Every Wednesday at 9AM we welcome you to join us as we gather and recite a different Bible verse each week. We will also do a small study relating to the verse.  This is a group that welcomes all ages.  

Week One:          John 3:16
Week Two:          2 Timothy 1:7
Week Three:       Matthew 5: 14-16
Week Four:         Numbers 6: 24-26
Week Five:          Matthew 28: 19-20
Week Six:            Romans 3:23
Week Seven:      Titus 2: 3-5

We also will be working on the books of the Bible and the Lord's Prayer

Emma Warren and I, Chelsea Smith, decided that during the summer we wanted to keep up with Bible
studies. While friends and family are traveling we thought this opportunity would be great to learn, or
review, a memory verse each week. If you jump in one week you won’t miss a chapter or context that
might be needed for you to understand. This is my first bible study that I have lead, and without a book
or guidance, none the less. With that being said, let’s dive into the first week’s lesson.
6/15/2022 John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not
perish but have everlasting life.
This verse is the first verse many learn as new believers. Even before I was a Christian I learned this
verse through sports games and billboards. It is a simple verse but is so powerful and we felt it best to
start here, a message to the world.
If God’s message is for the world, then this means that it is an open invitation for each person, equally,
to be able to receive the gospel. The best part of this is that God not only breathed life into the gospel
but also into his son, Jesus. Just like the message, we all have an equal opportunity to receive salvation
through Christ Jesus. Each of us are so loved that even before we stepped foot on this world or took our
first breath, Jesus died for us to have an eternal life with him. What an invitation!
Looking further into the text of this verse one word stuck out, begotten. It wasn’t a word often used or
as common as the other words. While I knew what begotten meant, I wanted to define it further for
understanding and context. Often it is a term used to tell the reader of a family lineage. Here God
begot Jesus. What I found interesting was that it is defined as being fathered, produced, or to give rise
to. Now I don’t know about you, but when I read “give rise to” I think of an heir coming of age to
receive their kingdom. Not only is he King of Kings, but he also inherits his father’s powers. John 10:17-
18. Isn’t it interesting that this word is used to describe Jesus who is in fact the King of Kings, and Lord
of Lords? Hallelujah!
Part of my relationship with John 3:16 is a beautiful list that my father used to tell me every time we
heard this verse. Below John 3:16 is broken down further. The author is unknown but this peice has
been affectionately coined “the greatest list.”
 God- the greatest lover
 So loved- the greatest degree
 The world- the greatest number
 That he gave- the greatest act
 His only begotten son- the greatest gift
 That whosever- the greatest invitation
 Believeth- the greatest simplicity
 In him- the greatest person
 Should not perish- the greatest deliverance
 But- the greatest difference

 Have- the greatest certainty
 Everlasting life- the greatest possession

June 22, 2022
2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us the spirit of fear but of love, of power, and of sound mind.
Are you a worrier? I am. This is actually my life verse. Any time I want to worry or fret, I quickly remind
myself of this verse. Why is it important to remember? I have never met someone who doesn’t worry
about something. What you think too much about may be different than what I mull over and yet here
we both are allowing it to happen. If the verse says that fear was not God given, then who gave it to us?
That’s right, the devil. He is deliberate in his attacks. He knows what our weaknesses are and exactly
how to feed into them, starting with our mind. If he controls our mind, then he controls the rest of us.
Even as a believer with Jesus residing in our heart and spirit, allowing the devil into our mind, gives him
a foothold. This foothold is all it takes for him to trickle into our actions, words, and hearts. But God
knows that a good defense is a good offense. Strategically, the bible has exactly 300 verses about
worrying, almost one for every day of the year. God is so good. He knows and wants us to be proactive
because he knows that is the best defense against the devil. He should know, right? He already
conquered him once! Arming ourselves with prayer, the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10) and his word can
counter act any attack by the devil. Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden the word in my heart so I might not sin
against you.”
But what are some of the strategies used by the devil? As soon as I thought about this, I ran to my
Priscilla Shirer book The Armor of God and turned to page 33. Remember the strategies are specific to
our fears and thoughts. Think about these and which he uses against you.
 He seeks to dim your whole desire for prayer, to dull your interest in spiritual things and to
downplay the potency of your most strategic weapons. (Eph. 6:10-20)
 He disguises himself and manipulates your perspective so you end up focusing on the wrong
culprit. (2 Cor. 11:14)
 He magnifies your insecurities, leading you to doubt what God says about you and to disregard
what he’s given to you. (Eph 1:17-19)
 He wants to disintegrate your family, divide your home, and render it chaotic, useless, and
unfruitful. (Gen. 3:1-7)
 He constantly reminds you of your past mistakes and bad choices, hoping yo convince you that
you’re under God’s judgment rather than the blood. (Rev. 12:10)
 He amplifies fear, worry, and anxiety until they’re the loudest voices in your head, causing you
to deem the adventure of following God too risky to attempt. (Josh 14:8)
 He tempts you toward certain sins, convincing you that you can tolerate them without
consequence. (Isa. 59:1-2)

