More Bible study notes

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Notes for the weeks beginning 10th, 17th, 24th May and 7th June


Bible notes –
Week beginning 10th May

Day one – Read
Philippians 4:6-8 (New Living Translation)
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Question one: Paul is writing to the Christians in Philippi. What does he say they should do instead of worrying?


Question two: In our prayers what two things does he tell us to do?


Question three: what does he say we should fix our minds on?


Day Two – Think
Fixing our minds on good things helps us not to worry, especially if a situation doesn’t seem to be sorting out straight away. And its then that we learn how to have patience: can you think of a situation in your life which isn’t going right? Given what you have learnt here, what might God want you to do?


Day Three - Pray

Ask God to give you patience in difficult situation and to help you keep your mind fixed on Jesus so you have peace. You might like to use this prayer:

Father, please will to help me with ____________________ thank you that you are always with me and helping me by your Holy Spirit. Please help me to keep my thoughts on good things.
In Jesus name
Amen



Bible notes –
Week beginning 17th May

Day one – Read
Luke 10:30-37 (New Living Translation)
Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was travelling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbour to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Question one: Which person was it that showed goodness?


Question two: Why was it a surprise that it was him and not the others who helped?


Day two – Read
Matthew 5:13-15 (New Living Translation) Teaching about Salt and Light
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.

Question one : What is food like without salt? And, what would it be like if we had no lights at night?

Question Two: Why do you think Jesus was saying we are like salt and light?


Day Three – Think
Who could we go out of our way to be kind to this week? What kind of goodness could we bring to the lives of the people around us? Is there someone you could talk to about Jesus – and shed a little light? How can you act in a right way this week and bring a little salt? (Hint: perhaps refuse to gossip? Or not swear or be rude?)


Day Four - Pray
Why not ask God to help you be a Good Samaritan to someone this week, brining a bit of salt and light? You could use this prayer if you like:
Lord, please will you help me to be good to the people I would rather not hang out with and please will you help me to not join in with bad behaviour especially _________________________
In Jesus name, Amen


Bible notes –
Week beginning 24th/31st May


Day one – Read

Proverbs 3:3-6 (New International Version)

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favour and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Question one: what do love and faithfulness bring you?



Question two: What does trusting God and recognising him in your life do?



Day Two – Think
Why do you think it is that being faithful to God will win you a good name? (Hint: how does God want us to behave?) And why do you think there is a connection between us trusting God and him helping us see the way forward in life?


Day Three - Pray

God is always faithful to us, but sometime we have trouble being faithful to him. Why not ask God to help you trust him more and act in a way that pleases him. You could use this prayer:


Lord, thank you so much that you are always faithful to us. Please help me to put my trust in you and do things your way. Please show me the way this week

In Jesus name
Amen


Bible notes –
Week beginning 7th June

Day one – Read

Proverbs 25:14-17 (The Message)

Like billowing clouds that bring no rain
is the person who talks big but never produces.
Patient persistence pierces through indifference;
gentle speech breaks down rigid defences.
A Person Without Self-Control
When you're given a box of candy, don't gulp it all down;
eat too much chocolate and you'll make yourself sick;
And when you find a friend, don't outwear your welcome;
show up at all hours and he'll soon get fed up.
Question one: what does gentle speech do? What might harsh speech do? Question two: What happens is we don’t have any self control?

Day Two – Think Sometimes it can be very easy to answer someone back out of anger, but this proverb shows that if we hold back (show self control) and speak in a gentle way, we can get a good outcome rather than a bad one. Can you think of a situation in your life where gentleness might help? The proverb tells us to hold back on chocolate and bugging people. What is God asking you to hold back on?

Day Three - Pray Ask god for the ability to hold back and be gentle instead. You could use this prayer if you like? Lord, thank you that you are wise in every situation. Please show me when I need to be gentle or to hold back from saying or doing something. In Jesus name Amen

Latest Bible Study notes...

Bible Study notes for weeks beginning 19th, 26th April and 3rd May


Bible notes – Week Beginning 19th April
The Bible study notes are looking at the bit of the Bible we will next look at in club... so you get to think about it first!

Day one – Read Acts 1:1-8 (The Message) To the Ends of the World Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he said good-bye to the apostles, the ones he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but "must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon." When they were together for the last time they asked, "Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?" He told them, "You don't get to know the time. Timing is the Father's business. What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world."

