Dig In
LEARN TO READ THE BIBLE TO DISCOVER GOD’S TRUTH
Launch
In today’s passage Paul, the writer of this book in the Bible, found himself in a situation similar to the family above. He was chained up in a dungeon waiting to be killed. He wrote a letter to a younger friend whom he loved and left instructions for living a godly life. One evening the Mabrey family – Dad, Mom, and three older children – were hanging out in their den. Suddenly two men broke in and tied everyone up. The dad worked in a bank and they wanted money from the safe which automatically opened at 7:00 AM. All night they waited, fearing for their lives. Not sure they would live to see the next day, their thoughts wandered to what they wished they could say to their friends and family members left behind.
Explore
1. Read 2 Timothy 3:14-17. What seems to be the thing Paul most wants Timothy to do (verse 14)?
2. Where do you see the Bible mentioned in this passage?
3. According to this passage, what are three or four things the Bible can do in your life?
4. Read Hebrews 4:12. What does it mean that the Word of God is alive and powerful? How is that different than any other book?
Apply
5. The Bible has helped people for hundreds of years. How could reading the Bible help you personally?
6. Does reading the Bible seem hard, scary or boring to you? Why? What keeps you from reading it more often?
1. Pray for God to speak to you through His Word.
2. Read the next chapter in your Bible. The book of John is a good place to start. If the whole chapter is too long for you, just read a part of the chapter.
3. Stop reading when something stands out to you. Pay attention to the word or thought that pops out to you and how you feel about it.
4. Mark it up! It’s ok to write in the Bible, in fact, it’s really helpful!
- Draw a light bulb beside whatever stands out to you as important. Write your thoughts about it in the margin of your Bible.
- Write a question mark (?) by anything you don’t understand or have a question about. Write the question in the margins of your Bible.
- Write an arrow beside anything that you should apply personally to your life.
- If you are using your phone and can’t mark it up, use your notes app to write down your thoughts and any questions that you have.
5. Talk about it – When you’re done reading, talk to God through prayer or write in a journal to God about what pops out to you on the page and the questions you had. Ask God to give you the power to do what the passage says. If you’re in a group, talk with each other about what God taught you as you read.
If you weren’t able to find answers to your question marks, text a leader, pastor, or a Christian friend that might know a little more than you. Talking about our questions helps us all grow and learn more about God’s word together.
8. Let’s try this right now with a passage of the Bible. Open your Bible to Matthew 6:25-34 and study it with the Stop and Pop method.
9. How can you see "Stop and Pop" making a difference in your life as you do it regularly?
