Cell groups (small groups) are designed for investigating the Bible together as well as encouraging one another's spiritual growth, accountability, and relationship with Jesus. The following will help guide your cell group's meeting time as you use the Transformation Journal together.
Group Rules
1. A cell group practices confidentiality, which means what is shared in the group remains in the group.
2. A cell group is a safe place for people, where there is no judgment or ridicule for sharing thoughts, feelings, or past behaviors.
3. A cell group honors everyone's time by starting and ending the group on time.
Gather the People
Ask: "What was one God-moment you experienced this week?" and invite each person in the group to answer.
Bible Study
1. Choose and read as a group one or more of the primary Scriptures for the week.
2. Have each person share his or her response to one of this week's journal questions and the related Scripture passage.
3. Share personal stories about what God is currently transforming or changing in your life.
Caring Time
1. Ask each person to share prayer requests as well as blessings from the week.
2. Pray together as a group, acknowledging God's goodness and praying for the individual requests that were shared.
3. Pray that God brings others into your lives whom you may add to your cell group to increase your outreach.
sunday
What Was God’s Reason For Creating The Bible?
The Bible, known and accepted as the written word of God, is an important way God communicates with people in order to develop their relationship with God and to give life direction. Jesus demonstrated the importance of God's word by strategically quoting from the Old Testament throughout his earthly ministry.
Deuteronomy 8:1-11 and
Matthew 4:1-11
• According to Deuteronomy 8, what did God promise God's people if they obeyed God's instructions (commands and laws) as written in the Scriptures?
• Think of a time when, as it did for Jesus in the wilderness, God's word came alive and made a strong difference as you faced a difficult situation or temptation. What happened?
monday
What Can Help Me Understand The Bible Better?
The Holy Spirit actually comes to live within you when you open your life and heart to Jesus. The presence of the Spirit makes a personal relationship with God possible, and all of life begins to change, including your ability to grasp the meaning of God's written word and apply it to your daily living.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 and
Psalm 119:1-16
• According to 1 Corinthians 2, what effect does the Holy Spirit have in helping you understand spiritual truths from the Bible?
• From Psalm 119, list at least three transforming results that happen in your life as you internalize the Bible's message (here also called statutes, precepts, laws, and commands).
tuesday
How Important Is God's Word, The Bible, To My Daily Life?
Most people want a life of meaning, fulfillment, and purpose—a life matching what God designed it to be. Yet your tendency may be to react to life experiences rather than to proactively seek the will of God. Every day, every follower of Christ needs to stop and think about where his or her life is headed, and that is best done in the revealing light of God's word—the Bible.
2 Timothy 3:10-17 and James 1:19-25
• What purpose does Bible study serve in the life of a believer (2 Timothy 3:16-17)?
• Just as you physically look into a mirror every morning before you face the world, James encourages you to do a daily spiritual check. As you look into the mirror of God's word, what needed adjustments to your life direction do you believe God is revealing to you?
wednesday
How Can I Prepare Myself To Get The Most Out Of The Bible?
The old saying "You only get as much out of something as you put into it" is especially applicable when it comes to Bible study. As a follower of Jesus, you can't expect your life to have maximum spiritual growth and impact in others' lives without your first immersing yourself in God's training manual, the Bible. In today's reading, the Israelites had disregarded their copy of the Scriptures many years before. But when God's word was rediscovered and its truths read, King Josiah went to work setting all things right according to what God desired.
2 Kings 22:1–23:25
• How did King Josiah respond personally to the newfound book of the Law, God's word? What actions did he take in response to hearing God's word for the first time?
• Is there anything in your life that needs to be "cleaned up" in order to line up with God's word, just as Josiah had to "clean up" his nation and the sinful activities they were practicing? If so, what?
thursday
What Results Can I Expect As I Study And Apply The Bible To My Life?
As you hear God speak through God's word about needed change in your life—and respond in obedience and surrender to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit—you will gradually begin to see yourself change, bit by bit, to take on the character and purpose of Jesus. Old habits will fade away, new habits reflecting God will take their place and a clearer picture of God's purpose for your life will begin to form.
Mark 4:1-20 and Deuteronomy 30:11-20
• Jesus understood the tendency to make excuses and rationalize disobedience. In Mark 4, what were the reasons preventing three of the seeds from producing a crop? What was the result of hearing and accepting (applying) the word, as symbolized
