Terry challenged and encouraged leaders to have a vision for transformation in their own lives and to challenge their group members to pursue transformation. He did this by sharing a brief bible study from 1 Timothy 1.

Terry gave information about the plan for Sermons in 2025 and also gave information about how we want to make prayer more of a priority in the coming semester.

Aaron gave us on update on the River Training Center and a potential partnership for teaching accredited classes with Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Rodney spoke about helping people change. This is an introduction to an upcoming River Christian Training class. Helping People Change Handout

Brenda spoke about mentoring as the bottom line of a group leader’s ministry. She also went through our leadership core commitments.

Jim Lewis shared how he and Justin and Neil have been reading the bible together over the last year. Each of theme shared some of the benefits of reading together and Jim encouraged and challenged group leaders to lean into reading the bible together.

Terry spoke about differing levels of complexity in life but our focus as group leaders to be faithful. The encouragement was to pursue simplicity in group life. Read the bible, pray, and do it in community.

Several weeks ago Austin and I had a good small group meeting. People were open and honest. We had a good discussion about the message. We have a guy who attends our group who is not a believer. He mostly listened. He felt welcomed and enjoyed being a part of the group.

After our group meeting that night Austin said something to me that was very insightful and helpful.

He said, “That was a good group but did it feel more like a therapy session than a small group?”

Great question! So grateful that Austin asked.

Austin was acting as a faithful leader assistant by asking the question and helping me think about our group meeting. Leader Assistants you have an important role to play.

Back to Austin’s question: was this a therapy group?

I started wondering – What would our non-believing friend be thinking about our small group time when he got home.

“That’s a great group of guys.”

“They gave me some great advice.”

“I sure do feel better after going to group.”

None of those are bad thoughts. I hope he had all of those thoughts.

What about these thoughts…

I don’t know what I believe about Jesus, but those guys believe in Jesus.

Those guys really trust Jesus.

Those guys think Jesus really loves them and they are devoted to him.

Ultimately I want this person to say – These guys trust Jesus. I want to trust him too.

Our friend trusting Jesus is a work of the Spirit, but is it clear in our group meetings that we trust in Jesus.

I think after Austin asked me this question I have a new slogan for conducting group meetings.

Here is the slogan: WWJBD

What Would John the Baptist DO?

He would probably dress weird.

If John were a small group leader there is one thing that John would be clear about – He would point to Jesus.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

IF you were in John the Baptist’s small group you would know that he was all about Jesus.

If someone confessed sin in John’s small group. I can imagine he would say, “Thanks for being open and honest.” And he might say “Jesus has paid the price for your sin and forgiven you. He wants to take that sin away from you.”

John might say, you have confessed that sin to us, now why don’t you talk to Jesus about it. Give it to Jesus and ask him for help after all Jesus is the one who came to deal with your sin.

I remember a time several years ago when I was with someone and they confessed a sin to me.

I asked – have you talked to God about this sin in your life? They began to cry.

Immediately my reaction was, “Oh no, I made it worse.” “They trusted me and I made them feel bad.” “They will never trust me again.”

I didn’t want them to “feel” bad. I did want them to experience forgiveness from Christ.

It was right for me to ask them to talk to Jesus about their sin. I helped them. I told them what to say, but Jesus is just as real as Rodney. He is the one who cleanses and forgives.

WWJBD – What would John the Baptist Do – He would say take your sins to Jesus.

John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

How do I conduct my small group meetings with a desire for Jesus to INCREASE.

I might be a good teacher. I might lead well organized groups but what is one thing that I want my non-believing friend to know after leaving group – These guys really trust Jesus.

What are some activities you might do in your group?

ACCOUNTABILITY

How are you doing with your quiet time?

Important activity – Accountability is vital

Look to Jesus’ words to tell us WHY we are doing accountability.

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands.

Love me – do what I command and then I will be at home with you.

When we do accountability in our groups, we are helping people to love Jesus.

Do you do accountability in your groups with a desire to help people be obedient to Jesus’ commands? If you do, you are helping people love Jesus.

PRAYER

One of the things that John the Apostle does in his writings is to repeat words.

If you want to, read ahead in John 14-16 – Circle the word ask and count how many times Jesus’ tells us to Ask.

