Motivation for Studying the Bible with People

Introduction—

I would like to take this time to share with you a lesson that will lead us into what our Campus Ministry will center on.   Of course we center on God and worshiping Him.  However, I'm speaking in the practical sense, such as how we spend our times together during the Mid-weeks and the standard operating procedure of our ministry.   For starters, it is also important during the college years to make good on the opportunity to train spiritually.  On that point, I want to introduce the topic of tonight's lesson: Motivation for Studying the Bible with People.  The way I see it, worshipping God and training spiritually go together.   God is training us to be made into the likeness of Jesus, and acknowledging His awesome work of this process will lead to our greater willingness to train spiritually for God.  I want to roll-out an idea to get all of us digging into our Bibles.  I would like the students to lead a conversion study series during our Midweek devotional time for the rest of the Semester.

The leadership of the Phoenix Valley Church of Christ developed a study series that is pretty much familiar to the Christians within the church.   For now we've decided to call it the Studies of Salvation (SOS) – the whole series is a guide and tool that we wanted to make as basic and as effective as possible.   It is a challenging project because you realize there are so many other necessary studies for any unique situation.  We are definitely in support of having supplemental studies, which does not mean unimportant.

 

Question for this study: Why would you study the Bible with people? Why should we all learn how to share God's word in an effective way?

 

Main Points:

·                    7 Outstanding Reasons Why to Study the Bible with People

1. God wants all people to be saved!
• 1Timothy 2:3-4
• Ref. John 3 – He sent His Son to be the Savior of the world!
• Ref. Titus 2:11-14 – God's grace appears—seen, felt, understood, life-changing.   And God's grace is our only hope!
• Ref. 2Peter 3:9 – He does not want anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance!   Jesus is mentioned laying out the two options "Repent or perish" in Luke 13—spiritually not physically.
2. Saved people are told to walk in the steps of Jesus
• 1John 2:3-6
• How did Jesus walk?  What was His main aim in life?
• It is very apparent that Jesus was about His Father's business to save the world!
3. People are not right with God, and will go to hell if they perish apart from a relationship with Him.
• Matthew 7:13-14
• Jesus talks about two options, which one are people more apt to take?
• That is the truth from God's own mouth, and I think our lives can reflect an unwillingness to accept this tough truth!
4. Jesus, our Lord commands it!
• Matthew 28:18-20
• Mark 16:16
• Acts 1:8
• It is a matter of being obedient to Christ! (Lordship)
5. The example of those who first responded to the new covenant gospel message.
• Acts 17 – Paul's custom was to preach to nonbelievers
• Acts 8:4 – All the disciples were scattered, and how did they respond?
6. Do you really love people?  However, a failure to help people who are spiritually lost is a failure to love.
• 1John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
• What would you think of a person who has the cure to cancer or AIDS and keeps it from everyone in order to make a profit or for whatever reason?
• That person would probably be put in jail.
• We're not talking about physical death but spiritual, eternal death. 
• We should be most sorry to God if we've been lazy or uncaring about people's spiritual needs.  
• We have the answer to bring people into a spiritual life!  Therefore, we should have an intense eagerness to share it with those who are spiritually perishing.

 

7. The Holy Spirit works in and through you
• 2Corinthians 5:11--6:2 we are God's fellow workers in the ministry of reconciliation.
• Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
• 1Corinthians 2:12 the Spirit is given so that we may understand what God has freely given.
• Try to fathom how "The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses," and you will be humbled for ever being insecure: Romans 8:9-11; 26-27.
• There are so many other verses to look at to persuade us of the power we have living in us--one greater than the world ( 1John 4:4)--which gives us more reason to believe and not doubt that it is our calling to spread the gospel.

 

Conclusion:

• I personally see a special need for me to constantly study the Bible with people in order to keep my spiritual heart fresh.
1. Maybe you've gone a long time, even years, without helping someone discover a relationship with God ( i.e. studying the Bible with someone)?
2. I am convinced that there is a correlation between our relationship with God and our relationship with other people.
• Matthew 22:36-40 there is a reason all of God's law hinges on two commandments.
• When you are actively seeking to help people find a relationship with God, you will use His word, the very thing that brought you to faith.   Then you see the power of God, the Holy Spirit convicting, and His word judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12-13).  You will see God work the miracle of hearts and minds changing.   Then you will appreciate God so much more!
• It doesn't take Satan long to ebb away at our hearts when we're not involved with God on the level of helping people come to know Him.
• Over the last seven years of being a Christian, I've had times where I've struggle to believe I was useful to God.   The issue is none other than faithlessness!  It is a big one that needs to be rebuked by God's word!  I'll admit that I've doubted God in my thoughts and general attitude, and maybe even doubted by uttering faithless words! 
• I now realize the spiritual battle a little better.   It is really quite simple.  We can either waver in disbelief, doubting God's ability to work or we can look toward seeing the effectiveness of God's word!
• Does it really make any sense to doubt the effectiveness of a tool when you haven't used it?   Similarly, you got to go out and study the Bible with people, communicating God's word, and helping people come to the faith, in order to judge its effectiveness.