Bible Study Basics Series, Week 1
by Dan MacLeod
February 22, 2023 · New Life Terre Haute (New Life Fellowship)
Kind: teaching
Scripture: Joel 2, Acts 2:38, Acts 2:39, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:89, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:11, James 1:21-22, Acts 3:6, Colossians 4:6, Matthew 11:25, Revelation 1:3, Matthew 9:37-38, 2 Timothy 4:2

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/dan-macleod--bible-study-basics-series-week-1
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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My assignment this evening is to talk to you about Bible studies, specifically home or personal Bible studies. And you could make this very, very practical or you could make it very, very inspirational. I've learned that, in fact, I would say that in the North American church, sometimes we are too inspirational and we lack the practical element that gives people the tools to act on the inspiration they receive. And so we don't want to be all inspiration, but neither do we want to just be all practical. And so this evening I will endeavor to be somewhere in the middle to both inspire you and to equip you. And certainly over the next couple of weeks there will be more of that. How many thank God for what He's been doing in new life over the past several weeks. Amen. We are focusing on this because what we have received is not the fullness of what God has. There is more. And so tonight we're

going to inspire and equip in order to see that fulfilled. So Bible study basics beginning at the top where it says the promise. God said, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. We understand the prophecy from Joel chapter two was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two. When Peter stood and preached on the day of Pentecost, the question was asked, a men and brethren, what shall we do? There was a conviction, a compulsion to respond to what he had preached. Now, many times we preach as if the message of Pentecost was Acts 238. That's not entirely true. The real message of Pentecost was Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And it was the preaching of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And there's this amazing verse in Acts chapter two we often overlook when Peter says, this same Jesus who you have crucified was buried, has been raised, has ascended, seated on the right hand of the Father and poured

out the promise of the Father, of the Spirit which you now see and hear. Meaning when somebody receives the promise of the Holy Spirit, there is both visible and audible evidence. And now there's this conviction working in the heart of the people. And they ask the question, what shall we do? I feel compelled to respond. I know God is speaking to me. I know the Lord is drawing me, but what do I have to do? Now Peter says in verse 38, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission, not just of your sins, but of sins, and ye shall not maybe, not can, but you shall, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now the next verse, verse 39, is just as exciting because he says, this promise is unto you and your children and all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. The application

here is both geographical and timing. What I mean by that is he's not just saying that this is for those in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. It's not just for those in the Middle East or in Western Europe or in North America. But he's also saying this promise is real right now. But if the Lord should tarry 2,000 or 3,000 more years, the promise of the Holy Ghost is still going to be poured out and it's for everybody. And so we understand this, we're a spirit-filled people. We preach this, we practice this, we celebrate it. We saw it in great measure here just a few Sundays ago. But I would tell you tonight this promise demands our participation. While God doesn't need us, he has chosen to fulfill his work in the earth by involving us. And while we know the promise of the Holy Ghost is being fulfilled, God is pouring out a spirit. This promise demands our participation.

And so the first thing is this, we have to all come into agreement with this reality. Believers are commanded to teach. Matthew 28, 19, and 20. The Bible says, Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, amen. Now these verses directly follow Jesus making this statement. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And so he's telling them, because I have all power, you have no reason to doubt, no reason to fear, no reason to be concerned, no reason to be skeptical. There's no cause for uncertainty. I have all power. Now I need you to go, go and teach all nations. If you're reading that verse in a more modern translation, it probably replaces the word teach with the

words make disciples. The application here is simple, is it is impossible to make disciples without teaching. You say, well we get lots of teaching at church. We come here on Wednesday. We come here on Sunday. There are various meetings that we have corporately. But when we walked into this building this evening, it's probably safe to say all of us with the exception of pastor perhaps who came through the office door, most of us came through one of those two entrances in the atrium. So for all intents and purposes, if you came to hear the gospel tonight, you had two doors to choose by which you could enter to hear the gospel. But if all of us would purpose that our home, our place of dwelling, could be a door of opportunity. Then we would present the city of Terre Haute with, just by representation of those here tonight, certainly several dozen doors of opportunity. And so which yields a greater opportunity for teaching

to occur? For one voice to be heard by one or two doors or for dozens, if not hundreds of voices, to be heard by the open door of your home. And so we are commanded to teach. This is not simply a command for those who are called to what we would call pulpit ministry. This is not simply for those who are called in the sense of five-fold ministry. This is not only for senior pastors and church leaders. This is for every born-again believer. You say, well, I have a lot of questions about that. I'm kind of a timid person. I'm not sure I'm really capable. Well, let's look at the next point. Because believers are given power to witness. Acts chapter 1 and verse 8, this is Jesus in His last words before ascending into heaven. He tells His disciples, you shall receive power. This is the what? Power. After that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall

be witnesses. This is the why. Unto me, both in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and in Sumeria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth, that's the where. So Jesus tells us, this is what I'm giving you. This is why I'm giving it to you, and this is where you're going to use it. I'm giving you my spirit so you have the ability to effectively witness of me. Now I went through a little season of learning back in 2010 when we had moved to start a church, because in my frame of reference, witnessing was inviting somebody to church. But when you move to a city and you don't have a church building, you don't even have a church name, the government doesn't know you're a church. There's no church bank account. How do you witness your force to rediscover the biblical pattern? Now I'm not advocating we stop inviting people to new life, but what I am saying is inviting somebody to new life

