Picking a Scripture

If it is your first time leading a Bible study, Pastor Fetterhoff suggests you start off with a topic that is not too challenging. For example, she mentions that you might not start off with a book like Leviticus or Lamentations. The first time you are leading, pick a book or a passage that you are already somewhat familiar with. Make sure it is a book that you are excited to learn more about because passion is contagious.

In other words, don’t guilt yourself with idealism. The Christian walk is not only the journey of a lifetime, but we will be with Jesus forever. You have time to get to Leviticus. It is more important to keep moving on our journey forward with Christ than it is for us to move at a quick pace. If you look at how high the mountain is, you may be tempted to give up. Sometimes, we just worry about taking the next step.

A smaller book of the Bible is often a great subject for a Bible study. However, you may also want to pick a section of a larger book. For example, you could meet to study Isaiah 1-12 or Isaiah 40-66. You could meet to study the Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Fetterhoff suggested the Gospel of John, which is foundational and fairly easy to read.

Remember, you don’t have to make all the decisions. True, at times, it may be prudent for you to make key decisions if there would be strong disagreement or if idiosyncratic personalities would tend to dominate. But you can certainly consult your group to see what they are interested in studying.

More than anything, pray together about it. God doesn’t always have just one path forward for us. Sometimes he lets us pick what flavor of ice cream we want. Over time, God wants you to study all of Scripture. But be sure to ask him if there is one book or passage, in particular, he wants your group to study this time.