Rambo for Jesus Training

Matthew 11:12
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully
advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

Doing the work of Jesus in this world is like operating behind enemy lines. We
need to be trained and prepared to storm the strongholds of the devil. This series of
lessons provides some basic preparation for Christian “Rambos” who are willing to risk it
all to advance the kingdom of heaven.

How to Prepare a Caregroup Lesson

Acts 19:9-10
He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of
Asia heard the word of the Lord.

From Acts 19:9-10, we can see group Bible discussions were a critical part of
Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. Through this ministry, God allowed all the Jews and Greeks
that lived in the province of Asia to hear the gospel.
Small group discussion and Bible study is also important in the church today. It
allows people to learn and grow spiritually in a unique way. There are other important
modes of learning the Bible—including self-study, discipleship, and preaching and
teaching in the church—but small group Bible study has unique and special value.
Having Bible study in caregroup brings the following benefits:
• The discussion leader learns the Bible and grows spiritually.
• Other caregroup members learn from one another.
• Guests to the caregroup have an opportunity to hear the word of God proclaimed
in a down-to-earth, accessible way.
• Everyone has an opportunity to have their questions answered and to share life
experiences that are related to the lesson.
Most importantly, the caregroup lesson is an opportunity for God to speak to His
people through one another. It’s actually pretty easy to talk about pretty much anything
for 30 minutes. But to be able to listen to God and speak His words—that’s another thing
entirely. This lesson is really about facilitating God speaking through the person leading
the discussion, as well as those who are participating. The goal is to prepare the
discussion leader so that everyone will receive maximum benefit from the Bible study.
Let’s take a look at how you can prepare to lead a good caregroup Bible study.

Months earlier
In order to speak the words of God, we need to hear from Him first! By praying
and reading His word daily, we learn to listen to God more effectively. In your everyday
life, watch what is going on spiritually. Check with God continually about your
relationship with Him. Are you being selfish? Does He want you to do something, or not
do something?
By asking, listening, and obeying, we learn to hear the voice of God.

One week earlier

Find out what lesson you’re going to teach. Read it over slowly, investigating the
scriptures. Over the next few days, allow those verses to sink in. Let God speak to you
through your experiences in daily life. He will often use real-life situations to teach us
what we ought to communicate during the lesson. If the lesson is about forgiveness or
discipleship, He will give you opportunities to learn about those things firsthand.

One day earlier

Go over the lesson again, this time with a pen in hand. Underline, highlight, and
annotate what parts you want to emphasize. Just as important, use this time to try to
gauge how long it will take for you to teach the lesson and remember what content you
might want to pass quickly over.
Think of one interesting anecdote or lead-in question that will help frame the
discussion. The story or question should illustrate the lesson that you are trying to teach,
similar to how Jesus illustrated God’s love for the lost by telling the parables of the lost
coin, the lost sheep, and the prodigal son—each of those stories did not teach explicitly,
but used imagery and emotions to connect the readers to what Jesus wanted to
communicate.
Write at least one discussion question for each point in the lesson. The questions
you use are very important and require careful thought. Each question should:
• Not have a yes or no answer. Instead, use open-ended questions that encourage
people to express their own thoughts and viewpoints.
• Sometimes ask about examples from the Bible. For example, ask about how Paul
dealt with the issue you are discussing.
• Be addressed to as many different people in the group as possible so that everyone
is encouraged to participate and contribute to the discussion.

During the lesson

First off, be relaxed because God cares about the results of the caregroup
discussion far more than you do! Pray that He will help you bless people, and then trust
that He will work things out. Here are some tips:
• Don’t drink lots of caffeine before the caregroup because it will make you jumpy.
• Lead in with the introductory question or story.
• Remember to use your discussion question for each point!
• Try to use the discussion to teach instead of being a talking head. People learn
better when they are engaged.
• Be flexible and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Even though you’ve spent
so much time preparing, God may have different plans. The point of the lesson
time is not to finish the lesson, but for God to speak to people.