Week 3 - Probe It

(in)formed

Information is defined as “Facts provided or learned about something or someone.” Information is good, right? We learn and process new information all the time. At school, at home, on the internet, and just by living, walking around and experiencing everyday life.  So how do we move from simply processing information to being transformed by it? When it comes to our faith, are we being formed or simply informed?

Knowledge is dangerous if we don’t apply it.Some of the most knowledgable Christians are cranky, arrogant, mean people. It doesn’t matter how much you know if you only use it to harm.  

Knowledge produces pride 1 Cor. 8:1.

If I have not love nothing I know or so will matter 1 Cor. 13

Knowledge makes us proud of ourselves while love makes us helpful to others

God’s deal is putting the world right, and it starts with putting things right in you.

This is how it starts….figuring out what he’s saying to you about your life.

We have to apply it….

What did it mean then?

What is the timeless truth?

How does it apply now?

Is there an Error to avoid. Learn from others mistakes 

Probe It MethodUsing the S.P.A.C.E.P.E.T.S. questions to find out what God is trying to say to you thought the verse.

S - is there a SIN to confess?

P - is there a PROMISE to claim?
A - is there an ATTITUDE to change?
C - is there a COMMAND to obey?
E -  is there an EXAMPLE to follow?
P - is there a PRAYER to pray?
E - is there an ERROR to avoid?
T- is there a TRUTH to believe?
S - is there SOMETHING to praise God for?

Try to answer a few of these questions about the verse. It’s okay if you can’t answer all of them.

Now, as you work through this week’s devotions practice this same method with the verses given.

Week 2 - Picture It

Happy Monday!

The Parable of the Soils – Mark 4:1-20 

Not a representation of where or who we are as people,

A representation of our hearts reception to what God is saying

How do we know what God is saying?

How do I know how I’m responding to it?

Hardened, Shallow, Choked, or Fruitful

                Tell God about where you’re at and what you think is keeping you from hearing what he is saying. 

Passive vs. Active

The method with which we receive any information can be Passive or Active

When we’re in passive mode, we’re unengaged and bored.

This is your chance to read the bible in an active way, that leads beyond information to transformation. 

This is what 40 Days in the Word is all about.

It’s about 6 different methods to help us engage with what God is saying to you in the bible.

It’s a chance for you to discover how to read the bible and interact with God in a way that transforms YOU. 

The method for this week is the ‘Picture It’ method.

Picture yourself in these stories -

Paralyzed man on a mat – Mark 2:1-5. Where am I paralyzed in my life? How can reach out to someone in need?

In the boat in the storm – Matthew 8:23-26. What are the storms in your life? Do you believe that Jesus can calm it?  

Picture it Method - 

This method works best when you’re reading a narrative passage, story, or parable. 

Try to picture the biblical scene in your mind. See yourself as one of the active participants. Ask yourself , “How would I feel if I were involved in this situation? What would I say? What would I do?” Then see yourself as a different character in the story and ask yourself the same questions again.  

Next, ask yourself, “With whom in the story do I identify most, and how does their situation apply to my life right now? What is God trying to say to me? What does he want me to do?” 

Then take a few minutes to write down your thoughts, observations, questions, and any action steps you  need to take.  

When you start picturing a scene, scripture comes tremendously alive to you and you see it in a whole new light.  

Now, as you work through this week’s devotions practice this same method with the verses given.  

When you picture a scene, Scripture comes tremendously alive to you and you see it in a whole new light.  

You get to picture the story the way YOU picture it, not in anyone else’s way.  As you do this, the story becomes personal and can begin to speak to your story!

John

Week 1 - Pronounce It

Happy Monday Morning!

 "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philipians 1:6

It is Day 1 of our 40 Days in The Word experience. As you step into your devotions this week on your own and with your students, I wanted to send you some encouragement and tools for this first week! 

For parents we’ll be using this blog, theParentsPulse, to get you helpful tools and insights for 40 days. We’ll upload message summaries, devotional method explanations, and the student devotions for each week.  

For students we’ll use our Facebook page – www.facebook.com/thepulse.jacobswellec.org , to offer message summaries, devotional method explanations, their devotions for each week.

Last night, we took a look at 'the word'. We read from the first chapter of John and looked at what is being described when Jesus is described as 'the Word'.

What is the Word?
     We talk about the word as if it is the Bible.
     The Bible talks about the word as Jesus.
     Jesus is called the word because his life summarizes what God is saying.

We also looked inwardly at ourselves to discover how we currently use the Bible. There are three ways we typically read the Bible.

Overuse - We think the Bible is an end in and of itself
                 This leads to a small view of Jesus.
Underuse - We think the Bible is weird and doesn't really speak to us.
                 This leads to apathy and confusion.
Proper Use - The Bible's main purpose is to reveal Jesus.
                  This leads us to know him, worship him, and become like him.

As we discussed last night, the next 40 days is an opportunity to look at where we currently are, and where God is calling us to be as we learn to read what God is saying to us, and discover new ways to make his messge come alive to us and in us.

Each week, we will focus on a different methodthat we can use to interact with and understand God's word. We have devotional sheets that will lead you through a different verse each day and then ask you questions that will help you practice reading it with the method of the week.

As you begin your journey this week, the first method we're going to learn is the 'Pronounce It' method.

What is the 'Pronounce It' method?
In the 'Pronounce It' method, we read the verse over and over again, even reading it out loud to help us digest each word and the whole verse piece by piece.
Read the verse over and over again, but emphasize each word in the verse one at a time. After each word, stop and write down your thoughts, even if it's just a word or two.

Start with our memory verse for the week.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." Colossians 3:16

LET the word of Christ dwell in you richly
        Let the WORD of Christ dwell in you richly
              Let the word of CHRIST dwell in you richly
                    Let the word of Christ DWELL in you richly
                          Let the word of Christ dwell IN you richly
                                Let the word of Christ dwell in YOU richly
                                       Let the word of Christ dwell in you RICHLY

Now look at your life through the lens of the verse. How does it apply to your life today? What are you going to do about it? It's okay if nothing jumps into your head right away. You will have to sit and think about it for a few minutes. After you have thought about these questions, write them down. Then spend some time talking to God about what he said to you in his Word. Now, as you work through this week's devotions, practice this same method with the verse given in your devotion.

John