheap treats" is your least favorite to find in a candy bowl?

13. Who serves the best pancakes?

14. What creative gifts would you most like to have that you don't already possess? The ability to:

Author a book

Cook/Bake

Choreograph/perform dance

Create graphic design

Design/create clothing

Draw/paint/sculpt

Invent/engineer

Write songs/create music

Write/direct/act in a screenplay

15. What was your favorite elective in school?

16. What time do you most often turn in for the night?

17. What's your favorite kid's cereal?

18. Which modern actor plays the best Sherlock Holmes?

Benedict Cumberbatch

Jonny Lee Miller (Elementary)

Robert Downey Jr.

19. At what time of day or night are you most productive?

20. Do you use a smart speaker device (i.e. Google Home, Amazon Echo, etc.) in your home?

21. What age range represents your best understanding of when you became a Christian?

22. Adjusted for inflation, the following films have the best time all-time domestic earnings at the box office. Which do you consider to be the best movie achievement?

23. Given the choice when traveling overnight, would you rather stay at a traditional hotel or an Airbnb?

24. When a store has both types of checkout lanes available, which one do you prefer to use?

Self checkout

Lane with a human cashier

25. As a child, what was your go-to treat from the ice cream truck?

26. Which soft drink company is better?

27. When it comes to getting spoilers for a movie, TV show, or novel you're excited about, which way do you lean?

I avoid spoilers; I don't want to ruin the story.

I seek out spoilers; I want to know what will happen ASAP.

28. In today's digital age, how important is it for kids to learn how to write in cursive?

29. What's your go-to choice in a box of Russell Stover assorted chocolates?

30. Do you think social media apps eavesdrop on private conversations through your phone's microphone in order to market to you?

31. Have you ever binge-watched an entire season of a show over the course of a few days?

32. Through which of these formats have you owned the most songs throughout your lifetime?

33. What's your opinion of ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft?

34. Which live-action Disney remake has been the best so far?

35. What's your attitude toward honking a horn in a vehicle?

36. When was the last time you visited what you consider to be your hometown?

37. Who played the best Batman?

38. Which of these common bad dreams have you experienced?

Being chased

Driving an out-of-control vehicle

Falling

Realizing you forgot to attend a class

Showing up for work/school naked

Showing up late for something

Taking a test

Teeth falling out

39. What is your favorite parable of Jesus?

40. When you need to buy or sell a used item, where do you turn?

41. If you lost your cell phone, how many of your contacts' numbers could you recall by memory?

42. What is your preferred way to read a book?

43. Do you know your neighbors?

44. If you could time travel, would you rather:

45. If you could permanently eliminate one chore from your to-do list, which would it be?

46. What video-streaming service do you think provides the best value?

47. What's your favorite medium for keeping up with the news?

48. Which game show would you most want to be a contestant on?

49. What do you listen to in the car?

50. Which chain makes the best donuts?

51. What's your go-to morning beverage?

52. Which of these is the best toy brand?

53. How many hours of sleep you do get on a typical night?

54. Which personality type do you lean more towards?

55. What's your favorite sport to watch on TV?

56. Which social media platform is your favorite?

57. What was your favorite back-to-school item to shop for as a kid?

58. Who's your favorite superhero?

59. Other than God, which character in the Bible would you most like to have a conversation with?

60. What genre does your favorite book of the Bible come from?

61. Where would you most like to go on vacation?

Seasonal and special events
New Years
62. Which of these goals will you intentionally focus on in the New Year?
Super Bowl (February)
63. What are you most looking forward to watching during the Super Bowl?
Spring
64. What's your favorite thing about spring?
Summer
65. During the summer, what temperature (Fahrenheit) do you keep your home when it's occupied?
Fall
66. What do you like most about fall?
Thanksgiving
67. What's the best Thanksgiving-meal side?

68. What's your preference for eating turkey?

69. Which of these bests describes your attitude toward Black Friday shopping?
Winter
70. What's your attitude toward snow?

I love snow. Bring it on!

I like one or two good snowfalls a year-that's all.

I'd be happy if it never snowed again.

71. What's your favorite sport in the Winter Olympics?
Christmas
72. When do you start listening to Christmas music at home?

