The Good(?) Book
“Reading the Bible” • March 8-14

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Introduction

The Bible wasn’t written primarily for our information but for our transformation… becoming everything God created us to be.God’s intended purpose of giving us the Bible is to lead us to his son Jesus and to equip us to follow him so that we are transformed by him. But transformation comes only through application. So the question stands…do you want to be transformed into everything God created you to be? 

Discussion Questions

  1. As we finish up our final week of The Good Book Series, what has been the most impactful to you? How has the information changed you? And what are you most excited about going forward? 

  2. Pastor Ronnie said throughout this series, that there would still be questions left unanswered, struggles we still face, and tensions we still have. Is this true for you? If so, discuss? How can you help each other with this? 

  3. Read Matthew 7:24-27 together in two different versions: 1) NIV and 2) NLT. What words stand out to you and what do they mean practically? (i.e. wise, foolish, winds, foundation, rock, etc). Where have you seen something like this in your own life or in the lives of others? 

  4. God’s intended purpose of giving us the Bible is to lead us to his son Jesus and to equip us to follow him so that we are transformed by him. But transformation comes only through application. Applying his truth found in scripture to our whole life, our jobs, our family, when at sporting events, when we are interacting with others.Go around the room and have everyone answer this question: Do you want Jesus to transform you into everything God created you to be? 

  5. We learned on Sunday that if we want to be transformed into everything God created us to be, then when it comes to the Bible, we need to READ IT, LEARN IT, APPLY IT, and LIVE IT. And Pastor Ronnie gave us three things to remember when reading it.…

    • Observation: What do I see? What stands out? 

    • Interpretation: What was the authors original intent? 

    • Application: What would God have me do in regards to this? What behavior do I need to change? 

  6. To practice the three things in #5 together as a group, read the following passages together and take time to discuss the Observation, Interpretation and Application. 

    • Matthew 7:1-2

    • Matthew 7:3-5

    • Psalm 1:1-6

Next Step Challenge

Do you want to be transformed into who God created you to be? Then read the Bible. Learn it, apply it, and live it! Pastor Ronnie gave a few practical next steps for us when it comes to the Bibles we have. Get a translation you like and can understand. He recommends NIVor ESV. But there are others. Share with each other and help each other. He also recommended two apps we can download and use. 1) YouVersion Bible App and 2) Read Scripture App. Take time to check these out.

Key Verse

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” – Matthew 7:24-27

All Scripture References: 

Matthew 7:24-27; Hebrews 8:6, 13; Galatians 3:10; Matthew 22:36-40; John 13:34-35; Romans 13:9-10

To watch or listen to Sunday’s sermon, visit our Sermons page.