We will cover a lot of ground again this week. Remember the books are short! We will read Micah, I, II, III John, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. There is some very interesting and inspiring reading this week!
In the NT we will read from I, II, III John. There are all written by the apostle John. He is concerned that the believers live a life of love that others may know God and we may have assurance of our salvation. He is also concerned that the believers will be able to stand up against heresy and know how to discern what is true. He gives the readers some good "tools" for Christian living.
In the OT we will read four books. Micah message is one of both doom and hope. The book title begins with a "M." Here are some other "M" words that will help you remember the message of this book: Majesty, morality, millennium, mercy, and Messiah. Nahum is a book of warning against Nineveh. 100-150 years previous, Jonah preached repentance to Nineveh and they repented. The sad thing is that the people didn't remain faithful to God and teach their children to. Nahum warning to us is that we must continue on our walk with God or we, or our children, will revert back to our sinful ways. Habakkuk calls us to rejoice in God regardless of our outward circumstances. He reminds us that the righteous person will live by faith and wait for the Lord. Zephaniah gives us a beautiful picture at the end of the book of God's delight in his people. But the picture does not come until sin has been judge and people cleansed. We cannot by-pass that important factor.
Have a great week of reading!
WEEK 50 OF THE WB READING:DAY ONE, DECEMBER 10 - MICAH 1-7
Chapter 1
What is the message to the people?
What is the description of God in this chapter?
What do you think after reading that description of God?
What is Micah's reaction to the vision and the message?
How do you react when you see the incredible wickedness in the world and pending judgment?
Does it surprise Micah that the people aren't more concerned about the pending judgment on their brothers and themselves? HINT: verse 16.
How aware are you of what goes on around you and how concerned are you?
Chapter 2
What is going to do with those who are premeditated in their sin? HINT: verses 1-5.
What do the false prophets say? HINT: verse 6-11.
How do people today try to tell us only what we want to hear to make us feel good?
Again, how does the merciful God of Israel and Judah give hope?
Chapter 3
What is the characteristic of God that he wants the people to see here in verse 1 and continuing through the next chapter?
What are the leaders, priest, and prophets like?
How is the nation following?
What does that say about the importance of having the right leaders today?
What is Micah like according to verse 8?
How are you filled with the Holy Spirit and have been given God's message for those around you?
Chapter 4
What is the hope for the future in this chapter?
How do you see Jesus prophesied about in this chapter?
What is the "now" condition in this chapter?
Chapter 5
How do you see Jesus prophesied in this chapter?
What are some of the things that will be cleaned out from the nation?
How do many of those things need to be cleaned out from our nation?
Chapter 6
How do you see a picture of a courtroom here?
What is the charge against the people?
How has God shown the people the way they must live? HINT: verse 8.
What does that mean?
How well are you doing in living the way God wants you to live?
How well would you do in a courtroom with God?
Should God acquit the people?
Chapter 7
Even with the brake down in leadership, society, family, etc., what is the attitude of Micah? HINT; verse 7ff?
How can you say the same thing?
After seeing God's justice in the previous chapters, what are the characteristics of God you see here?
DAY TWO, DECEMBER 11 - I JOHN 1-5
Chapter 1
What do you know about Jesus from the opening verses?
What does it mean to have fellowship with God?
What do we know about light and darkness from this chapter?
What do we know about our sin from this chapter?
Chapter 2
How can we know that we have fellowship with God?
How important is it to live the right way and not just say that we are Christians?
What does this chapter teach about obedience?
What does this chapter teach about forgiveness?
What can you learn about overcoming evil?
What does this chapter say about the last days?
How can we have confidence in the last days?
Chapter 3
How can we know that we are children of God?
What is love?
How are we to love each other?
How do we know that God lives in us?
How well do you love others with your action and truth?
Chapter 4
Why do we need to test the spirits?
How do we test the spirits?
How does that help you when you are faced with another church, religion, or cult to know if it is true?
What are the benefits of love?
What are some of the characteristics of true love?
Why is love so important in Christian circles?
Chapter 5
Who is Jesus and what did he do?
What does the Holy Spirit do?
How can we know for sure that we are Christians and will go to heaven?
What is our confidence in approaching God?
How is the evil one's (Satan's) power limited?
What comfort, hope, and new insight did you get from reading I John?
DAY THREE, DECEMBER 12 - II JOHN 1
What is love?
How can love and obedience go together?
How important is it that a believer has the right understanding and relationship with both the Father and the Son?
Make a list of all the characteristics, attributes, and qualities of God that you know from the Bible.
Is your church teaching all of them?
What are some groups today that do not teach the whole truth of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
Are you helping those who you mentor or who are under your care the whole truth of God, the Trinity, and how to be discerning with teaching?
How are we to reach to those groups?
