This (rather lengthy) series grew out of the previous study on the Shemitah and Blood Moon Tetrad. During one of our discussion times in class, one of the members asked, “If this stuff is possibly true, what should we do about it? How should we prepare?” And that question of how we could be ready for the possible return of Christ drove us to the Scripture to answer that question. There are five overarching questions that came out of trying to discover how to be ready.
What are the signs of the end?
How to be ready?
What do you do when told to deny Christ?
Should we be preppers?
What should we do if our government tells us we can’t obey God?
Here are the (again, rather lengthy – 25 pages!) notes from the study, but be warned that even as lengthy as they are, there are many important things that do not come out clearly in the notes, but are clear in the audio recordings. So, please listen to them if you can. Especially if you’re trying to deal seriously with any of these very timely questions.
Also, as quickly becomes clear in the audio recordings, you will understand many of the references much better if you join us and read the book, Killing Christians, by Tom Doyle. This lesson series is in no way a book study, but that book certainly illuminates many of the topics we discuss and provides relevant background examples, and is otherwise a fantastic book every Christ-follower should read.
Further, the book, Do Love, by Andrew Rankin provides great background for the practical application of how we should be living in the light of the Scriptures we study here.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
This excellent six part series is an expository study of 1 Corinthians 13, with special application for married couples. Understanding and applying verse 7 is a key focus of the study.
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