I always did what was best for you. I told you the Good News about Jesus in public before the people and also taught in your homes. Acts 20:20 ERV

We are all encouraged, like Paul, to share Jesus in the homes of our friends and loved ones. This is something we all can do.

Among the members of our churches there should be more house-to-house labor in giving Bible readings and distributing literature…. As we sow beside all waters we shall realize that “he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” –Ellen White, Maranatha Page 104

In Matthew 14:15-16, the disciples ask Jeuss to send a large multitude back into the villages so they can find some food. The disciples did not feel they had the skills or resources to feed a huge multitude, so they wanted Jesus to send them to the villages where there were markets with professionals who had the skills and resources to feed a big crowd. However Jesus tells the disciples that they could indeed feed the multitude. They did not have to go to the “more skilled professionals”. Do you know someone you would like to give a Bible study to, but do not feel like you have the skills or resources? I assure you Jesus can give you those skills and resources. I assure you the same Holy Spirit that is with John Bradshaw or Shawn Boonstra  when they give a Bible study will be with you too. If you feel you don’t know it all, you are off to a great start, because you will feel your need of the Holy Spirit and will be sure to ask Him to guide you. Here are 5 easy tips to help you give a soul-winning Bible study. 

1. Don’t pretend to know it all. Many people tell me the afraid to give Bible studies because they don’t know enough. That’s okay, No one wants to learn from a know-it-all anyway. The fact that you don’t know it all will make others more comfortable studying with you. I actually began my Bible worker career by telling my friends and co-workers that I needed to practice giving Bible studies, and asked them if I could practice giving Bible studies to them. Many agreed, some attended church with me, and one still does attend church with me whenever I return to visit his area. If you’re not a know-it-all, you will be great at giving Bible studies.
2. Stick with the study guides or chain referencing format. Don’t adlib or try to philosophize. Many tell me they are afraid to try to give Bible studies because they don’t know what to say. That’s perfect. The study guides ask questions and then share Bible verses that answer them. The chain referencing format  works the same way. When I train people to give Bible studies, I find that one common mistake is feeling they have to adlib and add to what is already in the guide or Bible text. When they adlib, they get distracted and wander from the thought process already provided in the format. Each question and Bible answer in the Bible study guide builds upon the next in a logical sequence. Simply point out the answer in the text. Don’t adlib. That only distracts from the logical sequence. See? You can do this!
3. Don’t quote authors outside the Bible. This is a Bible study. A while back, I took a lay member with me to a Bible study I had just started. The man I had just begun studying with knew nothing about the Bible or the church, much less Ellen White. He asked if there was life on other planets. I told him we could study about that in the future, when the lay member with me blurted out. “Oh! Ellen White talks about visiting people on other planets!” The man we were studying with knew nothing about Ellen White and wondered why the lay member even said that. I quickly changed the subject back to our topic for the Bible study. Of course, I believe in Ellen White, but I also believe a Bible study should be a Bible study.
4. Get a decision. After every Bible study, ask for a decision on the topic. When I was a literature evangelist, after telling my customers all about the books, I never made a sale until I asked them to buy them. It is not enough to just share information. Ask your Bible student to make a decision based on what you studied. If studying about salvation, ask them to accept Jesus as their Savior. If studying about clean and unclean foods, ask them to follow the Bible counsel you both just read.
5. After the decision, have a prayer about it, then leave! Do all your small talk before the Bible study. Get that pie recipe or discuss that ball game before the Bible study, not afterward. At the end of the Bible study, you want to pray and then politely and quickly leave, so that you leave them with that prayer marinating in their mind and heart. Don’t distract them with small talk after the prayer. After the prayer, leave!

Of course, you will want to be praying before, during, and after your Bible studies. With God’s help, you can do this! You will make mistakes, just like the rest of us. If you don’t make a mistake, you will be the first person ever to give a perfect Bible study. Then you will become a know-it-all, and no one will want to study with you. Be humble. Be human, so people will feel comfortable studying with you. God will use you with all of your mistakes and shortcomings. Remember, I have studied with over 400 people who were baptized as a result, and I made some big mistakes while studying with over 400 of them. I have never given a perfect Bible study – ever! But I don’t let that discourage me. I seriously doubt that the talking donkey in Numbers 22 was perfect, but God surely used it to get Balaam back on the right track. You and I are not perfect either, but God will use us to take the Gospel into all the world.