is not witnessing of Jesus. Jesus said, I'm giving you my spirit. And my spirit is powerful enough to deal with your inadequacies and your questions and the flaws of your personality and the timidity you may feel bound by. I'm giving you power. That's what I'm giving you. But the reason I'm giving you the why is that you would be a witness of me. Where? Everywhere. In Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth. That means you can do it in the atrium. You can do it at Walmart. You can do it at Kroger or Meyer. You can do it in Javaho at Real Hacienda. You can do it at your place of employment. The Holy Ghost will give you the power to effectively witness of Jesus anywhere and everywhere, no matter the place and no matter the time. That's what He's given us. So we'd not be honest with the Lord or with ourselves tonight if we said we can't do it.

Because God has commanded us to do it. And He's gone to great lengths to fill us with His Spirit, which is the power to do it. He said, well, I would do it here but not there. No, He said, I'm giving you, I gave you power. That's the what? The why is to witness of me and the where is absolutely anywhere. You can do it in the break room. You can do it in the car. I've been part of conversations in the backseat of a car when getting an Uber to the airport. I've had conversations in lunchrooms. I've had conversations in hotel lobbies and restaurant tables. This works anywhere. And so knowing that, we have to consider, well, what is it we're talking about? When we're talking about teaching a home Bible study or witnessing of Jesus Christ, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, it does us well to remember this. This is where the power is. It's not my opinion. It's not

my preference. It's not some historical document. It's not some textbook or some academic writing. It's this divinely inspired word of God. This is where the power is. And in a day when church pulpits are diluted of sound doctrine, in the emphasis of doctrinal preaching is greatly neglected. We have to understand this. This is where the power is right here. Now, I know you can find all kinds of statistics on the internet that talk about this being the best selling book and all that stuff. But I want you to understand something. This is not like every other book you can get on Amazon. This is not like every other book you're going to find that books a million. Now, I know in one sense, this is just leather. This is nice goat skin leather. This is nice, real nice paper, black ink. It's just like every other book in so many ways. But there's something very different about this. That's why the writer of

Hebrews said, for the Word of God is quick and powerful. This is alive. It's active. This is a living word. It works. You start reading it. And there's something about this that starts speaking and working in your life. He said it's sharper than any two-edged sword piercing, even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and the marrow. It is the discerner of the thoughts and the intense of the heart. It's a living word. When you get in this book, you don't just read it. It starts reading you. You start seeing things about you. You didn't know we're there because this is not like every other book. I know it's just bound with leather and thread. And I know it's paper and ink, but this is a divinely inspired book. It's breathed by God. There's life in these pages. I was thinking this afternoon how when Jesus commanded us, He commanded us to love Him with all of

our heart, soul, strength, and mind. I began thinking about this Hebrews 4 and 12. It's so precise that it can even divide the soul and the spirit. There's no medical test that can pinpoint the location of the soul and spirit. Created by God, by the breath of God in every living being. You can't go to a doctor. They can't pinpoint that part of you. It's something God put in you. I know we differentiate these things in our living. We would say it like this. Well, our body's very easy to understand. And we would say our soul is the mind that's the seat of our will and our emotions. But Jesus said, if you love me, you have to love me with your heart, soul, strength, and mind. And so here's the temptation sometimes with the Word of God. We want to approach the Word of God with just our mind. Now that is a component. You have to comprehend. You have to read.

You have to study. That engages the mind of the individual. But because this is a living and active Word, it just doesn't live in the mind. It's not like the textbook you read at school or the book you got on Amazon. When you start reading this book, it goes right to the heart. And this is important for us to understand, because if I could call to your memory tonight, the moment in your life, you repented. The moment you received the Holy Ghost, I'll tell you why. It's because the living Word pierced your heart. It didn't stay in your mind. Now I know it passed through your mind. You heard the words. You comprehended the word, but it didn't stay in the mind. This is important to understand, because when we get into the practical component of teaching Bible studies here in a few minutes, you need to understand this, is that when we're teaching the Word of God, we're going for the heart.

Because the mind is the analytical part of you. It's the part of you that even though you sit there in the middle of service and you feel God drawing you just like they did on the day of Pentecost, and you're thinking, I really want to lift my hands. I really have been thinking about being baptized in Jesus' name. I know I need to go up there and lift my hands and let God fill me with the Spirit, because the Word is pulling at your heart. But it's the mind part of you that starts thinking, you know, I'm going to look really silly if I do that. I may, maybe if I just wait and do that next week. And so it's the analytical mind that diminishes the power of the Word in our heart. We'll come back to that in a little bit. But know this is because this is a living Word. Yes, you perceive it through your mind, but you can't

let it stay there. There's comprehension here, but there's transformation here. And when you let the Word do what the Word is designed to do, I promise you, it'll start changing who you are. The Word of God, these are but a few of the many, many things we could find in the Scripture. But first the Word of God is truth. It's not a truth, it's truth. This is the truth, the absolute truth. And I know the idea of an absolute truth goes against every cultural mentality or paradigm in the modern day, but this Word is truth. The psalmist said that this Word forever, oh Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven. This means this Word is eternal. When I think of the fact it's settled in heaven, consider with me what's happened in Turkey in just the past couple weeks. A shaking of the earth brought to devastation in minutes, hundreds of years, millions of dollars worth of investment. But because this is settled

