This week we are beginning a review of a previous class called “Bible Blueprint” under the current title, “Foundations.” This class is designed to help us develop some practical tools to study God’s Word. Developing a Biblical worldview is important for Christians, and it takes time and practice. Bible study should be a big part of what we desire as we grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

If Bible study is new for you, or you’ve never made a commitment to it before, or you’ve been skeptical of it in general, spend some time with fellow Christians over the next few weeks going through this study and committing time to reading your Bible on a regular basis. There will be some suggestions for how to do that in this class. As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done effectively if we know what God’s Word teaches, especially the big picture that always points to Jesus!

All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, a presentation, and a Bible study section. You will find the presentation notes and Bible study questions below. Basic answers to the Bible study will be posted the following week for your review and, or as a leader’s guide.

Watch this week’s introductory presentation:

FOUNDATIONS: BIBLE BLUEPRINT

Session One: Class Introduction – Why Study the Bible?

Background and Recommended Resources

INTRODUCTION

Prayer Cards:

Do you have anyone that you are hoping to share what you are learning with? Write that person(s) name down on your prayer card along with any other prayer request you might have, and exchange with your table group at the end of the evening.

Discuss:

1. Introduce yourself and share what brought you to this class.
2. What questions do you have about the Bible in general?

Practice a memory verse: Genesis 3:15 – The first Gospel!

“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”  Genesis 3:15 (NIV)

Review the verse:

Despite the terrible nature of the fall in Genesis chapter 3, and the havoc that ensued, contained within the curse is a promise from God that will unfold throughout the Old Testament and have its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus:

• Speaking to Satan, God says “And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15 NIV)
• The promise indicates the “offspring” or “seed” of a woman, which can only mean a virgin birth. The seed of the woman is Jesus Christ who, though He was bruised by the cross (Isaiah 53:4-5), will crush the head of the Great Serpent ( 4:4, 1 John 3:8).

From Genesis through Revelation, the Bible is all about Jesus! The Scarlet Thread…

THE SEED IS HE – HE IS THE SEED!

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NASB)

• “So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.” John 8:28 (NASB)
• From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. John 13:19 (NASB)
• So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” John 18:4-8 (NASB)

PRESENTATION

Why Study the Bible?

To equip ourselves for the battles we face in everyday life, we need to develop a Biblical worldview. Developing a Biblical worldview takes time and practice. It is a lifetime commitment and part of what we should desire as we grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

How often do you spend time with God and His Word?

If Bible study is new for you, or you’ve never made a commitment to it before, or you’ve been skeptical of it in general, spend some time with fellow Christians over the next few weeks going through this study and committing time to reading your Bible on a regular basis. There will be some suggestions for how to do that in this class.

Why study the Bible? ANSWERS…

1. To strengthen our Christian Walk
2. To draw us closer to God
3. To prepare us for eternity
4. To get wisdom and understanding as we go through this life
5. To answer life’s most important questions (origin, purpose, destiny)
6. To give us confidence in what we believe to be true is really true
7. To share with others and give answers to those who have questions, especially the next generation
8. To discern, identify and dispute false teachings
9. To protect us from deception and discouragement by the evil one
10. To help us become more like Jesus – He’s in every book!

Biblical reasons why we should study the Bible

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  -Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (NIV) Cross-reference with the “Great Commandment” given by Jesus in Matthew 22:35-40

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”  –Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”   -2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

-2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander”. –1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.“ -1 Peter 1:22-25 (NIV)

Christians are to put on “The Full Armor of God” for protection:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”  -Ephesians 6:12-18 (NIV)

REFLECTION:

1. Which one of the answers to “why study the Bible?” best fits you, and why? 
2. Review the passages/verses above and highlight one to be your theme for this class.

How do I get started?

Before beginning Bible study time, always start with prayer…

PRAYER (talking with God)

The Bible gives us many examples of people “talking” with God and worshipping Him through prayer: Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets all talked with God. These are just a few examples from the Scriptures, but the best thing to do is to go to the person who was the fulfillment of all that was spoken of in the Old Testament, and the one who taught us how to pray in the New Testament: Jesus!

