D-GROUP GUIDE

THE BIBLE IS TRUSTWORTHY God Keeps His Word

Suggested Songs : Now That Youre Near / One Way / Ancient of Days / Our God is Lifted Up / Forever Oh Lord / For You are Glorious / No Other Name

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Icebreaker: Name the Source. Divide the group in two. Group A will select popular verses from the Old Testament. Group B will identify which book the quoted verses can be found. Group B will read familiar verses from the New Testament and Group A will identify the source. Score the groups to find who can best identify the correct sources of the verses quoted.

SCRIPTURE PASSAGES:
Deuteronomy 18:20-22: 20 'But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' 21"And you may say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?' 22"When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. Isaiah 46:9-11: 9 "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; 11 truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. 2 Timothy 3:1617: 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Peter 1:21: for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

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We study the Bible because it is trustworthy:

The Bible contains prophecies to let us know that there is a God who knows and controls the future and He is sovereign over the affairs of men. The Bible tells what God says would happen to let us know that He is God. It is important to know about the future because it would help us make wise decisions and choices today.

1. The Bible is Reliable. The historical reliability of ancient writings is tested according to the number of manuscripts and the dating of the manuscripts from the time the original copy was written. Compared with other ancient classic writings, the New Testament has more manuscript evidence than any 10 pieces of classical literature combined. Within only an 80-year time gap from the time the NT was written to the time a copy was made, there are 24,633 manuscripts of the NT. 2. The Bible and Archaeology. No archaeological and ancient findings have ever contradicted the Bible. The greatest discovery of the 20th century is called Dead Sea Scrolls found in the Qumran cave. The entire Old Testament writings written approximately in 100 BC were found in the different scrolls of Qumran cave in 1947. The discovery included the scroll of Isaiah which was found identical to the modern Hebrew Bible in over 95% of the text. The remaining 5% was only variations in spelling which did not change the meaning of the verses. 3. The Bible and Science. The Bible is not a scientific book but every time it speaks about scientific facts, it does not contradict science. Scientific facts support the Bible i.e. the earth is round (Is. 40:22); the earth hangs on nothing (Job 26:7); evaporation, condensation and precipitation (Job 36:27-28; Is. 55:10; Psa. 135:6-7); etc. Scientific laws and facts support the Bible, except for scientific theories i.e. theory of creation and evolution. 4. The Bible and Prophecy. The Bible has 100% accuracy. There are about 8,000 prophecies in the Bible, and over 300 of them are prophecies concerning Jesus Christ first coming. The probability for even just 8 of these prophecies about Jesus would happen is already impossible, yet 100% of the prophecies were fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Is. 46:9-11.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(Leaders: Please choose questions that are appropriate to the level of spiritual maturity of your members)

1. Trek to the Future. Do you honestly want to know about the future? Why or why not? Where do you get information about the future? If you knew what will happen in the future according to what the bible says, how will you live your life differently?

2. Bible Unbelievable. Has there ever been a time when you doubted the Bible? What caused your disbelief? How did your belief change?

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3. Thy Word. Complete the sentence based on your personal experience and belief:

a. The Bible is the source of my __________________________________________________. b. I want to know what the Bible says about the future because ________________________. c. I believe the Bible because it is ________________________________________________.
4. Word Acts. What is your Bible life verse which has been true to you? Share your specific personal experience how these scriptures came alive in your life.

5. Prophet Speaks. What does the bible say about genuine and false prophets? Do you have a personal encounter about this? Share your experience.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITY: The Source Believe and Live. Read Psalm 119, the longest psalm and chapter in the Bible. This chapter was written as a meditation on the beauty and power of Gods word to help us grow in our faith in God. Ask each group mate to pick 3 to 5 verses from the passage that speak to them in a personal way. Ask them to share why they chose these verses and impart a personal experience or a special message related to these verses. Bible Reading Plan. Study, meditate and live out the Word of God. Systematically and intentionally make a bible reading plan for this year. Find an accountability partner to help encourage and sustain your commitment to read the Bible. Remember that the Bible enables and equips you to grow in faith and to share/teach others as well. All Scripture is inspired by God and

profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Tim 3:16-17
Vol. 10, No. 109 Feb 14, 2010

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