Reflect

• Get to know each other if needed.

• Talk about how you came to faith in Jesus

Discuss

Each time we get together, we’re going to spend time reflecting on how we’re going, discussing the Bible together, learning to do something new, and praying. 

We’ll learn or revisit a practice each week to help you establish good habits of prayer, Bible reading, and helping others to discover Jesus too. This week we are learning a Bible reading tool called “SOAP” which we will use each week to talk through a few verses together.

Today we’re going to talk about…

Matthew 28:19-20

Have someone read the passage, then use SOAP to discuss it:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Learn & Obey: A picture of discipleship that can be really helpful is that of an apprenticeship. The apprentice watches the master and tries to imitate them. The goal is that over time and with help, they can become just like the master. Discipleship is about becoming more like Jesus. This means we want to watch what he does, learn from his life and seek to imitate him. It’s about learning and obeying.

Pray

• Spend time praying about what you’re learning.

• Is there anything going on in your life that we can pray for together?

Next Steps

• From what you've discussed today, what could a daily rhythm of reading the Bible look like for you?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve learned today?

• Readings for the coming week: Mark 1-7. Try reading one chapter per day and you can use SOAP if you want to. 

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
Mark 1-7

Reflect

• What stood out to you from what you’ve read over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 1:9-13

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Identity: In today’s passage, we hear the voice of the Father, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” At this point we have no disciples, no teaching and no miracles. Before accomplishing anything, Jesus is a much-loved Son who brings pleasure to the Father. As a follower of Jesus, these words are rightly spoken over us. We are adopted into the family, much loved and we bring God pleasure—not because of what we do but because we belong to him. This is our core identity as children of God. Notice that after this, Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit. It is worth noting that times of testing are not evidence of the absence of God and do not call into question our core identity.

Have you been baptised? Jesus regularly invited people not just to believe, but to be baptised too. It was such an important step he modelled it to us. If you haven’t been baptised, this is a great opportunity to do something about it. To learn more about baptism, you may like to listen to this message.

Learn

• Over the next four sessions, we’re going to learn four different aspects of prayer. To help, we’re going to use the tool ACTS which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

• Today we begin with A: Adoration.

Take a short passage of Scripture that focuses on what God is like. For example, you may like to use Psalm 86:5-7, Psalm 100, or Psalm 103:13-18.

Pray

• What is something that you notice about God in this passage that you can praise him for?

• Take time to turn this into a simple prayer.

• Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• From what we've learned today, how can you pray a simple prayer of adoration each day?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

• Daily readings for the coming week: Mark 8-14. Try reading one chapter per day.

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
Mark 8-14

Reflect

• What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 1:14-15

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Repentance: Jesus begins his preaching ministry with a clear and simple message: the kingdom of God has come near, so repent and believe! We will cover what is meant by “the kingdom of God” at a later date, but the focus here is “repentance”. What does it mean to repent? In the most basic terms it means to do a 180 degree turn - to stop walking in one direction and walk in another. In Jesus, something and someone so great has arrived, it’s worth turning to him above everything else in our lives!

Learn

• Today we continue to learn about four different aspects of prayer based on the acronym ACTS.

• The second letter of ACTS is C which stands for Confession.

When we believe in Jesus, all of our sin—past, present and future—is washed away. However, as we live in relationship with Him, it’s important to regularly consider the ways we continue to sin and harm our relationship with God and others. Confession allows us to acknowledge that before God and put that right with Him.

A simple way to do this is to read Psalm 139:23-24. Then take a few moments to sit in silence and ask God to show us where we have sinned against Him. When we notice this we say sorry and we ask for His help to lead us to live in a new way. You can do this by yourself or with others you trust.

Pray

• If appropriate, spend some time confessing to the Lord in prayer together what he has just highlighted to you.

• Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• What will a habit of ongoing repentance/confession look like for you?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

• Readings for the coming week: Mark 15-Luke 5

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
Mark 15-Luke 5

Reflect

• What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 1:16-20

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Follow: Jesus’ call to the fishermen was an invitation which would change the course of the rest of their lives. To follow a rabbi meant to walk with, live with, eat with, drink with - BE WITH him all the time so that, in time, you can become like him and do what he did. This is the call to follow Jesus: be with him, become like him and do what he did. Notice that following Jesus for the fishermen meant giving up their lives, they left their former way of life in obedience to follow Jesus.

Learn

• Today we continue to learn about four different aspects of prayer based on the acronym ACTS.

• The third letter of ACTS is T which stands for Thanksgiving

In a world filled with a pull towards owning, earning and accomplishing more, it’s vital to be grateful for what we already have. Thankfulness leads us to acknowledge that every good thing in our lives—the big things and the little things—are a gift from God for which we can be thankful.

Take a few moments to think about three things that you’re grateful for. 

