The Invitation - Introduction

Welcome to the journey of studying scripture together. We assume you have someone in mind that you would love to help grow in a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Church, and with you. It is an exciting proposition: to take on the responsibility of leading someone through a scripture journey and helping them understand who Jesus is more profoundly. It is a sacred task, and you are up for it! We promise to you that we will help you make the most of the time you spend with your friends as you study, grow, and lead them in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Here are a few things you should know before you begin:

1. You don’t have all the answers, and neither do we! The good news is that you don’t have to have them. This is a journey of discovery you will take part in with whoever you are studying with. You will grow with them; they will ask you questions, and you may or may not know the answer. But that is okay. We don’t always know the answers, either. What is essential is that they are engaged enough to start asking questions. Your job as a  spiritual mentor is not to always answer each question but to lead them to more study, inquisitiveness, and curiosity. It is always okay to say: “I don’t know, let’s find out together!” This statement continues the conversation and invites them into the journey of discovery that is scripture study

2. It is not your job to convert, just to give testimony. When you study with someone, the Holy Spirit convinces them to fall in love with Jesus. We are only asking you to make the introduction, and we are asking you to be honest with them. We will never ask you to be anything less than truthful about your relationship with Jesus, the Church, and with other believers. We believe that an honest testimony is the most vital, even if you are in the midst of a storm in your life and faith. The Holy Spirit can work through you; it will happen if you are open to it. 

3. This guide will help you create an experience that can make a great conversation about the text. We will spend time in the text each week, breaking it open and exegeting (pulling out of) the text's meaning. We will do historical work, cultural context, and basic translation if needed. All this background material should help you understand the text so that when you share and teach it, you will have a solid understanding of what it means and how to apply it to your study partner's life. 

To do this in a way that makes sense, each week, we will take portions of the text and do a deep dive into it so that the most relevant material can come to life for you. The teaching team at Crosswalk Church will take on this task so that you will have a different voice teaching you each week. However, we all have the same intent: that you understand the text and can break it down for your study partner so that you both might grow together in wisdom and understanding.

Lastly, we are taking on large portions of scripture each week, so we may choose to emphasize certain portions of the text rather than the whole chapter each week.