A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 The Covenant Bible Study Series
Episode Two: Torah: Genesis
Led by Shane Stanford
Reminder: God’s Word... About His Word
Scripture Reference:
5 Since childhood you have known the holy scriptures that help you to be wise in a
way that leads to salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. 16 Every scripture is
inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting,
and for training character, 17 so that the person who belongs to God can be
equipped to do everything that is good. --2Timothy 3: 15-17
Paul’s Lessons for Timothy
Scripture:
A. Is inspired by God
B. Useful or created for teaching
C. Helpful in showing mistakes
D. Encouraging for correcting mistakes
E. Needed for training character
Overall: The person who studies Scripture becomes equipped to do God’s Will in
their lives.
I. Before you begin
A. Your personal context: Take some time to list your personal context for this
week and for your study of the Torah: Genesis. How does the study of the Torah:
Genesis affect or is affected by your personal context?
1 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 Notes:
Scale of 1 to 10: (1=minimal, 10=unbearable max)
1. Life Crisis-- Rating: _________
Examples:
2. Life Chaos-- Rating: _________
Examples:
B. Your reason for deeper study: Why does the study of the Torah: Genesis
matter to your present daily routine and life?
Notes:
C. Your preparation: Are you prepared to maximize the effect of studying God’s
Word? Please consider the following-1. Time commitment: How much time did you commit to studying God’s
Word this week?
Notes:
2. Prayer Life (Praying the Jesus Outline): How does you prayer life rate in
general this week? Use scale above- Rating: __________
For what
specifically are you praying for this Covenant Bible Study season? Explain:
Notes:
D. Your expectations (How do you define success?): What do you expect to
receive from participating in this Bible Study series’ study of the Torah: Genesis?
Notes:
2 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 II. A Biblical Overview
Overview: Lets take a moment to review some of the most pressing, important and
controversial issues raised during our Bible study readings and discussions this past
week-A. Hebrew Bible or Old Testament? There is a great deal of debate and tension
between two primary schools of thought when reading these passages.
1. Hebrew Bible: One school refers to the text as the Hebrew Bible—a
stand-alone account of Creation, Humanity’s fall, God’s Covenants with
God’s people, and the rise and fall of the nation of Israel.
Notes:
2. The Old Testament: A second school refers to the text as the Old
Testament--- as in a proceeding ‘word’ for a second testament or “new”
testament. This is usually read with a strong eye toward the work of the
coming Messiah and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. This
school is called the ‘Christocentric’ school.
Notes:
B. Title, Setting, Date and Outline for Genesis
1. Title: The first phrase in the Hebrew text of 1:1 is bereshith ("in [the]
beginning"), which is also the Hebrew title of the book (books in ancient
times customarily were named after their first word or two). The English title,
Genesis, is Greek in origin and comes from the word geneseos, which
appears in the pre-Christian Greek translation (Septuagint) of 2:4; 5:1.
Depending on its context, the word can mean "birth," "genealogy," or
"history of origin." In both its Hebrew and Greek forms, then, the traditional
title of Genesis appropriately describes its contents, since it is primarily a
book of beginnings.
2. Purpose: Genesis speaks of beginnings -- of the heavens and the earth,
of light and darkness, of seas and skies, of land and vegetation, of sun and
moon and stars, of sea and air and land animals, of human beings (made in
3 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 God's own image, the climax of his creative activity), of marriage and
family, of society and civilization, of sin and redemption. The list could go
on and on. A key word in Genesis is "account," which also serves to divide
the book into its ten major parts (see Literary Features and Literary Outline)
and which includes such concepts as birth, genealogy and history.
The book of Genesis is foundational to the understanding of the rest of the
Bible. Its message is rich and complex, and listing its main elements gives a
succinct outline of the Biblical message as a whole. It is supremely a book
that speaks about relationships, highlighting those between God and his
creation, between God and humankind, and between human beings. It is
thoroughly monotheistic, taking for granted that there is only one God
worthy of the name and opposing the ideas that there are many gods
(polytheism), that there is no god at all (atheism) and that everything is
divine (pantheism). It clearly teaches that the one true God is sovereign over
all that exists (i.e., his entire creation), and that he often exercises his
unlimited freedom to overturn human customs, traditions and plans. It
introduces us to the way in which God initiates and makes covenants with
his chosen people, pledging his love and faithfulness to them and calling
them to promise theirs to him. It establishes sacrifice as the substitution of
life for life (ch. 22). It gives us the first hint of God's provision for
redemption from the forces of evil (compare 3:15 with Ro 16:17-20) and
contains the oldest and most profound statement concerning the
significance of faith (15:6; see note there). More than half of Heb 11 -- a NT
list of the faithful -- refers to characters in Genesis.
