Video Transcript: How to Lead Attention Bible Studies

Henry - This is fun. You know, I have to say that can learn and be fun. It is. And  the Word of God changes our lives, our hope, our families, our marriages,  everything, and when we're saying the word of God and actually getting curious  about the process and then learning different ways in ministry that you can do  this.  

Steve - So we're getting, we're going to look this time at the attention Bible  study.  

Henry - Okay, so this is all based upon, you got to know, basically the, you know, the context. You know, we're not saying now, right, do this without right, but, but  once you do that, you can sort of shift a methodology a little bit well.  

Steve - And this is especially easy. It's an easy way to go, if you just want to get  some discussion. I think, you know, like, especially for new people that you  know might be overwhelmed. I mean, as a leader, you know the background  and so on. But sometimes you know people that know a lot about the Bible tend  to sort of gravitate towards all this teaching right person is like, then they feel  intimidated and they feel like they'll never catch on, they'll never get anywhere.  And this sort of Bible study really helps a new person feel like, maybe I can do  this. So  

Henry - in other words, the first style of Bible study as a leader, you can know  all this and have trouble in the text, in the context, but to a certain audience, this  is more like taking them more lightly, or putting their toe in the water without  blowing them away. And also, too, it keeps away from the danger of becoming  the Know It All right. You know that is a downside to if you know a lot in ministry,  you start like, it's so enthused how we are and how we come up. Like, the  answer. People like, oh, we know that.  

Steve - You know exactly so. And then people then think that way for the next  five years about Yeah, their mentality is, I will never catch up to all these church  people, smart people, but if you do something like this, would you show it and all right. How to create your own attention. Bible study, okay? All right, so you read  the passage and have everyone silently take note of what got their attention,  something they don't understand, or something that's really interesting, or  something that stands out for them. For any reason, okay, for any reason, any  reason.  

Henry - So this feels like you're going on the, you know, the subjective side,  okay, yeah, okay, yeah. All right. So I'll take, I'll take that picture. Take us out of  there. 

Steve - All right, so Henry, as we look at this is the story of the prodigal son. And  if I were to look at this, how many I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like your hired servant. So he got up to his father. So off the cuff,  Henry, you this is your first time just looking at this. What would you underline?  

Henry - I would personally he came to his senses. Okay? So he came to his  senses. So  

Steve - Henry chooses, he came to his senses, and I am going to choose this,  okay, I'm no longer worthy to be colleges. Okay, all right, 2 million points here.  So we got, we gave the senses. I'm no longer so now we ask three questions,  okay, of each person, right? Each person underlines something, okay, and each  

person is going to answer these three questions. So the first question is, what  stood out to you, or what got your attention? So we've done that through a  sense of prayer. Okay, why do you think that got your attention?  

Henry - Well, because I in ministry sometimes feel just so are going down a path that is so destructive for themselves or family and and many times, people  weren't raised that way. They were raised with the Word of God. So I'm praying  right now for a large number of people, and I have a prayer, oh Lord, you know,  help them come to their senses. I mean, I'll say, like, all these different ways.  

Steve - So you're so this is sort of a concern that you have right now, and this is  right, this gave voice to it. Yes, it did voice. So it was mine again, mine is, I'm no  longer worthy to be called your son. It got my attention, because just before that, the father had already accepted him back as a son, right? And he, you know, he  made, he did this confession thing like he practiced it, but then he came home  

and he was accepted back as a son before he made his confession. Yeah, right, but he still makes his confession. So why? Right? Well, but he made his  confession, but he didn't say make me like one of your hired servants. That's  what he practiced. But he doesn't say it here, and he doesn't say it here, and he  doesn't say it here, because he's already been accepted as a son. So what I  saw in this text is he was forgiven without asking for it, but he's still at he still  confesses because now he really feels bad not to get something, but because  he just feels bad. Okay, right? So that's why it got my attention. Then number  three, what do you think God might be trying to tell you and what stood out to  you?  

Henry - So if I think about coming to your senses, I think God is recognizing the  truth that this is a problem, and that the prodigal son happened 10s of 1000s of  times, millions of times since this was written by Jesus and being encouraged to

that the story talks about a father concerned About his son and if I'm concerned  about my children or my friend that here's a story that gives me great hope. So it speaks to me like if in those days, you know, like Adam and Eve were God's  children, but they fell really amazing. People have children or friends that you  you're raising the habits of walking and they fall. And yet there's this powerful  story of redemption that gives me hope. Okay, transparently. That's why it's you  know what some God is trying to tell me. Keep praying and keep hoping. Okay.  

Steve - So what I find interesting is you started off kind of in the third person. It's  good for people, yeah. And then you finally got to, well, in the context of my own  family, see, now that's a little more personal, yes. Okay, so that, because that's  what people are going to do, they're going to go into teach mode. Or this text is  really good for the world, because the world is right. World be broken, and  millions of friends this and on and on and on. But it's a lot harder to get into the  personal. Why do I need this? Right? When? Where do I need to come to my  senses, right? What, what exactly is going on in my life? See, that is a harder  leap. And as a leader, that's where you have to sort of lead them in that  transition, lead them in that so it's like, you know, that's really true. People do  need that. But why do you need that? Right? See, I think you'll have to do that  because, you know, if I took mine too, you know that that why you think God  made trying to tell you what stood out. What stood out to me was the fact that  the son was, you know, accepted without before, before he made his  confession. So for me, it would be, where am I trying to manipulate God. Where  am I trying to do good things, you know? And now I somehow deserve it, like  that prodigal, you know, or like the older son, you know, in some ways the older  son is, how am I like the older son, right? And why am I thinking about it this  week? Okay, right? So as a leader, you really have to push. You have to go in  deeper, because people want to, want to stay with the first two questions. If you  go back to the question center, what stood out for you? That's easy, yeah, you  just underline something, right? And then number two, well, why do you think it  got your attention? Well, because I was confused about it, they'll have some  reason. And then everyone, regardless of this is the first Bible study they've ever gone to, will be able to get that right. Okay, so those first two are easy. The third  one is really hard.  

