F.A.I.T.H.
Bible Study Leader Packet
Acrostic Overview
Suggested Scriptures
Personal Study Guide
Leader Guide
Meeting Guide
Inductive Approach
Acrostic Overview
The F.A.I.T.H. study theme is:
Live Intentionally Viewing Eternity
Spirit nudges and empowers us to soar. The question for members to answer each week is – will
they choose to settle or soar?
The F.A.I.T.H. Acrostic Study flows out of this
statement: Fully believing All God says, I choose
by faith To surrender my Heart to live (Live
intentionally viewing eternity).
The F.A.I.T.H. Acrostic Study will teach, build, and
encourage members to soar on wings of faith.
The four eight-week studies provide both Old and
New Testament character studies, plus Jesus or
Paul’s teachings on faith in the books of John
and Romans.
God created birds to soar, not to remain settled
in a nest. From birth the momma bird feeds and
protects her young, and then teaches them to
fly. What must it be like for a baby bird to take a
leap of faith out of the nest and experience the
truth about everything the momma bird taught
and modeled about flying! Can you imagine
them ever wanting to settle for nest living when
they could be soaring?
This Acrostic Study is unique since the suggested
scripture studies do not follow a particular topic,
a Biblical character, or book of the Bible. Your
group will be amazed at how God weaves the
Old and New Testament passages together as
they study the different passages in the Bible
each week.
God wants believers to soar on wings of faith.
The Bible is the guidebook, the characters are
the examples, and the Holy Spirit is the teacher
of this life of faith. Stories fill the Bible of those
who settled for a life of indifference, rebellion,
and disobedience, and of those who soared on
wings of amazing faith. The Bible gives clear
instruction on living a life of faith while the Holy
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“ACROSTIC” Bible Studies
Powerful Impact, Easy To Facilitate
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The F.A.I.T.H. acrostic is used as the basis for the Leader and Personal Study Guides:
F
A
I
T
H
Fully believing ~ Believing starts with knowing
All god says ~ Discovering the “all”
I choose by faith ~ Believe = taking God at His Word
To surrender my ~ Surrender = give up possession of or power over
Heart to live ~ Live Intentionally Viewing Eternity
Suggested Scriptures
FAITH #1 - Old Faithfuls
FAITH #2 - Faith Teachings
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
1: Judges 6 2: Judges 7 3: 1 Samuel 16
4: 1 Samuel 17
5: 1 Kings 17 6: 1 Kings 18 7: 2 Kings 4 8: 2 Kings 5 (Gideon)
(Gideon)
(David)
(David)
(Elijah)
(Elijah)
(Elisha)
(Elisha)
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
John
John
John
John
John
John
John
John
14:1-14
14:15-31
15:1-17
15:18-27
16:1-15
16:16-33
17:1-18
17:19-26
FAITH #3 - Faith In Action
FAITH #4 - Faith Empowered
Week 1: Acts 4:1-31 (Peter & John)
Week 2: Acts 7 (Stephen)
Week 3: Acts 8:26-40 (Philip)
Week 4: Acts 9:1-31 (Ananias)
Week 5: Acts 10 (Cornelius)
Week 6: Acts 12:1-19 (Peter)
Week 7: Acts 16:1-15 (Timothy & Lydia)
Week 8:Acts 16:16-40 (Paul & Silas)
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
2
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
Romans
Romans
Romans
Romans
Romans
Romans
Romans
Romans
3:21-31
4:1-25
5:1-21
6:1-23
7:1-25
8:1-17
8:18-30
8:31-39
Personal Study Guide
The F.A.I.T.H. acrostic handout is used as a five
day Personal Study Guide for the members to
complete each week in preparation for the Bible
Study discussion.
Each week the scripture passage is assigned
for the following week’s Bible Study discussion.
Instruct the members to daily read the passage,
pray for understanding, and complete that day’s
F.A.I.T.H. acrostic letter.
formed. Each day the Holy Spirit reveals deeper
meaning, new discoveries, and added insights
into the passage studied.
