Led to...

Is there more to reading the Bible than just gaining some intellectual property - some knowledge or absorbing some new and enlightening facts about Jesus? There is more. The Bible is not just a book to read, it is a living and active text that confirms God’s love for us and motivates us by that love to a higher, more complete life.

As we read the Bible, what do we do with the insight God gives us? This week we’ll consider asking ourselves the question: “What is something that the Spirit of God is leading you to do as a result of reading this text?“

1. What stuck out to you this time through? 

2. Did these verses raise any questions as you read?

3. Where do you see Jesus Christ in these verses? (last week)

4. What is something that the Spirit of God is leading you to do as a result of reading this text? (this week)

5. Who is someone who might benefit from hearing what you’ve seen in the Bible?

6. Why are these verses in the Bible?

As a believer, God’s Spirit lives in you and increases in you as you become more and more immersed in his Word, when you are baptized, as you grow in your connections with God’s people, and as you enjoy the close fellowship of Jesus himself in the Lord’s Supper. God’s Spirit lives in you by faith. You will start to notice that God’s Spirit leads you to action because you are now part of God’s family and part of God’s team of activists - making the world less dark and more filled with his light. 

Here are a few passages that teach us what it is that the Spirit of God is leading us to do:

For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. // Hebrews 10:14-15

This passage raises our awareness (“testifies“) of the perfect identity that Jesus has created for us (“made perfect forever”). But the Spirit will also prompt our actions so that how we live is changing for the better (“being made holy“). Holy means to live a life set apart for God.

Or consider what the Spirit says according to this text: 

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. // Romans 8:16

As we grow in our identity as God’s children, the Holy Spirit will move us to believe this truth, to live confidently in that knowledge, and to act more and more like a child of God in all our activities. 

What is the Holy Spirit leading you to do as a result of your Bible reading? Talk about it with your small group. Ask them to pray for you in this activity or attitude. God bless you as you further activate your faith and make an impact on this world.

Pastor Al