Video Transcript: Introduction

Henry - Hello, Henry and Steve here. And we're pretty excited about this topic  how to lead a Bible study.  

Steve - So, what is a Bible study?  

Henry - Good question.  

Steve - And a simple answer, any gathering where the Bible is used,  

Henry - you know, I want to comment on something. You know, we went to  Calvin seminary, honestly, through the four years that I went there to study, we  never asked the simple question, what is a Bible study? I think, I think the whole thing was this deep, incredible ministry training Bible study. What is a Bible  study?  

Steve - In some ways, I think, because, you know, back then, Bible studies,  were not that big of a deal. Both of us were raised in, in sort of traditional  churches, and a lot of our families, extended families went to these churches.  And that was true for a lot of the people that went to the church. And so a Bible  study or small group was really extended family. After church, we would go to  our cousin's house, to my grandma and grandpa's house. And we had, in some  ways, a little informal Bible study every week. Right. And so I think a lot of  families did that. But then, as life, you know, people moved around, you know,  freeways came in, people moved out of the cities, and now one, you know,  cousins over here, someone's over there, and then that stopped happening. And so churches found that they weren't connecting, and all of a sudden, they were  gonna get small groups going in our church, and we got to have Bible studies.  So maybe we missed, you know, the seminary is like, maybe 10,15, 20 years  behind.  

Henry - Well, we even have Bible study every day, my dad read the Bible Yeah,  every day and all of that. So you're probably that's probably why we never really  paid attention to it. 

Steve - Acts 2:42. They, this is, this is the start of the New Testament Church.  Pentecost happens. Peter preaches a sermon, all kinds of people become  believers. And this is at the end of that they devoted themselves to the apostles  teaching, and to fellowship and the breaking of bread and prayer. And we read  there that they did it every day. Yeah, they were like having a Bible study. Every  single day.

Henry - it's interesting. I actually looked at the word devoted. It's like devotions.  Yeah, actually, there was a pattern, right, you know, a habit of walking. That was  part of our walk.  

Steve - Okay, well, why study the Bible? You learn, you learn about God, you  learn about yourself, you learn about the world. II Timothy 3:16. All scripture is  God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting training and  righteousness, so that the servant of God will be thoroughly equipped for every  good work.  

Henry - You know, something else that recently struck me in life about studying  the Bible is it helps you look at all of creation, and interpret God's finger in  creation too how he made the world and you see the creation account. And you  see the Human Fall and you see the restoration in Jesus Christ, the Old and  New Testament, and especially in these times, when we devote ourselves to the  Bible, we can start interpreting all of creation and see the finger of God. The  fingers of the Lord everywhere, right? So It's so in studying the Bible have  implications not for just your personal salvation. It has implications for  everything,  

Steve - business, everything society, right going on in our culture today. It's all  it's all good. All right, you know, I, I majored in psychology, in college, and when I was done, and then I went to seminary, started reading the Bible more, I thought the Bible had more stuff that had everything to do with why people do they do  that all the psychology classes.  

Henry - And I did philosophy as my major and I thought, Whoa, the Bible is like  the core, irresistible self-evidency just you live out the Bible, you see the tree,  see the fallen nature of humanity, psychology and philosophy talked about the  

goodness of man, and they talked about tabula rasa and all that stuff. But the  reality is the Bible is the truth, right?  

Steve - It's all right there in the stories, every aspect of it, so it's really awesome. All right, so number two, you connect Deuteronomy 6, these commandments  that I give you today are to be upon your hearts, impress them on your children  talk about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you  lie down, when you get up, tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your forehead, write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. The Word of God is not just informing you of things. It's actually connecting you  to people, to your family, friends, helping you in your connection to God. So it's  not just about informing. 

Henry - So it really threads into everything in every relationship that you have.  Steve - Number three, support  

Henry - Philippians 4:8, finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever  is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is  admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about  

Steve - so it supports you it supports your marriage and supports your family.  Powerful. Last one challenge. Why study the Bible, it will challenge you.  

Henry - Hebrews 4:12, it is a powerful passage. For the Word of God is alive  and active. Sharper than any double edged sword it penetrates, even dividing  souls and spirits, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the  heart.  

Steve - And that's I guess what I was talking about when I studied psychology, I  was always interested in why people do what they do, right. But when I read  started reading the Bible, it not only explained to me why people around me did  what they did. But it explained why I did what I did, it was like this sword, like,  you know, like a mirror. And all of a sudden you see behind, behind the masks.  We spent just like Adam and Eve when they sin they hid from God. We all do  that we all put our masks, we all create an image and so on. And when you read the Bible, the Bible has a way of getting behind the scenes, and helping you see what's really going on. And sometimes that leads to confession. Sometimes that  leads to just wonder, like, you know, what life is all about?  

Henry - You know, I was theologically thinking about this point of, weirdly  enough, I mean how sometimes a trained Minister mind thinks about their  studies. And it occurred to me, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word  was with God, and the Word was God. And then I want to go around in John 1 it  talks about that. The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. And we know the word is Jesus Christ. So when it's just not true, because the words of the Bible  are trustworthy, handed down, canonical, infallible all that. But it's true, because  very personal, in Christ, Jesus Himself, in a relationship with him when the  words of Scripture are studied his voice speaks into our life.  

Steve - And I think that because I hear so many times people talk about God  and sort of God is out there. He's a higher being, but they don't. They don't do  the personal thing, right. But I tell you, if you read the Bible, all of a sudden God  becomes personal. And yeah, and it seems to me that if God isn't personal, then we don't even have to deal with him. Right? You don't have to think of him he 

exists. Why even bother is because he is personal, because you can talk to him  because he will talk to you because he does enter into our life. So very powerful. All right, where the next one where to study the Bible? Well, you can do it at  home, to do it in church. You do it in your business, right? You can do it in the  coffee shop. In other words, you can study the Bible anywhere. There's a group  that I know that that has a little Bible study in a restaurant in the bar section of a  restaurant where they and they do a bunch of singing and they study the Bible.  