Now, in the Words of Jesus,

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. ” Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV

Although Mark 1:35 is just one verse, we can learn so much here from Jesus’ example. Long before the sun came up, He removed Himself to a solitary place of quiet so He could be with His Father. Can you imagine the scene—Jesus, sitting by the Sea of Galilee or on the side of a hill, praying and communing with His Father before the world around Him woke up? Although this verse describes Jesus’ commitment to prayer, we clearly see that it was a priority for Him. No doubt this time was what gave Him strength to face all that He endured. If Jesus needed this to start every day, how much more do we?

God tells us, “ ‘Seek My face,’ ” and He hopes our response will be “ ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek’ ” (Psalms 27:8, NKJV).

Image © Providence Collection at Goodsalt.com

Do you have a place you can go each morning to be with God? Perhaps you can find a chair by a window, a quiet spot outside, or even the kitchen table, where you can come daily to sit at the feet of Jesus to learn from God’s Word. Sitting at the feet of Jesus is the best place to be (Luke 10:39-42). By forming a daily habit of going to a certain place to spend time with God, you’ll be more likely to return there each day. Don’t become discouraged when you miss a day here or there, because emergencies arise, and you may not be able to spend time with God. But try not to let too much time pass without spending time with God. Remember that having an abiding relationship with God is a daily decision, one that you can start again, today, if you choose to.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Have you ever set your alarm a little earlier than usual in order to wake and read your Bible? Have you ever struggled to drag yourself out of bed and then looked at the clock and thought, I have 15 minutes before I need to begin the day. I better hurry! Have you ever gone through the motions of having a brief prayer or skimming a chapter, only to find your conscience appeased but your heart unsatis­fied with the result before you rushed into the day?

“There is but little benefit derived from a hasty reading of the Scriptures. One may read the whole Bible through and yet fail to see its beauty or comprehend its deep and hidden meaning.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 90.

Image © Pacific Press at Goodsalt.com

While there are indeed blessings that come from reading the Bible—like drinking from a fire hydrant (lots and fast)—it is possible to read the Bible through quickly and miss so much. God gave us His inspired, precious Word so that we would come to know more about Him (and, in the process, more about ourselves, too). When we take time to see the indescribable, beautiful character of God and the ways He has interacted with humanity throughout history, we can only love Him more. The record of His interactions is right there in our hands—but we must find time, and take time, to know God through reading His Word (Acts 17:11). Consider the following suggestions:

Ask God to place a desire in your heart for Him. Claim the promises in Jeremiah 29:13 and Psalms 37:4. Invite Him to wake you up earlier than usual or to free up some time in your day to do so.

Surrender your time to God. Yes, you’re busy, and there are so many urgent things to do. But time with God is invaluable. Go to a quiet place by yourself and read Psalms 46:10. Read the words or sing to God the hymn “I Surrender All.” Think about the areas of your life that may not be surrendered and offer them to God.

Spend time with God even when you may not feel like it. Just as it takes a conscious choice and an action plan to be healthy (exercise, eat well), it takes a conscious choice to have a close relationship with God. Remember that new habits can take at least 21 days to form, and we can never succeed without the Holy Spirit’s help.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study:

John 15:1-8, Mark 1:35, 1 Chronicles 16:11, Psalms 119:105, Isaiah 50:4, Isaiah 55:1-13.

Memory Text:

“ ‘So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it’ ” (Isaiah 55:11, NKJV).

Think back to when you received your first Bible. Perhaps you were a child, and it was given to you by a Christian relative. Or perhaps you purchased it yourself as an adult. However long you’ve had your Bible for (perhaps you have more than one copy), consider the value that you place on this Book. Is it one of your most precious, treasured possessions, or do you take for granted that you have the Living Word of God at your very fingertips? Do you struggle to be consistent in reading it? Have you ever wondered: Where do I start? How do I read this Book to grow closer to God?

