In the Word with Jeff Thompson

Jeff Thompson
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Christianity
  • Weekly

In the Word offers engaging Bible studies that go through the text verse by verse to help you grow in your faith and knowledge of the Scriptures. Learn the historical context, what the writer intended his readers to understand, and how it applies to our lives today. We also include discussion questions in the description for every study, so that you can reflect on what God wants to do in your life through His Word, or - better yet - grab a friend or two and start studying and discussing the text together! Join us and start growing faster and deeper today!

  1. Oct 27

    The Reason Behind Everything // John 1:1-5

    Greek philosophers had a name for the hidden reason behind everything — the Logos. But John reveals that the Logos has a face and a name: Jesus. In this study, we'll unpack 7 truths about the Word who was with God and was God, and why you can’t keep Him in your peripheral vision forever. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Acts 14:15–17. As the sermon put it, the philosophers “got close enough to give the Logos a name, but they never got close enough to see His face.” What can creation and conscience tell people about God, and what can they never tell them? - Read Romans 11:33–36 & Deuteronomy 29:29. When Paul came to the edge of what he could explain about God’s ways, he responded with worship: “How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!” A skeptic might call saying, “It’s a mystery” about something like the Trinity a cop-out. Is it? What’s the difference between something beyond reason and something against reason? - Read Isaiah 30:9–11. Isaiah’s audience still wanted prophets, just not the truth. Where do you see this in our culture: spirituality without a God who speaks, commands, or judges? Where are churches tempted to do the same? And where are you most tempted to want Jesus’ comfort without His claims on your life? - Read 1 John 1:1–9. John ties walking in the light to “fellowship with one another” (V.7). The sermon said the light exposes our true moral condition, so many people run from it. Why do you think John connects walking in the light with fellowship with one another? What makes that kind of honesty hard in a group like this, and what would make this group a safe place for it?

    The Reason Behind Everything // John 1:1-5

  2. Oct 21

    Before It Happens: 9 Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled // Various Scriptures

    Centuries before Jesus was born, the prophets predicted the town He’d be born in, the price He’d be sold for, and the rich man’s tomb He’d be buried in. We'll walk through 9 Old Testament prophecies that have been fulfilled, and show why following Him doesn’t mean checking your brain at the door. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Acts 17:1–4, 10–12. What role did evidence and reason play in your own coming to faith—before you believed, or after? Is there a question about Christianity you’ve wondered about but never asked out loud? - Compare Isaiah 35:4–6 to Jesus' answer in Matthew 11:2–6. Which part does Jesus point to, and which part doesn’t He mention? Why might John the Baptist have struggled? Then share: When has Jesus not done what you expected, and what helped you keep trusting Him? - Read Luke 22:21–22 & Acts 4:24–31. How can something be both God’s plan and a wicked choice people are fully responsible for? (Joseph’s words in Genesis 50:20 may help.) - Read Acts 26:22–29 & John 5:39–40. If the evidence is as strong as the sermon argued, why doesn’t it automatically produce faith? The sermon said, “Knowing it’s true isn’t the same as trusting Him.” Where do you see that gap in people you love, or in your own life?

    Before It Happens: 9 Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled // Various Scriptures

  3. Oct 13

    Loose Ends // Genesis 25:1-11

    God promised Abraham a land and descendants like the stars, and he died owning a cave and holding two grandsons. Yet Scripture says he died “old and contented.” In this final study of Abraham's life in Genesis 25:1-11, we'll tie up some loose ends: what the New Testament says about Abraham's faith, a careful look at Sarah and 1 Peter 3, and the one question every listener has to answer—who will you be gathered to when you take your last breath? SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read 2 Timothy 4:6-8 and Psalm 92:12-15. Genesis says Abraham died “old and contented” — satisfied, full of days. Jeff also pointed out that age peels away our ability to paint over who we really are: some people grow more beautiful every year, and some grow more bitter. Tell the group about someone you watched finish well — a grandparent, a mentor, an older saint at church. What did they have that you want? And honestly: if the trajectory you're on right now simply continued for 30 more years, which direction would it be heading? - Read Isaiah 26:3 and Philippians 4:6-8. What are you doing to fill your mind with life-giving things? Is there anything you need to stop filling your mind with? - Read Malachi 2:13-16 and Colossians 3:19. Peter's word to husbands came with a warning attached: live with your wife in an understanding way, honor her as a coheir, so that your prayers will not be hindered. Malachi said the same thing centuries earlier — God wasn't accepting the offerings of men who were faithless to the wife of their youth. What does it mean, and what does it not mean, for a husband to live with his wife in an understanding way? - Read Mark 3:31-35 and John 1:12-13. Abraham was “gathered to his people” — not a bloodline, but the family of faith that went before him. Jesus redefines family the same way. Jeff asked, "Who are your people?" Do you honestly feel more at home with the church or with the world? If the answer is the world, why?

    Loose Ends // Genesis 25:1-11

  4. Sep 22

    Will You Go With This Man? // Genesis 24

    A servant travels 500 miles to find a bride for a man she has never met, and her family asks her one question: “Will you go with this man?” In this verse-by-verse study of Genesis 24, Jeff Thompson unpacks the chapter's stunning picture of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Church — plus how God shepherds our decisions when no Bible verse tells us exactly what to do. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Romans 12:1-2, James 1:5, and Proverbs 15:22. Jeff gave 5 steps for when there's no verse that covers your situation: desire to please God, pray, seek counsel from mature believers, listen for the Spirit, and move forward in faith. Paul says a renewed mind is how we discern God's will, not a voice. Be honest: which of those 5 do you tend to skip (for most, it's the counsel one). So name names — who are the mature believers in your life you'd genuinely take a hard word from? If you can't name 2, that's the answer to the question. - Read Philippians 2:12-13 and Nehemiah 2:4-5. Jeff called this chapter's theme the unknowable dance between God's sovereignty and human decisions. Nehemiah prays a split-second prayer to the God of heaven and then, in the same breath, makes a specific ask of a pagan king. Both things at once. Does believing God is sovereign tend to make you more passive or more active? Be honest about which way you lean. - Read Colossians 3:23-24. A caravan of thirsty camels, a 3-gallon jar, steps down to the spring — Jeff put it at 70 to a 100 trips, hours of hard labor, for a stranger who never asked her to do it. And the servant stood there and watched to see if she'd get cranky. She didn't. Tell the group about someone who served you like that — quietly, at real cost, when nothing obligated them to. Have you thanked them? Then turn it around: where does your own serving come with grumbling attached, out loud or under your breath?

