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USING BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFEInvite the Holy Spirit’s GuidanceBecause God is the guide for your study, invite Him to show you how to bethe best facilitator for your group. Read the Bible passage several times withthe Holy Spirit showing you its meaning and application.Personal Study GuideThen read the Personal Study Guide. Its content provides the foundation anddirection for the Bible discussion and study by your group.Leader GuideFollow the simple directives in the group plan, which will guide you inengaging your group in discussion around the Bible passage. Read thecommentary to help you understand the passage. Share insights from thecommentary as needed during the group discussion.Leader PackThe optional Leader Pack is designed to enhance the group experience, especially for visual learners. Pull in theLeader Pack items as referenced in the group plan.The Leader Pack also includes a DVD-ROM with: JPEG files of the two main study images that you can use with any presentation software (i.e., PowerPoint).Promote the study by placing these images into an announcement slideshow or display the imagesduring the sessions to reinforce the study topic. PDF file of each pack item, so you can create multiple posters. During your session, display the image on ascreen using any presentation software, or post the image on social media to promote the study. Sample Twitter and email messages to post prior to your Bible study time in order to raise awareness andpromote the session topic. A short video presentation (approximately 1 minute) introducing each study. An electronic version of the group plans that you can customize and print. Leader articles to assist you as you lead your group. Biblical Illustrator articles that allow you to go deeper in your study.66BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE12/29/16 12:48 PM

Additional IdeasAdditional discussion questions and teaching suggestions for leaders areavailable online at www.BibleStudiesforLife.com/AdultExtra. You’ll also find allthe magazine articles we mention in this study guide.Prepare Your Group MembersEncourage your group members to read the Personal Study Guide prior to thegroup meeting. (Some group members will prefer to read it after the meetingas a way to follow up and reflect.)Encourage them to join the conversation with others on our Facebookpage (Facebook.com/BibleStudiesforLife), our blog (BibleStudiesForLife.com/AdultExtra), or on Twitter (@BibleMeetsLife).For Those Who Want to Go DeeperThe Advanced Bible Study is written for group members who desire moreextensive commentary. It includes HCSB-based exposition of each session’sScripture passage, an examination of key words, an introduction to the settingof the passage and biblical life and times, questions to guide the study, andinteractive responses to help readers apply God’s truths to their lives today.The Herschel Hobbs Commentary is designed specifically for leaders andprovides a comprehensive exposition of each session’s Scripture passage.Specific attention is called to items in the biblical text that readers would misswithout a commentary. This commentary is based on the King James Versionbut interacts with all major English translations.Each quarter, Biblical Illustrator offers in-depth background information onBible customs, history, culture, archaeology, and word studies through vividphotography, engaging maps and graphics, and lesson-targeted articles.You can subscribe to Biblical Illustrator by going to lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator or by calling 1-800-458-2772. Forty additional articles (in PDF form)that support this quarter’s Bible studies are available for 3.00 per bundle atlifeway.com/biblicalillustrator.BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE7712/29/16 12:49 PM

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THE ATTRIBUTES OF DISCIPLESHIPHow do you measure discipleship? Research conductedby LifeWay revealed eight factors that are consistentlypresent in the lives of believers who are progressing intheir spiritual maturity. These “attributes of discipleship”form the foundation for the scope and sequence of studiesused in Bible Studies for Life. By regularly engaging thesestudies, your group will experience an intentional plan fordiscipleship in the following eight ways:“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and beready always to give an answer to every man thatasketh you a reason of the hope that is in you withmeekness and fear” (1 Pet. 3:15).1. Bible Engagement. We recognize transformationwhen our mind is sharpened by the Bible, our perspectiveis shaped by the Bible, and our actions are directed bythe Bible.“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet notI, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now livein the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, wholoved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:19b-20).“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and isprofitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, forinstruction in righteousness: That the man of Godmay be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all goodworks” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).6. Seeking God. Transformation is seen when ourdesire is to know God more deeply and experience Hiswork more fully.2. Obeying God and Denying Self. Discipleship is theprocess of obedience to one who is in authority over you.Transformation can be seen when we progressively setaside earthly delights for kingdom priorities.“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me,let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, andfollow me” (Luke 9:23).3. Serving God and Others. Transformation is evidentwhen personal needs and even dreams are set aside forthe needs we see in others.“And the King shall answer and say unto them, VerilyI say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto oneof the least of these my brethren, ye have done it untome” (Matt. 25:40).4. Sharing Christ. Even as we need to live out the effectsof the gospel, maturing believers know speaking about itsmessage is necessary. Transformation is evident when wetalk about its source. See page 13 for more details.12125. Exercising Faith. Transformation is seen in believerswhen risk-aversion is set aside and our lives arecharacterized by faithful obedience to God’s will.“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and hisrighteousness; and all these things shall be addedunto you” (Matt. 6:33).7. Building Relationships. Our faith is personal but it isnot intended to be private. Our horizontal relationshipsshould develop just as our vertical relationship withGod does. Transformation is occurring when relationalmaturity is evident in our lives.“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread,and in prayers” (Acts 2:42).8. Unashamed. Transformation is evident when abeliever is unashamed in presenting his or her own lifeas being aligned with Christ.“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for itis the power of God unto salvation to every one thatbelieveth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”(Rom. 1:16).BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE12/29/16 12:49 PM