Here is just one verse – John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

What does Jesus tell us to do there? He says “ASK”

Dallas Willard wrote that praying is primarily asking.

Praying is not reasoning with God.

When you pray, just ask for what you want.

Jesus asked – “What do you want me to do for you?”

Is he too busy for us? Is he not strong enough? Is he not wise enough?

Just ask and let him sort it out. Model simple asking in your group.

I often ask people – How can I pray for you?

Not a bad question.

What if I asked, “What are YOU asking JESUS to do in YOUR life?”

I’m not endorsing the prosperity Gospel, but encouraging us to take Jesus at his word. He says ask, so we should ask.

I’m encouraging you to tell your group members to go to Jesus for what they want. Go to Jesus for what they need.

A theology of prayer may be complex.

Back to our WWJBD slogan.

He might say… No prayer requests tonight – If you need something. If you want something, let’s ask Jesus for it. Of course we can pray for each other but why don’t we talk to Jesus rather than just talking to each other.

Ask Him for what you want.

I’ve been meditating on Psalm 121:1

The maker of heaven and earth is your helper.

He gives me help through books. Through friendships. Through the church. Through his word.

But HE, the personal God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is our helper.

Yes I want my non-believing friend to be helped by our group meetings.

The best help that he could receive is for him to trust the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

I want him to be surrounded by guys in our group who are growing in trusting Jesus.

What do you want?

Q: Why do you believe in and trust the Bible?

Q: What reasons have you had or heard that people have had, who struggle to trust the Bible?

Francis Schaeffer wrote, “The God who is there” “He is there and he is not silent.”

He had a ministry in Switzerland where students from all over the world, in a pre-internet time (1955-1984)found their way to his house, L’bri (shelter).

Many people, came to Christ through their ministry, in a very disorienting and confused era of history.

One person, who came to be Labri…was more interested in being impressive than finding truth went on and on in a group session.

Finally, Shaeffer said, “If you have a real question, I will take all night listening to you. But I will not play with the truth.”

This is now we must lead our groups…with that kind gentleness and with that kind of certainty and clarity

We will listen and love…but we will not play games with the truth…there is just too much at stake.

Everything is at stake…we don’t play with truth here. We cannot.

Julian Huxley was an atheist who said that somehow or another, against what one might expect, man functions better if he acts as though God is there.

That’s because God is there.

A personal God has made us in his own image.

We would expect God to communicate to us in verbalized form since has made us verbalized beings.

If You were God and wanted to communicate to humans who you are and what you value how would you do it?

I would speak directly using words.

I would show through my actions.

I would show up in person.

This is exactly what we have.

Now, what if you wanted to communicate through multiple generations, how would you do that?

You would want a written record, one that could verified and protected for as long as necessary.

That is what we have.

The purpose of the Bible is the revelation of Christ.

Bible Can Be Understood According these 8 categories:

Gospels: Manifestation of Christ

You get the point…Christ is the reason for the revelation of Scripture, and he is the interpretative key to the Bible.

Even as he is the interpretative key to our very lives.

The Bible is the Word of God…it is truth with no mixture of error.

People have and do struggle with this.

When they struggle to have confidence in the Bible…the will struggle to apply it…to their own harm.

So, let’s do some training about reasons for our confidence in the Bible.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:15-17

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

God has revealed himself to humans using their personalities, styles, experiences…but what they wrote is divine inspiration.

He has given us his word in a variety of literary styles, through at least 40 different personalities.

It is Truth with no mixture of error…God gave it to us.

“But humans, wrote it and they are not perfect.”

-There are math books that are without errors…God can easily see to it that we got a perfect Bible

The Bible is not a science book, but when it touches on science it does not err…same with history, and ethics…it is truth with no mixture of error.

But there are so many versions of the Bible…how do we know what we have is the right one?

There are many translations…people think “versions” means, entirely different books.

Revised Standard Version

English Standard Version

New International Version

*These are not different Bibles; they are different translations with some differences in theory of how to translate accurately from one language to another.

-Some more word for word, some more idea for idea.

They all use the many manuscripts God has providentially provided.

Some are better than others…if you use a good one, you have God’s word…you can be sure of it.

