What To Know About This Study Guide

Simple Doesn’t Equate To Shallow

This study demands your involvement. Although the layout is simple, how deeply you go depends on you. As you spend time talking to God and journaling your thoughts, he may lead you to other cross-references, but he will certainly give you insights into the stories. Don’t stop with initial surface answers, but ask God to clarify the story and speak to you from it. The time you spend in the scriptures with God gives him space to speak. Listen well, journal your thoughts, share them with your small group, and glean from others’ insights.

Each Week Has 3 Parts

If you like doing a little study at a time, the study is set up in 3 parts, but feel free to do it any way that works best for you. If you prefer daily time in the Word, consider spending 2 days on each part, journaling about the optional starred section on the second day. You may be amazed at what you see by reading the story multiple times.  If you prefer to do the week’s study in one sitting, you may want to read all the passages first and then journal at the end. Of course, it’s great to be in God’s Word each day, but you may have other ways of doing that. Stick to what works for your schedule.

Additional Reading And Background Information

*** Three asterisks identifies optional verses or suggested study for those with time and interest. The additional reading may help you wrestle with the deeper meaning of John’s gospel and the nature of Jesus.

Jesus lived in the first century A.D. in the land now called Israel, then ruled by the Roman Empire at the peak of its mighty power. Because the culture and the language of the Jews and Romans is important to understand parts of the story, this study includes background or language information when it is pertinent to our understanding. Feel free to do additional background study.

Bible Verses

The verses that begin each week’s lesson are great choices for memorization. They may help you at some point discuss who Jesus is with someone who isn’t sure.

What You Need

• A quiet place, if possible!
• A Bible that you can understand. If you don’t have one, ask your group leader for suggestions, or email us at [email protected]. Modern versions are available as downloads, through Bible apps, or in print at any bookstore. (We are using netbible.org which is a free online Bible translation with study helps.)
• A notebook, laptop, or tablet to use as a journal which can be taken to your group meetings. If you prefer paper attached to the lesson, add a blank piece of paper or notebook paper after each lesson. (See Journaling 101 in the Appendix.)
• The commitment to listen to God and write out what you hear after reading and rereading
• Someone, or even better a group of women, to discuss this with you and provide support, encouragement, and spiritual challenge
• This link to BOW’s free short 5-8 minute videos of women sharing their stories of how knowing Jesus intersected with their lives.  Watch the video numbered to match the corresponding lesson at https://vimeo.com/album/4507580

Best Practices For Your Group Get-Togethers (See Appendix & Videos)

Plan a regular place, time, and leader.

The leader should—

• watch the free, short video Tips for Leading a Journaling study
• start on time, not waiting for late arrivals
• move the group along, being sensitive to God’s Spirit
• encourage everyone to share without forcing it
• be a great encourager
• avoid dominating the conversation
• keep the focus on the women, not herself and her own stories
• provide time for the group to think and share from their journals
• contact absent group members to encourage them
• email the group weekly to remind them of their meeting, provide the weekly video link, and share her excitement

As a group

• come prepared and on time with your study, journal, and Bible
• share freely and honestly
• encourage one another
• don’t interrupt the speaker
• love one another
• don’t try to fix the other members of your group or their problems by giving advice
• pray for one another and entrust each other and your problems to God
• be honest and vulnerable, but wise in how much detail you share personally
• stay in touch with each other between meetings for support and encouragement
• If your group meets within a larger group in a church setting
• Look for a woman who is gifted in teaching God’s Word to teach a short time after the small group discussion. Watch the short, free video Why Use Live Teachers, not Video? at https://vimeo.com/209323216. (For help in preparing to teach, contact [email protected].)
• Because the discussion isn’t about the teacher’s comments but focuses on the members’ personal study, the discussion should precede the teaching time.
• The teacher may spend 15- 25 minutes adding to the background of the lesson, beginning and ending within the allotted time frame. The majority of the time should be invested in small groups.
• The teacher’s role is to clarify and extend what the group has studied, not to retell the stories they have discussed.
• Each week the leader should send the group link to our 5-8 minute video highlighting a woman’s story. The women watch them individually online. The collection is found at https://vimeo.com/album/4507580.