73. What do you call the Christmas game where people open and steal each other's presents?

Dirty Santa

White Elephant Gift Exchange

Yankee Swap

74. What's the most annoying Christmas song?

Christmas Shoes

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Happy Holidays

Here Comes Santa Claus

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Little Drummer Boy

Santa Baby

The 12 Days of Christmas

75. What's the best children's Christmas special?

Dig Deeper at Lifeway.com

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75 Icebreaker Questions for Church Small Groups - Lifeway Research

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From theology to accountability, church small groups can cover some heavy topics-causing some members to be slow to open up. But sometimes all it takes is a little nudge to get a group talking. Here are 75 fun icebreaker questions along with multiple choice answers to warm up the room and get your people chatting.

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For some reason, doing prayer well in Growth Groups/Bible Study groups is really hard: even the most high-performing all-star groups find prayer a challenge. Time pressures, distractibility and, let's face it, our sinful hearts combined with a dozen other factors mean that we rarely get the most out of praying together in groups. But there's no point getting discouraged about it. Prayer is not something to give up on! Here's a few ideas that I hope will encourage and refresh you as you pray in groups.

The main driver for a healthy group prayer life is conviction about the value of prayer. The Bible gives us many reasons to pray: it's a privilege to be able to approach our heavenly Father ( Deut 4:7, Luke 11:1-4); prayer is made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus, our great high priest ( Heb 10:19-22); and praying is something we are commanded to do ( 1 Thess 5:17). You can read more about these reasons, along with a deeper theology of prayer, in Prayer and the Voice of God.

The factor that I find particularly motivating for Growth Group prayer is that prayer expresses our dependence on God for growth. It drives out self-reliance! Paul demonstrates this in Ephesians 1:16-17: even though Paul is God's great apostle to the Gentiles, equipped with the spiritual gifts of teaching, he prays to God for growth in his readers: "I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him". So if Paul thinks prayer is necessary for good things to happen, how much more should we be praying!

So if we are convicted of the value of prayer, how can we improve the prayer life of our groups? Chapter 8 of Col Marshall's Growth Groups is brilliant reading on this, but here's three extra ideas.

The first thing is to give up on the dream of always smoothly integrating prayer into the group time. Being smooth is for jazz musicians, not Growth Group leaders! Growth Groups should be ready to drop into the hard work of prayer, no matter how clunky it feels. If Epaphras 'wrestled' in prayer for the Colossians ( Col 4:12), we should expect prayer in groups to be difficult and even somewhat awkward.

Secondly, try a variety of prayer strategies and techniques. Here's a few:

1. Vary when you pray. Praying at the start of the study can catch people when they're fresher. Praying at different points during the study can be a jolting reminder of the power and value of prayer. Praying at the end gives people a chance to pray in response to God's word with thanksgiving or a God-centred request.

2. Pray sometimes as a big group and sometimes in pairs or triplets. Keep these small groups fixed or mix them up each time. Keeping them fixed promotes deeper trust and sharing, but mixing them up allows you to pray personally with different members of your group over the term. Chat with your co-leader about which of these strategies to try.

3. Don't share prayer points for some weeks. Instead, bring a plan for something on God's agenda you'd like the group to pray for. This could mean praying for people's evangelistic contacts, praying for ministries and leaders in your church, or praying for missionaries you're partnering with.

4. Try prayer diaries, emails or closed social media groups to promote ongoing prayer for each other during the week.

5. Be brave about cutting people's long stories short. With as much gentleness as you can, try saying something like, "That sounds pretty difficult for you, and it would be great to talk more about it after the study. I'm keen that we actually give time to praying about that issue. So what particularly would you appreciate prayer for?"

Thirdly, we need to pay attention to our own prayer lives. A wise pastor once told me that the best way to get people praying in Growth Groups was to be praying myself in my own time. All of us struggle with this, but I believe it's true: if we pray and are growing in prayer ourselves, somehow that will rub off on the group and benefit them.

So don't be discouraged that praying in your group is hard. Every group finds it hard! Remember your convictions, give up on the idea that it will be smooth, and try what you can to get it going. God loves to answer prayer, and we can be confident that good things will happen if we pray together.

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For some reason, doing prayer well in Growth Groups/Bible Study groups is really hard: even the most high-performing all-star groups find prayer a challenge. Time pressures, distractibility and, let's face it, our sinful hearts combined with a dozen other factors mean that we rarely get the most out of praying together in groups.

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Once upon a time I used to be part of a Bible study group. We'd spend most of our time studying the Bible together. The problem was we often spent so long looking at the Bible and talking together that we rarely allowed much time to pray. So we changed the name to Prayer and Bible groups. And you know what? Prayer was still frequently edged out by everything else. I wonder if your experience has been much the same.

