This study guide is meant to be used as a simple tool to help your small group dive deeper into God’s word, nurture conversation, and draw your group nearer to Christ. As a leader, begin your group in prayer by asking the Holy Spirit to lead your discussion.

What is one of the best books you have read? Why did you enjoy it so much?

The Bible is an amazing book with an incredible record:

• The Bible was written by 40 authors over a period of 2,000 years.
• The Bible has been translated into over 500 languages making it accessible to over five billion people.
• At least some parts of the Bible have been translated into over 3,000 languages.
• According to the Guinness World Records, the Bible is the world’s best-selling and most widely distributed book.
• Over five billion copies of the Bible have been printed.
• The Bible is the best-selling book of the year, every year, with 100 million copies sold every year.

1 THE POWER OF THE BIBLE
People are attracted to the Bible because it reveals one who can transform our lives.

• The Bible is a spiritual light for our journey in life: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
• God inspired the people who wrote the Bible: “All Scripture is inspired by God.” 2 Timothy 3:16
• The Bible reveals Jesus and the will of God to us. The apostle John wrote, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31
• The Bible speaks directly to our hearts: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12
• The Bible gives us spiritual wisdom for life: “The Scripture is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16,17

2 EVIDENCE FOR THE BIBLE
There is substantial evidence that what the Bible teaches is true:
• Archaeological evidence has confirmed all of the key historical details in the Bible.
• Regarding the biography of the life of Jesus and the history of the early Christian church written by the medical doctor Luke, the great archaeologist Sir William Ramsay wrote: “Luke is a historian of the first rank;

NOT MERELY ARE HIS STATEMENTS OF FACT TRUSTWORTHY, HE SHOULD BE PLACED WITH THE VERY GREATEST OF HISTORIANS.”
• Prophecies in the Bible have consistently come true.

3 TRANSFORMED BY THE BIBLE
If you want to understand God’s personal message for you, in the Bible, there are practical steps you can take:

1. Set aside some time every day to read through the Bible, starting with the biographies about the life of Jesus, which are called Gospels. Originally, the Bible was written in the Hebrew and Greek languages. The Bible is so popular that many different English translations have been written. We recommend that you choose an English translation you find easy to understand, like the New Living Translation (NLT), Good News Translation (GNT) or the New International Version (NIV).
2. Pray that God will speak to you personally as you read.
3. Ask how you can apply what you read in the Bible, in your own life.
4 .Put what you learn from God into practice.