Bible Studies for Life | Adults Leader Training Lifeway Podcasts

EXTRA supports the group plans in the Bible Studies for Life leader guides.









Date: May 26, 2024













The Joy of Giving







The Point: Give generously and trust God with the outcome.







Get Into the Study







Share the following after discussing the opening question.







Results are in for the causes Americans most want to support. Food distribution to the needy, children’s cancer research, and two Christian ministries (The Salvation Army and Samaritan’s Purse) were among the top ten on Forbes’s list of U.S. charities to receive the largest amount in private donations for 2023. Feeding America, a Chicago-based organization that supplies several hundred food banks, was number one on the list. For the most recent fiscal year on record, Feeding America reported $4.3 billion in private contributions, a 5 percent increase from the previous year. Number two was Good 360, a group that redistributes to charities excess goods from other corporations. Good 360 received private donations of $2.7 billion for the most recent year on record. The last charity in the top 100, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, received $186 million in donations.







Cumulatively, America’s top 100 charities received more than $61 billion in private donations in their most recently reported fiscal years. That was a four percent increase from data collected in 2022. The top Christian group on the list, The Salvation Army, collected $2.04 billion.







While these totals can seem eye-popping, they represent a small fraction of Americans’ income. The good these charities do should remind us to do more. We must give generously and trust God with the outcome.







https://www.forbes.com/lists/top-charities/?sh=189773b65f50







Get Into the Study [Option from Adult Leader Guide]







Play a video clip of a great cause you could support, perhaps an organization your church already supports. Then ask Question #1.







Get Into the Study [Option from the Advanced Bible Study Teacher Guide]







Share this video of a boomerang as a part of the introduction to the session. Follow the directives in the Optional Idea (p. 64) on how to incorporate the video into your opening.







Study the Bible







As you discuss question 4 (point 3 on p. 137 of the Daily Discipleship Guide), share the following.







A group of Christian women in South Florida is giving generously and inspiring others to give. The group is called StrikeForce 421 and includes more than 100 women who each have committed to give at least $1,000 per year to a pooled fund managed by the National Christian Foundation (NCF). The women then decide together what gospel-centered ministries to support. Since the StrikeForce 421 giving circle was founded a...

EXTRA supports the group plans in the Bible Studies for Life leader guides.









Date: May 19, 2024













Doing Life Together in Christ







The Point: Believers share and experience life in Christ together.







Get Into the Study







Share the following after discussing the opening section “The Bible Meets Life.”







America is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness, according to the U.S. surgeon general. That loneliness is most acute among older and younger adults, a new study by researchers at Northwestern University has found. The study was published April 30 in the journal Psychological Science. Why are younger adults lonely? They often navigate life transitions related to career and family, said study coauthor Tomiko Yoneda. Those transitions exacerbate feelings of isolation. The risk of loneliness wanes in middle adulthood when life’s demands often include social interactions like work, marriage, and child rearing. As those social interactions end, loneliness peaks again.







Older adults’ “uptick in loneliness” can increase the risk of premature death to levels comparable with smoking daily, according to study corresponding author Eileen Graham. The loneliness patters persisted across nations and cultures. Researchers found similar patterns in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweeden, the Netherlands, Australia, Israel, and other nations. “Our study is unique because it harnessed the power of all these datasets to answer the same question—How does loneliness change across the lifespan, and what factors contribute to becoming more or less lonely over time?” Graham said.







In a world with such loneliness, it becomes increasingly important for believers to share and experience life in Christ together.







neurosciencenews.com/loneliness-lifespan-26013







Get Into the Study [Option from Adult Leader Guide]







In advance, play a video clip showing friends or family doing life together. Then ask Question #1.







Get Into the Study [Option from the Advanced Bible Study Teacher Guide]







Here’s a link to the pole-vaulting video to use in introducing the session. Follow the directives in the Optional Idea (p. 60) on how to incorporate this video into the meeting.







Study the Bible













As you discuss question 2 (point 1 on p. 126 of the Daily discipleship Guide), share the following.







Nearly 150 Baptists in east-central Mexico are standing together amid the darkness of persecution. They fled their homes in Mexico’s Hidalgo state in late April after indigenous village leaders cut off their electricity, vandalized and blocked access to their church and homes,

EXTRA supports the group plans in the Bible Studies for Life leader guides.









Date: May 12, 2024













Serving in Christ







The Point: We are to minister to one another and alongside one another.







