Meeting Jesus in Scripture, Prayer, and Fellowship
The goal tonight is to learn a process of combining Scripture, Prayer, and Fellowship to have a personal encounter with the Living Christ.
Four Parts of the process
Read The Scriptures
Reflect On the Scriptures
Relate to the Lord through the Scriptures (Prayer based on scripture)
Resting in the presence of the Lord
The Therefore is that Jesus has given to us the perfect “rest” or Sabbath from works through HIS death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. (Hebrews 4:1-13)
[Heb 4:14-16 NET] 14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.
I. Read The Scriptures out loud with a prayer for revelation – Lord Jesus, reveal to me now more about who YOU are and what YOU have done in YOUR WORD. Meet me now in YOUR WORD.
Take two minutes to be quiet before God and slowly read the scripture.
What is the big idea of this passage? In one sentence how would you explain the big idea?
II. Reflect on the Scriptures – Read the scriptures out loud again. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring revelation to YOU through this passage.
Quiet Reflection Question: What is one word or phrase that you’re drawn to?
If you have received a word or phrase you can share that with the group now by speaking it out loud as a prayer — with no explanation or commentary. This way, we can feed off the fruit of each other’s meditations.
III. Relate to the Lord through the Scriptures – Read the passage again out loud. Pray again for the Holy Spirit to help YOU see Christ more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow HIM more nearly. Read it quietly to yourself and put YOUR name into the passage.
Base a prayer on the word or phrase the Lord gave you.
What in this passage help you understand more about the Lord Jesus?
What in this passage most helps you deal with some issue in your life?
What do you experience when you read this passage?
What are your emotional response to this passage?
What specific situation in your life today relates to this passage?
IV. Resting in the presence of the Lord – Read the passage again asking the Holy Spirit to make it so that the words are being spoken just to you today in a very personal way.
What is God’s personal invitation to you from the Bible passage?
You can journal what God may say to you or offer a prayer of thanks for what God is showing you.
To hear God, you need to turn off the critic or cynic in your mind that questions whether you’re really hearing God. When God speaks, it’s usually in thoughts and feelings that come into your mind. Later, you can check what you discerned to see if it’s consistent with God’s inspired words in the Bible…
If you’ve received a personal invitation from the Lord it’d be a blessing if you share that. This helps you hold onto what you’ve received from God and it helps others to feed off the fruit of your meditation.
V. Close in Prayer asking the Lord to transform us through this passage
RESOURCE: JOURNAL OF SACRED READINGS BY KEN BOA
https://kenboa.org/product/a-journal-of-sacred-readings-2/