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    The Good Book Participant's Guide: 40 Chapters That Reveal the Bible's Biggest Ideas
    The Good Book Participant's Guide: 40 Chapters That Reveal the Bible's Biggest Ideas
    The Good Book Participant's Guide: 40 Chapters That Reveal the Bible's Biggest Ideas
    Ebook109 pages2 hours

    The Good Book Participant's Guide: 40 Chapters That Reveal the Bible's Biggest Ideas

    By Deron Spoo, Kevin Harney and Sherry Harney

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    About this ebook

    With questions for reflection and discussion that follow the trade book, The Good Book Participant's Guide will foster group discussion among small-group and Sunday School members, helping them understand the Bible's most prominent themes in a way that applies to their own lives.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDavid C Cook
    Release dateApr 1, 2017
    ISBN9781434711052
    The Good Book Participant's Guide: 40 Chapters That Reveal the Bible's Biggest Ideas

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      Book preview

      The Good Book Participant's Guide - Deron Spoo

      THE GOOD BOOK PARTICIPANT’S GUIDE

      Published by David C Cook

      4050 Lee Vance Drive

      Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

      David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

      Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

      The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

      All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.

      All Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

      ISBN 978-1-4347-1025-3

      eISBN 978-1-4347-1105-2

      © 2017 Deron Spoo

      Published in association with the literary agency of Ann Spangler & Company, 1415 Laurel Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506.

      The Team: Tim Peterson, Kevin Harney, Nick Lee, Jennifer Lonas, Helen Macdonald, Abby DeBenedittis, Susan Murdock

      Cover Design: Amy Konyndyk

      Cover Photo: Getty Images

      First Edition 2017

      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

      ⁰¹¹²¹⁷

      Contents

      Preface

      Session 1: In the Beginning

      Session 2: God Is Good When Life Gets Messy

      Session 3: God Is Big

      Session 4: Tough Love, Troubled Times

      Session 5: Jesus Has Just Entered the Building

      Session 6: Jesus Won’t Leave Us as We Are

      Session 7: Following Jesus

      Session 8: God’s Message for You

      Preface

      More than two decades ago, George Hunter coined a term for people with no God history and no christian memory. Based on the word agnostic, a term for those who view God as unknowable, Hunter came up with the word ignostic to describe someone who is ignorant about the subject of God.¹ An ignostic may willingly admit that God is knowable, but he or she doesn’t have the first clue about how or where to begin a search for him.

      If the Bible intimidates even the most adept readers, imagine how intimidating it would seem to a first-time Bible reader. On top of that, the Bible is notoriously easy to misinterpret, especially when lone verses are lifted out of context.

      Scripture is an infinite resource for knowing God and understanding life, but practically speaking, where should a new Bible reader begin? And how can anyone decipher the bizarre names, faraway places, and foreign cultures of the distant past? Who is qualified to guide us in our quest to grasp the simple truths of God’s love, the necessity of a life-changing experience with him, and the promise of forgiveness and a fresh start?

      The Bible is like the ocean, according to an old metaphor. The ocean is so deep in places that no person, however capable a swimmer, could survive its extremities. But at the same time, when the ocean touches the land, the water is so shallow and the waves lapping the beach are so gentle that even a toddler can safely play there. Anyone who has visited the beach has seen firsthand that the ocean is both intimidating and approachable.

      The same is true of the Bible. Like the ocean, its depths can never be fathomed. Even after a lifetime of study, the most brilliant theologians admit they’ve only begun to plumb its depths. Centuries of Christian scholarship haven’t been able to chart its vast expanse. The Bible can be intimidating and yet approachable at the same time. Anyone can pick up a Bible and encounter simple truths that are nothing short of life changing.

      This eight-week study is a companion to The Good Book video series and book. These resources are designed to help two distinct groups of people. In the first group are those who have faith in Jesus and have spent a good deal of time reading the Bible. For you I offer a word of advice: Reject the tendency to be satisfied with your current understanding of the Bible. Refuse the temptation to think that what you grasp of the Scriptures today is somehow enough. Don’t just settle for wading in the surf. Dive deeper! Untold riches await your discovery.

      In the second group are those who are just beginning their study of the Bible. My advice for you? Start right where you are. Dip your toe in the water. Wade up to your knees. Take your time. I believe you’ll find yourself longing to dive deeper as you walk through these eight sessions.

      The goal of these studies is to give the big picture and the general structure of the Bible, God’s Good Book. Although they aren’t exhaustive, they go deep. My prayer is that you’ll discover the beauty, life, and power of God in the pages of the Bible. As you do, may you encounter the God who made you, loves you, and offers salvation in the name of his only Son, Jesus Christ.

      With you on the journey,

      Deron Spoo

      George G. Hunter III, How to Reach Secular People (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992), 41.

      Session 1

      In the Beginning

      The central character at the start of the Bible is God. No question about it. He is the one who spoke all things into existence. God is the focal point of the whole biblical story from Genesis to Revelation. Our story makes sense only when we realize that he is the creator and that we are his beloved children, created in his image.

      The Big Picture

      Session Title: In the Beginning

      The Story Line: Out of nothing God spoke and created everything. He made the heavens and the earth. He shaped man and woman and breathed life into them. When everything broke because of sin and rebellion, God began a plan to restore his children to relationship with him and one another. Then he formed a nation of people to call his own and bless. His desire was that they would follow him

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