October 28
What we’re learning this week:
This week starts a series in James that teaches students how to read the Bible on their own. Luke shows from James 1:1 that the Bible is not a made-up world but a sometimes is made up of real letters from a real person to real churches. Because God is real, reading his Word is how we get to know him. Students learned the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer) to use for the entirety of this series.
Bottom Line: God is real, and he gave us the Bible so we can know who he is.
Scripture: James 1:1
Small Group Discussion:
Use this time to help students see that Jesus meets them in their own “ordinary” (school, sports, home, etc.) and is asking them for their next yes too. Discuss 1-3 questions and end by sharing prayer requests and praying together
ICEBREAKER Luke shared that he'd want to live in Backyard Baseball, Toy Story, or Swallow Falls. If you could spend a day in any fictional world, which would you pick and why?
Luke said some of us may not read the Bible because no one has explained why it matters. What has made reading the Bible hard for you, or what has helped you stick with it?
James starts his letter with what sounds like a simple "greetings" to real churches in real cities. How does it change the way you think about the Bible to know it was written by real people to real people, not dropped from the sky?
James introduces himself as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (James 1:1). If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say first? What would it look like for "I serve God" to be near the top of that list?
In the message tonight it was said that spending a little time with someone every day helps you really know them. What is the realistic time each day you could try the SOAP steps with a few verses in James?
