Books by "Covenant Bible Study"
3 books found
Covenant Bible Study guides small groups through a comprehensive, in-depth study of the whole Bible over twenty-four sessions broken into three eight-session modules. Unlike the learning participants may have experienced in other groups, this study emphasizes the biblical concept of covenant as a unifying theme through both the Old and New Testaments. It underscores the unique relationship that God chooses to have with us as God’s people. This relationship is grounded in the faithfulness of God’s love and on our ongoing commitment to stay in relationship with God while sharing signs of God's love with others. The Leader Guide contains comprehensive and detailed direction for the group leader to use in each 90- minute group experience. Direction is provided for each component of the group meeting with options that allow leaders to adapt to the group's unique characteristics. Components of the group meeting experience include: Gathering Together - Opening questions designed to prompt conversation that connects to the main theme of the episode. Reflecting Together - Sharing what participants learned from the week’s scripture readings with questions that tie their discoveries into a central theme. Video Segment - Playing of the video for the current episode. Discovering Together - Building on the insights of the biblical scholar, analyzing a single passage from the week’s readings, going deeper into the way they explore the Bible’s meaning. Centering Together - Engaging in meditation, which is a devotional way to read the Bible. Serving Together - Reading together the “Signs of Faithful Love' provided.
Covenant Bible Study: Creating Participant Guide
by Covenant Bible Study, Rev. Shane Stanford, Christine A. Chakoian, Prof. David L. Bartlett, Dr. Michael Joseph Brown, Dr William P. Brown, Dr Diane Chen, Prof. Linda M. Day, David A. deSilva, Dr Amy Erickson, Prof. Judy Fentress-Williams, Prof. Francisco Garcia-Treto, Roy Heller, Dr. Theodore Hiebert, Dr Melody Knowles, Prof. Matthew L. Skinner, Prof. Thomas B. Slater, Dr. Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Prof. Monya Stubbs, Dr. Patricia K. Tull, Dr Audrey West, Prof. Christine R. Yoder, Dr. Alejandro F. Botta, Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder, Dr. Brent A. Strawn
2016 · Abingdon Press
This Covenant experience will guide participants in a comprehensive, in-depth study of the Bible over twenty-four weeks. Unlike the learning participants may have experienced in other groups, this in-depth study of the whole Bible emphasizes the biblical concept of covenant as a unifying pattern through all the books in the Old and New Testaments. It underscores the unique relationship that God chooses to have with us as God’s people. This relationship is grounded in the faithfulness of God’s love and on our ongoing commitment to stay in love with God while we share signs of that love with others. Each episode connects to an aspect of this covenant relationship, which is summarized in the heading of each participant guide. GOD ESTABLISHES THE COVENANT to be in relationship with us. So the first eight weeks, Creating the Covenant, examines how the covenant community is created and established—highlighting several examples throughout scripture. It discusses the story of our origins in Genesis, the Exodus narrative, the teachings of Moses, the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, as well as other books from each Testament that focus on the foundation of Christian faith. In doing so, it lays out the framework for a life lived in concert with God and others. Each participant in the group needs the Participant Guides and a Bible. The CEB Study Bible is preferred. The Creating Participant Guide is eight weeks long, and has a lay flat binding making it easy to take notes in the generous space provided on each page. The Creating Participant Guide contains the following episodes: Episode 1: Creating the Covenant Relationships with people in our lives are key to faithful living. Covenant is about the family God creates and the power of love that overcomes evil. We are broken and miss the mark. Substitutes for faithful love destroy our relationships. Yet God’s response to broken relationships is to restore us to wholeness. Through the shared practice of reading and interpreting the Bible scripture in holy conversation, we sharpen our understandings until they become more accurate and relevant. And we learn about God’s gracious love and how to share it with others. Episode 2: Torah—Genesis Genesis answers the question: Who are we in the scheme of things? Covenant relationships are a metaphor for life together before God. This life is characterized by both gift and responsibility. Broken relationships in these stories are countered by forgiveness and generosity. Episode 3: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers Passover is a bittersweet celebration of Israel’s liberation. The covenant at Sinai creates a people with instructions for living in harmony. These instructions are ever in need of reinterpretation in new situations, much like amendments to a constitution. God is holy and calls the people to be distinct and set apart in their faithfulness. Episode 4: Gospels—Matthew and Mark The Gospels are similar to Greco-Roman biographies but with a saving twist. They paint a portrait of Jesus’ significance for first-century readers living under Roman rule before and after the destruction of the temple in 70 CE. By arranging the events of his life, death, and resurrection in distinct order, these writers depict Jesus as both the suffering “human one” (Mark) and a new teacher like Moses (Matthew). Jesus comes to bring and embody a new covenant reign (kingdom) of God’s saving love in the world. Episode 5: Romans and Galatians The letters of Paul substituted for his presence and represent his attempt to deal with controversies and provide guidance to churches from a pastor’s perspective. For Paul, God’s grace expressed in Jesus’ faithfulness on the cross is a saving gift with no substitutes. The Spirit’s presence, too, is a gift that marks the community of faith and produces fruit for faithful life together, making us more gracious to ourselves and others. Episode 6: Hebrews The book of Hebrews is a masterful sermon written by an unknown author to a struggling community.The writer encourages them to live lives of gratitude for God’s saving work in Jesus. Hebrews embraces the imagery of sacrifice in the Old Testament to describe Jesus’ pioneering cosmic work of redemption. Replacing fear with trust, Jesus—our faithful forerunner—made it possible for us to approach the holy with confident expectation of God’s favor. Episode 7: 1 and 2 Corinthians Paul’s letters to the church at Corinth address very concrete issues in a culture that honors the freedom of superiors to do as they please. Paul counters this with the mind of Christ, patterned by the logic of self-giving love. This “logic of the cross” balances freedom with Christ-shaped responsibility to live in ways that benefit both self and community. Episode 8: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel These books retell the story of Israel and its responsibilities as a rescued, covenant people. As they transition to a new life in the promised land, the first commandment (no other gods) is restated positively: love God with all your heart and strength. Life in the land after Moses and Joshua is characterized by a cycle of faithlessness, crisis, cries for help, and temporary rescue. The last tribal chieftain/first prophet Samuel will anoint kings for an unruly people when the real king missing in Israel is God. More Questions? Visit http://covenantbiblestudy.com/ for more information.