Get Into the Study







Share the following after discussing the opening question.







An emotional musical performance changed David Regner’s career path. He was teaching music in New York state when he attended a concert by the U.S. Army’s West Point Band. “It was truly the first time I felt the audience was infused with patriotism,” Regner said. “I loved being a teacher, but I felt the need to join.” So he joined the Air Force as a musician. Today he is a captain and conducts the U.S. Air Force Band, a 60-member concert band whose mission includes inspiring patriotism. Music’s power to inspire becomes evident when the band plays “God Bless America.”







“We get to the end of ‘God Bless America,’” said Regner, “and the audience is on their feet and singing along; it’s really powerful looking out from the stage. Everyone that comes doesn’t have the same ideas or lifestyle, but in this moment they are all united with pride.”







On one occasion, the band helped unite and inspire Afghani refugee. The Singing Sergeants, an Air Force choir that performs with the band, learned some Afghani songs for a Middle East deployment and sang them to evacuees from Afghanistan. “The entire audience, who had been through so much turmoil, pain, and suffering sang along,” Regner said. “The visceral connection was one of the most powerful things—it was very impactful.”







As with a concert band, when people in the church with diverse gifts work together in harmony, the result is a profound expression of the composer’s design.







https://www.yourclassical.org/story/2024/04/01/us-air-force-band-brings-inspiration-to-upper-midwest-tour







Get Into the Study [Option from Adult Leader Guide]







In advance, play a video clip of a moving musical experience. Then ask Question #1.







Study the Bible







As you discuss question 3 (point 2 on p. 117 of the Daily Discipleship Guide), share the following.







As churches celebrate high school and college graduates this spring, some congregations are departing from tradition. Instead of holding graduate recognition, they are turning the focus to graduate commissioning. “Commissioning is the opposite of graduating,” said Scooter Kellum, a student ministry leader with the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana. “It is not a sign of completion. It is the very essence of sending for a purpose or calling. We should be sending out our 18-year-olds from our youth ministries into the mission field wherever that may be with the purpose of living out their faith, leading others to Christ,

EXTRA supports the group plans in the Bible Studies for Life leader guides.









Date: May 5, 2024













Worshiping God







The Point: When we worship God together, we experience joy in His presence.







Get Into the Study







Share the following after discussing the opening question.







For war-torn Ukraine, soccer has been a bright spot of national unity. That was evident last month when the Ukrainian men’s national soccer team qualified for the European Championship with a dramatic 2-1 victory in Poland over Iceland. After falling behind early, Ukraine scored the go-ahead goal late in the second half. The victory set off celebrations, with chants of “Ukraine, Ukraine” and blue and yellow flags across the stadium—where many Ukrainian refugees were in attendance. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X, “Thank you, guys! Thank you, team! For [such] emotions for the entire country. For the important victory and making it to Euro. For proving once again: whenever Ukrainians face difficulties but do not give up and continue to fight, Ukrainians certainly win.”







The national team has not played an official match in its home country since 2021. Trips to Ukraine pose too much danger for visiting teams. Instead, Ukraine has established temporary homebases in Poland and Romania for European competition. Still, the nation’s eyes have been on their team, a national rallying point as Russian bombs and missiles rain down. “Making the Euros,” midfielder Volodymyr Brazhko said, “will help the world to not forget about Ukraine.”







If watching soccer together can help unify a nation, how much more can worshiping the Lord together unify and empower God’s people?







https://www.wsj.com/sports/soccer/ukraine-euros-russia-iceland-zelensky-ab29b093







https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/ukraine-reach-euro-2024-finals-with-iceland-win-2024-03-26/#:~:text=Chants%20of%20%22Ukraine%2C%20Ukraine%22,the%20game%20was%20in%20Kyiv







Study the Bible













As you discuss question 2 (point 1 on p. 106 of the Daily Discipleship Guide), share the following.







A music professor soon could publish one of the most comprehensive studies of Southern Baptist worship in decades. Jonathan Rodgers, assistant professor of music and worship at Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, plans to survey 10-15 percent of Southern Baptist churches in his state (some 226-340 congregations) during the month of May. His plan is to determine the elements present in worship services and who leads them. The survey will ask approximately 50 questions.

EXTRA supports the group plans in the Bible Studies for Life leader guides.









Date: April 28, 2024













Growing in Christ







The Point: We should encourage and help one another grow in Christ.







Get Into the Study







After reading and discussing “The Bible Meets Life,” share the following.







