Haverim Devotions™

Have you ever felt that most youth programs entertain young people but the bible teaching can at some times be a little shallow? Have you ever felt there was a need for a bible study program that not only taught the young people how to study the bible but could then easily be taught by them to their friends.

Haverim Devotions™ does just that. It creates four different ways for interacting with the same parable, story, or passage of scripture. in today’s post-modern culture we need a new type of bible study that connects with the four values of this emerging culture. It needs to be Experiential, Participatory, Image-Driven, and Connected.

 

How

Both the Pais Project and Pais Collective are currently empowering people to run Haverim Devotions™ or ‘Haverim’ as it is sometimes called, in their communities. Groups of adults and/or young people come together on a regular basis each week and over a period of a month study a passage of scripture from four different perspectives. This not only teaches its participants what to think but how to think.

The aim of Haverim Devotions™ is to equip churches with a simple but not shallow bible study program that draws young people in and is not curriculum-based. Once participating in Haverim Devotions™ young people can use its methods to study any other part of the bible without needing a handbook.

 

What

HD stands for Haverim Devotions™. It is a form of Bible study that encourages those taking part to ask the question: “What is in God’s heart?” Haverim is a Jewish word that in Biblical times can be loosely translated as “friends who study together.” It is designed to be a group Bible study where each individual takes part and friends discover together what is in the heart of God. Haverim Devotions™ takes place in four stages. Haverim Devotions™ is central to the Pais distinctive of study. It equips people to go beyond a curriculum to a culture of living out what is discovered and an eagerness to learn more about God’s desires.

 

Intended Meaning

People must first look at the intended meaning of a passage. They use study tools to discover the context and history of a chapter, parable or verse. During this time they seek to understand why God inspired this text to be written and share their discoveries with one another. This knowledge is crucial as it prevents any miss-interpretation of scripture as they dig deeper.

Implied Meaning

At this stage people look at other connecting passages of scripture and begin to look for any overarching principle of theme that can be found. In discovering this we are able to apply the scripture to a larger part our own life as opposed to a particular point for one particular instance.

Interpreted Meaning

At this point in the study people begin to think more deeply about the motivation of either, who wrote the passage, or the actions of those involved in the passage. They will also think about why God said the words he spoke or acted the way he did. As each person’s interpreted motivation is shared they begin to discover something about themselves and what motivates them.

Inspired Meaning

During this section time is created to allow God’s word to permeate deeper into an individual. Inspiration is sought that will bring purpose to the words studied and strength is provided to change lives so that what has been found in the previous three levels can truly be acted out in their life.

 

Training & Resources

Pais offers training session to churches in this form of study and you can contact us and request information about our qualified staff by clicking here.

For a Livewire series that explains how to study the four levels, click here for our ‘HD Purpose’ series.

For a Livewire series that explains how to lead a Haverim Devotions™/Haverim group, click here for our ‘HD Pragmatics’ series.