3. Outline:
Thematic Outline:
• Creation (1:1 -- 2:3)
• Primeval History (2:4 -- 11:26)
◦ Adam and Eve in Eden (2:4-25)
◦ The Fall and Its Consequences (ch. 3)
◦ Sin's Progression (4:1-16)
◦ The Genealogy of Cain (4:17-26)
◦ The Genealogy of Seth (ch. 5)
◦ God's Response to Human Depravity (6:1-8)
◦ The Great Flood (6:9 -- 9:29)
Preparing for the flood (6:9 -- 7:10)
Judgment and redemption (7:11 -- 8:19)
The rising of the waters (7:11-24)
The receding of the waters (8:1-19)
The flood's aftermath (8:20 -- 9:29
A new promise (8:20-22)
4 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 Renewed benediction and new ordinances (9:1-7)
A new relationship (9:8-17)
A new temptation (9:18-23)
A final word (9:24-29)
◦ The Spread of the Nations (10:1 -- 11:26)
The diffusion of nations (ch. 10)
The confusion of languages (11:1-9)
The first Semitic genealogy (11:10-26
• Patriarchal History (11:27 -- 50:26)
◦ The Life of Abraham (11:27 -- 25:11)
Abraham's background (11:27-32)
Abraham's call and response (chs. 12 - 14)
Abraham's faith and God's covenant (chs. 15 - 22)
Abraham's final acts (23:1 -- 25:11)
◦ The Descendants of Ishmael (25:12-18).
◦ The Life of Jacob (25:19 -- 35:29)
Jacob at home (25:19 -- 27:46)
Jacob abroad (chs. 28 - 30)
Jacob at home again (chs. 31 - 35)
◦ The Descendants of Esau (36:1 -- 37:1)
◦ The Life of Joseph (37:2 -- 50:26)
Joseph's career (37:2 -- 41:57)
Jacob's migration (chs. 42 - 47)
Jacob's final days (48:1 -- 50:14)
Joseph's final days (50:15-26)
B. Authorship of the Pentateuch or Torah-- There are three basic ‘schools’ of
thought when referring to the authorship of the Pentateuch or first five books of the
Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. BTW: All three schools refer to the first five
books as the “Books of Moses or Mosaic Law”, basically conceding that Moses is
the central character in the creation of the books, whether he directly wrote them
or not.
1. School One: Moses as author of the Pentateuch— This is the most
widely, traditional view of authorship. Five books wrote over 40 year
period in the wilderness (majority not all), around 1450 to 1400 BC.
Pros: Scripture strongly states of Mosaic authorship
Cons: Doublets and Triplets Accounts, Eastern Practice of Authoring Holy
Texts Involved Schools of Thought not Individual Leaders
Verses that support Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (NLT Translation
Used)
5 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 • Passages in the Pentateuch itself:
◦ Exodus 17:14 "Then the Lord instructed Moses, 'Write this down as a
permanent record...'"
◦ Exodus 24:4 "Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord's
instructions."
◦ Exodus 34:27 "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Write down all these
instructions, for they represents the terms of my covenant with you
and with Israel.'"
◦ Leviticus 1:1 "The Lord called to Moses from the Tabernacle and said
to him, 'Give the following instructions to the Israelites...'"
◦ Leviticus 6:8 "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Give Aaron and his sons
the following instructions...'"
◦ Deuteronomy 31:9 "So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the
priests."
◦ Deuteronomy 31:24-26 "When Moses had finished writing down this
entire body of law in a book..."
• Passages elsewhere in the Hebrew Scriptures:
◦ Joshua 1:7-8 "...Obey all the laws Moses gave you."