For example:
Day 1: Read the assigned scripture and complete the “F” on the guide.
Day 2: Read the assigned scripture and The Acrostic Bible Study encourages group
members to read and study the scripture
passage each day for five days using different
methods of discovery. This approach to
scripture can be compared to looking at a
mountain range from five different angles. From
each perspective a more complete picture is
complete the “A” on the guide.
The leader can assemble F.A.I.T.H.
notebooks with weekly Personal Study
Guides and a F.A.I.T.H. cover sheet - or
simply copy the Personal Study Guides
and distribute each week.
Leader Guide
The F.A.I.T.H. Acrostic Study is designed to encourage group participation, learning, and sharing among
the members with the goal of facilitating open discussion and honest sharing.
Imagine your group has vacationed at the Grand Canyon. After the trip they gather to tell their stories. Some
viewed the canyon from the observation decks, others from the back of a donkey traversing the canyon,
others from a raft trip on the Colorado River, and still others from a helicopter “fly over”. Each brings a unique
perspective and as they share their experiences a 3-D panoramic picture of the Grand Canyon emerges.
Just as the Grand Canyon is seen in greater detail through many eyes, so will the scripture passage be
expanded as the group works through the F.A.I.T.H. Acrostic Bible Study letter by letter.
The Leader Guide includes useful questions and ideas that expand the Personal Study Guide for group
discussion. The questions are designed to elicit thought from the big idea to the personal. Remember,
questions are not for the leader to ask and answer but for the group members.
The leader notes are italicized in the right column paralleling the F.A.I.T.H. Personal Study Guide.
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F.A.I.T.H.
Live IntentionallyViewing Eternity
Week: __________
Scripture: __________________________
Each day read the scripture, pray for understanding, and complete that day’s acrostic letter.
FULLY BELIEVING
Believing starts with knowing
Summarize – put in your own words what
this passage is saying.
Have everyone turn to the passage, ask for a
volunteer to read it to the group.
List what you “know” from this passage about:
Read the caption from Day 1:
1. GOD
F.A.I.T.H. is Fully believing
2. JESUS
Explain that knowing God’s Word, who He is,
and what He says is the foundation of each
member’s faith.
3. HOLY SPIRIT
Ask for volunteers to share their written summaries.
What do you think is the author’s main point in
the passage?
What is the big picture?
Day 1
How would you explain this passage to someone
else?
Ask the group to tell what they discovered in this
passage about:
• God
• Jesus
• Holy Spirit
Optional questions
• Was anything new to you?
• Do you have any questions about what you
read?
• What impressed you most about God, Jesus,
or the Holy Spirit in this passage?
• What is the most interesting thing you read in
this passage?
• In what ways can you identify with this passage?
• What thoughts and feelings did you have as you worked through this passage?
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ALL GOD SAYS
Discovering the “all”
Read the captions from Day 1 & 2:
List commands and promises.
Record contrasts, word pictures, and repeated
words/phrases.
F.A.I.T.H. is Fully believing All God says
This section focuses on practical instructions and
personal promises to a life of faith.
Ask:
• What in particular stood out to you in the
passage this week?
• Any contrasts or comparisons?
• Any word pictures?
Don’t be afraid of silence!
Be willing to wait for
some to share; do not
be the first. The goal is
to get others to share.
• Any repeated words or phrases?
Each week choose different questions to guide
the discussion on the “commands”.
• What are the commands or instructions in the passage?
• What commands or instructions are easy for Day 2
you to follow?
• What commands or instructions are more difficult for you to follow?
• Give a brief example of what it looks like to follow each command.
• Why do you think God included these verses in the Bible?
Each week choose different questions to guide
the discussion on the “promises”.
• What are the promises in this passage?
• At this time, what promise do you need the most?
• Did you notice any conditions to the promises?