 He hopes to overload your life and schedule, never feeling permission to say no. (Deut. 5:15)
 He uses every opportunity to keep old wounds fresh in mind, knowing that anger and hurt and
bitterness and un-forgiveness will roll the damage forward. (Heb. 12:15)
 He creates disruption and disunity within your circle of friends and within the shared community
of the body of Christ. (1 Tim. 2:8)
After reviewing these strategies the enemy uses, think about what you can do to counteract these
thoughts. When we begin those practices we then can receive our blessing from God; his love that
we can share with others, the Holy Spirit’s power living in us, and a mind filled with peace knowing
that these lies are just those, lies.

July 6, 2022
Numbers 6:24-26
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
This is known as an Aaronic benediction, or blessing.  Looking at this verse specifically the phrase “the Lord” is mentioned three times.  Not only is it meant to show importance but I love how it points to the holy trinity.
Aaron is introduced to us in Exodus. What draws me to Aaron is that you truly see how human he is throughout the Bible.  In Exodus he grows impatient with waiting for Moses and builds a golden calf to worship.  But in other parts of the books of law, in the Old Testament, he is introduced as a priest of the Levites, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and Moses’ and Miriam’s brother.  All of which hold Godly importance.  During the time of Exodus when Moses guided his people out of slavery they were attacked by Amalekites. Moses told Joshua to choose some to go out and war with them. As war waged on, Moses, Aaron, and Hur stood on top of a hill overseeing the entire battle wage on.  Can you imagine traveling miles only to now have to wage war?  As Moses grew tired Aaron and Hur held up his arms. When they let them down, can you guess what happened? The enemy was able to take over strongholds and began to win.  Sound familiar?  Because of the obedience to God, as Hur and Aaron held up Moses’ hands Joshua and the Israelites were able to win the battle against the battle of Amalekites.  
If only it was so easy to see an immediate response to prayer and action.  What is important to note, is that victory was won with prayer and worship.  In what ways have you seen prayer and worship win battles in your life?  In what ways have you seen God shine his towards you? In what ways has he given you peace and grace that only he can provide? My challenge for you in the weeks to come is to raise your hands in prayer and worship, perhaps physically or metaphorically, and submit to God more fully. Look to see if current battles that you may be losing turn a corner and you begin to see victories in your life.

July 13th , 2022
And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go
therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:18-20
These last few sentences of Matthew are known as the Great Commission. Jesus commands us to go
out and make disciples of all nations. Interestingly that he uses the word “all” three times with a bonus,
a fourth “all”. He has all authority. He commands us to go to all nations. We are asked to teach and
observe all he has commanded. The last sentence tells us he will be with us all of the time. What a
comfort knowing as we go through our days, that God will be with us every step of the way.
But all of these parts hinge on one belief, that God is who he says he is. If we believe that to be true
then we know that this Great Commission is so important. But how can we go into all nations and make
disciples? How can we teach what Jesus has commanded us? Not everyone is able to or is called to go
on missions. Think of ways we can help bring the gospel to nonbelievers.
Here are a few that I have thought of:
 Support our church missions
 Pray for our missionaries
 Obey his teachings and show the love of Jesus to everyone
 Disciple those around you
 Serve in your community
1 Corinthians 12:12 tells us that there is one body in Christ but there are many parts. You are vital part
of the body of Christ.
As you go on with your week consider the following:
What ways are you going out and making disciples?
What could you do to support missionaries?
Is there a need at your church or in your community that you can fill?