Book of Daniel Study Guide

 

Community Group Study Guides - English

Basic Format of a Meeting

Crossroads Community Group Guide: 

A. Welcome: Welcome everyone especially new persons and read out loud the purpose of your group

B. Purpose:

Our purpose is to spread the Kingdom of God. We do this by multiplying groups of people who care for each as God's family. We begin by inviting new people to our group and building them to be followers of Jesus. Each person here has the potential to be empowered to start and be the leader of a new group and spread God's kingdom.

C. Worship Time: Spend a few minutes singing a worship song. Pick your own on YouTube make sure it has the lyrics on the screen

D. Announcements

1. Weekly Resources on Crossroads Facebook Page    

        Monday: Listening Room Resources for the week

        Wednesday: Building Your Faith Video Series with Pastor Willie  

2. Daily Devotional Video: The Encouraging Word with Pastor Willie

3. Announcements and Events:  Crossroads Web Site

4. Watch Crossroads Service  Sunday 11:45am

E. Review

  1. How did you do with what you wanted to apply from last week  

  2. Who did you invite to the group for this week?

F. Opening Question (a simple question to introduce the main theme - called an icebreaker): 

G. Find Background Information in a Study Bible if needed

H. Word: Read Scripture Read it in portions aloud together several times. (Goal is that everyone understand the Bible story or verses by retelling them in their own words - keep at it until everyone knows the story or verses)

1. What key (important) words do you see in these verses?
2. Tell in your own words what happens in these verses.

3. What are the details?

4. What details can you add to what others in the group have said? .

I. Discuss the following general questions together (Goal is to use these general questions to guide a discussion - the leader should not speak more than 30% of the time - let the group discover what God is saying to them).

1. What key ideas do you see in these verses?

2. What new thing did you discover in the story or verses that you did not know before?

3. What did you learn about God (Father, Jesus or Holy Spirit) from the story? 

4. What do you learn about people from the story?

5. What important lessons for us do you see in this story?

   

J. Commitment - Obedience - Application  (This is the key - have everyone answer this question): 

1. What in specific will you commit to apply in your life from this study?  

K. Prayer Time: 

                 1. Pray for an empty chair representing new people who you want to join your group. Name names of people specifically.

                 2. pray for your group to multiply

                 2. Pray for the needs of the members of the group. It is best to divide into 2 groups one of male and the other female.

L. For Next time:

                 1. Assign group members that are ready to do different parts of the next meeting as you prepare  them. (Opening Question; Prayer Time; Read Background info; lead group)

                 2. Ask each person the name of a person they will invite to the group for next week.

Bible Study: The Book of Daniel 

How to Live with Integrity in a Non-Christian Environment 

The book of Daniel is a great book to study to develop strong Christian character. Daniel was a young man of nobility who lived in Jerusalem. He lived in a time where his people, the Jewish nation, had turned away from God. As a result God brings judgment upon Israel by sending the Babylonian armies to conquer Jerusalem. They do this successfully and as was their practice at that time they take many of the young men captive and bring them to Babylon to retrain them and make them servants of the king of Babylon. Daniel is one of the young men taken captive and resettled.

Thus Daniel is in a completely foreign environment. he is now in a culture that does not believe in the God of the Bible. Study the book of Daniel as a character study.

A good question to ask in every lesson is "What character traits do we see in Daniel that we can apply to our lives?" 

 Lessons

1. Daniel 1:1-21 

    Opening Question: Have you ever been in a situation where you were tempted to fit in with those around you?

2. Daniel 2:1-23 

    Opening Question: Who is someone in your life who you considered to be a wise person and why?

3. Daniel 2:24-49 

    Opening Question: How would you describe a person of humility? 

4. Daniel 3:1-30 

    Opening Question: Have you ever been in a position where you had to stand up for your faith in the face of opposition?

5. Daniel 4:1-37 

    Opening Question: What is proud and why is it wrong? 

6. Daniel 5:1-30  

    Opening Question: What emotions and thoughts would you have if you were standing before God to be judged by Him? 

7. Daniel 6:1-28 

    Opening Question: What is the secret to success in your opinion? 

8. Daniel 7:1-28 

    Opening Question: How can a follower of Jesus persevere and remain faithful in a secular world? 

9. Daniel 8:1-27 

    Opening Question: Can people do as they please? 

10. Daniel 9:1-27 

    Opening Question: How does prayer work? 

11. Daniel 10:1-11:1 

    Opening Question: What comes to your mind when you hear the term spiritual warfare? 

12. Daniel 11:2-35  

    Opening Question: When will the end of the world come in your opinion? Is it close or far away? Why  do you believe that? 

13. Daniel 11:36-12:13 

    Opening Question: How does knowing there will be an end to the world and a judgment day effect the choices you make in life now?