One of VBCC’s core values is Teaching God’s Word. Share an experience of your own encounter with God in the Scriptures. What scripture[s] were part of that particular experience? Why is it a special memory?

Read John 5:30-40. Name the witnesses Jesus calls in his defense. What does Jesus mean when he says in v39, ‘it is they that bear witness to me’? Who/what are ‘they’? What does he expect to be our proper response to their witness (v40)?

In the sermon today, Robb referenced the Word Hand developed by the Navigators. Take a moment to review the five ‘fingers’ of personal engagement. Where do you feel most engaged personally? Where do you feel least engaged? Share one step you will take this week to engage the Word more deeply.

Word ministry in Community helps us learn and remember the Gospel. Take a moment to map out your own life of community around the Word. List the environments where you regularly engage in Corporate (large group), Communal (small group discussion), and Confidential (one-on-one) Word Ministry. What value does each have in your life?

When we come to the scriptures, we must come with expectant hearts, hungry to encounter the living Christ. What keeps people from approaching the Word with expectation? How can we spur one another on to stay connected to Christ through the Word?