If God speaks to us through the Bible, how do we go about hearing him speak? Is it just a matter of reading a lot and hopefully it will happen? Is there a science to reading the Bible? Listen to Joel Niese talk about how to read your Bible and get the most out of it. (If you’re interested, Joel is willing to send the handouts with the questions he uses to anyone - just ask!)

This week, as we continue thinking about what it means to be a disciple of Christ, we are considering the importance of the Word of God. Listen to Dan outline two reasons why the word is essential to the Christian life - from it’s very beginning on through to maturity. Here’s some questions to consider after listening:

1. If there was no religion section in the bookstore and you had to put the Bible on the shelf, which section would you put it in?
2. What parts of the Bible do you find the easiest to relate to? Why?
3. What parts of the Bible do you find the hardest to read and understand? Which seem the most irrelevant? Why?
4. Does understanding that the whole of the Bible is God telling you about himself change how you might approach those hard parts?
5. When we haven’t eaten any food for a while, our bodies tell us we are hungry and need to be fed. Are their similar signs that tell us we need to feed ourselves spiritually on the Word? How can we be more attune to these sign?

Worship isn’t often a topic we include in our conversations on discipleship. We should. It’s a transforming act by which God shapes us to be more like him. Listen to Dan speak about what worship is, why we should do it and what happens when we worship.

Our ideas about discipleship are often shaped by our church culture and not always shaped by the Bible itself. Listen to Bob, Dan and Joel share their thoughts on what discipleship is and what it’s not. Also, listen up for an important announcement regarding some changes to Connexion that we think you’ll be excited about (we really are)!

We got the summer off to a great start last night. The summer teaching series is about discipleship - what it is, what it isn’t, etc. We began thinking about what it means to be a disciple. Listen to message and find take the time afterward to think through or talk with a friend about the discussion questions.

Discussion Questions:

1. If someone believed the myth that you could be a Christian and not a disciple, what symptoms would you expect to see?

2. To what degree to you see these symptoms in your own life?

3. Of the three elements of being a disciple discussed (knowing/believing, doing, being) which do you need to grow in the most (knowing of course we all need to grow in all three areas)?

4. What practical steps can you take to facilitate growth in that area over the next three months?