◦ Joshua 8:31-34 "He followed the instructions that Moses the Lord's
servant had written in the Book of the Law..."
◦ Joshua 22:5 "...obey all the commands and the laws that Moses gave
to you."
◦ 2 Chronicles 34:14 "...Hilkiah the high priest...found the book of the
Law of the Lord as it had been given through Moses."
• Passages in the Gospels which show that Jesus and John the Baptizer
believed Moses to be the author:
◦ Matthew 19:7-8 "...why did Moses say a man could merely write an
official letter of divorce and send her away?", they asked. Jesus
replied, 'Moses permitted divorce...'"
◦ Matthew 22:24 "Moses said, 'If a man dies without children...'"
◦ Mark 7:10 "For instance, Moses gave you this law from God..."
◦ Mark 12:24 "...haven't you ever read about this in the writings of
Moses, in the story of the burning bush..."
◦ Luke 24:44 "...I told you that everything written about me by Moses
and the prophets and in the Psalms must all come true."
◦ John 1:17 "For the law was given through Moses..."
◦ John 5:46 "But if you had believed Moses, you would have believed
me because he wrote about me. And since you don't believe what he
wrote, how will you believe what I say?"
◦ John 7:23 "...do it, so as not to break the law of Moses..."
• Passages elsewhere in the Christian Scriptures:
◦ Acts 26:22 "...I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses
said would happen..."
◦ Romans 10:5 "For Moses wrote..."
6 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 2. School Two: Team Authorship by five scholars of the Mosaic School and
Tradition who used the oral tradition of the law passed own through the
generations of the Mosaic School. The five authors are titled:
•
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•
•
•
J: a writer who used JHWH as the "unpronounceable name of God." It is often translated as Jehovah. E: a writer who used Elohim as the divine name. D: the author of the book of Deuteronomy. P: a writer who added material of major interest to the priesthood. R: a redactor who shaped the contributions of J, E, P and D together into the present Pentateuch. School Two’s evidence and argument for authorship: • Theologians were prompted to develop the Documentary Hypothesis as a result of observing the presence of doublets in the Pentateuch. These are pairs of stories which occur in two separate locations in the text. The doublets generally do not agree fully; there are usually minor differences between the stories. R.E. Friedman, in his 1997 book "Who Wrote the Bible?" lists a number of them: • Two creation stories in Genesis. • Two descriptions of the Abrahamic covenant. • Two stories of the naming of Isaac. • Two instances where Abraham deceived a king by introducing his wife Sarah as his sister. • Two stories of Jacob traveling to Mesopotamia • Two stories of a revelation at Beth-­‐el to Jacob. • Two accounts of God changing Jacob's name to Israel • Two instances where Moses extracted water from two different rocks at two different locations called Meribah. ◦ It is difficult to account for so many doublets -­‐-­‐ most containing slight discrepancies -­‐-­‐ if all five books were written over a short interval of time by Moses or by any other single individual. Theologians reasoned that a much more logical explanation is that the books were written by multiple authors who lived long after the events described. That would have allowed the oral tradition to be passed from generation to generation in different areas of the land so that they had a chance to deviate from each other before being written down. In a few cases, triplets have been found in the Pentateuch where the same accounts appear three times. •
Genesis 7:15: In the story of the Flood, these verses have Noah collecting two of each species of animals -­‐-­‐ one male and one female . Genesis 7:2-­‐3 specifies 7 pairs of clean animals and birds and 1 pair of unclean animals. 7 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 •
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Genesis 7:11 describes water coming from the heavens and from below the ground to generate the worldwide flood. However, Genesis 7:4 describes all of the water falling as rain. Genesis 7:11, 7:17, 7:24 and 8:3 specify different intervals for the flood duration which have no apparent resolution. 11 Genesis 11:31 This describes Abraham as living in the city Ur, and associates that location with the Chaldeans. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Chaldeans did not exist as a tribe at the time of Abraham; they rose to power much later, during the 1st millennium BCE. Genesis 14:14: This verse refers to Abram pursuing some surviving kings of Sodom and Gomorrah to the city of Dan. However, that place name did not exist until a long time after Moses' death. Other locations are also identified in the Pentateuch by names that were invented long after the death of Moses. Genesis 22:14: The verse states: "And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day..." There are many verses in the Torah that state that something has lasted "to this day". That appears to have been written by a writer who composed the passages long after the events described, and long after Moses' death. Genesis 36 contained a list of Edomite kings which included some monarchs who were in power after Moses' death. R.E. Friedman wrote: "In the eleventh century, Isaac ibn Yashush, a Jewish court physician of a ruler in Muslim Spain, pointed out that a list of Edomite kings that appears in Genesis 36 named kings who lived long after Moses was dead. Ibn Yashush suggested that the list was written by someone who lived after Moses. The response to his conclusion was that he was called "Isaac the blunderer." History has proven him to be correct, at least as viewed by most mainline and liberal theologians. 