For Personal Study
Settle into your favorite chair with your Bible, a pen or pencil, and this book. Read a chapter of this book, marking portions that seem significant to you. Write in the margins. Note where you agree, disagree, or question the author. Look up the referenced Scripture passages. Then turn to the questions listed in this discussion guide. If you want to trace your progress with a written record, use a notebook to record your answers, thoughts, feelings, and further questions. Refer to the text and to the Scriptures as you allow the questions to enlarge your thinking. And pray. Ask God to give you a discerning mind for truth, an active concern for others, and a greater love for Himself.
For Group Study
Plan Ahead
Before meeting with your group, read and mark the chapter as if you were preparing for personal study. Glance through the questions, making mental notes of how you might contribute to your group’s discussion. Bring a Bible and the text to your meeting.
Arrange an Environment That Promotes Discussion
Comfortable chairs arranged in a casual circle invite people to talk with each other. Then say, “We are here to listen and respond to each other—and to learn together.” If you are the leader, simply be sure to sit where you can have eye contact with each person.
Promptness Counts
Time is as valuable to many people as money. If the group runs late (because of a late start), these people will feel as robbed as if you had picked their pockets. So, unless you have a mutual agreement, begin and end on time.
Involve Everyone
Group learning works best if everyone participates more or less equally. If you are a natural talker, pause before you enter the conversation. Then ask a quiet person what he or she thinks. If you are a natural listener, don’t hesitate to jump into the discussion. Others will benefit from your thoughts—but only if you speak them. If you are the leader, be careful not to dominate the session. Of course, you will have thought about the study ahead of time, but don’t assume that people are present just to hear you—as flattering as that may feel. Instead, help group members make their own discoveries. Ask the questions, but insert your own ideas only as they are needed to fill gaps.
Pace the Study
The questions for each session are designed to last about one hour. Early questions form the framework for later discussion, so don’t rush by so quickly that you miss a valuable foundation. Later questions, however, often speak of the here and now. Thus don’t dawdle so long at the beginning that you leave no time to “get personal.” While the leader must take responsibility for timing the flow of questions, it is the job of each person in the group to assist in keeping the study moving at an even pace.
Pray for Each Other—Together or Alone
Then watch God’s hand at work in all of your lives. Notice that each session includes the following features:
Session Topic—a brief statement summarizing the session.
Community Builder—an activity to get acquainted with the session topic and/or with each other.
Questions—a list of questions to encourage individual or group discovery and application.
Prayer Focus—suggestions for turning one’s learning into prayer.
Optional Activities—supplemental ideas that will enhance the study.
Assignment—activities or preparation to complete prior to the next session.