• Share a time when a promise from this
passage encouraged you.
• What promise encourages you the most and why?
• What significance do these promises have for you personally?
• How would your daily life be different if you
believed these promises to be true?
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“ I ”CHOOSE BY FAITH
Believe = taking God at His Word
Write out what you fully believe or struggle to
believe.
Read the captions from DAY 1-3:
F.A.I.T.H. is Fully believing All God says I
choose by faith.
By choosing to believe, how is your faith
affected?
Generally the majority of your study time will be
spent in this section. You may want to divide a
large group into smaller groups for this discussion.
If you struggle to believe, what keeps you
from taking God at His Word?
For LARGE GROUP Discussion ask the group:
• What comes easy for you to believe in this Day 3
passage? Why?
• What is harder for you to grasp or believe in this passage?
• What do you think keeps a person from believing what God says is true for them?
• By choosing to believe, “taking God at His Word”, how will your faith be affected?
• What part does feelings play in choosing to believe?
For SMALL GROUP Discussion, divide into groups
of 3 to 5 individuals. Ask them to answer the
questions (10-15 minutes) from Day 3 in their
Personal Study Guide. Gather the groups back
together and have a spokesperson from each
group give a brief summary of their discussion.
Pairing or grouping with different
women each week helps your
group build community and
friendships. Initially, some may not
enjoy the smaller group time, but as
they grow, it may become their
favorite part of the study!
Additional discussion questions for F.A.I.T.H.
Character Studies 1 & 3:
• Describe __________________’s (character) faith as seen in this passage?
• How was ________________’s faith built? Tested? Refined?
• What choices did the character make by faith?
• What do you learn from the results of those choices?
• Why do you think God included this person’s
story in the Bible?
• What in this character’s faith would you like to imitate? Why?
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TO SURRENDER
Surrender = give up possession of or power over
Re-read the passage and take 5-10 minutes to
LISTEN. Write down what you hear the Spirit
saying to you.
Read the captions from DAY 1-4:
F.A.I.T.H. is Fully believing All God says I
choose by faith To surrender.
Write a prayer of surrender in response to
God’s words to you.
The Holy Spirit is each member’s counselor, helper, and guide. He speaks through the Bible and
personalizes the truths as they listen. Encourage
the group to take seriously their personal time of
listening each week.
Day 4
Use additional questions to encourage discussion:
What did God specifically say to you as you
listened to Him this week?
Have volunteers read what they wrote on their
worksheet under this section (or pair up) and
share what they heard God say.
Discuss the impact of having God speak personally
• What did you hear?
• How did it make you feel?
• What verses in this passage meant the most to you and why?
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HEART TO LIVE
Live Intentionally Viewing Eternity
Read the captions from DAY 1-5:
In what way will you L.I.V.E. by faith this
week?
F.A.I.T.H. is Fully believing All God says I
choose by faith To surrender my Heart to
LIVE (Live Intentionally Viewing Eternity).
Who will you encourage with the truths
you’ve learned?
Ask for volunteers to share their personal
applications from this week’s study.
Use additional questions to encourage
discussion:
Day 5
• What do you sense God is asking you to do by faith in response to your study?
• In what ways does this passage guide you in living intentionally viewing eternity?
• What changes in thought and action need to be adjusted?
• What would you like to imitate?
• What would that look like?
• What is the first step?
• What one lesson from this passage can
Remind the group that the goal
of your Neighborhood Bible Study
is not just to fill their heads with
more knowledge, but also to take
this new knowledge and use it to transform their
lives for God’s kingdom and His purposes.
The individual’s faith and convictions will grow
and solidify as members apply God’s truth to
their lives and talk about it with others.
apply to your life of faith?
• How will you do it?
• How can we help?
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First Meeting Guide
Begin with Coffee & Conversation
(10-15 minutes)
Sharing a cup of coffee, tea, or juice (snack optional) fosters friendship and community.