Question one: What did Jesus tell the disciples to do?
Question two: the disciples were in a hurry to see the present difficulties pass and for Israel to be restored. In your own words, what did Jesus tell them?

Day Two – Think What are the things you want in your life right now? Is there anything you think God might be asking you to wait for? What is it he wants you to do this week, this month?

Day Three – Explore/Do Make a list of your hopes and ambitions for the future. Make a second list with all the things/subjects you are good at or enjoy. What do these lists tell you about the way God has made you and what he might want you to do for him both NOW and in the future?



Bible notes – Week Beginning 26th April
The Bible study notes are looking at the bit of the Bible we will next look at in club... so you get to think about it first!

Day one – Read Acts 2:1-24 (Contemporary English Version) Read it HERE

Question one: What did Peter do when Jesus was arrested?
Question two: How is Peter different now the Holy Spirit has come?

Day Two – Think Peter was a good man, but he wouldn’t have had the strength to tell everyone about Jesus that day, without the Holy Spirit giving him the power and bravery to do it. What do you need bravery for at the moment?

DayThree – Pray It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to do God’s work and to grow more like Jesus. The more we give our lives over to God, the more we will seem him in our lives. This week, ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life and ask Him what it is he wants you to be doing for him.



Bible notes –Week beginning 3rd May
The Bible study notes are looking at the bit of the Bible we will next look at in club... so you get to think about it first!

Day one – Read: Galatians 5:16 and 22-23 “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves ... But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Question 1 – How can we let the Holy Spirit guide our lives? (Hint: how do you know if something is right or wrong?). Question 2 – How do you think the Holy Spirit goes about producing the “fruit” in your life? Have a guess even if you are not sure...

Day Two – Think Can you list all the things people have said or done to you which you think are LOVE? List all the things you can think of which have brought you JOY...

Day Three - Pray As God to help you be open to the Holy Spirit and the things he is wanting to teach you. Ask God to help you show more love and bring more Joy to other people.

Bible notes for the Easter holidays

Image by Coach O. via Flickr

Senior Church club Bible notes – Easter Holidays

The Bible study notes are looking at the bit of the Bible we will next look at in club (on Monday nights)... so you get to think about it first!


Day one - Read Matthew 28:16-20 (Pray: Ask God to help you understand his word, before you read the passage...)
The Great Commission
Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Question one: What three things did Jesus tell his disciples to do?

Question two: Can you explain those three things in your own words?


Day Two – Think (Pray: Ask God to help you think about this question, ask him to give you wisdom...)
Jesus said that the whole of God’s law could be summed up with Love God and love your neighbour: what has that got to do with the Bible passage?

Day Three – Explore (Pray: Ask God to help you think about what it means to be a disciple and ask him to show you what he wants from you as one of his disciples...)
Have a look on http://dictionary.cambridge.org – type in Disciple: What can you learn about what it means to be a disciple?

Day Four – Do (Pray: Ask God to lead you to the right book for you...)
Have a look on http://www.eden.co.uk in their teen section (for example http://www.eden.co.uk/shop/youth_teen_life_issues_108/index.html) pick a book you think will help you grow as a disciple of Jesus and either buy it or order it from your local library

#2 Growing Faith - Reading the Bible

Image by CR Artist via Flickr

Remember a while back we looked at Fruit of the Spirit? If you go to church club on a Monday, we will be looking at them next term. Growing in faith (and seeing the fruit of the Spirits work in our lives) means seeking God and acting on His word... of course we would have a job acting on it if we... never read it.

Bible reading. It can be really hard can't it? Of course all you Monday people have started doing just that with our weekly notes! There are also some very cool/helpful notes that you can buy, for example you could try Breakfast with God or Knowing God better than ever - its worth trying a few until you find something that suits you... and you can always borrow something off the youth worker!! If you ask Him, God will help you find something right for you... I mean what a great prayer: "Father please help me to read your word and to find things which help me understand it" ... Brilliant!

In the mean time, if you dont go to a Monday night group, how about trying the Bible studies they are doing? Below is last weeks notes (I will use a separate post for the notes for the Easter holidays)... may God bless you as you seek him more and more.