DAY FOUR, DECEMBER 13 - III JOHN 1
How have the people showed hospitality to missionaries?
How are you showing hospitality to those who serve God?
What was Diotrephes doing to the church?
Are you misusing power, gossip, or other things to cause disunity in the church?
What are we to imitate?
DAY FIVE, DECEMBER 14 - NAHUM 1-3
Chapter 1
Who is this book for?
Who did Jonah preach repentance to and how did they respond?
NOTE: This book is written about 100-150 years after the book of Jonah.
CHALLENGE: What happens to people who do not continue in their new relationship with God?
What is the description of God in the opening six verses?
What type of people is that description of God meaningful for?
What is the description of God in verses 7 and 15?
What type of people is that description of God meaningful for?
How do you picture God?
Chapter 2 and 3
What is God's warning to Nineveh?
What would Nineveh look like?
Would you rather stay in your sin, pride, and wickedness and risk the hands of God or change?
How will you remain faithful in your walk with God so you don't have to go from repentance to wrath?
DAY SIX, DECEMBER 15 - HABAKKUK 1-3
Chapter 1 and 2
What is Habakkuk's question to God in verse 2?
Have you ever asked a similar question of God?
What is God's answer?
What does this answer say to your spirit?
How does God's answer show that he has all history and a bigger picture in God's control?
What is the second question to God in verse 12 and following?
Are some of his concerns similar to ones that you have?
How does Habakkuk's conclusion to the question (2:1) show that he expects God to respond to him?
Do you expect God to take personal interest in your concerns?
What is God's response beginning in Chapter 2?
What is Habakkuk supposed to do with God's words?
How faithful are you with what God reveals to you?
How do the righteous live?
What are the woes (5 of them) to the wicked (Babylon)?
Chapter 3
What is Habakkuk's prayer to God?
Can you praise God and give him honor even when you are upset with the world around you?
What is the description of Habakkuk's outward condition starting at verse 16?
What is still going to be his attitude toward God starting at verse 18?
Are you willing to make a choice to rejoice even when things look bleak?
Where does Habakkuk's strength come from?
How are you like Habakkuk or how do you need to begin making choice like Habakkuk did?
DAY SEVEN, DECEMBER 16 - ZEPHANIAH 1-3
Chapters 1 to 2:3
What is the wickedness that needs to be cleaned out?
What and when is the Day of the Lord as described in this chapter?
How can this be applied to our day and the final judgment?
What is the only chance to avoid the wrath of the Day of the Lord?
What are you seeking after?
Chapters 2:4 to 15
NOTE: The warnings against the various countries comprise the west, east, south, and north. God's warnings cover the whole earth.
What are the warnings God gives to all the people?
What hope of a remnant do you find in these passages?
How does God always preserve his promises, covenant, and people?
How have you seen God's protection in your life even in judgment?
Chapter 3
How does God purify the people and turn them into a worshipping community and unified people who serve him?
Verse 14 tells the people to sing. What are some of the reasons they have to sing?
Verse 17 tells the people that God delights in them and sings over them. How does that make you feel?
How would you picture a people who sing and praise God and a God who returns the song?
What new picture of worship does that give you?
| DAY ONE | Dec-10 | LUKE 24 OR PROVERBS 10 |
| DAY TWO | Dec-11 | JOHN 1 OR PROVERBS 11 |
| DAY THREE | Dec-12 | JOHN 2 OR PROVERBS 12 |
| DAY FOUR | Dec-13 | JOHN 3 OR PROVERBS 13 |
| DAY FIVE | Dec-14 | JOHN 4 OR PROVERBS 14 |
| DAY SIX | Dec-15 | JOHN 5 OR PROVERBS 15 |
| DAY SEVEN | Dec-16 | JOHN 6 OR PROVERBS 16 |
Always begin your time of God with prayer. Ask him for understanding and insights. You can pick out a verse, thought or feeling from the passage and think on it (mediate) on it all day. Meditating on God's word means to digest it, put it into your mind, think on it, and concentrate in different ways on the passage.
Some ways you can do this is:
1. Put yourself into the scene.
2. Emphasize different words in the verse.
3. Paraphrase the passage in your own words.
4. Pray the passage back to God if it is a prayer, song, poem, etc (personalize it).
5. Use SPACE PETS acrostic to ask some standard questions.
S - Sins to confess? Do I need to make restitution?
P - Promises to claim? Have I met the conditions(s)?
A - Attitudes to change? Am I willing?
C - Commands to obey? Even if I don't feel like it?
E - Examples to follow? One to copy or avoid?
P - Prayers to pray? Is there something I need to tell God?
E - Errors to avoid?
T - Truths about God or the Bible I need to believe?
Adapted from 12 Dynamic Bible Study Methods (Chapter 1) by Richard Warren and William A. Shell.