Starting in June, we’ll begin a full 18 months of walking through the whole story of the Bible.  During this project, each of us will gain a better understanding of how God wants to speak to us through the Bible, how he has related to people throughout history, and how he wants us to relate to him today.  We’ll spend this week prepping for the journey, wrapping our minds around all of the benefits of understanding the message of the Bible better.

Groups Discussion Guide

To view the Leader Guide for this week, click here.

To view a .docx version of this guide, click here.

Introduction 

Last week we talked about worship and how worshipping in community with others not only brings glory to God but also allows us to view ourselves more wholly in the story of God.  

Take a few minutes to connect as a group: How have you been able to incorporate these actions steps into your lives this week? 

After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer.  

Key Verse for the Week  

*Read this verse, then encourage the practice of memorization through the week. 

Psalm 119:18 

“Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.” 

**When practiced consistently, memorizing Bible verses can be an important spiritual practice that centers your mind around the truth that God has given us. 

Connect   

• What’s your favorite story? This can be a book, movie, fairytale, etc.  
  • Why is this your favorite story?  
• What makes a story “good”?
  • Why do you think the world finds so much value in stories?  
• How much experience do you have with reading/hearing the stories in the bible? How has your understanding of these stories changed from when you first heard them to now?

Opening Thought  

Stories can be powerful and help us understand the world. When we don’t have the full understanding of a story, however, we can misunderstand what the purpose of the story is. Similarly, when we only know parts of the story of God in the Bible, we won’t be able to fully understand it as much as if we know the whole story.  

This leads us to our big idea for this week:  

Big idea for the week
We can be transformed by understanding
that we are part of God’s story

Unpack 

Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. 

Read  

Isaiah 40:8 

Proverbs 30:5 

Hebrews 4:12 

Unpack 

• How important is the Bible to you? What gives it value to you? 
• How often do you spend looking to the Bible for guidance in your life? Why do you think there are times when it’s easier or more difficult to do this? 

Read  

Psalm 1:1-3 

Psalm 119:17-18 

1 John 3:1-2 

Unpack 

• Why is it important to remember that the Bible is the story of God and his people? How can knowing the story of God help you know yourself and others better? 
  • Have you ever felt disconnected from the story of God? How did you overcome this?  
• How do you think understanding your place in God’s story can affect the way you approach challenges in your life? 
  • How do you think going through the story of God together as a community can allow us as a group to grow? 

Apply 

Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group to decide what your personal action steps for the week can be: 

• As we begin to go through the story of God together as a church community, how can you prepare yourself for what God is going to do in your life? 
• How will you try to live like you are a part of God’s story from this week on? 
• How will we as a group commit to actively spend time reading the Bible over the next 18 months of “the story project”? 

Closing 

Read the first section to your group, then move to the Prayer and Verses section: 

Knowing only small parts of the story of the Bible can be unhelpful for understanding the story of God. When we learn the whole story, we can see how we not only fit into God’s story, but that we are a part of it. As we go through the story of God together as a church community over the next 18-months, let’s commit to being open to what God is going to be doing not only in our lives, but the lives of those around us.  

Prayer and Verses 

Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer then share the Key Verse for the Week and Daily Devotional Verses with the group. 

Daily Devotional Verses  

Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. 

Scripture: Read the verses several times. Reading out loud can be helpful as well. 
Observation: What can you see about the scripture you read? 
Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do, or feel, based on what you have read? 
Prayer: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. 

Day 1: John 8:31 

Day 2: Romans 12:2 

Day 3: Isaiah 41:10 

Day 4: Psalm 19:7 

Day 5: Isaiah 40:8 

Day 6: 1 John 1:7 

Key Verse for the Week  

Psalm 119:18 

“Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.”