Senior Church club Bible notes – Week beginning 22nd March

Quoted from the ReJesus web site: "What is the significance of the resurrection?
For the first Christians, the greatest significance of the resurrection was that it turned the verdict about Jesus on its head. Without it, he was just another failed guru, strung up naked on a pagan gibbet, punished by God for his false teachings and claims about himself. But by raising him from the dead, God instead set his seal of approval on him, vindicating his teachings and claims.
As they reflected further, though, the early Christians saw more and more in it. In fact, it could be said that most of the New Testament is about unpacking the meaning of the resurrection.
Essentially, the realisation they came to was this: Because Christ rose from the dead, those who belong to him and are united with him will rise from the dead, too, and share in his power and glory…
“In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you”. 1 Peter 1:3-4
And not only is that a promise for beyond the grave, but that same resurrection power is at work in believers even now, transforming their lives and changing them to be more like Jesus…
“Since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him… In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus”. Romans 6:9 and 11" (http://www.rejesus.co.uk)

Day one - Read 1 Peter 1:3-15 (Pray: Ask God to help you in life’s trials. Think of some of your friends who don’t know Jesus and ask him to help them understand what Jesus death and resurrection means)

Question one
As followers of Jesus we have been born again and have eternal life. How do verses 3-5 say this is possible?

Question two
What do verses 6-9 say trials show? And what is the reward for trusting God?

Question three
We are people saved by God and given eternal life. What do verses 10-15 say about how we are to live?


Day Two – Read Romans 6:6-14 (Pray: Ask God to help you serve him. Say sorry for the times you have ignored him and ask him to help you follow him more closely.
You could even ask God if there is something particular he would like you to do.... could be more bible and prayer, could be talking to others about Jesus, could be volunteering somewhere... or something completely different!!)

Question one
In verses 6-11: how is it that we are dead to sin and alive to God?

Question two
What do verses 12 – 14 say about how we are to use our bodies and lives? Can you think of some practical examples about what this means to you, for your life?

New year, new start

It's always a dilemma whether to make new years resolutions or not.

On one hand, its just a gimmick and no one ever keeps them anyway, but on the other hand, its a great opportunity for a new start, to do things we have been meaning to do.

To grasp life with both hands, all over again.

So what to resolve? If you are looking for something to help grow your relationship with God, how about a new Bible reading plan? YouVersion has a variety of reading plans and you can even get an app for your mobile if you want to read it on the go.

And if you want to do more than just read, the web site allows you to contribute your thoughts on your choice of verses, and you can follow other people too! You can even tweet your verses.

Or perhaps you might like to do something practical? How about something from the Living Lightly web pages? I have of course, mentioned this site before, but if you are wanting a fresh eco start, its the place to go.

And if you want to think more about this subject but don't know where to start, how about coming to the Cinematecus film night on February 26th? Its 7.30 to 9.30/10pm: We will watch the film "the age of stupid" followed by 15 minute first reactions discussion, 15 minutes to look at take action resources and the optional extra half hour for discussion.

You can see the details in my calendar on the blog.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope this year is one full of new opportunities and an ever deepening relationship with God -

Happy New Year!

Advent 09 - reading one

Some of you may remember I did weekly emails for Lent this year. Now that I have this blog, you will be able to follow some Bible thoughts through this coming Advent.

We are starting a bit early, as their are nine traditional readings for Advent and only eight weeks. That means you get two this week, although if you went to the half day retreat and pizza tonight, you will have already seen the material in this post.

Advent, like lent has strong themes of preparation, of waiting, of the coming dawn. And the story started a long time ago. Why did God decide to be born a man? Why was the rescue plan needed? It all started way back in the beginning:

Genesis 3:8-19



We all have our failings. We all have our dark times. But God has journeyed with us through it all. When Adam and Eve left the garden, God clothed them and followed them. He never left them alone, and has been with us ever since.

Of course it is in the coming of Jesus we see the greatest expression of God with us. As we wait for his coming this Christmas, lets not forget why he came.

We are not lost, or left in the dark, His salvation has dawned upon us. Today we have a heart bead each to remind us of this - why not do the same? Make one or buy one...



Extra study:

How are we to deal with the world we live in? Does anything we do really make a difference? Take a look at the example of Pilate's wife:

Cloud of Witnesses - Pilate's wife

Today we each took home with us a nut - the nut and bolt variety... why? Because it may look insignificant, but acutally its very useful - as we are useful in Gods eyes and plan.