F.A.I.T.H. Bible Study
(30-45 minutes)
►
Gather Group to Begin
Invite the group to sit, if they haven’t already
done so, and begin by having each person state
their name and answering one Short Answer
Question. (see nbs2go.com - Open Bible: Short
Answer Questions)
“Where were you born?”
“What did you want to be when you grew up?”
“What is your favorite season of the year?”
“If you could redecorate any room in your house,
which one would it be?”
“How many siblings do you have and where are
you in the birth order?”
“What is your favorite junk food?”
This is a quick way for the group members to get
to know something new about each other. If you
have a group of six or less, you may want to ask
an extra question or two. You also may want to
begin each week this way until your members
are more familiar with one another.
Explain the Bible Study Acrostic, Theme, and Scripture Chosen
►
Refer to Acrostic Overview in the Bible Study
Leader Packet for explanation and put this in your
own words.
See the Acrostic Bible Study Series Inductive
Approach document for ideas on communicating
with your group about the benefits of this learning style which is woven into the fabric of each
Acrostic Bible Study.
Demonstrate How to Use the Acrostic Personal Study Guide
►
Give each member an Acrostic Personal Study
Guide sheet or the notebook you have prepared
with the Study Guides included.
Explain that the Acrostic Bible Study encourages
group members to read and study the scripture
passage each day for five days using different
methods of discovery. This approach to scripture
can be compared to looking at a mountain range
from five different angles where each perspective forms a more complete picture.
•
Choose a short passage of scripture (ex: Philippians 4:4-7; James 1:22-25;
Matthew 7:24-27, Psalm 23; Proverbs 3:1-6) to walk your group through and demonstrate how to use the Acrostic Personal Study Guide.
Have everyone turn to the selected passage and
ask a volunteer read it aloud.
•
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Together, answer the daily questions. (Or, if you have a large group, split into smaller
groups with each group taking one of the day’s
questions to work through. Allow the groups about 15 minutes to discuss their questions and then bring everyone together again to share their answers and insights.)
First Meeting Guide
(Con’t)
►
Explain the Weekly Study Preparation
•
Make sure the members understand that
each week the scripture passage assigned
will be discussed at the following week’s Bible Study meeting.
•
Instruct the members to daily pray for understanding, then read the passage and complete one Acrostic letter for that day.
Share your personal excitement for the
Acrostic Study
►
Encourage the group to invite others to join the
study at any time. This creates a welcoming
environment and invites community – along with
protecting the study from becoming ingrown and
stagnant!
►
Emphasize that there are no “right or wrong”
answers to the daily questions. Assure them
that the Holy Spirit will take His Word, the circumstances of each member’s life, where they
are in their spiritual journey, and teach them
personally what He desires them to know and
apply to their lives.
Explain how the weekly Acrostic Bible Study will be Facilitated
►
Illustrate that your weekly Bible study time
will be much like gathering together after taking a vacation to the same destination, like the
Grand Canyon. Each person brings a unique
perspective and as they share their experiences,
photographs and discoveries, a 3-D panoramic
picture of the Grand Canyon (passage of scripture
studied) emerges. Share that you will be using
the A,B,C,D’s of discussion:
A - Audible (be loud enough for all to hear)
B - Brief (statements not stories)
C -Christ and Content Centered (stay focused)
D - Discuss without Division (don’t talk about politics, denominations, or controversial issues)
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Leader closes with a short prayer
Weekly Meeting Guide
Begin with Coffee & Conversation
(15-20 minutes)
Sharing a cup of coffee, tea, or juice (snack optional) fosters friendship and community.
Have group members take turns providing refreshments.
F.A.I.T.H. Bible Study
(30-45 minutes)
►
Leader opens with a simple prayer
►
Lead the discussion
Remember you are leading a Bible study, not a
prayer group. Keep your prayer simple and to
the point.