American Christians say they are interested in discipleship. But for many, interest does not translate into being discipled or helping others grow in their faith, according to research from the Barna Group. Nearly half of U.S. believers (45%) say their relationship with Jesus brings deep joy and satisfaction, a Barna survey found. Nearly as many (41%) say their relationship with Jesus impacts the way they live daily. Yet despite the professed enthusiasm for growing in Christ, 39 percent of believers are neither being discipled nor helping to disciple anyone else. Just 28 percent are both being discipled and discipling others.







What’s holding Christians back from maturing in their faith? It isn’t lack of time. Just 7 percent who are not in a discipleship relationship says the problem is lack of time. Interestingly, those most likely to say they struggle with time for discipleship are those already doing it. Fifty-four percent of those discipling others and being discipled say they struggle to find time for community with other believers amid life’s busyness. Only 40 percent of those not engaged in discipleship say the same. The Barna Group concludes, “The decisive factor is not who has the hours in the day, but who is willing to creatively commit from the hours they do have to growing in their faith and becoming qualified or equipped to help others grow, too.”







This reality should encourage us to help one another grow in Christ.







Are Christians Too Busy for Discipleship Community? – Barna Group







Study the Bible







As you discuss question 5 (point 3 on p. 97 of the Daily Discipleship Guide), share the following.







Sarah has adopted a simple method for discipling cultural Christians in Poland: read the Bible with them. When she arrived in Poland as a journeyman missionary with the International Mission Board, she found many people who claimed to be Christians. They went to church occasionally, esteemed Jesus, and even wore cross jewelry. But they were stumped when Sarah asked, “Why did Jesus die?”







“I didn’t really know what to do,” Sarah said. She didn’t want to alienate them, but she wanted them to know Christ. Finally, she decided to try a tactic she had utilized back home in Kentucky when she was a college student. “To say you’re a Christian, that means you believe what’s in the Bible. So let’s see what’s in the Bible,” Sarah told her friends. Some of them agreed to try it. Currently, Sarah reads the Bible with several young adults in Poland, helping them understand the context and not skipping any verses or chapters. She also helps them understand how to apply the Bible t...

EXTRA supports the group plans in the Bible Studies for Life leader guides.









Date: April 21, 2024













Sharing Christ







The Point: We are to invite others into a relationship with Christ.







Get Into the Study







Share the following after discussing the opening question.







Nepal is among the countries where Christianity is going viral. Though evangelism is illegal in the South Asian nation, the number of Nepalese Christians has doubled in the past decade. Quantifying the believers in Nepal is a challenge, but estimates range from 683,000 to 3 million in the majority-Hindu nation. That’s up from just a handful of Christians in 1960 and about 500 in 1975. Preaching the gospel had been legal for four decades until recently, when the government reintroduced anti-conversion laws. Missionaries can be deported when they are suspected of leading others to faith in Christ. Some pastors have been fined and imprisoned. But persecution has not stopped believers from sharing their faith.







Arjun, 53, is one of Nepal’s active evangelists. He was saved at age 19 while working as a cleaner for Christian missionary doctors. After serving as an evangelist for a time, he started a church in his house with 25 people in 2010. Today, 150 people attend the church. Arjun now is focusing on the next generation of leaders, working to train pastors and church planters. He travels the country to teach and encourage younger Christian leaders.







While viruses like COVID-19 and social media posts gain more attention for spreading quickly in our day, nothing spreads more powerfully than the message of Jesus.







https://www.premierchristianity.com/features/secret-kingdom-an-exclusive-glimpse-inside-the-fast-growing-nepalese-church/17269.article







Get Into the Study [Option from Adult Leader Guide]







Play a video clip giving an example of a silver lining during the pandemic lockdown. Then ask Question #1.







Study the Bible







As you discuss Question 4 and the qualities of a good ambassador (point 3 on p. 87 of the DDG), share the following.







One Georgia high school football standout is using his athletic prowess to be an ambassador for Christ. At 6’4” and 297 pounds, Joshua “Bear” McWhorter has collected nearly 30 college football scholarship offers. The 16-year-old offensive lineman made a verbal commitment to Arkansas last fall. But when the state of Georgia approved Name, Image and Likeness deals for high school athletes last year, it opened new doors beyond the football field. Now McWhorter can profit from his growing football fame.







Yet he isn’t using the money for selfish gain. Instead, he is establishing the Brother Bear Foundation to help offset adoption costs for adoptive families...