BIBLE HOMESBeginning is an answer
Here I am · a person’s first reply to being called
YLV Bible Study
Start this evening
Do not wait for preparation to be finished. These three things open the first gathering.
Set the day and the hour
If the church you belong to worships at that hour, that place comes first. Then choose one of the evenings that remain — Friday evening suits it best, but Tuesday morning will do, and so will Wednesday night. Decide now. “Someday” never arrives. Whichever day you choose, it must be the same hour every week. A human life makes room only for what repeats.
Invite one person
Do not try to gather several. One person is enough. A spouse, a child, a neighbour, a friend you have not spoken to in a long time. You may send the wording below exactly as it is.
Read John 1 aloud
Do not try to explain. Read first. Each person reads five verses aloud, going round. When the reading is done, tell each other what you saw. For a first gathering that is enough.
Have everyone who comes put the app on their phone
This is the first thing to do when the gathering starts. Once each person has the app on their own phone, there is nothing left to prepare after that.
- Verses are found at once. Say “John 3:16” and everyone is already there.
- The original opens on the spot. When an unfamiliar word comes up, tap it and check. The flow of the evening is not broken.
- Everyone sees the same text. When translations differ the conversation goes crosswise.
- It carries on at home. Unlike a paper book, it is always in a pocket.
Ebooks are good too, but they are for reading alone at length. For several people going back and forth at one table, the app is far better. Send where to get the app along with the invitation.
An invitation you can send as it stands
The longer the explanation, the heavier it feels to the person receiving it. Shorter is better.
It's not a class — we just read together and talk about it.
Nothing to prepare. Could you come?
For a Bible, just get this app → ylvbible.org/en/
The last line matters. More people than you would think stay away because they think they cannot come without a Bible. Tell them it costs nothing and that obstacle disappears.
Things you do not have to do on the first evening
- Singing — no instrument and no worship leader are needed. If there is none, begin without it.
- Long prayers — beginning short and ending short is what brings people back.
- Serving a meal — a glass of water is enough. When food becomes a burden the gathering stops.
- Having the right answer — say you do not know when you do not. You can look for it together right there.
The second week is the real beginning
The first gathering usually goes well. The hard one is the second week. Perhaps no one comes; perhaps the one who came does not. Open the Bible on that day too. Read even if you are alone. A gathering comes into being not because people assembled but because the place was kept.
Let us hold fast the confession of our elpis(hope) without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23 · Yeshua Literal VersionIf you do not yet have a Bible to read
Apps · ebooks · audiobooks. Take it without paying.