Bill Hybels - Wiser Together Study Guide: Learning to Live the Right Way

Books by Bill HybelsThe Power of a WhisperLeadership AxiomsHoly DiscontentJust Walk Across the RoomThe Volunteer RevolutionCourageous LeadershipHonest to God?Fit to Be Tied ( with Lynne Hybels ) Descending into Greatness ( with Rob Wilkins ) Becoming a Contagious Christian
( with Mark Mittelberg and Lee Strobel ) Too Busy Not to Pray Study Guide ( with Ashley Wiersma ) Life Lessons from Jesus ( with John Ortberg ) The New Community Series
( with Kevin and Sherry Harney )ColossiansJames1 PeterPhilippiansRomansThe Sermon on the Mount 1The Sermon on the Mount 2The InterActions Small Group Series
( with Kevin and Sherry Harney )AuthenticityCharacterCommitmentCommunityEssential ChristianityFruit of the SpiritGetting a GripJesusLessons on LoveLiving in Gods PowerLove in ActionMarriageMeeting GodNew IdentityParentingPrayerReaching OutThe Real DealSignificanceTransformation ZONDERVAN Wiser Together Study Guide Copyright 2012 by Willow Creek Community Church Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546 ePub Edition March 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-82018-5 Formatting and structure of this study were adapted from 40 Days in the Word: Workbook, Edition 1.0, copyright 2011 by Rick Warren. 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. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version , copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked GNB are taken from the Good News Bible, Second Edition. Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design: DogEared DesignCover photography: iStockphotoInterior illustration: ShutterStockInterior design: Beth ShagenePrinted in the United States of America 14 15 16 17 18 19 /DCI/ 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Welcome to Wiser Together. A person who is wise is someone who has learned how to live life the right way. He or she is wise about relationships, wise about career, wise about money, wise about family, wise about character, and wise about eternity.

Wisdom is priceless! says the writer of Proverbs. All of us want to get better at life. Getting wiser alone, however, is just not the way it works. God didnt wire us to catch on to wise and godly living through lone-ranger attempts at learning; its something that rubs off on us when we spend time with others who have the wisdom of God living inside them. As the proverb says, Iron sharpens iron as one person sharpens another. During the next five weeks, you are going to learn exactly how to spend time with others in a way that will help you grow, help you catch on to wisdom.

And in return, youll learn how to help them grow, and help them catch on to wisdom, as well. Take these next five weeks seriously. Reflect on the proverbs daily. Memorize the verse of each week and apply its wisdom to your life. Show up to your group consistently and on time. Lean into developing your relationships with others in your group.

Get to know them during group. Sit with them at church. Make time to be with them in the spaces between. And when at group, fully engage in the discussions. Five weeks is going to fly by. If you make the Wiser Together experience a priority for just five weeks, I know God is going to show up.

This is my hope for you. Blessings, Bill Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the features of this study guide: Session Notes Your Session Notes sections contain the questions that will be used as discussion guides during your five group gatherings. There also are fill-in-the-blank sections where you can take notes on Bill Hybels teaching as you and your group watch the Wiser Together video. Personal Journal Set aside time during these next five weeks to read and reflect on the book of Proverbs. Your journal covers one chapter per day, six days a week, over the course of these five weeks. By the end of the five weeks, you will have read nearly the entire book of Proverbs.

If reading and reflecting on Scripture is a fairly new practice for you, be sure to read below for tips on how to get the most out of your time in the Bible. The Three Rs of ScriptureEngagement: Read Read a section of Scripture. For this journal, you will be reading one chapter of Proverbs each day. Before you read, ask God to speak to you through his Word. Be sure to pay attention to what words or phrases really stand out to you. Reflect Once youve read the chapter, pick one verse for reflection.

Perhaps a certain phrase or sentence stood out to you as you read. Choose the verse you have the most energy around and begin to reflect on it. Reflection is simply pondering what the phrase or sentence might mean. Respond If we simply read and reflect on Gods truths without responding to him, we will never grow in wisdom. After reflecting, ask God how he wants you to respond. Simply ask him, How do you want me to live differently because of this truth? This helps us turn the truth weve reflected on into marching orders we can carry out in our lives.

Maybe you need to start thinking differently or doing something differently. Is there something you need to stop doing or start doing because of this truth? Write down the exact way you are going to respond. Then do it! Prayer If you are looking for a framework to help you pray, try thinking of your prayer as having a C-H-A-T with God: Confess When we confess our sins, acknowledge Jesus as the One who died for our sins, and commit to turning away from sin and toward him, Scripture promises we will be forgiven. To confess any wrongs you have done to God, yourself, or others, start out by asking God to show you if you have sinned in any way. As something comes to mind, pray, God, I confess I have sinned. I admit this was wrong.

Jesus, I believe you died for my sins. Will you forgive me? Honor Honoring God is simply another way of saying worshiping God. Take time simply to praise and honor God for who he is. Perhaps turn on worship music and listen to the words. Or write out worshipful words in your journal the way King David did in the Psalms. Ask The Bible clearly tells us God wants us to ask him for what we need. Ask The Bible clearly tells us God wants us to ask him for what we need.