How to use this guide

This guide is designed to take you deeper into the points of the Sunday morning message and the passage we’re studying each week. The guide is divided into two parts.

Read, Reflect, and Respond guides you through your own personal study of the message text, preferably before you arrive for the service on Sunday morning. This section uses the HEAR journaling method, which is an acronym for highlight, explain, apply, and respond.

Discuss With Others is designed to help you take the things you’ve learned in your personal study and the message and discuss them within the context of your small group.

READ, Reflect, AND Respond

Highlight: Begin your Bible reading time with prayer then highlight verses that stand out to you as you read the passage. Note any words or ideas you want to dive deeper into and pay attention to repeated or emphasized words and phrases. This is the “observation” process – looking at the who, what, when, where of the passage.

Explain: What is the context of the passage and the author’s intended meaning within that context? This is where you can consult a study Bible or commentary. What did the passage mean to the original listeners? Was there something in their context that was being addressed? This step is to understand what the meaning of the passage was then before you seek to understand what the applied principle is today.

Apply: What is the principle to live by today? This is when you turn the focus to your own life, setting, and culture. What is the principle that applies to your own context?

Respond: How will you respond to the application in your relationships and/or situations this week? This recognizes that the Bible is not just a set of truths to know, but is actually a guide to live by.

today Discuss with Others

Use your community group time to have some conversation around the message. Start your discussion by inviting someone to read the passage aloud in its entirety.

What is significant about Jacob’s return to Bethel? Why do you think he has been slow to return?

We’re told that Jacob buried the foreign gods of his household and even their jewelry. Why was this such an important step before Jacob made the journey? Likewise, what are some of the idols that you’re tempted to carry along in your heart? What would it look like for you to finally bury them?

What would it look like for us to worship God today in such a way that the watching world stands up to take notice? How does our worship have the ability to communicate God’s character to those who don’t know him?

As Jacob arrives in Bethel, he effectively buries his past. Afterward, God gives him a new name and a new promise. How does this progression mirror our salvation experience in Christ?

How have you seen God show himself faithful in your life despite your own failures and sin?