We want our growth groups to be relational communities. People connecting with each other, getting to know each other, taking an interest in what's going on in each other's lives. However, the primary relationships aren't those that we share with each other, but the relationships we share with God. We gather because we belong to God. We've been adopted into his family and God is our Father. Jesus has given us access to his Father, so that we can relate to him as our Father. This is a wonderful privilege. We can come before our Father in heaven at any time and in any place, through the mediating work of Jesus. For this reason we desire to express our dependence upon God and our fellowship together in growth groups through prayer.

I want you to imagine a different scenario with me for a minute.

You are part of a company think tank, gathered in a boardroom to come up with plans and changes for moving the company forward, helping each person in the company to improve their contribution, and using the vast resources of the company to bring these things about. The name of the company is Microsoft (assume you are happy with this!) and Bill Gates has agreed to come to every think tank meeting, and authorise the use of his resources to enable every venture that will improve the company. You meet together, read over the company documents, talk things over, come up with some astounding ideas, realise you've used nearly all your time, forget that Bill is in the room, ask him for nothing, and head off to try and do everything yourselves.

What a mistake! Forgetting the most important person in the room! Failing to speak with him, ask for his help, draw on his resources... even when he's promised to give you more than you could ever imagine! It doesn't make sense, does it? And yet, isn't that what we do with God our Father, every time we meet and fail to pray. It seems to me that the key to praying in our growth groups is to remember who God is, and to take seriously his invitation, in fact his command, to pray.

We will spend some time in this paper, looking at the Bible, seeking to understand our God, because it is God himself who invites us to pray. You could use these Scriptures as a guide for your growth group in approaching God in prayer together.
The God to whom we pray The Holy God
The Bible reveals God to be a Holy God who will not tolerate evil. We cannot come into the presence of God without fear for our lives. It is no simple thing to come before God to pray.

Isaiah shows us the problem when he is brought into the presence of God, presumably in a vision...

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 6:1-5)

Habbakuk knows the dilemma of sinful people seeking to be heard by a righteous and holy God...

2 How long, Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not save?

13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.(Habakkuk 1:2, 13)

God, himself, says through Isaiah to the people of Israel...

15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!(Isaiah 1:15)

And Isaiah speaks to the people about God...

¹ Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.(Isaiah 59:1-2)

Our Saviour
God, in his kindness, has made it possible to come into a relationship with him. He has dealt with our sin, and invites us to trust him, submit to him, depend upon him, and speak with him.

God made it possible for Isaiah to stand before him...

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." (Isaiah 1:6-7)

God makes it possible through the death of his Son, Jesus Christ, for each of us to be made clean, to have our sins forgiven, God's judgment lifted, and to gain access to God.

Looking ahead to Jesus, God spoke through Isaiah announcing...

4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.(Isaiah 53:4-6)

Because God is the Saviour, like the Psalmist, we should delight to call on him...

1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.(Psalm 116:1-2)

Jesus has given us access into the throne room of God. His saving work enables us to boldly approach God with confidence and ask him to help us in our weakness and need...

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Permission to pray is a wonderful gift from God. God invites us to enjoy a new relationship with him. And this is a special, personal, and familial relationship. We're granted the privilege of relating to the Holy God as our Father.

Before Jesus leaves his disciples he prepares them for the relationship they are to have with his Father in heaven...

23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. 25 "Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." (John 16:23-28)

17 Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" (John 20:17, my emphasis)

Paul reminds us that by God's Spirit we are able to relate to God as our Father...

15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:15-17)

As God's dearly loved and adopted children, we have the privilege of coming to him in prayer. Jesus gave this model for prayer...

7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 "This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'

Jesus asks us to remember the all-surpassing goodness and generosity of our Father, and so to bring our needs before Him...

7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Through Jesus Christ, and the work of God's Spirit, we are brought into a relationship with God as our heavenly Father. He calls us to speak with Him, to bring our needs before him, knowing that he will shower his good gifts upon us. God is both willing and able to answer our prayers according to his perfect will. He has our absolute best interests at heart. There is nothing that can thwart his good plans and purposes. So why wouldn't we pray?!
What to pray
When Jesus was asked how to pray, he responded by telling his disciples what to pray. The Lord's prayer, as it has become known, gives us a template to pray, as Jesus instructed. We approach God as Father, we desire his honour in all things, we seek his will to be done, we ask him to shape our priorities, enable us to live lives that honour him and reflect him in this world. In other words, the first thing we discover about how to pray, is to have our prayers shaped by God's own agenda.
According to God's will
As we seek to pray as Jesus instructed, we desire to have our prayers shaped according to God's revealed will in the Scriptures. Jesus, himself, submitted his will to the Father as he prayed...

