Seamless Session One

Turn to Obadiah.

How many of you became paralyzed with fear just now? When your Bible Study teacher or pastor tells you to turn to a book and you have no idea where that book is, you might think, "Where is Obadiah?" "Will I look stupid if I turn to the table of contents?" "I’ll just act like I know where it is." "I’ll just watch her and see where she turns!" The Bible can feel like an intimidating book sometimes, especially if you’re new to reading it! This is a place where you can ask questions and find answers. Don't be afraid to admit you don't know something!

            Now turn to Hebrews 4:12 – really this time! 

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

            

In the past God spoke to humans through dreams, angels and miracles. He does still use those methods today, but our primary contact with God is through the love letter he wrote for us, His Word, The Bible.

1.     God’s Word is LIVING. He can speak to us through His word one way when we are 21 and a completely different way when we’re 51. Every time we open His Word, we can read something for the hundredth time and it will be as fresh as if we’d just read it for the first time. It is this way because God is a living God!

2.     God’s Word is ACTIVE. God’s Word is not something you passively hear and then ignore. It actively works in our lives, changes us, and sends us into action for God.

3.     God’s Word penetrates the SOUL and SPIRIT.  It goes deep into places in us that we didn’t even know existed. It penetrates our hearts in a way nothing else can.

4.     God’s Word judges the THOUGHTS and ACTIONS of the heart. We may think we have a secret, but God knows all. And His Word reveals those secret places to us.

His Word is LIFE! This study is going to guide us on a journey to see the thread that holds all of Scripture together. Have you ever read the Jesus Storybook Bible? It’s a fantastic, EASY, read that shows how Jesus makes an appearance in ALL of Scripture. It shows how every story points to him! I love to read it to my kids, but I love to hear it for myself! I encourage you to find a copy for your family.

            I want to tell you a little bit about how this Bible Study Group came to be. God has been working in my heart over the last year especially, giving me a desire to teach his word more and more.  He’s shown me that many of our preachers and teachers today are failing at preaching His Word. As I led a group of ladies through a study of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus (you can find those studies here on the blog!), I saw over and over that Paul warned us about false teachers. False teachers don’t often come declaring blatantly evil messages. Rather, they sneak in and twist the truth just enough to make us confused. It was a big problem in Paul’s day and it’s a big problem today!

Turn to 2 Timothy 4:2. Paul tells Timothy, 

“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

So let me tell you what this Bible study is NOT going to be:

1.                    Entertainment. I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not here to entertain you. I’m going to take Paul’s advice and preach the Word!

2.                    Sharing. We are going to have some great discussion. But if all we do is read the Seamless book and talk about our feelings, we have MISSED the point. When we do share, it will be about God’s Word.

3.                    Recruiting. I’m not going to try to get you to change from your church to my church. I love my church, but I’m not trying to recruit you. I want to encourage you to go to a Bible believing church with a pastor who preaches the Word. If you have a church like that already, I want to encourage you to keep going! If you don’t have a church right now, we’d love to have you here.

4.                    Counseling. We do want to discuss, but this isn’t the place for you to air your dirty laundry. If you need to speak with a counselor, I’m happy to point you in the right direction. We are here to discuss God’s Word.

So as God was laying all of this on my heart, a group of ladies from the Shiner/Gonzales area began to meet together to pray about beginning a Community Bible Study in Gonzales. I’ve heard so many ladies tell me that they long to see a unified BODY of believers in Gonzales- believers from churches all over our surrounding area that could come together to worship and study God’s Word together.  We’re focusing hard on starting a group in the fall, complete with a structured children’s program and solid Biblical teaching. I had several ladies ask me to teach something this summer, so I put the word out and I’ve been BLOWN AWAY by the response. The women of Gonzales are obviously hungry for God’s Word and hungry for fellowship with other believing women. (If you'd like to be involved in a leadership capacity with the group that is praying about starting a Bible Study group this fall, please see me privately!) 

This is an OPEN group with an open invitation to anyone who wants to come and learn more about the Bible. Please invite your friends! If you'd like to purchase a book from the church, they are $15 and can be picked up in the church office or from me. Please don't let cost stand in the way of you participating. We'd be happy to help you with the cost if you need help.

Each week we'll be watching a short 15 minute video by Angie Smith to accompany our study. If you'd like to download the video for today's session, click here and select Session One to see what we watched in class. Each downloaded video is $2.99. You can absolutely participate fully in this study without watching the video, but I want you to have the option of watching it if you'd like.

These questions were discussed in Bible Study this morning from page 10 and 11 of your study book:

What drew you to this study?

How did Angie’s experience of feeling lost or stupid trying to study the Bible resonate with you? What have been your own challenges in studying the Bible?

What do you hope to gain as you study and participate with this group in the coming weeks?

How as a group can you help one another avoid discouragement and feeling overwhelmed and stay accountable to stick it out for the whole study?

What are some steps you will take this week to devote yourself to the work of this study?

What is one thing you want your group to know about you?