in heaven, nothing that shakes in the earth can change it, because it's settled in, it's not settled in the earth, it's settled in the heaven, it's eternal. This means that it doesn't matter if we're teaching this in America or in Africa, in Tarahau or Taiwan. If you're speaking in English or you're speaking Mandarin Chinese, it's the same truth. It doesn't matter if we're talking about what was preached 2000 years ago or what's preached tonight in 2023, this Word is eternal. It doesn't change. This Word builds faith. Paul said faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. There's something that happens in the heart and the life of an individual when they just start hearing the Word of God declared. That's why pastor talks about what he calls the saturation principle. You just got to be here. You know why? Because even though you feel like you have all these questions and you can't make sense of anything, if you would

just be here when the Word of God is taught and the Word of God is preached, the hearing of that Word, because this is not like all the other books you've read. This is a living Word. When you hear that Word, it starts producing something in you, and that's called faith. It's that part of you that transcends the analytical mind, it starts working in your heart and the Spirit starts drawing you. This Word, it gives direction. The Psalmist said, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. The way I understand that a lamp is not designed to light a whole room. You put the lamp just in the area of the room, you want a little light. It's a lamp to my feet. It's just a little bit of light to my next step. If I could draw the parallel tonight, I would tell you that this right here will give you the wisdom for every little

daily decision, just the next step. But it's also a light. Now a light is a lot brighter than a lamp. So as much as it's a lamp to your feet, it's also a light to your path. You start living by this book and it'll guide a whole lot more than just tonight or tomorrow morning. But it'll start moving you on the trajectory for things to be a whole lot better next month and next year and five years from now and 10 years from now. That's the power of this Word. This Word, it'll keep you from sin. The Psalmist said, Thy Word have I hid in my heart. Notice this. He didn't say, Thy Word have I comprehended in my mind. He said, Thy Word have I hid in my heart. Yes, I have to read it. Yes, I have to study it. Yes, I have to comprehend it. But ultimately this is not for some academic test. This is for heart transformation. And

because I hid your Word in my heart, I did it so I might not sin against thee. Now there's a couple things to consider here. One is because I know what the Word says. I have biblical knowledge. I have truth to make the right decision. I don't care if that sounds fun or if that looks good. The Bible says it's wrong. Now I have knowledge of right and wrong. But it's not just knowledge. It's heart transformation. And because it's a living Word, it's not just the knowledge of right and wrong, but it's the power in that present moment. It's a living Word that strengthens my will, that gives me resolve on the basis of what is truth to say I might be being tempted. But I'm going to say no because Thy Word have I hid in my heart. This Word will produce spiritual growth. First Peter said to desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby. It is

not possible, not possible to spiritually grow without a healthy diet of the Word of God. It's not enough just to hear it on Sunday. It's not enough just to have it on Wednesday nights. There's got to be a daily diet, a daily nourishing of your mind, your heart, your soul of this Word. It produces spiritual growth. James 1, 21, and 22, wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive the meekness with meekness the ungraphed Word. Receive with meekness. James is telling us our attitude towards the Word of God is of utmost importance. I don't come with arrogance. I don't know it all. It doesn't matter if I've graduated from Bible school. It doesn't matter if I've been in church for 16 years. It doesn't matter how long I've had a license. It doesn't matter how many sermons I've heard. I don't know it all. I've not reached the end of God. I've not received all instruction and revelation. It doesn't

matter who's teaching it or if it's just in my daily devotion or at the greatest conference we can gather. My attitude towards the Word of God determines what I receive from it. And so I come with meekness because this Word is able to save your souls. And so he says, but be doers of the Word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves. There is another place where Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica and he tells them that if you do not receive a love of the truth, God will send you a strong delusion that you should believe a lie. That's a deception that comes from God. Now notice he didn't say you have to have a love for the truth. He said you have to receive. In other words, you have to have the attitude of meekness or humility to receive what truth puts in you. And if you don't receive the love of the truth, the truth, it puts a

love in you because it's pure. It's right. It's accurate. And if you don't receive that, he says there is a delusion that comes from God. James is writing about a different delusion. James is writing about a deception that comes when we are hearers and not doers. The burden of responsibility is to both know and obey the Word of God. And when teaching others, we do it with the same expectation. Let me first pause here for a minute and say this tonight. If you are here tonight and you have never repented of your sin, if you have never been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you have never received the gift of the Holy Spirit and when you do, you'll begin to speak in an unknown language just like they did in the Bible. If you have never experienced that, I'm going to operate on the assumption that you've at least heard of it. You know about

it because you're familiar with this church. At the very minimum, you just heard my last few sentences. But the burden upon us now is not simply to know but to obey. And so I'm compelled by the Scripture tonight to command you, as the Apostles did those in the book of Acts, you must repent. You must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with your membership in this church or your fellowship and friendship with the people of this church. It has everything to do with your salvation in Jesus Christ. You've got to obey. When you get to heaven, you're not going to have a multiple choice question. The judgment is not based on if you knew what the Bible said. But there will be a judgment based on did you obey what the Bible said. Now, I understand the real, the narrow focus here tonight is Bible studies, but I just had to get that in there. But