A brilliant new website

I have to say, trawling though the internet for decent Bible studies can be a bit of a fruitless task.

Thankfully the lovely people at Sophia Network have come up with a gem.


Cloud of Witnesses has to be one of the most straight forward, easy to use and informative sites I have seen in a long time.

Now they say themselves:

"These studies aren’t claiming to be the definitive final world on a biblical character, they are a starting point, a way to begin to think about our fore-fathers and fore-mothers and see what we might learn about following God from them. We also want to say that exclusively doing character studies isn’t the best way to handle the Bible. There’s a lot more in Scripture than just narratives, like law, letters, worship, & wisdom! Our recommendation is that you use these resources alongside other things and get a ‘balanced diet’ of Bible study."

But I have to say there web site is a jolly good place to start.

Whether you have been reading your Bible for donkeys years or you are a newbie, these pages are a great way to get inspired about the Bible and I recommend them to everyone.

Dealing with stress bible study and meditation

The idea of a Bible meditation is to allow yourself time to really listen to the story, to think what it might have been like to be there and to give space for God to speak to you through the passage you are reading.

It is a good idea if you are relaxed be fore you read. You could try this:

Sit in a comfy chair. Imagine every muscle in your body relaxing, starting from your feet all the way to your neck/head. Then spend a few munites noticing your breathing. If your mind wanders, don’t worry, when you realise youve wandered just go back to noticing your breathing.

Now turn to reading the bible passage at hand. You can try the following study, then try other bits of Jesus’ life, asking:

What is happening?

What did the people involved learn?

What is God saying to me?

Are you a Mary or a Martha?

Scripture mediation: Mary or Martha? Luke 10:38 - 42

Listen to the bible passage; imagine yourself there, what you would have said. Try the questions mentioned above.

Dinner is important, but it’s not the first priority. As Mary had discovered, our relationship with Jesus is.

Where is Jesus in your life? In what ways can YOU prioritise Him?

With Jesus at the centre, we stop rushing, with other stuff as the centre, life gets in a muddle.

Jesus never promised us an easy life, but he did promise to be with us forever.

With him at the centre, life makes a whole lot more sense, even in the most stressful of times.

Read:

Psalm 23 – the lord is my shepherd and the following version written by Tokio Megashio What do these say to you about dealing with stress?

Psalm 23 a Japanese version

The lord is my pacesetter I shall not rush.

He makes me stop for quiet intervals.

He provides me with images of stillness

Which restore my serenity.

He leads me in ways of efficiency

Through calmness of mind

Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day,

I will not fret for his presence is here.

His timelessness, his all importance

Will keep me in balance.

He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity.

My cup of joyous energy overflows.

Truly harmony and effectiveness

Shall be the fruit of my hours.

For I shall walk in the pace of my lord

And dwell in his house forever.

Counting the cost of committment

Some of you have mentioned that it would be nice to look again at Bible studies we do in the various groups across Fusion316. So now, you can find them here on the youth worker blog! This first one to go up is about counting the cost of committing to Jesus and is adapted from a study in Susan Sayers book things to do in young peoples worship book 2.


Reading: Luke 14: 25-33
Question: What is Jesus saying in this passage and what is he not saying?

Reading Proverbs 3:1-2
Question: What are some of the ways this passage tells us we can commit to God?

Reading: Hebrews 12:3-11
Questions: In what ways does God discipline us? How can this make us better Christians?


Think: Committing to Jesus is costly. It requires our all. It means that in comparison everything else in our life is of little value. It means choosing a way of life that suits Jesus, even if it means giving up things we done want to give up.

That doesn't mean you have to hate your family, it means that we live our lives in the context of loving God.

Question: What is it about Jesus that makes following Him worth the cost?

Further reading, see what Paul has to say on the matter in Philippians 3

Bible Study for this Summer

This time next week those of us going to Rwanda will be on a plane. I have just bought the group Bible study notes we will be using while we are out there on Eden.

I have bought extra in case any of you would like to follow these notes with us you can. Also there are more days worth than the trip so they will help you carry on... carrying on with the Bible.

So what are we reading?

First, some help from J John on the Lord's prayer. We say it every Sunday, we might even say it in the week, but how much do we really think about the prayer Jesus himself taught us? Time to find out.

And then the book of James: we are saved by the grace of God and we enter into it through faith in Jesus... but how does that work out in our lives? The book of James, practical as ever.