What Jesus said about prayer and how He modeled it can be found in the Gospels of Matthew: 6:8-13, 11:25-26, 26:39, 27:46; Luke: 10:21, 22:42, 23:34, 23:46; and John: 11:41-43, 12:27-28, 17:1-26.

At times when we don’t know what to say we can meditate on the Lord’s Prayer as taught by Jesus to His Disciples, found in Matthew 6:5-15.

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

“Pray, then, in this way:

For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Matthew 6:5-15 (NASB)

One of Jesus’ greatest prayer examples is found in John chapter 17. This chapter can be broken down in to three segments: Jesus prays for Himself (1-5); Jesus prays for His Disciples (6-19); and Jesus prays for future believers (20-26), that’s us!

Prayer develops our relationship with God and when we pray, we grow closer to Him and are more likely to be aware of how He is working in our lives. When we pray before studying the Bible, we invite the Holy Spirit in to be our teacher, and He will be the one to guide us into all truth found in Scripture.

“When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”  -Luke 12:11-12 (NASB)

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”  -John 14:16-17; 25-26 (NASB)

Prayer calms our hearts and minds, and helps us focus on our time with God!

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  -Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”  -1 John 5:14 (NIV)

Take a few minutes at your tables for some prayer before we take a look at Bibles and resources for this class. Use the Acronym ACTS to help you (A=Adoration and praise; C=Confession; T=Thanksgiving; S=Supplication).

Bible Study

Each week, we are encouraging you to take some dedicated time and spend it in God’s Word. We will be doing just that for the book of Philippians starting next week!

This week we will cover recommended resources for Bible study in order to help with the start of our study next week.

RESOURCES FOR BIBLE STUDY:

It is important to be discerning when looking for resources to help you study. Always vet the books, people and/or organizations you use to make sure they are Biblically sound. There are many types of study Bibles, tools and resources out there. The following are solid recommendations to help get you started:

Bibles:

• The Life Application Study Bible in NASB, NIV or NLT
• Or, The ESV or NIV Study Bible

Bible version/translation differences:

Literal Translation:

• Word for word translations.
• Most difficult reading, but works closest to the original Hebrew/Greek.
• Best for study purposes.-New American Standard Bible-King James Version

  -New King James Version

  -Revised Standard Version

  -New Revised Standard Version

  -English Standard Version

Dynamic Equivalent:

• Thought for thought translations.
• Clearer reading with closest meaning possible.
• Finds equivalent concepts in English.-New International Version-Christian Standard Bible

  -New Living Translation

  -New English Version

  -Revised English Version

Paraphrases:

• Free translation.
• Easiest to read, with story-like qualities.
• Not recommended for in-depth study.-Message Bible-Good News Bible

  -Living Bible

  -Phillips

  -New Century Version

Big Picture Tools:

• The Essential Bible Companion: Key Insights for Reading God’s Word, by John H. Walton, Mark L. Strauss, and Ted Cooper Jr.
• Knowing the Bible 101, by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz
• Henderson Rose Publishing – for charts, maps, timelines, historical context and concise pamphlets on various topics

Research and Questions:

• biblegateway.com – for Bible reading in different versions; Bible book, verse or word searches; commentaries; articles; and other Bible resources
• gotquestions.org – for Bible and Christian Worldview related questions
• truthfaithandreason.com – posts this class and others

Podcasts and Apps:

• The Bible Project – bibleproject.com
• You Version – youversion.com
• The Bible Recap – thebiblerecap.com
• Daily Audio Bible Chronological – dailyaudiobible.com

Notebook or Journal:

Get a notebook or journal to use specifically for your Bible study – this is where you’ll write summaries, take notes, answer questions and jot down your own questions for the “Shelf”

PRACTICE

We will do an in-class demonstrations and examples on how to use some of these resources. Take some notes for the ones you might want to use.

HOMEWORK: Decide on what Bible you will use, get a notebook or journal, and any other tools (optional) you might want to use, and bring them to class next week. If you want to get a head start, preview the New Testament book of Philippians.

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Join us next week for Foundations, session two, and a study in the book of Philippians!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15