'Acknowledging the Divine Benefactor' is a socio-rhetorical interpretation of the Second Letter of Peter. Using multiple interpretive perspectives and emphasising the pictorial dimensions of 2 Peter, Terrance Callan shows that the letter makes the following argument: since Jesus Christ has given his followers benefits, including the promise of sharing in divine nature, they need to make a proper return for these benefits by living virtuously; and this in turn will enable them to receive the fulfilment of the promise. The occasion of the letter is that Peter's death is near. He writes so the addressees can remember his teaching after his death. The author expounds this teaching because some people do not await the future fulfilment of Christ's promises and so do not emphasise the need for virtuous living.

Sixty-Six Books. One Story. All About One Name. Encounter the living Jesus in all of Scripture. From the Passion movement, The Jesus Bible, ESV Edition, lifts Jesus up as the lead story of the Bible and encourages you to faithfully follow him as you participate in his story. Profound yet accessible study features help you meet Jesus throughout Scripture. See him in every book so that you may know him more intimately, love him more passionately, and walk with him more faithfully. Features: Complete text of the English Standard Version (ESV) Introduction by Louie Giglio 66 book introductions highlight the story of Jesus in every book 6 compelling essays on the grand narrative of Scripture guide you to treasure Jesus Over 300 full-page articles and nearly 700 sidebar articles reveal Jesus throughout all of Scripture Room for notes and journaling throughout ESV concordance Two ribbon markers 8.7-point type size

Discover five innovative ways to read the Bible Do you feel guilty that you don't read your Bible every day? When you do sit down to study the Bible, do you find yourself easily distracted and feeling like you're missing something? Are you looking to connect with God's Word in a fresh way that makes you look forward to your daily time in Scripture? If so, The Abide Bible Course is for you! In this study, a professor and a pastor-Dr. Phil Collins and Randy Frazee-will walk you through five innovative practices that will take you beyond just reading and help you deeply engage with Scripture in a way that fits your unique personality and learning style. In each session, they will explain the practice and walk you through each one-with practical examples-so you can try it out for the upcoming week. These practices include: Praying Scripture: pray with the words of Scripture instead of your own Engage Through Art: looking at works of art to help you see a passage in a new way Journal: writing out your thoughts and feelings on a passage to give you greater clarity Picture It: putting yourself into the stories of the Bible to experience them firsthand Contemplate: deeply reflecting and praying through a passage in God's Word Jesus instructed his followers to "abide" in him so they could lead fruitful lives (see John 15:4). The Abide Bible Course will equip you to establish a daily, lifelong habit of abiding in God's Word so you can hear his voice. This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself-with video notes, a comprehensive structure for group discussion time, daily exercises to help you engage in each practice during the week and a guide to best practices for leading a group. An individual access code to stream all six video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!). Watch on any device! Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

The Being With course is an introduction to Christianity with a difference. At its heart is the idea that God's greatest desire is to be with us in Jesus. Grounded in the conviction that we already have a wealth of understanding of truth, beauty and goodness that signify God's presence in our lives and everyday experiences, it aims to enable participants to discover dimensions of this presence and to live abundantly with God, with one another and with creation. This Leaders' Guide provides: * an introduction to the theological perspective underpinning the course; * an explanation of its structure and an overview of each session; * practical guidelines for leading a group; * complete materials for hosting its ten 90-minute sessions in person or online. The sessions focus on the themes of Meaning; Essence; Jesus; Church; Bible; Mission; Cross; Prayer; Suffering and Resurrection. Drawing on the practices of Godly Play, the course uses storytelling, wondering and reflection to encourage and welcome the insights that each person brings. The Being With course was devised and created by Samuel Wells and Sally Hitchiner. It is one of many initiatives of St Martin-in-the-Fields, alongside HeartEdge, the Nazareth Community, the classical music and arts programmes and work with those experiencing homelessness. Located in London's Trafalgar Square, St Martin's is a community of hope, transforming church and society through commerce, culture, compassion and congregational life.

* Activities for celebrating secular and sacred seasons of the year * For use in churches, schools, camps, at home Many of our experiences in life happen when several generations are together- at church, at home, in our communities. Holidays and family events are times for celebration, learning, rituals, food, and fun. This edition of Faithful Celebrations focuses on the months of January and February, when secular holidays can become times to think about how we live out the gospel message in celebrating national holidays with more than a day off from school or sending a greeting card. Each event to be celebrated includes key ideas; a cluster of activities to experience the key ideas; a list of materials needed; full instructions for implementation; background history and information; music; art; recipes; and prayer resources to use in a small, intimate, or large multi-generational group. For children, youth, adults, or any combination of ages, any of these activities can take place in any setting. Faithful Celebrations: Making Time for God in Winter includes New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine's Day, and Snow days.