Martin Luther said, “For a number of years I have now annually read through the Bible twice. If the Bible were a large, mighty tree and all its words were little branches, I would have tapped at all the branches, eager to know what was there and what it had to offer.”

Whether you experience a thriving, daily Bible study time, or whether your Bible mostly sits closed on a bookshelf, the reality is that we can all develop stronger Bible study times with God. This week we’ll explore some practical ways to study the Word of God better.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 2.

Sunday–>

By Carol de Oliveira

Photo by Dilara Albamya on Pexels(Not from story location.)

Can you imagine being thrust into a prison cell for sharing Jesus? This is a common occurrence for Global Mission pioneers serving in a veiled country in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division. A country is called “veiled” to protect the lives and ministry of frontline workers. Global Mission pioneers are laypeople sent to start new groups of believers among unreached people groups.

Recently, Chong,* a pioneer, and Peter, the director of the local conference office, went to the northern part of this country to meet with members of a church plant.

While Chong and Peter had dinner with the members, they heard about three families who wanted to give their lives to Jesus. When Chong learned they were ready to burn their spirit-worship items, he decided to visit them that night.

As Chong, Peter, and some church members traveled to the three families’ homes, a church member said he wanted his family to hear about Jesus. So, before the group reached the families, they visited the member’s home to share the good news with his relatives.

Finally, the group arrived at the homes of the three families. It was late, but the people’s beaming faces warmed Chong’s heart, and their zeal energized his spirit. As they huddled around a fire, Peter introduced Chong and told the people he was there to help them make a full surrender to Jesus.

But the families didn’t seem to need Chong’s help. “We are ready to give our hearts to Jesus,” the family elder said. “We will walk in the light with Jesus taking the lead; not the worldly spirits.”

While Chong was talking with the families, a man burst into the room, demanding that Chong accompany him to the clan leader’s home.

Later that evening, Peter and the church members returned to their place of worship to await news about Chong. As the hours dragged on, they became concerned about how long the meeting with the clan leader was taking. Finally, they learned that Chong was locked up in the clan leader’s home.

During the night, the members prayed for Chong while the leaders tried to negotiate his release. But nothing they tried was successful. He was taken to a detention center where he was kept during the initial investigation of the case.

Providentially, Chong was released four days later. Now, the village where he spent time in jail has more than 100 people who have become Seventh-day Adventist Christians! Rather than deterring Chong from sharing Jesus, jail time strengthened his resolve.

Despite fierce opposition, God’s work continues to flourish in this veiled country. Please pray for our Global Mission pioneers who risk their safety to establish new churches for Jesus. Your faithfulness sustains their ministry.

*Names have been changed.

If you consider the words that you’ve spoken during the past 24 hours, how would you evaluate them?

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

Were they loving, kind, joyful, uplifting, frustrated, tired, anxious, angry, gossipy, or malicious? The Bible says, “ ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks’ ” (Matthew 12:34, NKJV). When we have junk in our hearts, it comes out in our words.

We’ve all experienced feeling frustrated, tired, or stressed, and that state of mind changes what comes out of our mouths (often words we later regret). In contrast, when our heart is bursting with love for someone, it flows through our words.

In the same way, God’s Word speaks of His heart and His intentions toward us. It’s amazing to think that these very words, straight from the heart of God, are in our possession in the Bible. It’s truly incredible to see the power God’s words have held throughout history.

“It is one thing to treat the Bible as a book of good moral instruction, to be heeded so far as is consistent with the spirit of the times and our position in the world; it is another thing to regard it as it really is—the word of the living God, the word that is our life, the word that is to mold our actions, our words, and our thoughts. To hold God’s word as anything less than this is to reject it. And this rejection by those who profess to believe it, is foremost among the causes of skepticism and infidelity in the youth.”—Ellen G. White, Education, p. 260.

Discussion Questions

Summary: The Bible is living and powerful, and reading it is foundational to growing our relationship with God. Not only does it teach us about God’s wonderful character and His interactions with humanity throughout earth’s history—it also speaks to each of us today when we come to it in humility.

<–Thursday