the reason I had to get that in there was because when we start teaching Bible studies, we're teaching with this same expectation. I'm not just teaching somebody with the intent of giving them knowledge to pass a 10-question multiple-choice quiz. I'm teaching with the expectation they will become obedient to the Word of God, that they will obey the command of Scripture, that the Word will start working in their heart and in partnership with the Holy Spirit. I can lead them to a place of obedience where God will change their life. And so we're teaching, yes, there's a mental part. Yes, the mind is involved, but it doesn't stop there. There's a life transformation that happens through obedience to the Word of God. Amen. Amen. Now, a little bit more practical, still a little bit in the middle of the road, but I'm going to try to give you some practical components to teaching Bible studies. First point is this, I can only

give what I have. This is spiritual work, and it means I must pray. I can only give what I have. Someone I think mentioned here recently, Pastor, one of the sermons a Sunday or two ago, referenced the lame man in Acts 3 and how Peter says, why do you look on us? I don't have money to give you. But he says, such as I do have, I give unto you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. I don't have what you think you need, but I do have what you really do need. You don't just need money for bread for another day. What you really need is a miracle that'll get you up off the ground and give you a better way of living. But you can only give what you have. And as much as we are teaching Scripture and verse and taking them through pages of the Bible and giving them understanding, mind, mental understanding of

the Word of God, we have to know this. Above all, this is a spiritual work. So we've got to pray. I've got to pray to prepare myself. I've got to pray to be a vessel that does more than read off a paper. I've got to pray to be in a spiritual state, a posture where the Spirit of God can start working through me to minister to the life of that individual. This is not just like a classroom lecture. This is spiritual work. This is kingdom work. And so as much as I'm preparing to prepare myself, I have to understand that person I'm about to teach a Bible study to. They're wrestling some spiritual things. There's some principalities and powers that would like to keep them bound. There's some sin that they might be held captive by. There's some lies that they have believed. There's some things that they're struggling with. And so I don't just approach this Bible study thinking, well, if I

show up with my chart and I read through these papers, it's going to happen. No. It's a spiritual work. I've got to put prayer into this. I'm not just talking about praying at the start of a Bible study, though that's certainly a good practice. But if I know next Monday that I'm going to be teaching a Bible study, that over the next four or five days, I'm going to spend some dedicated time in prayer for that lesson, for that individual. Because I know between now and next Monday, the devil's going to do everything he can to keep that person from coming ready. He's going to do everything he can to mess with the attitude of that person. So when they show up at my dining room table on Monday, they don't come with meekness, but they come with frustration. They come with questions and skepticism and unbelief. So what do I do? I say, no. I already know what the devil's going to

do. So I'm going to pray. I'm going to win this fight in the spirit before the study ever starts. I can only give what I have. And so there's got to be a fire in your relationship with God. There's got to be a purity, a truth, integrity in your walk with God, because there's a part of what's happening in that Bible study that is taught knowledge and information, but there's something there that's also caught. You know, Paul said this. He said, follow me as I follow Christ. I would submit to you tonight that in my experience, the people that grow most effectively or without hindrance in the kingdom of God most often grow simultaneously in relationship with somebody else. It's as they grow in relationship with you, they start catching what God has put in you. And while they're growing in relationship with you, because they're at your table and you're in their living room and you're sharing experience and telling stories and

having coffee, your relationship is growing because the end goal here is actually not to know me, but to know God. It's not just to make a new friend, but it's to obey the Scripture. They're following me as I'm following Christ. And as they grow in relationship with me, they're actually, I'm just the middleman. I'm just like the priest helping them get to God because Dan McLeod can't fix anybody. I can tell you what the Bible says, but I can't fix anybody, but I can tell you who can, but I can only give what I have. The second one is this, I can only teach what I know. This is serious work. This is serious work because we're talking about eternity. This is people's salvation. So because it's a serious work, it means I must study. I don't just walk into that Bible study next Monday. Now, if you've taught it for years and you know it, it might be a little bit different,

but it wouldn't hurt you to do a little bit of review. But this is serious work. So I'm not just showing up there knowing well, I bought the chart, I downloaded the notes, I've got them on my iPad. No. I'm taking the time to study because when I'm speaking the Word of God, I don't want it just coming out of the mind, but I want it coming out of my heart. I have to know it though. The learner is really going to be able to tell quite quickly, are you just reading off that paper? Or is this something you really know because you have it? That's why Paul told Timothy, study to show thyself approved unto God. You're ultimately, you're not proving it to the person you're teaching. You're proving it to God. A workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing. Those two words are good words to underline. Rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Rightly dividing. That means by implication

it's possible to wrongly divide. My wife and I are teaching a Bible study to a couple on Zoom from another country. We were doing it last Monday, talking about the story of Cain and Abel. One of the individuals has some Bible knowledge. The other one is very, very little. So we were talking through the story of Cain and Abel. I said, here's what you have to understand. God is showing us many things, but above all, he's trying to teach us there's a right way and there's a wrong way. And the sooner you learn this, the better because you're going to find this same principle woven through the entirety of Scripture. And by extension, this is what Paul is telling Timothy. You better put in the study. You better put in the work, Timothy, because when you're teaching, you're not just teaching to inform others. In fact, the Bible says those who teach, I'm not trying to scare you away from teaching, but the

