We all know that as Christian, reading the Bible is important. It allows us to spend time with God and learn more about His word. Simple enough, right? Open it up and read.
But I'll be honest, while some books of the Bibles make more sense to me, I must admit there are many that leave me stumped. Why does it mean? How does it apply to my life? I may be reading my Bible, but I'm not really getting much from it in those instances. Do you ever feel this way? Thankfully for us, there are many great Bible studies that can help us with that. Today, I'm sharing the benefits of working through a Bible Study both as an individual AND as a group.
On Your Own
- They break it down. There is a LOT to read in the Bible, but a Bible study helps to break down individual stories, books or even themes and give you a FULL understanding of what it is you're actually reading and how it pertains to your life.
- There are Bible studies for everyone. No matter what stage you are in life, there are Bible studies out there for each and every one of us. For moms, for men, for singles, for families, you name it, there's a study for that. These are even better suited to help us to apply biblical principles to our daily lives.
- It improves your relationship with God. Reading the Bible is a fantastic way to grow as a Christian, but again actually understanding it!? Well, that's even better.
In a Group
- It provides accountability. While we know that reading and studying our Bible is important, sometimes life happens and it gets pushed to the side when it's something we are doing on our own. But working in a group offers that accountability that can help keep us motivated.
- It offers new viewpoints. With anything in life, our views are formed by our life experiences. Likewise when we read the Bible, certain aspects of a story might stand out to us based on our own lives. For instance, the Bible often uses references to war and battle... references that to be honest, don't mean much to me. However, my husband with his military experience can read those same verses and offer new insight that I would not have understand otherwise. When you have many people coming together, you can expand your own knowledge base, run thoughts by one another and truly get a well rounded perspective on the Bible that you could not get on your own.
- It encourages fellowship. Truth be told, I'm not a social person. I like my alone time, and don't people very well... that being said, I also would be lost without my church family. They truly have been there when they were needed and offered prayers and encouragement along the way.
As you can see, whether you decide to do a Bible study on your own or in a group, there are many great benefits that can be gained from both options. And today I'm excited to share with a fabulous new Bible study series that can be a great place to start- I Can Only Imagine:
SERIES Want to hear more of Bart Millard’s incredible testimony after watching I Can Only Imagine? This 4-Episode Video Series features Bart Millard, lead singer of MercyMe. Bart shares his true testimony of redemption and hope, along with the lessons God has instilled in him. Contains select scenes from the I Can Only Imagine movie. Each episode is approximately 12 minutes.
JOURNAL Find hope and purpose in this 28-day study of Jesus’s life and ministry. This beautifully designed 28-day study journal is effective as a standalone study or as a participant’s guide for the I Can Only Imagine Video Series. Embark on a journey through the Gospels to discover Jesus’ encounters with broken people. Each day will include scripture, reflective questions, and prayer—all working together to reveal God’s incredible heart for you.
We all know the incredible song, and at this point many of you may have already seen the movie too. This fantastic curriculum allows us to dig even deeper into the story through a 28 day study of Jesus' life. These resources are great on their own, but work even better for a full Bible learning experience together. The series contains 4 episodes lasting just 12 minutes each. It includes clips from the movie, so if you've seen and loved it, this will be great for you. Haven't seen it yet? No problem, it can stand on its own too. You can start each week by watching these simple videos to prepare you for the week to come.
Then comes the journal. This is broken into those 28 days, 4 weeks and follows along the same themes from the videos. Each day, starts with your reading. This paraphrases some of the stories in the Bible, but then you will also go to your actual Bible and read the full passages as well. At the end of each day, you are given prompts and space to consider what you've read and track your journey through these 4 weeks. On the final day of each week, we are given some time to go back and look over everything we've gone over in the week before (or catch up if needed) as well as a call to action, which as the name suggests allows us to bring those lessons into action.
While this can be a great study to do on your own, it's also great for groups too! They even offer a group kit that includes the series, the journals AND a leader guide to help the group leader to better lead their group through this experience.
Ready to get started? You can learn more and shop here. AND use the promo code frontgate10 for 10% off the I Can Only Imagine Series and/or Journal.
And you have the chance to win a copy too! Click the image below to enter!
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