DiscipleMakers Class 1

Seeking God & Word Studies

• Do you know why you are studying the particular Scriptures you chose to employ?

• Does your friend know why he/she is studying these Scriptures?

• Can you crystallize the aim of each GTG study in words (HINT: Each study usually has a dual aim to: 1. expose any misconceptions about “___,” and 2. inspire the seeker to Biblically pursue “____.”)

• Every scripture you study should help you achieve one or both of these aims.

• At the end of a particular study, you should expect God’s Word to achieve both aims.

So What’s Your AIM?

The Purposeful Question Wedge

Interpretation

Application

Contem-plation

What…? To them - there & then

How…? See it happen - here & now

Why…?Consideration-

obstacles & motivation

Too Graduate from DM or not????

• Memorize content, book, and chapter for each GTG set/ get 70% right

• See the personal, heart devotional benefit

• Use them or lose them; study with your friends; join in studies with other’s friends

• “Seeking God” and “Word” studies both represent a “safe” yet “challenging” approach to beginning a series of Bible studies with a seeker

• May be used as “pilot” studies to gauge a seeker’s interest in Bible study

• Great time to forge a bond via personal sharing

The Initial Studies

Seeking God Study

• The AIM of this study is to motivate and equip someone to truly embark upon a journey to pursue God

• Consider using one or two of these scriptures and incorporate it into another study like Word or Discipleship

• Seeking God can also be a hard-line study to restart someone who has become tentative in their studies

• What are some MISCONCEPTIONS this can clear up???

Seeking God Study in GTG

Seeking God Study in GTG

Seeking God Study in GTG

• Interpretation: “What did it mean for this audience to seek the Kingdom “first?”

• Application: “How are you going to make God’s Kingdom the first priority in your life?”

• Contemplation: “Why will this decision be hard initially???

The Wedge: An ApplicationMatthew 6:33 “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Seeking God Study in GTG

Word Study

• Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Thus, the AIM of studying the Word of God is to help a seeker build faith in Jesus.

• Deals with big MISCONCEPTION ...One must accept the bible as the one true standard (vs. feelings, experiences, peers’ opinions, or family traditions) by which to live life if one is to know true salvation from Jesus.

Word Study in GTG

Word Study in GTG

Word Study in GTG

• Interpretation: What• Application: How• Contemplation: Why

The Wedge: An ApplicationActs 17:10-11“As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 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.”

Word Study in GTG

• The Koran, the Book of Mormon, and parts of the (Hindu) Veda claim divine inspiration, but none of these books contains predictive prophecy. Some of the Bible’s claims:– The time (Dan. 9), city (Mic. 5:2), and nature

(Isa. 7:14) of Christ’s birth were foretold in OT– Christ’s life, death and resurrection (Isa. 53)– Destruction of Edom (Obad 1)– The curse of Babylon (Isa. 13)– The destruction of Tyre (Ezek. 26) and Ninevah

(Nah 1-3)– The return of Israel to the land (Isa 11:11)

Word: The Bible is Unique

• The Bible deals frankly with the sins of its characters, even when those sins reflect badly on God’s chosen people, leaders, the biblical writers themselves:– Patriarchs in Gen. 12:11-13; 49:5-7 – King David in 2 Sam. 11-12– Gospel evangelists own faults and those of the

apostles in Matt. 8:10-26; 26:31-56; Mark 6:52; 8:18; Luke 8:24-25; 9:40-45; John 10:6; 16:32

– The disorder of the church in 1 Cor. 1:11; 15:12: 2 Cor 2:4

The Bible is Unique

The Bible is Reliable

Illiad Bible0

7,500

15,000

22,500

30,000

Copies

• 24,970 extant NT manuscripts

• 5,686 extant early Greek NT manuscripts

• Earliest copies of NT date from c.114 (90 Mummy)(fragment), c.200 (books), c.250 (most of NT) with complete NT in c.325

• The Dead Sea Scrolls’ discovery of 1947 show excellent textual transmission of the Old Testament. They date from 200 BC to 100 AD and include all OT books (except Esther). Before their discovery, the earliest Hebrew manuscripts dated from the 10th century AD!

The Bible is Accurate

2000BC 1000AD200BC

Earliest manuscript of

the OT in 1946

Earliest manuscript of

the OT in 1947

Original OT Manuscripts

• The New Testament is so well attested by the “Patristics” that we could lose all these early manuscripts and still reconstruct a complete early bible from all their quotations (over 36,000 quotations)!

The Bible is Accurate

The Bottom Line for the Word

• You can pile up evidence upon evidence for the inspiration of God’s Word; however… “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”

• John 7:17 NIV• http://bible.com/111/

jhn.7.17.niv(John 7:17)

Digging Deeper: The Word & UsRomans 1:16

Luke 4:16/Acts 17:2

• Matthew 7:7 & 7:13-14• Matthew 13:44-46• Matthew 6:25-33• Acts 8:26-40• Hebrews 11:6• Jeremiah 29:10-13• Acts 17:22-27• Luke 13:22-27• 1 Timothy 4:7b-8• II Chronicles 15:1-4• Acts 17:10-11• Deuteronomy 4:28-31• Daniel 9:3

• Memorize basic GTG ( in box) for Seeking & Word studies for multiple choice quiz next Friday meeting(April 7).

• Put in time on PQ worksheets

• For more resources, videos visit: • birminghamchurch.org.uk• commonwealthacademy.ca

• Reach out and ask someone to study how to Seek God via the Bible

• Remaining schedule- next slide

Prepare for Class two

Upcoming Class Schedule

•Intro/Seeking God & Word Studies•Knowing Jesus/ Discipleship Study & Seeking/Word

Quiz- April 7•Sin Study & Jesus/ Discipleship Quiz- April 14•The Cross Study & Sin Quiz- May 5•Repentance Study & The Cross Quiz- May 12•Salvation Study & Repentance Quiz-June 2•Holy Spirit/ Church Study & Salvation Quiz- July 7•Conclusion/ Holy Spirit/ Church Quiz- July 14