Guide your group’s discussion, letter by letter,
using the F.A.I.T.H. Personal Study and Leader
Guide. It is very important to regularly remind
your group of the A,B,C,D’s of discussion:
For example: “Father, we ask that You would
be present with us, that You would guide and
teach us as we study Your Word, and that our
words and discussions would be pleasing unto
You. Father, we thank you for every woman here
today. In the name of Jesus, Amen.”
A - Audible (be loud enough for all to hear)
B - Brief (statements not stories)
C -Christ and Content Centered (stay focused)
D - Discuss without Division (don’t talk about Additional questions to keep
the group discussion going:
• What else did you notice?
• What do you mean by that?
• What else can anyone add to that?
• Could you explain that more fully?
• Can you rephrase that statement?
• Would you explain that?
• What reason can you give for that?
• What do you think it means to ... ?
• How would you react to that?
• What can we learn from ... ?
• What impressed you most about ... ?
Your NBS members may likely
represent a variety of different
religious backgrounds or may possibly
be unchurched. It is better not to openly share
prayer requests or have members pray out loud
in order to avoid intimidation, gossip, and/or
any unintended offense.
►
Lead the group in reciting the
F.A.I.T.H. Acrostic Study theme:
Live Intentionally Viewing Eternity
►
Read passage to be studied
politics, denominations, or controversial issues)
►
Assign the following week’s scripture passage
Handout the Personal Study Guide to the group if
not using study notebooks.
►
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Leader closes with a short prayer
Acrostic Bible Study Series
The Inductive Approach
“It is only when truth is self-discovered that it is appropriated.
When a man is simply told the truth it remains external to him and he can quite easily forget it.
When he is led to discover the truth himself,
it becomes an integral part of him and he never forgets it.”
William Barclay, Theologian
Acrostic Bible Studies use the Inductive Approach to Learning
The Inductive Approach to learning involves actively exploring, discovering, and evaluating all the data
before coming to a conclusion. The Deductive Approach starts with a predetermined outcome in mind
and then seeks to prove it. Detectives gathering information at a crime scene use the Inductive Approach
by asking good questions and observing all the details around them. Lawyers defending a client in court
wanting to drive the jury to a predetermined conclusion use the Deductive Approach.
By using the Acrostic Bible Study method, participants learn to actively study the Word of God for themself.
They learn to become self-feeders, personally discovering and applying God’s transforming truths. The
Holy Spirit is each participant’s teacher, not another person or a workbook. The Holy Spirit speaks through
the Scripture passages to each person individually based on their spiritual journey (seeker, new, or mature
believer), season of life, background, or circumstances. In this way the Acrostic study method is unique
and simple, whether a person has been a Christ follower for five weeks or five decades, whether they
are a child or a senior, everyone can use this creative inductive approach to discovering deeper truths in
found in scripture.
Using the Inductive Bible Study Method with Acrostics
(Photos taken of the Swiss Alps can easily illustrate this method)
• Observation: What does the passage say? Big picture, main idea, overview (panoramic photograph
of the Swiss Alps)
• Interpretation: What does the passage mean? Questions, key words and phrases, life lessons and truths (single snapshots of the Swiss Alps taken from a variety of angles and placed in a photo album)
• Application: How does this passage apply to me? Holy Spirit guided personal application (one selected Swiss Alps photo to be framed)
The Acrostic study method also creates engaging Bible study discussion. As the group shares from their
personal discoveries and application of God’s Word, the conversation tends to be rich and varied. Group
discussion also clarifies and hones what has been discovered. Real and lasting life change is the result.
Using a simple Acrostic week after week for personal study and discussion makes the process of selfdiscovery of God’s transforming truths fascinating. It is a simple guide for the participants to confidently
use in facilitating their own Acrostic Bible studies in the future.
Additional helps:
Warren Wiersbe’s commentaries are available for every book of the Bible • Biblegateway.com – all
Bible versions available for free study and printout • Smart Phone Bible App: YouVersion
© 2013 NBS2go / nbs2go.com
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