Pray

• Take your three things you’re grateful for and turn them into a simple prayer of thanks. For example, “Lord, thank you for providing somewhere warm and dry to live, thank you for the time I got to spend with a friend yesterday, thank you for…”

• Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• What could a daily habit of thanksgiving look like for you?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

• Readings for the coming week: Luke 6-13

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
Luke 6-13

Reflect

• What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 1:35-39

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Solitude: This is a recurring discipline in Jesus’ life. He often withdrew to desolate/lonely places to be with the Father in prayer. It was also a habit that he sought out the lonely places after times of pouring out to others. Jesus knows how to be truly refreshed; where his energy comes from. This is not a matter of introversion or extroversion, but of intentionally seeking to get away from the noise, the to-do list, the demands of the world, and be with the Father. Notice that it’s out of this time of solitude that Jesus knows they must move on to other villages, despite the pleas for him to stay in Capernaum.

Learn

• Today we continue to learn about four different aspects of prayer based on the acronym ACTS.

• The final letter of ACTS is S which stands for Supplication—it simply means asking for things.

It’s important not to always jump to simply asking for things from God. Our goal is to develop a deep relationship with Him through prayer. Nevertheless, the Bible teaches us to pray about all sorts of things all of the time (Ephesians 6:18). One of the ways we show our trust in God is to ask and to keep asking for things that we need from Him. What are the things you want to see God do? It could be something in your life, the lives of those around you, in your church or in the wider world. How can you consistently bring these before God in prayer?

Pray

• Pray about some of the things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• What are some things you want to ask God for, but seem too big, or too small? What would it take to start asking for Him to move in these areas?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

Readings for the coming week: Luke 14-20

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
Luke 14-20

Reflect

• What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 2:1-12

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Authority to Forgive: Jesus performs another healing miracle, but not before he does something else. Consider the man lowered through the roof, Jesus tells him his sins are forgiven. The man might have thought, ‘um, thanks, but can you see I’m paralysed? That’s my greatest need’. Jesus is demonstrating that physical healing isn’t the man’s greatest need: spiritual healing is. But then to prove to the religious leaders that he has authority to forgive sins, he heals the man too. Isn’t Jesus brilliant? Our greatest need isn’t physical relief, it’s forgiveness for sins, and only Jesus has the authority to do it - because he is God!

Learn

This week we want to take some time to explore forgiveness. In order to do that we will go back to the C of the ACTS prayer tool - Confession. 

• How have you been going with the confession aspect of prayer? What’s going well? What questions do you have?

Pray

• Are you having any trouble believing that God has forgiven you completely? If so, consider talking and praying through 1 John 1:9.

• Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• Is there anyone you feel you need to make things right with and either extend forgiveness to, or ask for it from? What’s a step towards reconciliation you could take here?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

• Readings for the coming week: Luke 21-John 4

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
Luke 21-John 4

Reflect

• What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 2:13-17

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Hospitality: For the religious people in Jesus’ day it was hugely frowned upon to eat with “sinners” yet Jesus did it repeatedly. Food is a basic human need, and so there is something deeply uniting about eating with others. Jesus knew that there was something about eating with others that breaks down barriers like conversation on its own is unable to do. It was such a regular part of his ministry, we need to make sure it features regularly in our lives.

Learn

God has always desired His people to be a blessing to others in the world. As people who believe in Jesus, we have been given the greatest gift. God’s desire is for us to live our lives in a way that blesses others and helps them to believe in Jesus too. This week we are going to learn a tool that will help with that - it’s called BLESS.

BLESS reminds us of five practices that can help us to bless people in our world who don’t know Jesus. Our hope is to be trusted enough to share the message of Jesus with them one day. Over each of the next five sessions, we’re going to explore one of these BLESS practices. Today we start with B—Begin with Prayer.

• Write a list of people in your life who don’t know about Jesus.

Pray

• Let’s take a few moments to pray and ask God to help us find ways of being a blessing to these people.

• Take some time to be quiet and listen to any ideas that God may be trying to give you.

• Having prayed and listened, does anything immediately come to mind?

• Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• How are you going to make time and remember to pray for the people in your list?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

• Daily readings for this week: John 5-11

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
John 5-11

Reflect

• What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 2:23-28

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Sabbath: The Sabbath was the high point of the Jewish week - the day of rest. It was the fourth commandment given after the Exodus, but it had become a burden to the people. Jesus turns it on its head and says the sabbath was a gift for God’s people - a day to say ‘no’ to the demands of the world, to remind ourselves that we aren’t in control, and that just as God rested from His creating work, we can enjoy a day of rest and worship.

Learn

Today, we come to the next part of our BLESS tool, which helps us to live in a way that not only blesses others, but helps them to believe in Jesus too. After beginning in prayer for the people we want to share God’s love with, the next step is to listen. This is what the L stands for in the acronym BLESS. It’s true that people don’t care what you know until they know you care. So we listen well. We ask questions. What’s going on in their world? What’s their story? What’s important to them? Show genuine interest in who they are and what matters to them. Who is someone you want to go deeper with by learning something about their story?

Pray

• Spend some time praying for opportunities to listen well to people in your life this week. Pray that God will help you.

• Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• Do you think you are a good listener? How could you grow in your ability to listen well?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

• Daily readings for this week: John 12-18

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
John 12-18

Reflect

• What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 3:13-19

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Multiplication: Jesus is God in the flesh. He could have accomplished his salvation mission by himself at the click of his fingers. But in his sovereignty, he decided not to. He chose to partner with us. Here Jesus begins his method of multiplication; he chooses 12 men to be with him so he can show them how to do what he had been doing. These men (spoiler: minus Judas) will then continue Jesus’ multiplication model, which continues to this day! This is part of what Jesus meant when he called Peter and Andrew, James and John to “fish for people”.

Learn

In the acronym BLESS which we’ve been learning, the E stands for Eat. Eating with others is one of the best ways to grow relationship. Food is a great connector of people. It’s over a meal that you have time, and a peaceful setting, to allow conversation to deepen and really get to know each other. Sometimes around the table people will open up in ways they otherwise wouldn’t have.

Who could you share a meal or a coffee with? Write down all the meal times you know you’ll have in the coming week. Which ones could be used to spending time with someone far from Jesus? 

Pray

• Pray that the Lord would help you as you invite someone to eat with you this week

• Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• Which meal(s) of your coming week could you repurpose to be intentional about eating with someone far from Jesus?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

• Daily readings for this week: John 19 - Acts 4

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
John 19 - Acts4

Reflect

• What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 3:31-35

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Family: In first century Israel, family bonds were incredibly strong. Many would say Jesus was dishonouring his mother and brothers by saying they’re the same as anyone else who follows them, but in reality he’s opening his arms wider in welcome to say that anyone who follows him becomes part of his closest family! To be a follower of Jesus is to join his family, to become his brother and sister, and to enjoy the affections that flow from such a relationship with him, and with every other follower of Jesus Christ. 

• What would prioritising time with your Christian family look like for you?

• Have you considered joining both small and large weekly Christian gatherings? (e.g. At The Street this would look like a Life Group and a Sunday worship service)

• What do you need to do to make that a reality?

Learn

We are continuing to explore the acronym BLESS today. As we pray, listen and eat with others, they will inevitably share a need or a way in which you can help them, a way you can Serve them. That’s what the first S in BLESS stands for - Serve. Jesus modeled service at the Last Supper by washing his disciples’ feet, showing there is nothing too low for one of his followers to do for others in love. Is there an opportunity for you to serve someone that has come up recently?

Pray

• Pray about any opportunities you have this week to serve others. If there isn’t one, pray that God would give you an opportunity.

• Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• How will you keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to serve in the coming week?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

• Daily readings for this week: Acts 5-11

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
Acts 5-11

Reflect

• What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 4:1-20

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Evangelism: Jesus’ call to his disciples was pretty clear. We read in the beginning of Mark that he said “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.” The parable here in chapter four gives us greater clarity on what that looks like. In the parable, the farmer wasn’t responsible for whether the seed grew or not, he just scattered seed everywhere and the seed that landed on good soil grew and produced a crop. We are called to spread the message of Jesus wherever we can and to trust God will cause that seed to grow in the hearts of those who are ready to receive it.

Learn

The final part of the BLESS acronym we have been looking at over the last few weeks is S for Story. An amazing way to share about Jesus with people is to tell stories of what he has done in our own lives. It is hard to deny someone else’s experience and can be a really relatable way of sharing about Jesus with someone. In saying that, someone doesn’t necessarily want to spend half an hour hearing your entire life story. Try writing out a personal testimony of what God has done in your life that is 100 words long. You’ll be surprised how short it is. Identify an area of your life where you have experienced transformation or breakthrough and highlight the part God had to play in what happened. The point of this exercise is to help you learn to be brief as you share with others what God has done for you. When you actually get the opportunity to share with someone, make the story you share relevant to something they’ve shared with you.

Pray

• Pray for each other as you look for opportunities to share your story with others

• Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• What could ‘liberally spreading the gospel’ look like for you in your season of life?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

• Daily readings for this week: Acts 12-18

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
Acts 12-18

Reflect

• What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

• How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 4:26-34

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

• S - Scripture (read scripture together)

• O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

• A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

• P - Pray (pray together)

Don’t Miss
Kingdom: A kingdom is a place where a king rules. The Kingdom of God is therefore where God rules. We know that when Jesus died on the cross and rose again, that he defeated sin, death and the enemy, but the Kingdom of God will not fully come until Jesus returns to rule and reign. These parables that Jesus taught are explaining the emerging nature of the Kingdom of God.

Learn

As followers of Jesus, we have the best news! That God so loved people that sent his one and only Son to die in our place and that in his death and resurrection, we are forgiven, washed clean and given a brand new life. It’s news that needs to be shared and God wants to use each of us to share this message. There are many ways that you can do this, one of the ways is based around three circles. Have a watch of the video and then practice sharing it together. It might seem like a lot of information at the start but with a bit of practice, it will become very familiar.

How to Share the Gospel in 4 Minutes or Less

Pray

• Pray for the people in your life that don’t yet believe in Jesus, that you might have an opportunity to share the gospel with them

• Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

• What is a key takeaway from today?

• Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

Read Acts 19-25 before you come back next time