In the small group bible study, WEIRD, pastor and bestselling author Craig Groeschel shatters normal and turns weird upside down. Normal people are stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Many of their relationships are, at best, strained and, in most cases, just surviving. Even though we live in one of the most prosperous places on earth, normal is still living paycheck to paycheck and never getting ahead. Lust and frequent casual sex are far more common than purity and a healthy married sex life. And when it comes to God, the many believe, but few practice the teachings of Scripture in their everyday lives. Simply put, normal isn t working. Groeschel s WEIRD views will help you break free from the norm to lead a radically abnormal (and endlessly more fulfilling) life. This Participant Guide, designed for use with the WEIRD DVD (sold separately) provides individual and group activities, between-session personal studies, quotes, assessments, and additional background material that will enhance your experience of the video sessions. Includes discussion questions for individuals and groups. When used together they provide you with a practical tool than can strengthen your faith. Sessions include: 1. The God Kind of Weird 2. It s Time to Be Weird3. Weird That Money Can t Buy4. Pleasing God is Weird 5. Weird Makes You Truly Sexy 6. The Weirdest Blessing Possible"

This Leader Guide contains nine sessions for engaging high school students, (ages 14-18 years) in conversation about faith and sexuality in the These Are Our Bodies program, helping participants and their adult parents or guardians deepen their connection between God, the Bible, and sexuality. Each session uses scripture as an integral piece of the program using the NRSV or Common English Bible translation. Facilitators and small group leaders will find detailed planning information as well as background and useful information to employ the program in your church or community in a variety of settings: youth group, Christian education, camps, or retreats. Comprised of two sections, "The Introduction" provides the goals of the curriculum, describes parts of each lesson, and provides all needed information for leaders to implement the program. The second section offers nine full session plans that have five parts that work together to create a hands-on, interactive approach to learning: Gather, Grow, Grapple, Guide, and Go. These offer creative and playful ways to engage with the material and participants in ways that provide intentional group formation, engage the nature of high schoolers, offer time to wrestle with new material, provide words of blessing and affirmation, and allow time to move from the sessions back into the world. The Facilitator leads each session with the help of Small-Group Leaders who facilitate the games, activities, and discussions. SESSION 1: This is Our Introduction (John 15:16-17; Luke 2:41-52; Luke 19:45-48) SESSION 2: This is Our Language (Proverbs 19:2; Ephesians 4:25-32) SESSION 3: This is Our Value System (Philippians 4:8; Romans 7:14-25) SESSION 4: This is Our Identity (Psalm 139:13-16; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27) SESSION 5: This is Our Self Image (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 3:1-11) SESSION 6: This is Our Relationship (Ephesians 4:25; 1 Corinthians 13) SESSION 7: This is Our Health (Proverbs 2:10-11; Matthew 13:10-17) SESSION 8: This is Our Dignity (Matthew 22:37-39; Luke 8:40-56) SESSION 9: This is Our Theology (Isaiah 30:21; John 14:1-14)

The Being With course is an introduction to Christianity with a difference. Rather than being a Bible study or a series of arguments to try to convince you that God exists, it starts with the conviction that you already have a wealth of understanding of truth, beauty and goodness that will help you, in the company of others, to recognise God's presence in your life and your everyday experiences. At its heart is the idea that God's greatest desire is to be with us in Jesus. That's the reason the world was created; that's why you were created. Over a period of ten weeks, you will discover dimensions of this presence and what it means to live abundantly with God, with one another and with creation.

Are you looking for fresh ideas to energize your small group? Here are hundreds of activities contributed by small group experts from across the United States. Tested in the field and drawn from the front lines of small group ministry, these creative ideas will help you evaluate the state of your group and enhance the five components of healthy group life. Community activities for the four stages of a group's life help you to get acquainted, go deeper with one another, process conflict, make memories and prepare for your group's ending. Whether charismatic, liturgical or somewhere in between, you'll find ideas for worship and prayer that stretch group members in these vital areas of spiritual growth. Your group will grow closer to one another as you draw near to God together. Ideas for study offer you some creative methods for Bible study and life application as well as ideas for learning through books, videos and other resources. A section on outreach helps your group to look beyond its borders and serve the needs of others. You'll find ideas for inviting others into your group and for working together in evangelism, social action and world mission. Edited by Cindy Bunch, this edition features new ideas gathered from The Small Group Network (www.SmallGroups.com) founded by Michael Mack and now directed by Dan Lentz. Whether you are a small group leader, a group coordinator or a pastor, you will return to this valuable resource again and again.

