I in no way consider myself an expert when it comes to small groups but I have taken a strong interest as of late and I have gone to great length to learn as much as I can.
Below are some disciplines for preparing for your Small Group and/or Bible study. I have used these disciplines in the area of Bible study for years and now I am applying them to a new passion that I have for Small group ministry. I hope they are helpful for you as you take on the awesome task of transformation in the lives of God’s people.
Preparing For your Group
Pray
Your job as group leader is to prepare first in prayer. Open your heart by asking: “What is the burden of the Lord for this particular upcoming meeting?” and “What does God want to see happen because Christians have been exposed to fellow believers and to Holy Scripture?”
Reflect
Read and meditate on the main text of the session. What does God want the people in your group to start doing? Stop doing? Or Continue doing? What promises does He want them to claim?
Read the main text several times. Perhaps use several different translations to take advantage of the work of many Bible scholars.
Expand
Expand your understanding of the main text by reading related commentary on the text. Also, expand your understanding of the point of the lesson by looking through all the lesson material prior to your group meeting.
Apply
Ask “so what? Questions. What is the application for my life? What does God want me to do or stop doing as a result of this lesson? What am I going to do about it? What can my group do about it? Is there a sin I need to confess? Is there an attitude I need to adjust? Is there a promise I need to claim?
Sometimes the Spirit will convict you in an area of your own life. If He does you must bow in obedience as to model the behavior that everyone in your group will need in order to grow spiritually.
Feel free to comment with disciplines that have helped you out.
4 comments:
Great post and good to see you in this ministry forum again, Very timely for my life and struggle right now. I would add for me the need to review to try and build from one lesson to the next. What building blocks did we put into place last week that will help us stand to reach out lesson objectives for this week.
Owens
I am looking foward to hosting more small groups as it is beneficial for spiritual growth. This is my first time hosting and the tools that you have provided will not only prepare me for future groups but make it pleasent and full!
Pastor I accidently posted anonymous but this is tiffany
Hello Pastor! It's good to hear from you again. Word studies do it for me. I use my concordance plus two other Bible dictionaries to gain greater insight. I was amazed at how much I gleaned from the Beatitudes through word studies.
Have a great week!
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