9 Exodus 33:7 describes Moses entering the Tabernacle. Yet, the Tabernacle had not yet been built; its subsequent construction is described in Exodus 35. Numbers 12:3: This verse states "Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth." (NKJ) If Moses were that humble, it is unlikely that he would have described himself in these glowing terms. Numbers 25:1 which describes the rebellion at Peor referred to Moabite women; Numbers 25:6 14 refers to Midianites. Deuteronomy 34:5-­‐9: These verses describe the death, burial, age at death, physical condition at death, and mourning period for Moses. It is difficult for an individual to describe events at and after his or her death. Some have suggested that this portion of the Pentateuch (and only this portion) was written later by Joshua. However, R.E. Friedman wrote: Deuteronomy 34:10 This states "There has never been another prophet like Moses..." (NLT) This sounds like a passage written long after Moses' death. Enough time would have had to pass for many other prophets to have arisen, to pass from the scene, and to have been evaluated. 8 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 3. School Three: A Combination Theory—This school asserts that the answer is found in both schools One and Two. Clearly Moses and the Mosaic school claim and express primary knowledge and responsibility for the shape and form of the Pentateuch. The imprint of Moses and the Mosaic school is too vast and strong to be any other answer. However, the doublet/triplets issues, along with certain passages that move Moses to a more third person character, suggest that the Mosaic school and scholars, created and protected the underlying ‘Word’ of the Law. This was sustained through a primarily oral tradition, which was the predominant process in Pre-­‐Davidic eras. However, at some point, priests and leaders within the Mosaic school found it necessary to write down the oral tradition so that as the primary generations faded into history. The cultural changes in the reception of ‘knowledge’ and information is very much like the last 30 years of our own society—could everyone please lift and show me your digital phone or mobile device? Therefore, the imprint of Moses and the mosaic school is unmistakable and the conditions for how that word is shared matter greatly. Notes: Take some time to list, discussion and explain where you land on this issue. Why is this so important for moving forward? C. Working Through the Information and Days of the Study 1. Two Primary Purposes: a. Describe how the world came into being and the role of Israel’s ancestors in the Creation process. b. Describe how Israel became a distinct nation and community within the human race-­‐-­‐ Thus, describing how Israel became the depository for special relationship with God and the conduit for the coming of the Messiah/Savior of the World 2. Primary Theme: The primary theme for the Pentateuch is ‘family’ or ‘kinship’. It came with both honors and great responsibilities. And, though, God’s hand is upon them, Israel Day One: Three Covenants: God makes covenant three times in the Old Testament, with each of them complimenting or working in unison with the other two. a. The First Covenant: With Humanity and Nature. This includes all of humanity but also a personal connection to the Creator. 9 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 1. Two Creation Stories: a. Creation is orderly but set within a ‘cosmic discussion’. Humanity has a large role here. More focus on the responsibilities than the relationship b. Creation Story Two: A Local garden with the connection to humanity and God being very personal and intimate. More focus on the relationship than the responsibility. Note: Another example, though, of why you would want both of them. To tell the story from different angles. However, the Creation stories have two underlying goals to share the rhythm of God with Humanity and the rhythm of humanity with God. Day Two 1. Crisis in Creation—Something goes wrong. It must be explained as a means of setting the stage for God’ redeeming love later. 2. Covenant is made with Noah and his children. 3. The Tower of Babel—Some read this as a punishment. Actually, Scripture calls this more proactive than punishment. God saw their arrogance, and unsettledness and wanted to protect them from their self-­‐centered approach to life. So, God created diverse languages to ‘confuse’ them in their task, thus establishing more distinction ‘among them’ (Gen. 11: 1-­‐9) Notes: Day Three:
1. We learned that God made a second covenant- this time with Abraham
that is specific to this line of Noah’s descendants and establishes the
descendants of Abraham as a special nation and people.