* A youth and adult study * Engages participants in how we should now live into this time of climate change crisis It is hard to be hopeful in the face of climate crisis. The problem is on a scale difficult for us to understand. Actions needed to address the crisis require a radical change in way of life. Does the Church have anything unique to offer? Is there something in our life of community, worship, and prayer that suggests a different way through this time? Church, Creation, and the Common Good is a program resource offering a hopeful answer to these challenges. Through scripture, tradition, and Christian practice, it guides church communities into deeper understanding of their role as the Church in the world and how they might be communities for the common good in this time. This curricular resource is sure to foster rich conversations and provide a path toward love of all creation and our particular places as we face the climate crisis together.

Ambassadors of Christ commemorates 150 years of theological education in Cuddesdon with a collection of substantial essays. It begins with a discussion by Mark Chapman of the revival of theology and education in the early years of the nineteenth century. This is followed by essays by Alastair Redfern on Samuel Wilberforce as a pastoral theologian and a revision by Andrew Atherstone of Owen Chadwick's Centenary History in the light of more recent historical research, bringing the discussion up to the 1880s. For the first time, Ripon Hall, which merged with Cuddesdon in 1975, receives a thorough and detailed historical treatment by Michael Brierley. Mark Chapman then discusses the 1960s under Robert Runcie, and a final chapter by Robert Jeffery deals with the theological and churchmanship issues which emerged from the merger. Two marvellous sermons preached at College Festivals by Michael Ramsey and Owen Chadwick are also reproduced in appendices. This special commemorative volume will appeal to past and present students as well as specialists in nineteenth and twentieth-century church history and all those interested in ministerial education and spiritual formation. A

Faith formation resource for children on human sexuality. This sexuality education resource from a mainline/progressive denominational prospective aids the leader, child (participant), and parent in learning about their body and using skills that enable them to embrace and affirm the wholeness of sexuality as part of who they are. Session plans will address facts about sexuality, vocabulary, decision making, faith and daily life, respect, growth and change, behavior, responsibility, values, prayer, and intentionality in an age appropriate manner for children and their parents. One Leader Guide will cover all ages, with three Parent Books (Preschool: 3- to 5-yearolds, Primary: 6- to 8-year-olds, and Intermediate: 9- to 11-year-olds), and two Participant Books (Primary and Intermediate ages). Session topics include: * We are Wonderfully Made * We are Complex * We are Changing * We are Knowledgeable * We are Equipped * We are Called * We are Growing Up

The great Reformer's sermons on one of the critical chapters of the Book Isaiah. Christian theologians, from the time of the Early Church have seen Isaiah 53 as one of the most important prefigurings of the suffering of Christ for the people of God, and Calvin's sermons bring out the theological significance of this key chapter for Christians.

Originally preached as a series, these seven sermons concerning the critical chapters of the Book of Isaiah demonstrate some of Calvin's most profound thoughts. Not only this book illuminates the more difficult elements of the text, it has also been done by one of the greatest Protestant theologians, now translated by T. L. H. Parker.

This book takes an innovative approach to the study of the penitentials and nunnery rules and the ways in which these texts impinged upon the lives of female audiences. The study emphasises the importance of the texts for the promotion of Christian values and of the expectations of churchmen in the construction of appropriate Christian behaviour for women in the early medieval West. These texts constitute the only written works which would have had direct influence upon the lives of lay and religious women. The work focuses upon the elements of the penitentials which provided female-specific expectations, and these fall largely into two categories of sexuality and pre-Christian practices. The nunnery rules seldom provided comprehensive sets of behavioural expectations. Rather, rules emphasised expectations relating to issues of enclosure, work and abstinence which came to be perceived as the defining characteristics of religious women.

Have fun with faith using Route 66: A Trip through the 66 Books of the Bible for grades 2-5 In this 192-page book, children are part of the story as they embark on a road trip through each of the 66 books of the Bible. The lessons are divided into three 12-week units, are flexible enough to serve as stand-alone supplemental material, and cover each book's author, era, theme, and key verse.

In a rapidly changing world, the central missionary vision of the church must be constantly renewed, lest its foundations become lost in the confusion of change or its practices trapped in missionary models of the past.

In this second edition of Missions, long-time missionary Gailyn Van Rheenen revises and updates his classic text on Christian missions, laying sound theological and strategic foundations for the missionary of today and tomorrow.

Van Rheenen helps renew the missionary vision by discussing areas such as:

• The history of Christian mission, and how it affects where we are today
• Spiritual formation for God s mission
• The missionary cycle
• Cross-cultural communication
• The character and calling of missionaries
• Types of missionaries
• Church maturation
• Selecting mission fields
• The role of money in missions
• Four levels of involvement in missions

But Missions is more than blackboard theory. Written by a long-time missionary, it carries the conviction and insights of one who has lived his subject. Accessible to students, practitioners, and laypeople alike, Missions provides a primary go-to resource for understanding and becoming involved in the dynamic activity of world missions."