Posted by Jonathan Bingham on December 23, 2013 under Blog | 
I mention on my start page that the NTI four year church leader training materials, including the content I wrote on hermeneutics and Bible study, had been translated into Mandarin Chinese, read on camera, and hosted on a government approved web site. The web site traffic is skyrocketing and hundreds of Chinese Christians are using the resources to drive small group and house church discipleship and ministry. It is so exciting to be a part of that! For all of you who can understand Mandarin, here are the links to the three modules I wrote. (The videos are broken into 5-8 minute segments. These links will take you to the jumping off page for the videos for each separate module.)
2.7.1 Interpreting the Bible
2.7.2 Interpreting the Different Kinds of Biblical Writing
2.7.3 Bible Study Methods
Posted by Jonathan Bingham on December 22, 2013 under Blog |
I’ve read some great books, but Do Love, by Andrew Rankin, is one of the most important books I’ve ever read. It is a book that will change your life. It is changing mine. It will change your small group. I led my Bible study group of 30 through this book last fall, and it is dramatically changing the way we love one another. But the message of the book is not limited to or even primarily intended for the individual or small group. This is a book that would change a church, and most importantly, could change The Church.
There are lots of books that talk about love and many that even talk about the importance of Christians loving others. But the author leads you through clear and practical examples of our failure to love others, Jesus’ central focus on loving others above everything else that we’re so apt to put in front of it, our need for love, and how to practically, meaningfully, and consistently love others. It is this focus on a lifestyle of practically loving one another through meaningful actions for the good of another that uniquely sets this book apart from any other I have ever read.
Amazingly, given the author’s credentials, Do Love is written in a very popular, easy to read style and is filled with practical, real-world, and often too close to home examples. But at the same time it is a thoroughly biblical treatment of the love Jesus commended and commanded throughout His ministry. Dr. Rankin even gives those who appreciate formal theology an entire chapter dedicated to a proper systematic theological treatment of love, which he smartly highlights as optional for those less inclined.
On a related side note: In over 30 years of teaching Bible studies, this is only the second time I have ever taken a group through a book study. My concern is always, “are we studying the Bible or just doing a book review?” But Do Love worked perfectly as the basis for a 10-week Bible study series because of its clear biblical focus. The author provides a study guide in the back of the book that has both a biblical passage to begin the session and numerous questions to help drive discussion. And it was very interesting reading for the class members each week, so they came prepared to discuss the content. Honestly, I used very few of the discussion questions from the study guide because the material itself drove the discussion and naturally led to though-provoking questions and dialog. And if attendance is any indication, the study was well-received, as we had the highest and most consistent attendance during those 10 weeks that we have ever had.
All that being said, Do Love is not a “feel good” book. There are times reading Do Love when you may feel very unloving. I certainly did. And you may recognize that your group, your church, and overall The Church are not doing very well practicing the great commandment. That became very clear to me, too. Do Love may, in fact, be an indictment of The Church today and our shared departure from our “first love.” But that is only the beginning. After being challenged with that reality, the rest of the book drives and equips you to practical, consistent, tangible love for others in a way that will change your world, and that could change the world.
Posted by Jonathan Bingham on under Bible study, Single |
This lesson is the final one for 2013, and one that I would normally teach on the first Sunday of a new year, but had to do early because of our church-wide study starting in January. It is my consistent encouragement at the beginning of a new year to do something. Leadership. Faith. Action. It builds on the lessons at the beginning of the year, and uses William Carey’s famous sermon as the background theme. At the end of the lesson I highlight three individuals who took action and are making a major difference in the lives of millions of people.
Great Things for God
Posted by Jonathan Bingham on October 6, 2013 under Bible study, Single |
This final lesson in the (unintended) series of lessons on love focuses on Jesus’ practical and non-judgmental love for others as the ultimate example for us to follow and emulate. This was the last lesson before beginning the book study on the excellent book, Do Love, A Love Hack’s Path to Spiritual Maturity, by Andrew Rankin, available here.
How Did Jesus Show His Love for Others?
Posted by Jonathan Bingham on September 29, 2013 under Bible study, Multiweek |
This study came as a follow-on to the study in Colossians that ended in love, and then Jesus’ instruction in John 13. Though we cannot attempt to recreate the setting of the early church, we can at least look at them and learn from their example as a group of new Christians responding without precedent to the Holy Spirit’s direction. Acts 2 describes their characteristics and then shows the results of their behavior. Wow!
All of the previous three lessons are a great preparation for beginning a book study on Do Love, A Love Hack’s Path to Spiritual Maturity, by Dr. Andrew Rankin.
How Did the Early Church Treat Each Other
Posted by Jonathan Bingham on September 8, 2013 under Bible study, Multiweek |
This study was a natural f0llow-on to the study in Colossians that ended in the focus on love for one another. Jesus said that non-Christians would know we are a follower of Jesus by our love for one another. How do you really love one another?
Depending on your setting and schedule, this may or may not take more than one week to finish.
How Do Others Know You Are a Christian?
Posted by Jonathan Bingham on August 4, 2013 under Bible study, Multiweek |
This lesson is a multi-week study of Colossians 3:12-14. It is a wonderful passage that focuses on how to get along together, a truly needful message for the church today. The eight virtues Paul lists in the passage are: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, forbearance, forgiveness, and love.
A Christian’s Wardrobe
Tags: 1 Cor., 1 Cor. 1, 1 Cor. 13, 1 Cor. 4, 1 Cor. 6, 1 John, 1 John 4, 1 Peter, 1 Peter 1, 1 Peter 4, 2 Samuel, 2 Samuel 9, Character, Colossians, Colossians 2, Colossians 3, Ephesians, Ephesians 4, Forgiveness, Greek, Humility, Lifestyle, Love, Luke, Luke 17, Luke 6, Marriage, Proverbs, Proverbs 14, Proverbs 18, Proverbs 19, Proverbs 22, Proverbs 3, Romans, Romans 15, Romans 2
Posted by Jonathan Bingham on May 12, 2013 under Bible study, Single |
This lesson was written for the men of our class while the ladies were away celebrating Mother’s Day. It highlights mistakes made by the first three kings of Israel and how we can both see ourselves in those mistakes and how we can avoid them. Not to end on a negative note, the fourth king considered is Hezekiah and how we can follow his example of trust in God even when we face the impossible.
Royal Mistakes
Posted by Jonathan Bingham on May 5, 2013 under Bible study, Multiweek |
This is an expository look at Titus 2:1-10, where Paul tells Titus how he should be instructing the new believers in Crete to live and behave. There are six groups of people he highlights: older men, older women, younger women, younger men, ministers, and employees.
I updated the PDF in August of 2013 when I noticed some mistakes. For all of the thousands who have downloaded it, please get the updated version.
Basic Instructions
Tags: Greek, Husband, Lifestyle, Marriage, Ministry, Parenting, Philippians, Philippians 2, Proverbs, Proverbs 25, Titus, Titus 2, Wife
Posted by Jonathan Bingham on April 21, 2013 under Bible study, Multiweek |
This is a refresh of a study we did a number of years ago, timed for the tax deadline in the US. It is made up of a number of diagnostic questions, most of which are not matters of sin, but could indicate that something is out of line in the area of finance, and that one may not be experiencing God’s best for their lives. The central theme is one of trust in God.
Financial Check
Tags: 1 Timothy, 1 Timothy 5, Deut., Deut. 28, Finances, Lifestyle, Luke, Luke 16, Malachi, Malachi 3, Priorities, Proverbs, Proverbs 3, Titus, Titus 2, Various
