[1]NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from The Gospel Project curriculum.
Bible Passages: Jeremiah 1:4-10
Discussion Questions: What are some of the obstacles to us having God’s proclamation on our lips? What must we believe to be true about the Bible in order to live this out?
Food for Thought:
What an amazing thing to be able to say “Thus saith the Lord.” Jeremiah was given the very word of God to speak throughout the land, and that word came with power. As Christians, we don’t function in the same way the prophets did in the Old Testament; we don’t have God telling us His message in private for us to declare in public. But God has not left us without a word.
[2]The Bible is the living, active and unchanging Word of God. God has not only commanded us to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth, He has also provided the message for us. Just as Jeremiah had the proclamation of God on his lips, so should we be so familiar with the Word of God that our language drips with it in regular conversation. But in order for that to happen, we must know the Word, and we must speak the Word.
Never before has the Word of God been so accessible, and yet we are finding more and more that we are illiterate of what it actually says. We must, if we want to follow Jesus, be people of the Word. We must treat it with care, loving it, cherishing it, and committing it to memory. When we do, we will see that the Word of God finds its place in us, and having been established in us, it will naturally come out.
We start with knowing God’s Word, but then we must make the active choice to speak God’s Word. Over time, choices like this become easier and easier, but we must make a start at it. We have to choose actively to speak the Word of God, even though it might not be well received and it might not be popular.
God’s Word trumps our opinions. It trumps our agenda. It trumps our priorities. When we make the choice to start proclaiming God’s Word in the various arenas that He has given us to influence, we’ll see the power of God work to transform our opinions, agenda and priorities for His glory.
The Gospel Project
The Gospel Project is a chronological, Christ-centered study for kids, students, and adults. The Bible is not a collection of stories. It is one story of God’s plan to rescue His people from sin and death. It is the story of redemption, the gospel message of Jesus Christ. More information can be found at LifeWay.com/gospelproject [3]
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool [4].