Thessalonian Faith

Respond

Respond To
God and His Word

Whenever we study the Scriptures we should also determine what God is saying to us personally and make a plan to put that into practice. To do that, you can ask God, “What do You want me to do as a result of my study of Your Word?”1

“For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)

This phase of the R3-V3 Bible Study Process is where the important work is done – it influences us. The goal here is to answer the question:

What is the message of the passage
for people today?

Solomon wrote, “what has been done will be done again”. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

Paul wrote, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man”. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Life experiences and temptations common to man aren’t the only relationship we have with them. They are also our teachers, if we pay attention.

The Respond Phase Process

Volitional Cooperation

Read the “Them Then” questions below, then read the study passage and write down your answers to the questions.

When you finish that, do the same thing with the “Us Now” questions. (Read the questions, read the study passage, write down your answers to the questions.)

Them Then

Why? (Questions/Statements of Reason or Cause)

  • Why did God/people say or do what they said or did? (expressed or implied)
  • Why did God want or not want them to know, feel, think, say or do what He told them?

Us Now

So What? (Questions/Statements of Relevance):

  • What do I have in common with them?
  • What can I can learn from them?

How? (Questions/Statements of Manner):

  • How did it start (causes)?
  • How did it happen (process)?
  • How did it End (results)?

Now What? (Questions/Statements of Cooperation):

  • What does God want or not want me to know, feel, think, say or do in light of this passage?
  • How will I cooperate with God in light of this passage?

It takes intentional decisions and volitional actions to respond in obedience to God’s will and word. The following plan can help you do that. Pray and seek God’s guidance with each of these steps:

  • Review your study notes (Make sure you understand the passage/topic.)
    • Sometimes people regress from their spiritual growth and become spiritual children rather than spiritual adults.
    • We must not allow ourselves to drift away or fall short (Hebrews 3:12; 4:1).
    • We must pay close attention to God (Hebrews 3:1) and His word (Hebrews 2:1).
    • We must press on, growing more mature in thought and behavior.
  • List your woes (Write down and explain the things God impressed on your heart during your Visceral Observation of the passage during the READ phase of the study.)
    • Don’t become dull of hearing (Hebrews 5:11-6:3).
    • Strive to grow spiritually mature in Christ (Ephesians 4:13).
  • Partner (Share with someone who will guide and encourage you; meet regularly for accountability. This is called Personal Discipleship.)
    • Meet every week with your mentor to study the Word and sharpen your life.
    • Get advice from your mentor when faced with a challenge.
    • Review challenges and evaluate progress from the plan, Bible studies and mentor advice.
    • Share prayer requests and answers to prayer.
  • List your goals (Write down a description of the person God wants you to be.)
    • See the “SMART Goals” section for guidance.
    • Be able next year to testify of specific areas of spiritual growth and explain how God accomplished it in you.
  • Make a plan (Write down what you need to do to be the person God wants you to be.)
    • This is part of planning your SMART Goals statement.
    • Consider using “SWOT Evaluation” when formulating your plan.
    • Attend church every Sunday.
    • Learn about and get involved in a ministry.
  • List resources (Write a list of things that will help, encourage and guide you in your plan.)
    • Bible
    • Prayer (Be specific with what to pray about)
    • Mentor (See Personal Discipleship Resources for help with finding/selecting a mentor)
    • Spiritual disciplines
    • Ministry service
  • Work your plan (Make changes in your life that will help you achieve your goals.)
    • Daily – review your SMART Goal and take action every day.
  • Journal (Keep a daily journal where you record your challenges, progress and the insights you learned.)
    • Review your journal with your mentor every time you meet.

It is my prayer that you never grow weary or fainthearted in studying the Bible or cooperating with God in response to His word.

Footnotes:

  1. Robert A. French, Diving for Pearls in God’s Treasure Chest: An Easy Way to Study the Bible (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1999). ↩︎