Life Group Material
Week of 4-9 June 2017
I continue to receive positive feedback from the groups and group leaders
around the SOAP method of Bible study. So we are going to continue with that. I
hope that it will generate good, healthy discussion in your group. If you have any
problems, questions or issues, please do get in touch, I’d be happy to chat with
you, maybe give you some tips if there are specific areas that you’re struggling in.
As you may recall, SOAP is the acronym for Scripture, Observation, Application,
Prayer. It can be used with any daily Bible reading plan.
Pentecost
This past Sunday was Pentecost Sunday.
The English word “Pentecost” is a transliteration of the Greek word pentekostos,
which means “fifty.” It comes from the ancient Christian expression “pentekoste
hemera”, which means “fiftieth day.” Christians borrowed the phrase “fiftieth
day” from Greek-speaking Jews who used the phrase to refer to a Jewish holiday.
This holiday was known as the Festival of Weeks, or, more simply, Weeks
(Shavuot in Hebrew). This name comes from an expression in Leviticus 23:16,
which instructs people to count seven weeks or “fifty days” from the end of
Passover to the beginning of the next holiday.
Pentecost is one of the most significant events on the Christian calendar. It was
the day that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers in Jerusalem, 10
days after Jesus had ascended to heaven. In a sense it represents the culmination
of our Lord’s earthly ministry and it ushers in a new era in the Divine Narrative –
the birth of the church.
Passages for Life Group – John 16:7-15, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:1-4
You’ll need a Bible, a journal and a pen (or your phone, tablet, computer, etc.)
S is for Scripture
Have everyone in your group open their Bible to today’s reading. Read the
passages through once together out loud (either all read out loud as one, or have
one or two people read out loud whilst the rest follow in their Bibles). Then let
everyone read it for themselves.
Encourage the group to take their time reading and allow God to speak to each
one. When they are done, they must look for a verse/s or words/phrases that
particularly spoke to them, and write it in their journals.
O for Observation
Ask the group what struck them and/or caught their attention in what they read.
What do they think God is saying to them in this scripture? Maybe take a moment
to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach and reveal Jesus to them.
Everyone must then paraphrase and write out, in their own words, those
portions that really stood out to them.
A for Application
Get the group to personalize what you have read, by asking how it applies to
each person’s life right now. Perhaps it is instruction, encouragement, revelation
of a new promise, or corrections for a particular area of life. Get everyone to
write how this scripture can apply to them today.
Have a few people in the group share their insights and allow others to comment
– there should generally be a good discussion that flows out of this.
P for Prayer
Spend some time praying about the things that came out of the study. The prayer
time can be as simple as asking God to help you use this scripture, or it may be a
greater insight on what He may be revealing to you as a group.
Below are some questions to help move the discussion if it has stalled):
(Please resist the urge to try to give answers. Let the group grapple with the
passage and trust the Holy Spirit to be prompting and guiding. As the leader, your
role is to facilitate learning and growth – ask open-ended questions that will help
folks come to the answers themselves.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Who or what is the Holy Spirit? Where does he get his authority from?
What is the role or work of the Holy Spirit?
What is better, to have Jesus here, or to have the Holy Spirit? Why?
Why do we equate the birth of the church with Pentecost?