We use figurative language all the time: “I’ll have to face the music.” “I’m bored to tears.” “She has a green thumb.” “Don’t let the cat out of the bag.” “He died of embarrassment.” Biblical writers also used figurative language and vivid imagery. How are we to understand it?
Making the most of registration forms
Registration is a chance to collect valuable information about your participants that can help you build small groups, evaluate the success of your program and plan for the future. Here are some questions you might want to include on your registration forms.
10 Nehemiah 13:1-31 Promises broken
Years later, Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem to find the people have broken all their vows. His reaction is ruthless — to make a point.
Philippians: Choose Life
Paul’s letter to the Philippians is filled expressions of praise, joy and confidence, despite the fact that Paul wrote the letter while he was in prison. The Philippian church, unlike many other churches Paul wrote to, was not facing any particular problem or controversy. Instead their challenges were the kind that plague many churches today. We can learn from Paul how to rejoice and persevere in the mundane, ordinary difficulties of life.
How to do an Analytical Outline
An analytical outline is a way of displaying a text of Scripture so that the flow of thought and the relationship between the grammatical parts become clear. It is my favorite study tool and one of the first things I do. Learn how to make one.
09 Nehemiah 12:1-47 Celebration
The history told in Nehemiah is a historic witness to the restoring work of God in people’s lives. Now in chapter 12, at the what should be the end of the story, Nehemiah is once again going to make a circuit of the city. But this time instead of a single rider on a single horse as we saw in chapter 2, he is part of a parade circling the city on top of the rebuilt walls, singing the praises of God.
08 Nehemiah 10:1-11:36 Promises made
The people vow to keep God at the center of their lives as they move back into Jerusalem both by choice and by draft.
Classic Commentaries Online
Many of the classic commentaries are free online, but how do you know which one(s) to use? And where do you find them? Here’s a quick list and explanation
07 Nehemiah 9:1-38 The Lord is faithful when we are not
If all the generations prior to you have been people who listened to God and eventually rejected him, what is the likelihood that your generation is going to be different?
06 Nehemiah 7:1-8:18 Restore the joy of the Lord
In chapter 7 the wall is finished. The city is safe, but not yet “alive.” In chapter 8 the people long to know God so they ask Ezra the priest to teach them the Law.
Paul, Chronology of the Apostle
This chart gives a timeline of the major events in the life of the Apostle Paul and the dating of his letters.
05 Nehemiah 5:1-6:19 Enemies within and without
In chapter 5, the problems Nehemiah and the Isrealites encounter are inflicted from within the community itself. In Chapter 6 Nehemiah is tested. Is he the kind of leader who fears God? Or is he the kind of leader who thinks too highly of himself and had been seduced by the power of leadership?