Covenant Bible Study: Trusting Participant Guide
by Prof. David L. Bartlett, Covenant Bible Study, Dr. Alejandro F. Botta, Dr. Michael Joseph Brown, Dr Diane Chen, Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder, David A. deSilva, Prof. Judy Fentress-Williams, Prof. Francisco Garcia-Treto, Roy Heller, Prof. Matthew L. Skinner, Dr. Brent A. Strawn, Prof. Monya Stubbs, Dr Audrey West, Prof. Christine R. Yoder, Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, Dr William P. Brown, Dr Amy Erickson, Prof. Linda M. Day, Dr. Patricia K. Tull, Dr Melody Knowles, Prof. Thomas B. Slater, Dr. Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Rev. Shane Stanford, Christine A. Chakoian
2016 · Abingdon Press
This Covenant experience will guide participants in a comprehensive, in-depth study of the Bible over twenty-four weeks. Unlike the learning participants may have experienced in other groups, this in-depth study of the whole Bible emphasizes the biblical concept of covenant as a unifying pattern through all the books in the Old and New Testaments. It underscores the unique relationship that God chooses to have with us as God’s people. This relationship is grounded in the faithfulness of God’s love and on our ongoing commitment to stay in love with God while we share signs of that love with others. Each episode connects to an aspect of this covenant relationship, which is summarized in the heading of each participant guide. LIFE, AS WE ALL KNOW TOO WELL, IS IMPERFECT. Difficulties are inevitable. That’s why the final eight-weeks, Trusting the Covenant, looks at the crises that sometimes call covenant life into question, and how we are restored to trust in God when troubling things happen. This module discusses the loss of hope, and how it is restored by faithfulness in the midst of suffering. From the story of Job, to the Hebrew exile, to the apocalyptic visions in Daniel and Revelation, we learn how faithful love is at work in everything—to restore hope, freedom, and wholeness to our lives. Each participant in the group needs the Participant Guides and a Bible. The CEB Study Bible is preferred. The Trusting Participant Guide is 8 weeks long, and has a lay flat binding making it easy to take notes in the generous space provided on each page. The Trusting Participant Guide contains the following episodes: Episode 17: John; 1, 2, and 3 John For John the God we meet in Jesus is the one who keeps coming into the world, going out of the way to be in relationship with us. Jesus meets his followers in whatever ways they need with new and abundant life. Jesus draws people back into community and promises the Holy Spirit to those who follow him. Episode 18: Psalms Psalms are songs, poems, and prayers to and about God. There is diversity of authorship across the Psalms. Three major types of psalms are laments, thanksgiving psalms, and psalms of praise. The psalms are user-friendly and give voice to our conflicts, confessions, and cries for God’s rescuing help. The Psalms teach us how to pray and that God’s primary character trait is faithful love. Episode 19: Job Like the Bible as a whole, the book of Job offers a number of voices or perspectives. Job stages difficult human questions such as, “Why do human beings worship God?” or “Why do people suffer?” and even, “what is God’s role in suffering?” The book of Job also asks, “Does good behavior bring blessing?” and “Does bad behavior bring curse and suffering?” Episode 20: Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel offer three different perspectives on the same catastrophic event: the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 CE and the exile of God’s people to a foreign land. These books affirm the power of lingering with sorrow so we can hear the voices of those who are suffering. Any hope found in these books remains in the promise that God will bring life to dry bones or write a new covenant on hearts in a blessed but distant future. Episode 21: Isaiah 40-66 The story of how Israel gained and lost the land becomes a treasure that they carry with them into exile. The poetry in these passages is written to inspire and invite God’s homesick people in Babylon to become pioneers and return home to Israel. The God of Israel is no regional deity but is the one and only God of all, everywhere and all the time. Through fire and water, chaos and captivity, the people called by God and redeemed by God also belong to God. Episode 22: 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah The people returning home from exile in successive waves must rebuild their whole way of life. Ezra and Nehemiah look at the practical need for city walls and a center for worship. The Chronicler stresses the importance of “re-remembering” our story in the right way in order to understand who we are in this new life. The practices that sustained the people in exile will define a people who weren’t old enough to remember life before exile. Episode 23: Apocalyptic—Daniel Apocalyptic literature is not primarily about future events. It looks at traumatic events in the present and finds a divine plan at work. By using vivid symbols and imagery, the court tales and visions of Daniel stress that God is ultimately controls human events. The identity of faithful people is defined by living faithfully according to the covenant teachings in a context where those values are under threat. Faith has its price, but our hope in God empowers us to never give up. Episode 24: Revelation Revelation is a book written for poor people struggling under great duress. It uses vivid, terrifying images to express God’s unswerving faithfulness and the faithfulness of those who stand firm in the face of dehumanizing forces in the world. The symbol of hope in Revelation is the new creation and loyal love between God and the faithful. This symbol provides comfort, courage, and assurance that the one who made a covenant with all things at the very beginning will be with us at the end of all things. More Questions? Visit http://covenantbiblestudy.com/ for more information.