Henry - Yeah. I mean, you're right, because if you know, if I think about it, there's a lot of encouragement. But to go to that level of where do I still have to come to my sense of that you actually as a leader intentionally, you know, sorry, Robbie,  

and it's interesting when you talked about like yourself, then I thought of an  application. So when you do it this way, you can, you can bring me quicker to an application for what stands out for you, right? So I thought to myself, you know,  he the younger son. Can, you know, actually went through the confession when 

he didn't need to? Right? It. And there are times when you know, we pray, the  acts, adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and sometimes the you  know, the theology of your sins are all forgiven at the cross. So I don't really  need to do confession. So why do we do confession? Our entire childhood in  churches already went out to every single Sunday. Had the call to confession  and the promise of, you know, forgiveness, all of those things every week. And  in I remember at one point I was thinking, church, I'm like, 15 or 16. Like, now,  what's the deal with that? I mean, Jesus Christ died on the cross. Your sins are  forgiven, but it's still, there's a conscience we have they're sins that we commit.  We still need to come to confession there. In fact, the tradition of the ancient  tradition, like Catholic even still have a confession booth.  

Steve - Well, you know, we did do that in our churches. And I know, you know,  my father ended every prayer, most everyone I knew and forgive us our many  sins. For Jesus, amen, yeah, but, but no one ever elaborated on those. No one  ever said what those sins were. So it was a broad general thing were forgiven in general, right? The reason the prodigal son made his confession, even though  he had already gotten what he, you know, originally I got, he came to the  senses, and he the first thing he realized is, I'm hungry, right? But how am I  going to go back? I'm going to have to confess. So he has this confession, but  it's to get something right? Make me one of your servants, at least. I won't  starve. Okay, he comes back, and he's overwhelmed, because he's accepted  back as a son without even saying anything, right? So why does he confess? He confesses because he sees how loving his father is in the face of all his  rebellion and all of his sin, and the father never stopped loving me. I didn't  realize that, and now he feels, you know, how did I treat my father this way? He  really feels bad. So part of, I think what you're saying is, is we need to to  understand what Jesus did on the cross. We actually have to understand what  he did for us, and if we don't realize the sins, if we don't realize how we hurt our  father by going our own way and being selfish and saying, you know, Father, I'm going to do my own thing, you know, well, how do you and I do that specifically,  because then we realize What we've been forgiven from, right?  

Henry - So it's like entitlement, no gratitude, yes. Okay, so it's like, you know,  Paul even put it, we do not sin, that grace will abound, right? So it's really, he's  applying this story of Jesus in very powerful ways, you know, fascinating. I  mean, we had a little Bible study here talking about Bible study. Here talking  about Bible study. We will often do that. We'll start talking about the next thing  you know, impromptu Bible study Yeah. So we're just another example of  friendship Bible study, and we've traveled the world together. And it's always  interesting how these types of things build on and when we'll do devotions, like, 

even when you do family devotions, this is a beautiful thing to do, like, Okay,  kids, what you can have,  

Steve - you can have a two year old, a five year old, 10 year old, a 15 year old,  and that works for all of them, right? And, you know, it's also sort of a life  coaching thing. Let's just look at these questions. What stood out for you? I'm  not telling you, I'm not giving you the answer. Why do you think it got your  attention? What do you think God, all these are more coaching kinds of things.  And notice then when people do it, they feel like, wow, I'm I'm actually letting the Word of God, you know, have its way with me. I'm learning things about me and  and what gets the credit Bible study right?  

Henry - And here's really where the theology of the Holy Spirit comes in in a very tangible way. So in as you take more ministry training, you know, we talk all  about some of the theological understandings of how the Holy Spirit works. How, the wind blows, but this type of Bible study can be done in a lot of context, right? Where new Christians old Christians. I mean, we preface this by saying, this is  for newer Christians to put their toe in the water. Well, we did. We taught this.  We will ourselves are going deep, right? Because we know nothing. You know,  this is a powerful, deep fact.  

Steve - This is a pastor could do this with his sermon writing what you know, it's  really, it's really, maybe the preface to this kind of Bible study is praying that the  Holy Spirit will lead us, Lord, Open us up to what you I want to speak to us.  Draw our attention when I start underlining. I may underline it because I like that  particular word, or who knows why, but if I ask the Holy Spirit to please, direct  me. I want the Word of God to you know, help me understand who I am, what,  what your role for my life is. So ask the Holy Spirit, and then trust that the Holy  Spirit is going to be in this process.  

Henry - In a lot of ways, this is sort of like the you are, the man you know, the  story of David. And it's that when the light goes on to something you ask these  kinds of questions often, yeah, the light goes on.  

Steve - It's sort of like the first few questions are just sort of easy, but they're  getting they're setting you up for getting under something that you might or to  help you reveal, or have it revealed a deeper level than you would have ever  thought.  

Henry - And to go back to this, I mean, this is the curious walk with God, and  once you start opening yourself up to it, you know, you become changed over  layers of truth through the Holy Spirit that gets put to you, and this increases 

your impact as a ministry leader as well. All right, enough on this one. Before we did this, this would be a really short one here. We ended up taking it long  because we had a little Bible study while we're Yeah. So okay, so we'll meet  again.