Bible says those who teach will be judged harder than those who do not. And so if you're going to teach, which I am very confident in saying tonight, it is the will of God, we all teach. You've got to put in the study. I tell young people, young adults, young preachers, I think you ought to be, now this is just my opinion. Pastor disagrees, he's right. But I think you should be able to teach a Bible study on the oneness of God and the new birth without looking at anything. Because if I'm sitting in the break room and I've only got 20 minutes before I got to get back on my shift and I don't have a chart with me and I don't have my phone on me, but that person's hungry and they're asking questions. I've got to be able to tell them. And you know what? You've got to know. You've got to be able to tell them that Genesis one

was in the beginning and John one is in the beginning and this word was made flesh. You got to be able to take them to Galatians four and first Timothy three and first Timothy two, you got to walk them through this stuff. You got to be able to tell them, well look in Luke 24, Jesus said, He said, you're going to go down to Jerusalem. There's going to be people from all nations. There's going to be a message of repentance, a message of remission of sins in my name. You're going to wait for the promise of the spirit. The only place in the entirety of the New Testament writing is those five elements of Luke 24. The only place it's fulfilled is in Acts chapter two on the day of Pentecost. You got to walk them through this and you've got to know it. You've got to put in the study because you can only give what you have. You've got to know

it's got to be in your mind, but it's got to be in your heart and it's got to flow out of you from a place of knowledge and relationship, but you got to rightly divide. You got to know the word of God. Context matters. You could take one verse out of context to make it say something it doesn't mean, so you've got to rightly divide. You've got to know that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, these were what they called the synoptic gospels, the birth, the life, the ministry of Jesus Christ. Here there is a mention of a church, but it's only in the future tense. And then from Romans to Revelation, all these letters are written to the church. It begs the question, where did this church come from? You only get that answer in the book of Acts. So you can't jump from these verses about believing and being saved in John 3 to these verses about salvation in the book of

Romans without walking through the door of the book of Acts. So you've got to know how to rightly divide the word of God. Now we'll get into more of this in the next couple of weeks, but this matters. This matters because I can only teach what I know. I've got to hurry here. Next point, how I give is as important as what I give. Truth is offensive. I don't need to be. I have in times past by occasion seen some who use truth like a club because they felt like they were in competition with other people. We're not in competition with anybody. This is good news and how we present it can really determine whether or not the learner receives it as good news or not. Now it's still offensive. Presenting an absolute truth and telling somebody you're living in sin, how you're living is wrong. What you've been doing is not right. That's offensive in and of itself. So the last thing

we need is to be offensive in our presentation or conduct our speech because how I give is as important as what I give. I can be presenting truth, but if I don't present it in love, that can determine whether or not that truth is received or not. This is why Paul writes, but speaking the truth, that's the what in love. That's the why, which is the head even Christ. Colossians 4 and 6, let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. Answer implies a question. You might get some questions. We'll come to this point again in a couple moments, but some questions that challenge you or that cause you to speak a truth that could be divisive. Even Jesus said, I didn't come to bring peace on the earth, but a sword, a division. He was saying, he came to draw the line. Truth in and of itself is offensive, but

that doesn't mean we need to be offensive. So we pray and prepare our hearts that the love of God would flow through us, that the good news would be received as good news. Do not assume, next point, that the learner has biblical knowledge. Jesus kept it simple so can I. I mentioned the Bible study, Haley and I were teaching on Zoom on Monday. One of those individuals, they know a fair bit of the Bible in terms of characters and stories from their childhood. The other individual knows very little. So if I'm sitting there teaching a Bible study, I can't start teaching with the assumption that this person knows all the stories of Scripture. Several years ago, we were still in Halifax and my wife was teaching a young lady in our church a Bible study. When I tell you she knew nothing about the Bible, I mean she knew nothing. She had never heard of Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, nothing. Her

knowledge of Jesus was probably a curse word. She knew nothing. And Haley has her reading some Scriptures in the Bible study and she comes to the name Pilate and she stops and she says Pilates. Some people, they will know nothing. And so I can't come with the assumption or the expectation. I can't just start talking about Adam and Eve or Cain and Abler. I can't start talking about Noah's Ark like they know the story. I can't start referencing Peter or John or James or the Old Testament or the New Testament like they're just going to know what I mean. Even if they do, especially if you're teaching a group Bible study, sometimes it's easy to cater to the majority and neglect the minority. And you may have to intentionally push pause, slow down and simplify for the sake of one. Because you can't assume in this day that they have any biblical knowledge. I learned this in church planning. You get up in

a church where the majority of the crowd is spirit filled. They know church culture. They know church terminology. You can preach and you can reach those few minorities because they get caught in what I said in a room with 10 or 15 people who know very little about the Bible. It's going to change how you talk. You're not going to use church lingo. You get up to preach. You're not just going to read that one verse that has that one sentence. You're going to take time and read the whole 20 verses because they ain't never heard it before. They don't know about Cain and Abler. They don't know about Adam and Eve. They really don't even know anything about Jesus. How was he born? What did he do? He died. He really, he rose again. The Bible actually says that. So you can't assume that they have any knowledge. You have to take the time to read through the story. Explain the names.

