Sommaire
Pagination de l'dition papier
Guide
InterVarsity Press, USA
P.O. Box 1400
Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426, USA
ivpress.com
1996 and 2019 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written
permission from InterVarsity Press.
This study guide is based on and adapts material from How to Give Away Your Faith by Paul Little,
second edition 1988 by Marie Little.
Originally published as Witnessing: How to Give Away Your Faith.
InterVarsity Press is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA,
a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges, and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit intervarsity.org.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan.
All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version
are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
While any stories in this book are true, some names and identifying information may have been
changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
Cover design and image composite: David Fassett
Interior design: Daniel van Loon
Images: light marble background : Alexey Bykov / iStock / Getty Images Plus
rippled water: Reimo Luck / EyeEm / Getty Images
marble texture: NK08gerd / iStock / Getty Images Plus
glittering gold paint: MirageC / Moment Collection / Getty Images
ISBN 978-0-8308-5794-4 (digital)
ISBN 978-0-8308-4841-6 (print)
This digital document has been produced by Nord Compo.
KNOWING CHRIST is where faith begins. From there we are shaped through the essentials of discipleship: Bible study, prayer, Christian community, worship, and much more. We learn to grow in Christlike character, pursue justice, and share our faith with others. We persevere through doubts and gain wisdom for daily life. These are the topics woven into the IVP Signature Bible Studies. Working through this series will help you practice the essentials by exploring biblical truths found in classic books.
HOW ITS PUT TOGETHER
Each session includes an opening quotation and suggested reading from the book How to Give Away Your Faith, a session goal to help guide your study, reflection questions to stir your thoughts on the topic, the text of the Bible passage, questions for exploring the passage, response questions to help you apply what youve learned, and a closing suggestion for prayer.
The workbook format is ideal for personal study and also allows group members to prepare in advance for discussions and to record discussion notes. The responses you write here can form a permanent record of your thoughts and spiritual progress.
Throughout the guide are study-note sidebars that may be useful for group leaders or individuals. These notes do not give the answers, but they do provide additional background information on certain questions and can challenge participants to think deeper or differently about the content.
WHAT KIND OF GUIDE IS THIS?
The studies are not designed to merely tell you what one person thinks. Instead, through inductive study they will help you discover for yourself what Scripture is saying. Each study deals with a particular passagerather than jumping around the Bibleso that you can really delve into the biblical authors meaning in that context.
The studies ask three different kinds of questions about the Bible passage:
Observation questions help you to understand the content of the passage by asking about the basic facts: who, what, when, where, and how.
Interpretation questions delve into the meaning of the passage.
Application questions help you discover implications for growing in Christ in your own life.
These three keys unlock the treasures of the biblical writings and help you live them out.
This is a thought-provoking guide. Each question assumes a variety of answers. Many questions do not have right answers, particularly questions that aim at meaning or application. Instead, the questions should inspire readers to explore the passage more thoroughly.
This study guide is flexible. You can use it for individual study, but it is also great for a variety of groupsstudent, professional, neighborhood, or church groups. Each study takes about forty-five minutes in a group setting or thirty minutes in personal study.
SUGGESTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDY
This guide is based on a classic book that will enrich your spiritual life. If you have not read How to Give Away Your Faith, you may want to read the portion recommended in the Read section before you begin your study. The ideas in the book will enhance your study, but the Bible text will be the focus of each session.
Begin each session with prayer, asking God to speak to you from his Word about this particular topic.
As you read the Scripture passage, reproduced for you from the New International Version, you may wish to mark phrases that seem important. Note in the margin any questions that come to your mind.
Close with the suggestion for prayer. Speak to God about insights you have gained. Tell him of any desires you have for specific growth. Ask him to help you as you attempt to live out the principles described in that passage. You may wish to write your own prayer in this guide or in a journal.
SUGGESTIONS FOR GROUP MEMBERS
Joining a Bible study group can be a great avenue to spiritual growth. Here are a few guidelines that will help you as you participate in the studies in this guide.
Reading the recommended portion of How to Give Away Your Faith before or after each session will enhance your study and understanding of the themes in this guide.
These studies use methods of inductive Bible study, which focuses on a particular passage of Scripture and works on it in depth. So try to dive into the given text instead of referring to other Scripture passages.
Questions are designed to help a group discuss together a passage of Scripture in order to understand its content, meaning, and implications. Most people are either natural talkers or natural listeners, yet this type of study works best if all members participate more or less evenly. Try to curb any natural tendency to either excessive talking or excessive quiet. You and the rest of the group will benefit!