SHARING CHRISTBY P H I L I P N AT I O NThe church has been given a mission. In fact, God’speople have always had this mission. It is to tell thoseoutside of our faith about the opportunity to come intoour faith. We are a witnessing people.In the Transformational Discipleship research project,one of the eight attributes we discovered that marks ahealthy disciple is Sharing Christ. It is the characteristicthat a maturing believer will naturally discuss their faithin Christ with unbelievers. As we grow, we find it to be anormal part of life.For this attribute to be present, we must have a sense ofpersonal responsibility. The Great Commission by Christ inMatthew 28:18-20 calls us to make disciples. Seeing thegospel as the one message of ultimate worth, maturingdisciples carry a sense of personal responsibility. It doesnot mean that you go into a witnessing experiencewithout sweaty palms or a nervous tremor in your voiceevery now and again. But it does mean that you knowthat eternity hangs in the balance for the lost person. So,commissioned by Christ, we as disciples move forward insharing the Good News.As we grow in our walk with Christ, we find it easy to actupon the need to share the gospel with others.Sharing Christ is also about having an awareness ofthose around you who need the gospel. In the verse from1 Peter, there is an awareness that questions need to beanswered. As you live out your faith, people will naturallyinquire about it. Non-believers will want to understandwhy Christians can have hope in the midst of trials, joywhen others are in despair, and trust when life is chaotic.Maturing believers are those who actively engage withthose that are asking these questions.In the LifeWay research, we found that maturingbelievers intentionally build friendships with nonChristians in order to share the hope we have in Christ.These believers also pray for other people’s spiritualcondition on a frequent basis. It is a lifestyle that defaultstoward taking the action of making disciples.We are to be disciple-making disciples. We talk aboutour faith and stay aware of those around us who needto be converted. It is the way that Christ has led us tolive. As His co-laborers, we are eager to share Christ withthe world.As other Transformational Discipleship Attributes speakto the manner in which we live, this one is more specificto the words that we speak. After all, it is not reallysharing Christ if we don’t inform others of who He is. Wehave to use our words. Sharing Christ is about giving averbal presentation of the gospel.In 1 Peter 3:15, we are taught, “But sanctify the LordGod in your hearts: and be ready always to give ananswer to every man that asketh you a reason of thehope that is in you with meekness and fear.” Peteris highlighting for us that defending and presentingthe faith something to be discussed. We must knowthat we are responsible for such an activity andthen move on it. The maturing believer does notjust mentally understand this idea. They embrace it.Dr. Philip Nation is the pastor of First Baptist Church of Bradenton,Florida and is the author of “Habits for Our Holiness.”BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE131312/29/16 12:49 PM

“ INFORMATION TRANSFER”MAY BE HURTING YOUR GROUPBY KEN BRADDYWhen I travel I often drop in and visit Bible study groups, and I’venoticed an unfortunate trend. Well-meaning teachers stand (or sit)in front of a large group of learners and “teach” a lesson. The goalin this kind of classroom is a transfer of information. The teacherstudied throughout the week, and Sunday morning is the time for an“information dump” into the minds of the class members. The teacherlearned lots of interesting facts and information, is considered thebiblical expert, and group members should be expected to sit andsoak in the teacher’s knowledge. Right?Wrong! This kind of “information transfer” has hurt group Bible study.Mere information transfer isn’t helping groups reach new people. Infact, information transfer may be hurting efforts to do just that.1414BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE12/29/16 12:49 PM