Give them context because the Bible is line upon line, precept upon precept. And if you start neglecting those simple things at the beginning, you're not going to be able to tie it together as tightly as you need to later in the study. So just remember, assume they don't have any biblical knowledge. Keep it simple. Matthew 11, 25 conveys the truth even in Jesus' ministry that he actually intentionally withheld things from the wise and the prudent. Those who prided their self on academia and knowledge and the wisdom of man, the scripture says Jesus actually kept things from them and revealed them unto babes. Those who came with childlike simplicity, simple faith. Brother Smith was here a couple of weeks ago. He was at a conference here in California a couple of weeks ago and Brother Cunningham pulled him up on the platform and said, when David Smith first started evangelizing, he said, we had a blowout Sunday on his first Sunday preaching for us.

He said, I called him back and said, Brother Smith, I need you to come back and preach again next Sunday. Brother Smith said, I can't. He said, well, why not? He said, I only got two sermons. He said, I preached him last week. Brother Cunningham said, we'll come back and preach him again. Brother Smith leaned over on the microphone and said, yeah, I've been doing it over 20 years now. Now, I don't talk about the ability of oratory. You're not going to find a better preacher than our pastor. But the fruit of Brother Smith's ministry was very much evident here a couple of weeks ago. What did he do? He just kept it simple. He just shared what he has. He just shared what he knows. Not from here, but from here. It was just simple truth conveyed from a place of knowledge and experience and transformation. And it started working in the heart of people and lives were transformed. You don't need

a degree. You don't have to be the smartest guy or girl in the room. Just keep it simple. Involve the learner in the lesson. This is a real practical one, but one I think is a very fruitful tool in teaching personal Bible studies. Have that learner read scriptures aloud. You know, it's scientifically proven that reading out loud, they talk about this when you're teaching children to read, scientifically proven that reading out loud increases your processing skills and comprehension. And so I'm not asking that person to read because I'm too lazy to read. I'm asking them to read because in the process of them reading these living words and they hear their own voice saying the true words of Scripture, it's not just a supernatural work of the Spirit. It's scientifically proven that their mental comprehension is increased. Their ability to process is increased. And somewhere in the mingling of that scientific reality and that supernatural revelation, I can't tell you how many times

I have tried to say something to someone. I've preached it. I've taught it. I've read it. And then they read a Scripture and I say, what did that just say? And when they answer that question, oh my, I see it. Yeah, because there's this little intersection of science and supernatural. And so I know it's a really practical thing, but don't just put your eyes down on the paper and read through it like this is some classroom lecture. Stop and dialogue a little bit and give them opportunity to speak and say to them, would you read this verse? Haley and I started this Bible study on Zoom two weeks ago. It was when she started. And so when we started two weeks ago, in that first lesson, we pretty much did most the talking or all the reading. And so when we got ready for week two, she said, look, here's the Scriptures in advance. If you would read them before the study, I'd

like you to read them during the Bible study too. They might be a little bit uncomfortable. They might be a little bit timid. If you're using the King James, which I recommend is a good one to use. They might trip up on that old English. That's okay. I'm telling you somewhere in the intersection of that scientific reality and that supernatural revelation, the light's going to come on and they're going to realize, oh my goodness. This is who Jesus is. This is what salvation is. I see it. I know pastors have been preaching it for the past year. I know you've been talking about it in this Bible study for the past four weeks. But when I read it, when I heard my voice, all of a sudden I comprehended it in a way I hadn't before. So don't just put your eyes on the paper and read through it. Involve them in the lesson. Let them speak. Encourage them to read. Ask strategic

questions. If you struggle to come up with good questions on the spot, when you're studying that lesson, because you can only teach what you know. So when you're preparing, when you're studying, think through some strategic thought-provoking questions. Revelation 1 and 3, it says, blesses he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy. I know he's talking about Revelation, but I'd submit the principle is beyond that. There is a spiritual, supernatural blessing. And lastly, expect questions. Don't go in there thinking that they're just going to receive everything without a question. You need to expect questions. But know this, you may not have all the answers, but I know who does. And so I have to always direct the conversation back to Jesus. You're probably going to get questions like, I saw on CNN today that Russia's dropped their treaty with the United States and all these other countries regarding nuclear arrangements. Do you really think the end of the world

is coming next year? Is there going to be interest rates keep going up? Do you think the United States economy is going to climb all these kinds of things? And so you're going to have to develop the tact and the ability to steer that question back to Jesus. This happened in our Bible study the other day. Somewhere they got talking about Methuselah and how old Methuselah was and dinosaurs and the flood and just one thing off topic, spiraled on to another. And I said, well, you know, let's just come back to this because here's the reality of Noah's arc is that God was trying to show us. I've been patient towards sin for a long time, but ultimately I do have to deal with it. But I'm looking for someone whose heart has turned towards me and Noah I found you and I'm going to give you a plan, precise blueprints that will give you a way of escape from this coming judgment.

