Summary:
Explode Your Bible is a series dedicated to helping students mark their Bibles in a way that can help them use God’s Word in their everyday lives. They will not only be able to find verses that pertain to life situations more easily, but also will learn how to share the verses with those around them. They also will be reminded of techniques previously learned to study God’s Word as well as be given more ideas of how to reflect on what God is telling them. Students will be challenged to be in God’s Word each day in ways that are applicable and accessible to their lives.
Goals:
- Help students make God’s Word more accessible and applicable in their lives
- Help students understand the power in God’s Word to challenge, comfort and guide us through life
- Help students get more familiar with navigating the Bible
- Teaching students how to find verses that are applicable to life issues
- Teaching students how to use the verses they’ve marked to share their faith with others
Supplies Needed:
- 1 Explode Your Bible Kit per student which includes:
- A Bible
- 1 Explode Your Bible Packet
- 6 sheets of Avery ® Assorted Removable See-Through Color Dots 5473, 3/4 Round
- 1 Ultra Fine Sharpie Permanent Mark (Dark Color)
- Scissors
- 1 Set of the Lessons for each Small Group Leader
- Optional: Posters or bookmarks of the Books of the Bible to help in the marking process, especially if students are unfamiliar with navigating the Bible
Facilitator/Small Group Leader Preparation:
An important thing to keep in mind while preparing as a leader and facilitator of the Explode Your Bible series is how you talk about the usefulness of marking Bibles in this way. It is easy, especially for high school students, to come out of something like this and see the Bible simply as a go-to guide that just gives the “right answer instead of something that’s alive and active in their lives that leads them into deeper relationship with Jesus. The problem with this comes when they find themselves in a situation where there isn’t a clear-cut answer or they have stepped outside of God’s plan in a specific area. This could then increase frustration regarding relevance to life rather than help in that area. As you prepare to lead, I encourage you to read Andy Blanks’ blog post called, “Your Students’ View of the Bible Starts with You, found here: https://www.youthministry360.com/blog/your-students-view-bible-starts-you. In my opinion it does a great job of explaining God’s Word in a way that seems to line up with the ways God intends us to use it.
I also encourage you to personally read each of the following passages about God’s Word itself before you begin the series and use them weekly to guide your prayers for your students in this series. It is ultimately my prayer that this series would draw students closer to Christ, The Living Word, through His written Word.
Psalm 119:9-18, 105, 114, 160
Isaiah 40:6-7, 55:8-11
John 1:1-5, 14
Romans 15:4
2 Timothy 3:14-17
Hebrews 4:12
A Few More Notes
You will not be able to complete tabbing the Bible in four 1-hour sessions. Students will either need to work on their own or you will need to allow more weeks or longer time. If you sat down and did the whole Bible in one setting, it would take at least a few hours to complete. The lessons below allow for some time to mark as well as some discussion questions to have before, after and/or during the marking time. It is also a good activity to use while building relationships between small groups because there is plenty of opportunity to talk while you work.
Download the Explode Your Bible Kit
Download the Explode Your Bible Lessons
Published December 2013
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