Henry - I have a group that I meet with in Florida in summer on line on Zoom.  And then I'm in person there during the winter, right. So I think these are exciting times are starting to imagine, right we could do for Bible study right?  

Steve - All right, so when to study the Bible before work, lunchtime, Saturday  morning, the evening, Sunday. In other words, of course, you can study the  Bible at any time of the day. But the important thing is you have to find some  place, some schedule. If you just say, Well, I'm going to study the Bible, and  we'll see what happens this week. Well, you know, good luck, because generally a week will go by and you haven't done it.  

Henry - You're talking about a habit. Yeah, really literally. It's fascinating what  you're saying, because Florida habit I had been talking about because of the  habit, it had really great attendance. We've gone through the many books,the  

Old Testament, the New Testament, but if we didn't have it Thursday morning at  7:15. Where the Zoom link is there and we're meeting in person? I mean, I  would say that we probably read a lot.  

Steve - And if you missed, you know, someone's gonna say, Henry, where were  you last week?  

Henry - John really? didn't come today. Are you okay?Right?  

Steve - Yeah. But those kinds of things that make all the things in our lives, that  we can sort of stick to, you own your own house, and if you're married, you own  your house. And because of that, you see your wife and that helps you have a  great marriage. It's a structure. Yes. So you have to find some structure, or  soon, you won't be doing it. powerful stuff. Alright, with whom do you study the  Bible of course your personal read the Word of God for your own personal  connection 1 we call it around here. For where two or three are gathered in my  name There I am with them. Okay. So when you're doing it in personal How do  you get out of this? 

Henry - Well, for me, I connected to waking up in the morning. You know, I have  my little schedule, Bible,  

Steve - connection 2, marriage, if you're married, you know, God is the most  significant thing in your life. You're if you're married, your spouse is the most  significant relationship with God is most important thing in their life. And then the second most important if you're married, is your spouse. So why not connect  those two, yeah, right, like you're both listening to God, and your wife may have  her own time with the Lord her own but It's unique when you come together,  Hey, what is the Lord been saying to you?  

Henry - The next one, section three, and we use the family, their home would  have dinnertime and are we there? But now, and then my wife and I would,  before we go to bed, share scripture. Now we tend to when we eat together,  open the Word. And then we pray at night before we go to bed. But it's different  times in life. But there's a structure right?  

Steve - Like when the kids are little, you have to put them to bed, you might as  well pray with them read the Children's Bible. But soon you're not putting him to  bed. Right? So now you have to find another time. A lot of families aren't eating  

together anymore, because they conflicting schedules. So what are you going to do? Right, you have to find your way. If you want God at the center of your  family, then you have to find a way to put him there. Right. And then connection  four with friends you're talking about this group that you have in Florida, a group  of friends, connection, five church, in some ways, the church service is like a  Bible study, it is a Bible study, it's like a big Bible study.  

Henry - It has a lot of people. They have singing that they do with it, which part  of often listening or talking to God depends on if you're singing to him, you're  listening to God, you're singing if you're talking to God, prayers, very interesting. 

Steve - Connection Kingdom Kingdom is what God is doing just beyond your  church, like What is God doing in the world. So in a way, what you're doing right  now is sort of a Kingdom Connection. And so just learning about Bible studies,  or let's say, you have an event in your town with all the churches, and in a way,  it's like a Bible study with all these churches, or maybe you have a group in your town where you meet with the leaders, and you discuss things and you pray  together. Again, it's like having a Bible study outside of your church, and we  need that too.  

Henry - I also like, about this connection, how this connection is the one that  talks about Bible studies, and about the theology of God, it talks about things 

like theology is really a kingdom activity where groups of people that did groups  of Bible studies connect their learnings. So in the history of the church, the  concept of Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit came out of a almost a farm  system of Bible studies, right Finally at the major league Council, they decided  that God is one God being, three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which  really was a kingdom gathering of many Bible studies over many centuries, or  two or three centuries to come up with that. And now today that's established  doctrine, we believe, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the Bible, which came out a  little complicated Bible to the prophets, right?  

Steve - And then all of that is in a course. Let's say you take a course of  theology here at Christian leaders, right? You're actually involved in a Bible  study. Bible study, not only with let's say, Dr.Feddes, teaches you about  theology. You're not just having a Bible study with Dr. Feddes, he's quoting  scripture, but he's talking about other thoughts and ideas that other Christians,  so it's like a Bible study with centuries. In the Bible, of the kingdom, yeah. And  then we have connections seven, which is a Bible study with people who  perhaps don't go to church or maybe don't even believe in the Bible, right?  Every time you have a discussion with someone, and you throw in things from  the Bible, that person is inadvertently having a Bible study with you, right? So, in a sense, evangelism is a Bible study.  

Henry - And that also can be the Bible itself, or reading the Bible, or the  interpretation of reality. The biblical lens is also bringing the Bible study to  people. So it is a powerful, powerful thing.  

Steve - So what you will learn in this class, you will learn how to lead and  manage a group of Bible study groups. You will learn how to write your own  Bible study. Wow, that's pretty good. You will learn how to use prayer effectively.  In the Bible study. You will learn how to use food and fellowship. Nothing wrong  with food and fellowship. All right, so that's it. So welcome aboard. This is sort of the intro session and then we're gonna get right at it in the next session.