Because I got to turn it back to Jesus because he's patient and he's long suffering and he's loving and he's kind and he's merciful. But there is coming a day when he'll have to judge sin, but there are precise plans. There are very detailed blueprints that describe to us this vessel, this way of salvation. So expect the question and don't feel like you have to have the answer. If you don't know the answer, just say, you know what, that's a good question. If you give me some time to look into that, I'll try to get back to you later, and then you take it back to Jesus. The Bible is clear. You have to be ready to give an answer of the hope which is in you. It doesn't say you have to give an answer to every question. Hear the question, but turn it back to Jesus. It's like Philip who comes upon the Ethiopian unit and he opens up in the

Bible and says, he began at the same scripture preaching Jesus. It doesn't matter if you're in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve at the beginning of Genesis, Cain and Abel, Abraham, the flood. If you're somewhere in the Gospels or the Epistles, anywhere you are in this book, it's like a thread that takes you to Jesus. And so don't feel bad if there's a question that you don't know the answer. In fact, I would encourage you that questions are good because the more dialogue, typically the more open the individual. It means they're working through some things. They're trying to grasp. They're trying to comprehend. They're considering the implication of truth on their life. So just go into this expecting questions. Just knowing that no matter what the question is, off topic or not, I've got to bring it back to Jesus. A pepiva mind is people that talk about end time prophecy and they want to make it all about countries and

timelines. Your Bible, if you look at the book of Revelation, it probably says the revelation of Jesus Christ. It's not the revelation of America and Russia or China or Iran or Iraq. It's the revelation of Jesus. Now I know all that plays a part, but ultimately what he's showing us is at the end of the story there's one who still reigns. There's one who's still triumphant. There's one who's victorious. So just always bring it back to Jesus. Don't let the defining conversation or the ending note of that Bible study be what was on the news that day or what's in the media or what's floating around on Facebook. Bring it back to Jesus. Now I open tonight, I got to hurry. I open tonight talking about the promise, but there's a problem because God has promised He's going to pour out His Spirit. There's a promise for this city. There's a promise for this church, but even though God has promised it, the

harvest can be lost due to a labor shortage. Jesus in Matthew 9 said, the harvest truly is plenious, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth laborers into His harvest. This word laborers, there's nothing in this word that implies some special trade. No college degree, no formal education, simply a willingness. This is why in Matthew 20 when the owner of the vineyard goes out, the Bible says He finds those that are standing idle in the marketplace. He's looking for workers. He's not looking for people who have a certain degree, a certain skill set, a certain measure of experience. He's just looking for people who are willing to work idleness at the time of harvest results in a lost harvest and otherwise preventable issues resulting from unemployment. Now I know you thought, you know, there was a drug issue and there was a theft issue and there was an alcohol issue and I'm not

saying they're not issues, but you know where a lot of that starts with a little thing called unemployment? Because those who are not busy working find themselves tangled up in what would otherwise be preventable issues. Idleness at a time of harvest not only causes us to lose the harvest, but it creates issues in our life that we could otherwise prevent. I had to go see my new friend Margie again the other day, get a pair of pants, hand mom was in there, a state trooper came in and we stood there chatting for probably 25 or 30 minutes and he kept talking about this plasma center and I'm like plasma center, what is the plasma center? He said, oh it's where people give blood. I said give blood, people get paid to give blood here? He's like yeah and it's a real issue. He said, you go drive by the plasma center, you'll see people walking outside on the sidewalk strung out on drugs.

So intoxicated they can't walk straight, but they don't want to work so they just go give blood, get a little bit more money and go feed their addiction. When I was in San Francisco last summer, Brother Morgan drove me through part of San Francisco. I'm telling you the homeless, I've never seen anything like it in my life and I know there's all kinds of substance issues that capture our attention, but one of the bigger issues that fuels that reality in our world is the lack of discipline to work. It's an unemployment issue. Let me tell what the American government did by just giving people a bunch of money and an excuse to stay home for a couple years was fuel a mentality and create a bunch of issues that we could have otherwise prevented. And the church is not, we're not, we're vulnerable to the same thing. Just go home, just watch it on your phone, just watch it on your computer and

it produces this lazy consumer driven mentality where we're not working. And the problem is, listen, you don't need favorable circumstances, you just need a resolve and a good will because Joseph found himself in a prison, but his unfavorable circumstances didn't keep him from working. And the fact that he worked in an unfavorable circumstance got him elevated to a place of influence in the kingdom. But then there was David who had all the prestige in the world and the Bible said at the time when the kings went out to fight, he didn't go fight. He wasn't working when he should have been working and he's standing on a roof and his lust, he gives into temptation because he's caught up in the attitudes and the actions that surround the reality of unemployment. And Jesus was telling us thousands of years ago how much more true is it tonight that the harvest is plenteous. There's a great harvest in Terreau, there's a great harvest in