2. God promises Abraham several things through this new Covenant:
a. They will be a ‘nation within a nation’
b. Their population will flourish
c. They shall have a ‘promise
10 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 3. We see the coming together of politics, kinship and culture as one
experience together.
Notes:
4. Several powerful ideas that will sustain the people of Israel—
a. Enduring relationship with God
b. The belief that Israel has a special place in God’s plan for the
world
c. Strong national and communal solidarity
d. Closed the relationships to ‘place’ and the land due to God’s
promise of a land of their own.
Notes:
Day Four:
We learn that God chooses the ‘unlikely’ as the conduits of his
covenant for his people. And, God often sides with the ‘excluded’ as according to
culture.
Notes:
Day Five:
A. Sibling Rivalry
B. Conflict Resolved through:
1. generosity
2. capacity for understanding
One exception: Cain and Abel. Cain kills Abel and the volatility of the
‘other side’ of humanity is shared.
C. The Protection of God: A told through the family of Jacob and protecting
Jacob’s family from death by famine.
Notes:
11 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 Day Six: Who are We?
A. Read Genesis 1: 26-31-- 26 Then God said, “Let us make humanity in
our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea,
the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things
on earth.”
27 God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God
created them, male and female God created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth
and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and
everything crawling on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I now give to you
all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit
produces its seeds within it. These will be your food. 30 To all wildlife, to all
the birds in the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to
everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s
what happened. 31 God saw everything he had made: it was supremely
good. There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day.
B. Three Principles from This Passage—
1. V. 26: We are created in God’s image
2. V. 28: God gave authority to humanity—it is in our spiritual
DNA
3, V. 31: God called this work to be ‘Supremely Good’—humanity
became God’s delight and designee for the work of Creation
Notes:
Group Discussion Questions:
1. Discuss the Three Covenants in Genesis. Why are they important for the
rest of the Bible?
2. With whom does God enter into real relationship in the Covenant
process? How does this covenant experience different from the others
because of this?
12 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 3. What does the covenant process say about God’s relationship with world
as a whole?
4. Why does Torah: Genesis becomes such a story of ‘new beginnings’:
5. What does the covenant process say about our relationship (and
responsibility) to the whole world.
III. Principles of Biblical Study
Overview: Biblical study is a wonderful way to draw close to God and to God’s
people. The depth, beauty, and power of the Bible’s narrative and purpose not
only changes our eternal relationship with God but re-frames the way we interact
with our brothers and sisters in the faith. However, Bible study also offers the
student a doorway into the world and its issues and struggles—not merely as an
observer or ‘commentator’ on the condition of the world. No. Biblical study
provides solutions that begin with the student and then expands through the
potential of grace, forgiveness and outreach. Biblical study is a ‘game changer’ for
individuals, families, churches and communities.
Therefore, one should be a prepared as possible for the proper study of Scripture.
As mentioned before, Scripture can be simple in its beauty but also deeply
troubling and complex. Much of this rests in that Scripture is not an ‘original
source’ of its own value or power. No, it is also reflecting something else.
Scripture reflects God’s justice and righteousness and, therefore, we gain a glimpse
into the struggles of humanity and sin. However, Scripture also reflects grace and
forgiveness, and, thus, we gain another glimpse- this time of the potential of
humanity overcoming sin because of the work, life, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Scripture provides powerful, intimate ‘images of God’ (imago dei). But, at
the same time, Scripture also provides an intimate ‘image of us’ (imago ‘me’).
The following principles accentuate the glimpses of God’s nature, person and
power. But, they also provide us an accurate honest approach to humanity’s great
need and hunger for deeper interaction with God than simply a ‘glimpse’. Listen
(or study) closely, and I believe Scripture unveils its secret passages to each of us.
We must only have courage to enter in.
