Page 11 - Contact Summer 2020

INTO THE WORD
On Thursday nights we’ve been running
a Bible study called ‘Into the Word’. Reading
the Bible is such a massive part of spiritual
growth and connecting with God, and yet it is
one that so many people can struggle with.
As leaders, we want to see youth passionate
about reading their Bibles, and our hope is
that reading the Bible together over the last
weeks will have increased their passion to do
so.
Here’s some of the points our youth have been learning during our studies:
I have learnt a lot through Into the Word.
I have learnt that God loves us no matter
what we do, we sin every day and God still
forgives us. The thing however that has really
stuck with me is that we can always put our
faith in God and He will always provide our
every need. I just thought this was really
amazing to know and it has really helped me
through these strange times.
Peter Cochrane
From our Thursday night Bible studies, I’ve
been learning that when Jesus looks at us,
He sees a greater need to heal us spiritually
and to forgive our sins before ever healing us
physically, just like the paralysed man in
Mark 2. Jesus didn’t just come to give us
temporary happiness. His perspective is
much greater. He’d rather give us eternal joy.
I’ve also been learning that Jesus’ power and
authority over all things is revealed in His
miracles. But sometimes He doesn’t choose
to calm our storms, instead He gets into the
boat and journeys through them with us for
an even greater purpose that we cannot see.
He promises to always be with us and His
promises never fail. His plan is sovereign and
He works all things out for the good of those
who love Him, all we have to do is trust Him.
Sophie McCluney
We’ve been journeying through the Gospel
of Mark, reading stories in a One-2-One Bible
reading style, asking the three questions:
What stands out? What’s confusing? and
How can you apply it to your life? I have
personally really enjoyed these studies
and have been hugely encouraged and
challenged by the group of lads I do it with,
every week. We welcome the Holy Spirit to
guide, encourage and challenge us every
week, and I believe He has been.
During into the word I’ve learnt to look
deeper into the passages I read. I’ve learnt
new things from passages I thought I had
previously understood. For example, when
we studied Mark 6v45-52 I learnt that Jesus
comes and joins us in our struggles instead
of just using His power to remove our
struggles, just like He joined the disciples
in the storm out on the lake. I learnt that
He joins us in our struggles to help us grow
through them.
Ryan McKenna
I have really enjoyed ‘Into the Word’ as
it has given me an opportunity to get closer
to my church friends while also reading and
studying the Bible, especially during these
strange times. One of the passages which I
enjoyed studying the most was found in Mark
5:21-43 “Jesus heals the Bleeding women”.
It is about a poor woman who has been
bleeding. Jesus heals her before He heals a
wealthy man’s daughter who is also su ering.
Later Jesus goes back to the young
daughter and brings her back after she had
died. One thing I took from it was that God
doesn’t always answer immediately, but He
does it in His own time even if it may seem
like it’s not right.
Sophie Johnston