Vigo County, there's a great harvest in Clay County, there's something great here, but the problem is the laborers are few. He's going to pour out his spirit. He's going to do it on the streets you live on and the school you go to and the college campus you walk on. He's going to do it with the people you go to work with, have Pepsi and that Coke and whatever building you walk into tomorrow morning. But what he needs is laborers. So I submit to you tonight. There's some things that you are wrestling with. You're asking God to help you. You're saying God I'm tired of dealing with this. I'm tired of struggling with this. I'm tired of fighting with this. Hear me. Your ability to walk in personal victory is directly connected to your willingness to work in the harvest. There's issues that you're toiling within your life. I feel a word from the Lord for somebody right now. You're toiling with it

unnecessarily. And the way you're going to get victory over it is by saying, God, I'm going to be one of those laborers. Don't find me standing idle at New Life. Don't find me standing idle in Terrell. I want to be a laborer. I don't have any formal education. I've got no great skill set. I don't even have a lot of experience. I've maybe never taught a Bible study before, but God, I'm telling you tonight on Wednesday, February the 22nd, 2023, I just want you to know I'm willing. I'm willing, God. I'm willing. I'm going to do, I'm going to work. There's a harvest here and I'm going to work for it. I'm going to teach a Bible study, God. I'm going to invite somebody. And if you would just start working a lot of that stuff that you're dealing with, you'd find out is a preventable issue. And when you start working, the harvest, working in the kingdom, you're not going to deal

with that no more because it's an issue resulting from unemployment. So what now? What now? Second Timothy 4 and 2, what now is this? Preach the Word of God. You don't need a platform. You don't need this pulpit. All you need is a person. It might be across the table in the lunchroom tomorrow. It might be in somebody's living room on Saturday morning or at a dining room table on Tuesday night. I don't know. But all you need is a person. You don't need a great set of notes. You don't need a fancy title. You just need to take what you have and what you know and preach the Word. Stand together with me. Be prepared, he said, whether the time is favorable or not, it's always an inconvenience to us because I could be doing this. I could be going there. But our willingness to be inconvenienced for the cause of the kingdom will yield a great harvest. So if I could,

for the sake of the specific focus of this lesson, substitute the words this evening. Preach the Word of God for please, please, please get ready to teach a personal Bible study. Please, please, this is not just Dan McLeod asking you tonight. These are the words of Jesus and Matthew 9 echoing to our hearts over 2,000 years saying, please, please, there's a harvest. I just need laborers. I just need workers. And so I have four simple things I challenge you with tonight. Before you go to bed tonight, get your journal, get pen and paper, put it on your fridge and note in your phone. But I want you to make a list of names for potential Bible studies. I don't care if they're this close to one right now or it seems like you're this far away. Make a list. It could be coworkers. It could be your neighbor, the person across the street, someone you met at the grocery store. Start making

a list and starting tonight. And when you get up tomorrow and every day that follows, pray over that list. But you're not just praying. You have to seek an opportunity to witness. That means it might be quicker to go through the checkout line where you do it yourself. But if you're willing to stand behind two people and wait an extra seven or eight minutes, you might get to talk to that lady who was real friendly towards you last week. Your willingness to be inconvenienced, you see, you have to actively seek opportunity to witness. Now, I just moved here six months ago, so I have this great thing working in my favor. Every single person I meet, when I say, we just moved to Terrell, oh really, where did you move from? I said, well, I was born in Canada, but I was living in Europe. And they get this look on their face. You moved here from Europe? Well, yes, I did. And

I'm very glad about it. Why? Well, over on East Wabash, there's this church called New Life Fellowship. Have you ever heard about it? I can't tell you the amount of people I've met in passing in the past six months. The state trooper I talked to yesterday, the day before. Have you ever heard of Pastor Jeff Harpole, New Life? Oh, yeah, yeah. I've heard his name around the community. It's kind of easy for me because I just moved here right now. So big wide open door to talk to people. But you have to actively seek those opportunities. And then there comes a moment when this is what Pastor Tim Gaddy in Cabot, Arkansas, he calls it the big ask. You have to ask the question. Hey, I'd really like to teach you a personal Bible study. It's just really informal. We'll just get together. You can come to my house, or if it's more convenient, we could go to your house, or we could

meet at a coffee shop if you'd like. And it won't take an hour. And we'll sit down, we'll have coffee. It's my treat, my treat. I just want to share with you from the scripture what changed my life. You've got to ask. And I'm telling you, if we'll do this, we could have a thousand people the Sunday we walk in that sanctuary. He's just looking for somebody who's willing. You don't need a Bible school education. You don't need a preacher's license. You don't need a platform. You don't need a pulpit. You just need a life-changing experience, a little bit of knowledge of this, and be willing to work. Would you lift your hands to the Lord? Jesus, I thank you for your word tonight. I pray you would break up the ground of our hearts and let that get embedded. Don't let the trials and the tribulations of life or the cares and the riches of this world steal this seed. Lord,

I want you to plant it deep in the heart of every single person in this room because I know there's much people in this city. There's hearts that you're softening right now. There's people that you're drawing by your spirit, and you just need willing workers to teach a Bible study so that process of transformation can be complete. The harvest is plenty, Lord, but the labors are few. But I pray that would not be true of this house or this great family. We're willing, God. We're hungry for it. We're going to make ourselves available. So I pray before we put our head on a pillow tonight, the Holy Ghost would stir us, bring to remembrance faces and names. People, help us see them in a different light. Help us see past the smile. Let us see where they really are. Let us see with the eyes of an evangelist. Let us see with the lens of your perfect love. I pray, Lord, tomorrow, even

tomorrow, you would give opportunity for the witnessing to start and the Bible study to begin. And I pray that there would be a supernatural work. I pray signs would follow. Miracles would happen that you would confirm your word with signs following. I pray you'd fill people with the Holy Ghost and living rooms and at coffee tables. I pray, Lord, that there would be a sovereign work that you do through the willing vessels of this house. In Jesus' name we pray. In Jesus' name, amen.