Dan Brown, infamous author of Di Vinci Code in early 2000’s..wrote some non-historical fiction about a supposed conspiracy to suppress the real truth of the Bible.

-It is utter Nonsense…non scholarly, but it, and other books like it…have undermined the confidence of some in the Bible.

-A Friend who is agnostic recentlysaid, “The Bible was determined at the council of Nicaea by a bunch of people.”

“No, they didn’t deal with the canon.”

There were times when the church meet and discussed what books are “Scripture”

But what they were doing was not “determining” Scripture they were recognizing it.

Councils did not decide, God did…the church already was using it.

And the church had specific guidelines and reasons for what was Scripture.

My friend got his misinformation from a non-reliable source and readily believed that he was well informed.

His response to me was, “oh, didn’t know that.”

My goal for this part of our time is not so you can remember certain facts or win arguments.

By the way, I had no argument with this friend…he asked, we talked, he was grateful…it was a conversation inside a relationship.

My goal is that you would be able to help the people you lead, when necessary, have confidence in the Bible.

Many of them already do have confidence and don’t really have questions…this is fine and not an irrational position to hold.

Some of them, belief and don’t know why…a question may not unsettle them…they just haven’t heard it or thought of it yet.

In my small group, a man in his late 60’s said, “I don’t have any questions.”

He is a very intelligent, well-educated man, who know the Bible well…his response is belief on the other side of years of life, study, and experience with God.

Simplicity on the other side of complexity.

I have found with great interest that River Next kids sometimes have more trouble with mystery than do older adults.

It’s okay to not have questions…it’s okay to have them…there are answers for those who want or need them.

Let me give you some books as reference points if you are feeling ambitious or curious:

1. From God to Us: How We Got Our Bible: Norman Geisler

Trace: RCT Training class: Principles for interpreting Scripture, Spring 2023.

River Christian Training

I am going to give a summary of the main points regarding the Scriptures using an acrostic I put together.

THE BIBLE

There—It matches what we see in the world and it changes lives.

-He has spoken

-His Word, therefore matches what is there.

-His word, even when applied by non-believers “works”

-His word, when not applied even by believers “works” (against them)

Historical evidence—archeology

-People doubted some events and places in Scripture because there was no other evidence…then it was discovered…as people dug in the dirt.

-The Popular Handbook of archeology and the Bible. Geisler

*There are many articles and books that describe how the Bible is proven true, every time you dig in the dirt in Israel.

*Unlike, for instance, “The Book of Mormon.”

End times—prophecy

*It doesn’t tell us as much as some say it does, at least in specific details…but when it spoke of the future it was right…it will always be just that.

Bibliographic—number of manuscripts

-The most of any other ancient book is Homer’s Iliad (643).

-The gap for most ancient manuscripts is about 1000 years(between original and extant copies), the NT 100 years or less

Autographs are infallible, not the copies.

No difference or debate over major issues…only minor ones.

**Textual criticism

What we have is reliable, God has seen to that.

YO# H9ve won 20 million dollars.

-100 percent of the original message comes through.

Internal consistency—it is non-contradictory.

Even more not just that it doesn’t conflict with itself…it is a miraculously consistent book.

-There many books and a lot of good research on the way the Bible is put together.

-When you read the Bible, as it is written…not out of context…it fits together in a way that is miraculous.

Bestseller—God’s hand on it.

-POW’s have longed for it more than food.

-It is the world’s best seller

-How do you explain its reach in mere human terms.

-Men and women have given their lives to learn languages, to write down formerly non-written languages, just to translate the Bible.

Lord Jesus—affirmed it and those who wrote it

Extra biblical sources:

For instance: Josephus, a Roman Jewish Historian and military leader who was born about 4 years after Jesus died.

There are many other extra-biblical books, that are written during the first and second century that confirm the Bible.

JESUS AND THE BIBLE

Link to Powerpoint File

We focused on Mission at Leadership in the fall. Terry began by talking about F.I.T.S. Which stands for Friendships, Identify with Christ, Team up with Others, Share the Gospel. Each of these aspects should be approached with prayer. God is the one at work, we are invited to join him.

During the training a different leader came up and talked about how they have lived out each of these different aspects.

Trace shared three methods for sharing the gospel. He also encouraged leaders to have their group members grow in gospel fluency.