5th Generation Rev: Ways to ACTIVATE Scripture in our Life

I heard a great line once regarding discipleship. "There should always be an open Bible between me and the person I am discipling." One of the tools I use for scripture is the WORD HAND; giving you the tools for the “grip on scriptures”: Hear, Read, Study, Memorize, and Meditate.

I want to give you 3 more tools that may be of help to you. Without personal strategies for connecting with God, our daily agendas tend to become: I must have, I must be, I must achieve. But exercises such as Scripture meditation cultivates the heart and guard it from stubborn habits.

The SOAP Method-
S-cripture
O-bservation
A-pplication
P-rayer
The idea behind SOAP is to make it a journal when studying scriptures.

3-Step Meditation Process- lectio divina or spiritual reading. Lectio is the attempt to read more with the heart than the head. The idea is not to cover an amount of scripture, but rather surrender to whatever word or phrase catches the attention. A slow meditative reading….really relies on the respect of the power of words to resonate with the full range of experience. Here are the 3 steps:
• Observation- taking the first look- what’s going on? Who are the players? What are the important ideas? Concepts? How do I feel about this?
• Investigation- going deeper-what can I discover? What questions do I need to ask God? What can I discover about myself? Are there any words that I need to define? What is the main point, idea, the author communicating?
• Application- responding in love. What is the takeaway? How does God
Change my life if I apply this? How can I respond to the Holy Spirit in the next 24 hours?

5x5x5- Scripture is one of God’s ordained ways of life transformation-don’t take it for granted. It’s easy to read someone else's thoughts through devotionals. It’s like trying to kiss someone you love through the window of your car. There is the illusion of intimacy, but little first hand experience. So here is a great tool to get you hooked.
5 Minutes a Day-
5 Days a Week-
5 Ways to Approach Scripture- underline the key words or thoughts, write your own translation, ask questions, capture the big idea, and personalize the meaning.

How do we ACTIVATE Scripture as a way of life into the life of Small Group Lifers:

Learn from Jesus.

o He didn’t invest time with multitudes, he invested in a select few.

Think big but start small.

o The Gk text of Matthew 28:18-20 uses three words: ‘go’, ‘baptize’, and ‘teach’. All are participles which derive from one controlling verb “make disciples.” The great commission is about ‘making disciples’.

Think in generations.

o The Bible is peppered with individual personalities. Each of these individuals had the potential to influence others for Christ. This is pictured through scripture in generations.