13 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 Principle #1: Literal vs Interpretation vs Historical-- There is no better book in the
Bible to test this principle. For each of the three stated above, name a part of
Genesis that could be argued to fit one or the other.
Notes:
Principle #2: The Importance of Thinking Contextually-- Why is Genesis so
important to the nation of Israel?
Notes:
Principle #3: Clarifying the Law- Moral, Civil, Temple—Genesis has significant
references to the law. Can you name a law discussed in Genesis that refers to one
of the categories above?
Notes:
Principle #4: The Question of Hermeneutics—remember, this is about
interpretation. Is there an example of needing someone to interpret a particular
part of the Torah for more practical purposes
Notes:
Principle #5: The Use of Narrative, Parable and Imagery—Discuss the use of
each in Genesis.
Notes:
Principle #6: The Strand of Eternal Covenant—For those of us who read Genesis
from a Christocentric point of view—where did you see Jesus at work in Genesis?
Notes:
14 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 Principle #7: The Tension of Justice and Hope- Righteousness and Love-- Name
an encounter in Genesis where this tension is very high but also important to the
overall covenant.
Notes:
Principle #8: The Clarity of Apologetics vs Standard Bible Study-- Several issues
in Genesis speak of a more traditional approach to Bible Study
Notes:
IV. The Covenant Bible Study Process
Overview: The following provides guidance and information as to the Covenant
Bible Study series and process at Christ Church. If you have further questions,
please contact the Office of Community Life. Contact information provided at the
end of this guide.
A. Before We Gather
1. Scripture Reading (Reading Guide)
2. The Meditations
3. Prayer and Discipline
B. When We Gather
1. Gathering Together—General Theme (10 minutes)
2.
Reflecting Together—Reflecting on Week’s Scripture Lessons (10
minutes)
3. Video Segment—Co-hosts interview Biblical Scholar about Scripture
focus for the week (25 minutes)
4. Discovering Together—Sharing our impressions of the Scholar’s thoughts
and suggestions (15 minutes)
5. Centering Together—Providing a devotional meditation to sum up the
Scripture revelation and study (10 minutes)
15 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 6. Serving Together—Agreeing and encouraging how each person might
‘live out’ some facet of what they have learned in this week’s study (5
minutes)
7. Next Week—Sharing info that the groups needs to know about the future
gatherings and a preview of what Biblical study focus is next (5 minutes)
8. Closing Prayer—A time to share together in a brief ‘round robin’ or
‘popcorn’ style prayer focus (5 minutes)
Total Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes per week.
C. After We Gather
1. Keep a prayer and response journal, and keep each group member’s
name/address/email, etc. available
Notes:
2. Be faithful to the ‘journey’—allow the experience to challenge and
inform you—locate and write down ‘five scriptures’ that are your ‘anchors’
for life in Christ.
Notes:
3. Be faithful to your commitments—List specific ways you are faithfully
committed to the particular value listed.
a. Worship
Notes:
b. Care
Notes:
c. Share/Tithe
Notes:
d. Grow
Notes:
e. Serve
16 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 Notes:
4. Ask the ‘hard personal questions’ about the ‘Covenant Life’—
a. Are you ‘creating a covenant relationship with God and Jesus
Christ, and, therefore, with God’s people?
Notes:
b. How are you ‘trusting’ the covenant in tangible ways as to affect
the priorities of the balance of your life?
Notes:
c. What will it take to ‘live’ the covenant from this point on and not
slip back into old patterns of life?
Notes:
V. The Wesley Covenant Prayer
Take time to pray the following prayer at least each week of the Bible Study. To go
even further, place your signature below as a tangible commitment before God and
your small group that you will not only ‘say’ the covenant prayer, you will ‘live’ it
as well.
Gracious God,
I am no longer my own, but Yours.
Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for You or laid aside for You,
exalted for You or brought low for You.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
17 A Guide for Studying Your Bible Part 2: Torah: Genesis © Christ Church Global 2014 You are mine, and I am Yours.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.
I faithfully covenant with you, Gracious Father, in the presence of my brothers and
sisters, that I want to live out this prayer from the depths of my soul. Give me the
courage, wisdom, spirit and grace to do just that.
In grace and hope,
___________________________________
Signature
__________________________
Date
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