Ways Information TransferHas Hurt Group Bible Study1.New groups are not being started. Theinformation-transferring teacher often loveslistening to the sound of his own voice. Thiskind of teacher is the star—the featuredattraction—and he loves being at the centerof his own small teaching universe. This kindof teacher releases people to start new groupsvery infrequently. In his mind, “bigger isbetter.” His goal is to have the largest class inthe church, and to wield the most power. Thelarger the group, the greater the chance thatthe group is an information-transferring one.2. Apprentice teachers are not stepping up.New groups do not start without new teachers.New lead teachers most often come fromthose who have been apprentice teachers.Apprentice teachers will not readily volunteerto co-teach a class that has an informationtransferring lead teacher. Why not? Becausethe apprentice, who often lacks the teachingexperience of the veteran teacher, believes hecannot hold a candle to his mentor who seemsto possess and freely distribute all kinds of factsabout the Bible. The potential new teacherthinks, “I could never be like that.”The Solution Let people talk. Ask well-crafted discussionquestions. Take advantage of the five discussionquestions in the Personal Study Guide. Don’t settlefor short answers. Probe. Encourage them to discuss,not just give an answer. Don’t set up the room in rows. If your roomis set up in rows, people can only see the backsof people’s heads. This doesn’t help to generateconversation. Instead of rows, set up your room intwo or three half-circles, curving the chairs to thatpeople can see one another’s faces. Seeing faceshelps to generate conversation. Change your mindset. Too many teachersequate teaching with telling, and learning withlistening. Don’t settle for a “sit and soak” philosophy.Your people deserve better. The classroom isn’t justanother time for preaching to take place. Let yourpastor deliver the sermon—you deliver an engagingBible study in which people have the freedom torespond, question, disagree, and even teach andinfluence the group with their own wisdom andexperiences.3. Group members are bored. The teacher whoexclusively lectures is not communicating withall of his group members in their preferredways of learning. There are at least eightapproaches to learning, and an “informationtransfer” lesson appeals to only a handful oflearners in our Bible study groups.I am not opposed to an occasional Bible study in whichthere is “information transfer.” Jesus used informationtransfer effectively during His Sermon on the Mount. Attimes it is an appropriate way to teach. But Jesus’ preferredmethods didn’t involve wholesale “information dumps.”Instead, He used a variety of teaching techniques tocommunicate His messages.Ken Braddy blogs weekly with great ideas for becoming a betterBible study leader. Follow his blog at kenbraddy.com. He is themanager of Adult Ongoing Bible Studies at LifeWay.BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE151512/29/16 12:49 PM

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We were created for two relationships:1. A relationship with God2. A relationship with everybody else.Each relationship affects the other.We don’t lack for “relationships.” Just look at our social media profiles. Many of us haveplenty of “friends” through social media. But what we long for are real relationships, peoplewith whom we feel a genuine bond. God desires that for us, too. He designed us to live incommunity—in genuine relationships that are far from superficial.This study, Real Relationships, examines relationships from a variety of viewpoints:from the foundation of forming true relationships, to the fulfillment we receive from deepfriendships, to our responsibility within relationships with those who don’t know Christ.We will discover that an abiding relationship with Christ leads to healthy relationshipswith everyone else. Be prepared, though: we won’t just find the kinds of friends we want forourselves; we’ll also discover the kind of friend we need to be to others.ALVIN L. REIDAlvin is Senior Professor of Evangelism and Student Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Alvin is alsoPastor to Young Professionals at Richland Creek Community Church in North Carolina. Alvin and his wife Michelle havetwo married children and one grandchild.171712/29/16 12:49 PM

GET INTOTHE STUDY5 minutesSESSION 1LOVE LIKE CHRISTSAY: “For the next six sessionswe will be discussing theauthentic relationships thatwe can enjoy through Christ.”Invite members to turn topage 3 in the Personal StudyGuide (PSG) and reviewThe Pointsession titles.Base every relationship on theunconditional love of Christ.LEADER PACK: Point to theThe Bible Meets Lifesession titles on Item 1: RealRelationships. Note thatRelationships can be fragile.these sessions focus on severalEverything’s fine if two people aredifferent passages from bothtraveling down the same road, butthe Old and New Testaments.what happens if those two peopledon’t see eye to

Personal Study Guide Then read the Personal Study Guide. Its content provides the foundation and direction for the Bible discussion and study by your group. Leader Guide Follow the simple directives in the group plan, which will guide you in engaging your group in discu