Our Father…

What kind of Father has he been lately? Which of his attributes do you appreciate most? Hold these thoughts for now.

In heaven…

God is big and God is close! Spend a few moments considering his immensity, power and vastness! Then remember you matter to him! Tell how you’re feeling about this reality.

Hallowed by your name…

To pray God’s name would be “hallowed” is to pray it would be “honored greatly”. Spend time honoring his name. You could pray, “Father, I honor your name because…”). Then pray his name would be honored in whatever areas come to mind.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…

Ask that he accomplish his will in any and all people and places that come to mind. (Consider developing a simple list). Have specific things you pray for – “Your will be done in ______,”If you need to (re)surrender some area of your life, this is a great time for that.

Give us each day our daily bread…

Pray for your specific needs. Don’t be shy or grow weary in asking.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…

Ask him to search your heart and show you things you need to confess. Be specific in your confession. If there are any people you cannot forgive, ask him to help you.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…

Pray against temptation in your life. Pray against: specific sins; all evil – evil people, evil influences and the evil one. Pray against evil in your community. Pray for God’s blessing and grace. Commit to following him as he leads you.

Pray

Ask God to search your heart. Confess your sins to him. Ask him to make you ready and eager to learn. Ask him to illuminate the Scriptures for you.

Ask Questions

What do the verses say? What questions do you have? Be alert! Look for key words, ideas, thoughts and phrases. Look for things which are repeated. Read at least two good translations (ESV, NASB, NIV). Write down everything you see.

Determine Meaning

Ask: What did these verses mean to the original recipients? What kind of literature is this? What is the biblical context? What other passages are similar? What was the culture of the recipients like? What was going on in their lives? Consult a good Study Bible (ESV or NIV) or commentary to see what others have said. Remember that God determines the meaning and our task is to discover it.

Arrive at Principles

Prayerfully develop principles from the verses. A principle is a timeless truth that works in any culture at any time. This is not always an easy step, so keep praying and working at it.

Develop an Application

A good application develops a plan for how you will practice one of the principles. This is an “I will…” statement. It is personal, practical and can be measured.

Resources: biblehub.com; biblegateway.com; blueletterbible.com. The EFCC library has commentaries and books on how to study the Bible.

Anyone can facilitate a Life Group! By using this plan, you can gather family and/or friends and have a meaningful time of growth and connection around any text in the Bible.

Checking in with each other (20 minutes)

First, ask each other the following questions – 

1. What are you thankful for this week?
2. What has you stressed out this week?
3. How did it go with practicing your “I will” statement during the week?

Looking into the Bible (20 minutes)

Next, study the passage – 

1. Have someone read the passage out loud.
2. Have someone retell the passage in his/her own words.
3. Ask – 
   1. What does the passage teach about God?
   2. What does this passage teach about humanity?
   3. Do you have any other observations about the passage?
   4. Complete this sentence, “This week I will….”
   5. Who will you share this passage with before you meet again?

Looking up in Prayer (20 minutes)

Third, take time to pray for each other. 

• You can pray about what has people stressed out. 
• You can pray about big things coming up in the next week. 
• You can pray about your “I will” statement for the week.
• You can pray about needs in your community and how you might reach out.

If you start a group, please let us know! We’d like to include you in our leadership community and provide additional resources and training. Please email Janelle at [email protected].

A fundamental component for growing as a disciple is the Bible. It’s in the pages of Scripture that we come to meet Jesus, know Jesus and find life and growth and maturity and joy. How, then, can we read the Bible in a way that helps us become maturing followers of Christ? Here is a simple strategy that can help. It’s called the R.E.S.T. plan.

Read. The most important thing about reading is, well, reading. And do so consistently. Therefore, the first step is to choose a plan to follow. There are many on the internet. Simply type “Bible Reading Plans” into your search engine and go from there.

Engage the Scriptures. Once you start, it’s important to think about what you’re reading. You may want to do some extra studying (a Study Bible can be helpful, as can our church library). The important thing is to allow what you’ve read to sink into your mind and heart. This happens as you think deeply about it.

Sit with Jesus. After reading and engaging, spend some time in prayer and ask God what he wants you to hear? It might be that he highlights a word, or a phrase. Trust that he has something for you as you seek him through his Word.

Trust and Obey. What if you assumed there was a step of obedience He was calling you to everyday? Would that change the way you read? After sensing what step of obedience he’s calling you to take, make it your intention to follow his lead by the power of the Spirit.

Read. Engage. Sit. Trust. Try reading the Bible using this methodology and see how it helps you become a disciple of Jesus.