5 Reasons Why You Should Start a Bible Study Group

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. I Peter 4:8-10 (NIV)

Have you considered starting a Bible study in your home but you’ve been hesitant because of all the questions going through your mind? Will anyone come? What will we talk about? Who will lead and organize it all? Do I have to clean my house?!

The life-changing benefits of having regular group meetings to discuss the Bible (and life) far outweigh the challenges.

In the verses above, Peter tells us to love each other deeply, offer hospitality, and use your talents for serving others. Are you doing these well? Are you active enough in your congregation that you are able to love, reach out, and serve without being a part of a smaller Bible study group?

On Sunday mornings it can be hard to connect with other women because of large Bible classes and wrangling kids from class to worship to lunch. If you’ve thought about starting a small study, I say yes! Do it! If you have not considered it before, here are some reasons to start one or to find one to join.

1. YOU WANT TO KNOW AND LOVE GOD’S WORD MORE

You’ve been wanting to read your Bible more, but you have a hard time understanding it. Or maybe you are reading your Bible, but you don’t remember what you read yesterday. The Bible is not a work of fiction to be read as quickly as you can get through it. It is alive and has the power to change you, if you let it.

Jen’s Wilkin’s book, Women of the Word, How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds, is a great resource for learning how to read God’s Word. You can read this book alone or with a group of women. Either way, it is a practical resource to build up your spiritual life.

Starting a small group Bible study allows each person to read the book or Bible text on their own, answer some questions, then discuss it together. If you are struggling with what something means, you have other women to help you. Or you may read a verse you’ve heard many times, then hear another person’s perspective on it that you’ve never thought of before.

2. YOU WANT TO MAKE FRIENDS

Pick a good book and invite some people over to study together. It can be a book you’ve already read that you would like to discuss or something new. Having a Bible study gives you a reason to invite people – you have a purpose for your meetings. And over time, relationships will develop.

3. YOU WANT OTHER WOMEN TO MAKE FRIENDS

If you feel lonely at church, you are not alone. Uninvited, Never Unfriended, and Messy, Beautiful Friendship are three books I’ve listened to on developing friendships. All three authors said the reason they wrote these books is because women are always reaching out to them telling them how lonely they are.

We live in a world so connected by technology, yet so disconnected from the hardships and struggles we all face. If the only contact you have with your church family is through Facebook, you’re only seeing the good, sharable parts of their lives. If you want to bear a friend’s burden, you have to know what that burden is – and they are not sharing it on Facebook.

Help build a community and a place where women feel loved and welcomed by starting a study group.

4. YOU WANT TO PRACTICE HOSPITALITY

You see a new family at church and you want to get to know them better or make them feel welcome. You think about inviting them to lunch but you didn’t make enough food. You consider asking them to a restaurant but will all six kids under age six get along and behave at a restaurant? The doubts and questions take over so you don’t invite the family anywhere.

Having a regular group meeting gives you a safe group setting where you can ask her to come. Not only will the new person meet you, but also other women as well. And she doesn’t have to be new to invite her. Just because someone has attended a church for years doesn’t mean she feels loved and welcomed.

5. YOU WANT TO LEARN YOUR GIFTS

The best way to learn your gifting is through trial and error. You’ll learn what you love and what you have a hard time making yourself do. Do you feel a desire to teach but you don’t have a place to practice? Are you a natural born encourager but at a new place you haven’t been able to meet friends you can build up? Starting a small group Bible study allows you to flex your skills of leading, praying, organizing, inviting, decision-making, and getting things done.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. I John 1:7

Where are you receiving fellowship? Are you happy with the amount of time you spend with fellow Christians? If not, do something about it. Invite 4-5 women over to study together and to share, grow, and love each other.

Need book recommendations for your group? See mine right here.

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