On your own or with your life group work through this reading plan to apply this weekend’s message to your life. If you haven’t done so yet, listen or watch the Sunday message below.

Opening Prayer & Icebreaker

Icebreaker Question: What was your first Bible? Do you remember when you received it or what it looked like?

Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Big Idea: Our chief aim in reading Scripture should be to know God, learn His truth, confess it in our hearts, and allow it to transform us—not simply to gain information or self-improvement tips.

Discussion Questions

What is the Word?
Read John 1:1

• Jesus is called "the Word" in John 1:1. What does it mean that Jesus himself is the living Word? How should this shape our Bible reading?
• Which of these tendencies do you struggle with most when reading Scripture:
  • Trying to find yourself in every passage
  • Looking for what you can get or want from it
  • Reading it primarily for self-improvement

Know God
Read Luke 24:27, John 5:39

• We should read to know God's heart, nature, and will. Can you share about a time when reading the Bible helped you understand God's character in a new way?
• Challenge Question: How can we tell if we're reading the Bible to know God versus reading it to get something from God? What's the difference?
• What practices help you read Scripture with the goal of knowing God better rather than  checking off a spiritual to-do list?

Learn His Truth
Read 2 Timothy 3:15, John 16:13

• God's word is 100% truth.  In our current culture, why is this such an important (and sometimes controversial) claim? How do you respond when people question the Bible's authority?
• How do we guard against treating the Bible like a self-help book or a collection of "worldly wise words" instead of divine truth?
• Is there an area of your life where you struggle to accept what the Bible teaches as truth? How can this group support you in that?

Confess It in Our Hearts
Read Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:11, Hebrews 4:2

• We need to agree and align ourselves with God’s Word for it to work in our lives. What does it look like practically to confess God's Word in your heart?
• Challenge Question: "God's Word can't work at all in your life if you don't agree it's good, right, and authoritative." Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
• Is there a biblical truth you know intellectually but haven't fully confessed/agreed with in your heart? What's holding you back?

Allow It to Transform You. Read Hebrews 4:12, Romans 12:2, James 1:22

• The sermon emphasizes submission to Scripture's authority. Why do we naturally resist change, even when we know God's way is best?
• James 1:22 calls us to be "doers of the word, not hearers only." What's one specific way God's Word has challenged you to change recently? Did you obey or resist?
• Share an example of a time when you allowed Scripture to transform your thinking or behavior. What was the result?

Key Takeaways
✓ The Bible is God's story, not primarily ours—read it to know Him, not just to find yourself in it
✓ Scripture is 100% truth and authoritative—it's not a self-improvement manual but God's revealed Word
✓ We must confess (agree with) God's Word in our hearts—intellectual knowledge alone doesn't bring transformation
✓ Transformation requires submission—we must be doers of the Word, not just hearers

Next Step: Memorize and meditate daily on 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

Practical application of 2 Timothy 3:16-17:

• Daily Practice: Before reading your Bible this week, pray through 2 Timothy 3:16-17 asking God to teach, bring reproof, correction and train you in His righteousness. 
• Accountability Partner: Share one truth from Scripture you're struggling to submit to with a trusted friend. Ask them to check in with you about it.
• Journaling Prompt: After reading Scripture each day, write down:
  • What did this passage reveal about God's character?
  • What truth is God asking me to agree with?
  • What change is God calling me to make?

Closing Prayer Focus

• Pray for hearts that desire to know God, not just know about Him
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help group members submit to Scripture's authority
• Pray for transformation in specific areas where members are resisting change
• Thank God that His Word is living, active, and powerful