By Stephen Torhaus
Optional Kids Practice (if they read the Bible on their own)
Invite kids in your group to be with the adults for a few minutes. Once they seem ready to engage, ask them the following prompt.
- Describe a time when you didn’t want to or didn’t like reading the Bible. What was that like? How did you feel when you were done? Is there anything you wish you had done differently?
Take time to clarify that Bible reading is good for us, but it can sometimes feel like a chore.
During this series, help the kids practice their memory verse for January and February.
The February memory verse for preschoolers: “Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” John 15:12, NLT
The February memory verse for elementary school kids: “How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well.” Psalm 139: 14 NIRV
Begin with prayer
Gather together as a Community in a comfortable setting. Have one person read 1 John 3:19-20 twice over the group, then take a moment in silent reflection in the presence of Jesus and each other. Pray to ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your time together.
Debrief the most recent teaching.
- Have each member briefly share whether their Bible reading practice improved, regressed, or stayed the same since the previous practice.
Read this overview:
It is generally true that “if something is important to you, you make time for it,” and most would agree that the Bible is a vital component of a healthy Christian faith. Yet, you can probably also recount at least a few times when the Bible was forgotten or the time to read it simply didn’t materialize. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Bible reading isn’t important to you or that some personal flaw is at work. More likely, there is some internal barrier at play. Reading the Bible is a costly endeavor, often exposing us in uncomfortable ways. Humans tend to avoid discomfort in all areas of life, and the Bible is no exception.
The Bible refers to itself as a “double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from Spirit, and joints from marrow” (Heb. 4:12, NET), and nobody is excited about getting cut open. The next verse reads, “And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.” Many reflect on these verses and argue that while we are reading scripture, in reality, scripture is reading us! So not only do we not like surgery, but the “Great Physician” himself may not seem all that… endearing to us…
Discuss the following prompts:
- How does this idea of an internal barrier strike you?
- How does the idea of reading scripture being a kind of surgery sit with you?
Practicing right now:
Below are some categories of common internal barriers to reading the Bible. Take some time to read and discuss each category in turn (not all at once). Avoid offering advice, but clarifying questions may be fruitful if the person sharing is open to them.
- Defensiveness: As we grow more comfortable with scripture, we learn that it doesn’t just encourage. Sometimes it convicts. When this happens frequently or when we’re in a particularly trying season of our faith, we can grow resistant to engaging with scripture for fear we’re going to be cut open again. Likewise, when there’s a particular area of growth that we know God is calling us to, but we’re not quite ready to step into it, we may fear that reading the Bible will highlight our resistance, and we’d really rather not deal with it.
- False Motivation: Ideally, our desire to know and love God better fuels our drive to read the Bible, but we often have mixed motives. Sometimes, we are driven by pride, competition, or even legalism to read the Bible, and these kinds of self-driven motivations can soon run out of steam. In other cases, the Bible is used as an emotional pick-me-up, and, like any drug, our resistance to those good feelings slowly grows.
- Relational Resistance: This one is the hardest. We may not want to admit it, but sometimes… God is the problem. Or so it seems. We all carry false notions of who God is and how he’s supposed to interact with us. These notions are usually subconscious, and we often don’t realize they exist. Yet, when God inevitably fails to meet our expectations, we sometimes find ourselves giving him the silent treatment. Of course, we don’t mean to avoid God or the Bible, but if, in retrospect, you notice that you’re not reading the Bible as much as you’d like to but can’t find a good reason why, this may be it.
Practicing this week:
The Practice this week is to read each day from the Van City Lectionary. If you don’t have a physical copy of the Lectionary, you can find a digital copy here. The Lectionary is a way we can be formed together by God’s Spirit through the Scriptures beyond the Sunday Gathering.
Before you read each day, take a moment of silence to notice the condition of your heart in response to the Bible. Offer any perceived barriers to God in prayer, then proceed.
Close
End by having someone pray over the group.