    Will You Go With This Man? // Genesis 24

  5. Sep 18

    A Grave in the Promised Land // Genesis 22:20-23:20

    God promised Abraham an entire country, and the only piece of it he ever owned was the cave he bought to bury his wife in. In this study, we'll walk through the death of Sarah and what Scripture actually says about grief, losing a spouse, why death still feels like an enemy, and how gratitude becomes the floor you stand on when the waves hit. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - What stuck out to you from this sermon? Did you feel like the Lord was drawing your attention to anything specific in your own life or perspectives? - Read Matthew 10:37 and Psalm 73:23-26. What in your life, if it were taken tomorrow, would take your sense of purpose with it? Your kids. Your health. Your career. Your ministry. Be honest about your own answer. - Read Ruth 1:19-21 and Hebrews 12:15. Where is the line between honest lament, which God clearly permits, and a bitterness that slowly becomes someone's identity? Have you ever been stuck in that second place—over anything, not only a death? What got you out, or what is still keeping you there? - Share prayer requests. Have everyone close their eyes. Have someone read Psalm 23 over the group, and move straight into a time of prayer.

    A Grave in the Promised Land // Genesis 22:20-23:20

  6. Sep 5

    Where is the Lamb? // Genesis 21:22-22:19

    In this study, we'll look at a living parable - the controversial tale of Abraham's binding of Isaac. We'll discover the hidden imagery and prophetic details that point to the Father's offering of Jesus as the Lamb of God, slain for our sins. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Was there anything in the message that especially stuck out to you (encouragement, conviction, etc.)? - Read Micah 6:6–8. Genesis 22 is a favorite passage for people who argue that God is cruel. How would you actually answer a coworker who brought it up? - Is there a part of the Bible that disturbs you and that you've mostly avoided thinking about? - Read Isaiah 53:4–7 & Romans 12:1–2. Given that God withheld nothing from us, what does or would presenting yourself as a living sacrifice look like in your life?

    Where is the Lamb? // Genesis 21:22-22:19

  7. Aug 25

    A Hidden Picture // Genesis 21:1-21

    God made Abraham and Sarah wait more than 25 years for the son He promised—and Paul later reveals why, showing that Hagar and Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac, were a hidden picture of two covenants: law and grace, slavery and freedom. In this study, we'll walk through Genesis 21:1–21 and Galatians 4:21–5:1 and show why God waited until no explanation remained but Himself, and why salvation is a gift you cannot help pay for. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Romans 4:18–21 (about Abraham). Abraham's faith grew as he rehearsed what God had actually said. Share a specific promise from Scripture you've leaned on in a hard season. - Read Hebrews 11:8–13 and 11:39–40. Abraham received Isaac. Many others in that same chapter died still waiting. How do we speak honestly to someone who has waited years and never received the thing? What does faith look like when the answer is "No," or "Not in your lifetime"? - Read Acts 15:1–11. Peter calls the Law a yoke no one has ever been able to carry—the same argument Paul makes in Galatians 4. Why do you think a "faith plus something" message is so attractive to religious people? What was the appeal of the Judaizers' teaching, and where do you hear a version of it today? - Read Philippians 3:4–11. What are some things that you used to find your identity and worth in (or still do)? How did Christ work in you to find your identity in Him instead (or how IS He working in you currently)?

    A Hidden Picture // Genesis 21:1-21

  8. Aug 5

    Dead End // Genesis 20

    Abraham had walked with God for over 25 years and had a promise from Jesus Himself — then fear sent him straight back down an old path of sin he'd never bothered to close off. In this study, we'll unpack why we return to sins we thought we'd outgrown, why a half-truth is a whole lie, and what practical steps actually mark the old road "DEAD END." SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Romans 4:18-21. How do you reconcile this description of Abraham with his actions in Genesis 20? And how should that encourage us regarding the way the Lord views us? - Read Romans 2:14-15. Do you think Abimelech is in Heaven? Why or why not? What’s the difference between a man like him and a Mormon neighbor who lives a morally upright life? - Read Ephesians 4:25. Is there an area of life or a certain subject where you struggle with half-truths? - Read Philippians 2:3-4. The worst part of Abraham's plan was that the plan removed all risk from him and placed it entirely on Sarah. He was protected; she was exposed. Who has paid the price for your fear? A spouse, a kid, an employee, a friend? *This one may take some courage to answer honestly. It's the kind of thing that's very hard to see in yourself and very easy to see from the outside. (Married folks: this is a good week to ask your spouse rather than guess.

    Dead End // Genesis 20
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5
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In the Word offers engaging Bible studies that go through the text verse by verse to help you grow in your faith and knowledge of the Scriptures. Learn the historical context, what the writer intended his readers to understand, and how it applies to our lives today. We also include discussion questions in the description for every study, so that you can reflect on what God wants to do in your life through His Word, or - better yet - grab a friend or two and start studying and discussing the text together! Join us and start growing faster and deeper today!

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