12-29-2019
Dr. E. Dale Locke, Rev. Trevor Johnston, Pastor Efrain Silva
Sermon: University of the Holy Spirit
English PDF file for printing
Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español
1. Download the YouVersion Bible app to your phone, computer or tablet. Find Community of Hope’s “Word of God Speak Part 1” daily reading plan on the app, and subscribe. If you follow this reading plan each day beginning January 1st, you will have read the entire New Testament by mid-September. And then in the last few months of the year, the plan will guide you through an overview of the big story of the Old Testament. Give it a try! And if you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up! Just start again the next day!
2. Read David’s words in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” What does this verse tell you about what the Bible is intended to do?
3. Read Matthew 4:4: “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” We know Jesus read the Old Testament a lot, because He knew it so well that it came out regularly in His speaking. When Satan tempted Jesus to sin, He quoted Scripture to help Him resist. When Jesus was being tempted to break a fast that God had prompted Him to do, Jesus quoted the passage above. If you’ve experienced a time when you were tempted to sin, but then a Scripture came to your mind that helped you resist the temptation, share about that.
4. Read John 14:26: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” It’s often challenging to understand the Bible, because it was written thousands of years ago in a different language and culture. But if you will make the effort to read the Bible, the Holy Spirit inside of you will coach you and help you understand it. If you’ve ever experienced the Holy Spirit helping you as you read Scripture, share what that experience is like.
Use the SOAP acronym to help you remember what to do when you read the Bible…
S = Scripture – The “S” step is to read the daily Scripture passage and invite God to speak to you through it. As you read, pick just 1 or 2 verses, or even just a few words, that you feel led to focus on for that day. Write that portion out word-for-word in your journal or notebook.
5. Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We believe the Bible isn’t just a normal book. What does it mean that the message of the Bible was “God-breathed”? What difference does it make that this book is from God?
6. Based on Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, why did God give the Bible to us?
7. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, considered four things as he sought to understand what he believed. He said Scripture is the most important of the four, but he also suggested it’s also good to consider the traditional beliefs of the Church, our own reason, and our experiences. Why is it important to consider each of these four factors as you develop your beliefs?
O = Observation – The next step is to simply jot down whatever you observe about the topic in the portion of the Scripture that you felt led to focus on. Answer questions like: who? what? when? or where?
8. Read Acts 17:11: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Why is it important to compare what a preacher or teacher says with what’s in the Bible?
A = Application – The “A” step is the heart of your daily time with God. This is the most important part. Apply what you’re reading to your life. Hold your life up against what you’re reading in Scripture, and make any necessary adjustments. This step will help your faith become real to you and make it possible for life change to happen. Don’t focus on other people in this step. Use words like “me” “my” and “I” rather than words like “he” “she” and “they.”
9. Mark Twain said, “The parts of the Bible that bother me most aren’t the parts I don’t understand. It’s the parts I do understand that bother me.” What did he mean by that?
10. Read what Jesus’ brother James said in James 1:22-25: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” What is James saying here?
P = Prayer – Close your time with God with a prayer responding to what He communicated to you during this time of reading and writing about the Bible. Ask for His help. Express your gratitude and love for Him.
11. Read 1 Peter 2:2-3: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” “Spiritual milk” is a metaphor for the Bible. What is Peter trying to communicate here?
12. Start with Luke 1 on January 1st and seek to make this a daily habit, following our church reading plan. If you’re short of time, you can have the YouVersion app read the passage out loud to you as you get dressed or as you drive to work, and then just stay in your car for a few minutes before walking into your job, so you can write down a few thoughts using the SOAP acronym as a guide. Similar to developing a habit of good diet and exercise, you may not notice any change after a day or a week of daily Bible reading. But if you do this over a longer period of time, you will experience God changing you, and your life and relationships will get better!