Who wouldn’t love to have walked the dusty roads of Palestine with Jesus? Or to have joined Paul and the apostles as they saw the newborn church come alive all over their 1st Century world? Study these 10 courses and you will have walked and talked with Jesus and the apostles as never before.
This course will briefly survey each book of the New Testament, giving its context, outline, major themes, and a brief description of its content. The purpose is for you to gain a general understanding of how each book fits into the bigger picture of the Bible, and how all of it points to Christ.
In his gospel, Matthew shows that Jesus is the long-expected Messiah of Israel, the only one with a right to the throne of David.
The book does not claim to be a complete biography of Christ’s life on earth. It begins with His genealogy and early years, then jumps to the beginning of His public ministry when He was about thirty. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Matthew selects those aspects of the Savior’s life and ministry which proclaim Him as God’s Anointed One—for that is what the title “Messiah” means.
This course and commentary seeks to stimulate independent study and meditation. Most of all, it is aimed at creating in the reader’s heart an intense longing for the return of the King.
The Gospel of Mark follows Jesus moving from one event to another, submitting to the Father’s will at every turn. We see Him healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, forgiving sinners and eating with the outcasts of society. Mark tightly weaves these stories together culminating with the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus’s own life, showing us that Jesus “came not to be served but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). As you work your way through this course, we hope it will challenge you to follow Jesus’s example in how He lived among people --- as a humble Servant.
The skeptic Renan called Luke’s Gospel “The most beautiful book in the world.” And so it is! The Lord Jesus is especially presented to us by Luke as the friend of “publicans and sinners,” the outcasts of society.
We see Him breaking the shackles of national prejudice to show His tenderness, compassion and sympathy to those outside of the nation of Israel. We find that women are given frequent and honorable mention, something quite alien to custom at the time. Luke’s evident goal is to present to us Jesus as “the Son of Man” and as the Savior of mankind. A study of this Gospel is bound to be a heartwarming experience.
John the apostle wrote his gospel many years after Matthew, Mark, and Luke had penned theirs. Already the church was being plagued by error and attacks upon the person and work of God’s beloved Son, so under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John sought to give clear testimony to the deity of Jesus Christ. He concentrates on presenting the miracles and words of Jesus and then interpreting them for his readers. His goal? That you, the reader, “. . . may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).
This course covers the first 8 chapters of John’s gospel.
John the apostle wrote his gospel many years after Matthew, Mark, and Luke had penned theirs. Already the church was being plagued by error and attacks upon the person and work of God’s beloved Son, so under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John sought to give clear testimony to the deity of Jesus Christ. He concentrates on presenting the miracles and words of Jesus and then interpreting them for his readers. His goal? That you, the reader, “. . . may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).
This course covers the last 13 chapters of John’s gospel.
The Book of Acts tells us how the early church faced the challenge of taking the gospel to the world. It tells how the gospel made its way westward until at last it reached Rome. It is a book of people and places. You will find this study simple yet stimulating and satisfying. It is a fast-moving survey of those stirring events which changed everything.
Countless salvation stories, maybe even your own, have started with truths found in the book of Romans. Perhaps it is because out of all the books of the Bible, Romans provides the fullest explanation of the Gospel. In this letter, Paul helps his readers understand how the Old Testament laws find their fulfillment in Christ, and how all humanity, both Israel and every other nation, is justified by grace through faith. While the greater portion of this epistle is filled with deep truths, it ends in the last several chapters with a call to live “In view of God’s mercy” (Romans 12:1). Through this course, you the student will be reminded of Christ’s great love and be renewed to live for Him.
This study is a verse-by-verse exposition dealing with practical instruction for the local church and individual believers. The subjects discussed include lawsuits among believers, the gift of tongues, women in the church, and marriage and divorce.
Paul's first letter to the believers in Corinth was originally written to answer these questions. Because these problems are still prevalent in society, Paul's letter remains an important teaching message for us today.
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians produced the desired effect.For example, the immoral brother was expelled from the fellowship of the local church and showed deep repentance.
In this, his second letter, Paul reveals his anxiety while awaiting a report from Titus concerning developments at Corinth. In the meantime, Paul experiences some of his darkest hours.Trouble appeared on every side. "Without were fightings; within were fears." Paul’s detractors made a threefold assault upon him; they attacked his person, his teaching, and his character.
In the midst of all his troubles, Paul discovers not only that the "Father of mercies" was the "God of all comfort," but also that he could prove the all-sufficiency of God’s grace in his life.
This study will help us to learn that blessing can come out of buffetings.
In a day when many are being led into false legal teachings, the letter to the Galatians is particularly relevant and gives us the great charter of our freedom in Christ. People are told that both the Law and the Gospel came from God and are therefore good. May we not mingle them to obtain something better than either? The letter to the Galatians gives the answer to this interesting and important question. It is a resounding 'No!' Law says, 'You shall not allow a single weed to grow in your garden. 'But, more,' it says, 'You shall not permit any seed of a weed to be there!' But they are there, everywhere. Thus, the Law hopelessly condemns us. It has a curse for all those under it.
The Gospel is God’s one remedy for the lost. It has a curse for all who would change it. It is fearful thing to poison the well of salvation. Anything beside the Gospel is really contrary to it.