Seeking as for hidden treasure. - One of the greatest gifts of God is His holy Word. It is imperative that we Christians study it and write it upon our hearts.
I lead the adult Bible Study in our Church. The goal for our Bible study group is to dive into the Word of God and together mature as Christians, growing closer in the Holy Spirit to God through the sacrifice our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Often times, because of cost or lack of suitable materials for small groups which facilitate discussion, I write our study questions.
I've tried to come up with studies through the leading of the Holy Spirit that would meet each member at their spiritual maturity level and challenge them to grow. As anyone who has led a Bible study is aware, this is one of the biggest difficulties because there are often new Christians mixed in with mature Christians in any group and so many studies out there typically only speak to one of those groups (at least in my experience). This often leaves the other group bored or confused. Bible studies should be neither of those conditions. So I try to provide a mix of questions that both groups can engage on some level.
One the biggest things I've tried to do with our studies is to write questions that allow people to talk and not just give a pat answer; and let me tell you, we've had some really good discussions. As a side note: To get discussions going this often means as a leader sitting back and keeping one's mouth shut and waiting for someone to start talking. That's not at all easy for me and it has been one of the areas the Lord is working with me to improve. Still, there are times that a leader needs to talk.
Currently, our group made the democratic decision to jump into the Gospel of John. What a treasure this Gospel account is for believers on all levels of maturity in Christ.
So, having given that long intro to this weblog entry, I've decided to post the Bible study questions here on the net for others to make use of in their study of God's Word. I believe they work best for group study. I will provide them in a PDF format for download.
Each study is a single chapter and I will release them on a weekly basis or as they become available. Sometimes we spend more than one meeting on a chapter. Actually, most times we take more than one meeting per chapter.
That said here is the study for Chapter one of the Gospel of John. Right click and select the save option to save it to your computer. Clicking the link will likely load the pdf in your browser.
(Added 2006.05.22: For download of the complete Bible study [all 21 chapters] follow this link.)
If you find the Bible studies helpful in your growth in the Lord, please consider giving a donation through the button below. Right now all donations will be used to pay for the week long mission trip I'm taking in July to Tampa where I will be working with an organization that ministers to migrant workers, homeless, needy, and children. I've not been notified of the final cost by our group leader yet, but it's expected to be around $400-$450. Thank you.
And here are the questions contained in that study:
- Read Chapter 1 of John and write down any questions that come to you as you read.
- What are some of the key words and themes of this chapter?
- What or Who is the Word?
a. See also, Hebrews 4:12, John 17:17, 2Timothy 3:15,16, 1Peter 1:23. - Why is the life in Him the "light of men" or what does that mean? Verse 4.
- Why do you think that the world and His own did not recognize Christ? Verses 6-11.
- Who is John, spoken of in verse 6?
See Matthew 3:1. - Why is Christ called the "Word" in this chapter? What does the name symbolize?
- Also, used frequently in this chapter is the word "light." What does it symbolize?
- What is the purpose of verses 1 through 18?
- Why did John call Christ "the Lamb of God" in verse 29?
- What do you learn about the disciples from what is said in verses 41 and 45?
May the Holy Spirit guide and lead you in your desire to know Christ more fully.
-Hal