42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)

How can we know the will of God? By reading it! We should allow Scripture shape our prayers. The Bible reveals God's plans and priorities. It reveals God's wonderful promises. Scripture shows us how to live and speak and think in according to God's revealed will. The Bible also contains many prayers, that give us an insight into what matters matter to God and his people. We can even pray the content of Scripture as we ask God to make it live in our hearts and minds.

As we study the Bible in our groups, allow the passage you have been examining to shape the prayers that follow. We don't want to be mere listeners to the word, but people who put into practice what we've learned. Let's ask God to transform us in the light of what we've just read.
Bring our needs before God
We're invited to bring our anxieties and worries and requests to God. Even though God knows what we need before we ask, he calls us to open up to him...

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)

Nothing is too big or too small to bring to God. Whatever burden is on our heart, God invites us to hand it over to him. Whatever we need, God wants us to ask him for it. And God's word equips us to ask in accordance with God will. The more we grow in our knowledge and love of God, the more we will understand how and what to pray for things.

These verses above give guidance about the attitude we should have as we pray. First, we should rather than clinging to our worries. God is the one most able to resolve our worries, so leave them to him. There's no point you and God doubling up! Secondly, we're called to humble ourselves before God. He alone is God. He is the Holy and Righteous One. He is the Judge and the Saviour. He is the Creator and we are the creature. He is the Sovereign Lord over all creation. He is our Father in heaven. Our Father! Humility, requires first and foremost that we acknowledge our sin before him and seek forgiveness. Thirdly, we're urged to be thankful as we pray. With all that we know of God, and what he has done and will do, we have great reasons for thanksgiving. So let's ask God, with gratitude in our hearts.

Sometimes our needs are deeply troubling. Sometimes we just don't know what to pray. Sometimes we're unable to pray in our frailty and weakness. It's a wonderful comfort to know that God will help us in these times, so don't stress...

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

And what awesome promises follow these words...

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:35-37)

In our groups
As we focus on the will of God in bringing our requests to God, how should we actually pray in our groups? Here are some suggestions...

1. Allow sufficient time to pray each week. This means limiting the time in the Bible, or chatting, or sharing prayer points, so that we actually pray. Sometimes we may wish to begin the time together with prayer, so as to give it priority. Some weeks we may set aside the majority of the time to focus on prayer for an extended period.

2. Let our understanding of the Bible shape our prayers. Draw points for prayer from the passage we've been studying together.

3. Show care for each other by inviting people to share their needs with the group, so that we can pray together for these matters. It can be helpful to write things into a prayer diary or leave them on the whiteboard for the following week. This way we can follow up on how God has been answering our prayers.

4. Tune in to how comfortable people are with praying out loud in a group. Some may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with doing this. It's important not to put people under pressure. Going round the circle can make things awkward for people, so it might be better to seek volunteers to pray. Breaking into twos and threes can help our prayers to be more personal, and make it easier for the shy members of the group to contribute.

5. Pray for needs outside the group; such as current events and issues, our communities, our governments, our churches, our pastors, link missionaries, and more.

6. Pray for people to hear the truth about Jesus. Let's ask God to change the hearts of our friends.

7. Help people to understand we are talking to God, not seeking to impress each other.

Set an example
Prayer is unlikely to be a priority for the group if it's not a priority for the leader. Let's come before God ourselves, thanking him, confessing our sins, and bringing our needs before him. Let's do this regularly and wholeheartedly. Pray for the members of our groups and, like the Apostle Paul, let them know we've been praying for them and what we've been praying.
Further reading
Karen and Rod Morris, Leading Better Bible Studies, chapter 5
Colin Marshall, Growth Groups, chapter 8

Don Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation
Richard Coekin,Graeme Goldsworthy, Prayer and the Knowledge of God
Phillip Jensen and Tony Payne, Prayer and the Voice of God

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Once upon a time I used to be part of a Bible study group. We'd spend most of our time studying the Bible together. The problem was we often spent so long looking at the Bible and talking together ...