The message of the gospel that Paul brought to the culturally diverse city of Ephesus forever transformed its citizen's lives. But the church in Ephesus had the same problems we face today: it was a multiethnic group of believers who found it difficult to come together as one and put aside their differences... In this six-session study (streaming video included), pastor Derwin Gray, of Transformation Church, takes you and your group through Paul's letter to the Ephesians to reveal how the apostle presented the revolutionary idea that Jesus came not only to forgive sins but also to create a unified family out of a diverse people. This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself-a 40 Day reading plan through Ephesians with discussion and personal reflection questions, video notes, and a leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all six video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!). The letter to the church in Ephesus contains a message that's revolutionary to us even today-it's a message that's especially urgent now: that God desires to bring unity to all things and all peoples under Christ. This is the vision that bears the seeds of a heavenly revolution! 40 Days Through the Book series: Each of the studies in this series, taught by a different pastor or Bible teacher on a specific book of the Bible, is designed to help you more actively engage with God's Word by understanding its background and culture and applying it in a fresh way to your life. Throughout each study, you'll be encouraged to read through the corresponding book in the New Testament at least once during the course of 40 days. 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.

Theological field education, in which a ministry student steps out of the classroom and begins practicing with the supervision of a mentor, is a critical part of accredited ministry programs. Engage equips both students and their supervisor-mentors to engage in this important opportunity with energy and imagination, and it prepares students for the challenging work of integrating theory into real-world practice. Engage provides coaching from recognized experts in the arts of ministry: preaching, administration, evangelism, pastoral care, public ministry, leadership, faith formation, liturgical arts and more. Other chapters address themes such as race, gender, and ministry across faith traditions (or no faith tradition). The book addresses field education in a range of contexts-from churches to non-profits. Engage offers a valuable resource for students making the most of their transition from the classroom into real world ministry with all its joys and many challenges.

Year B, Volume 1: Advent through Transfiguration. With this new lectionary commentary series, Westminster John Knox Press offers the most extensive resource for preaching on the market today. When complete, the twelve volumes of the series will cover all the Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, along with movable occasions, such as Christmas Day, Epiphany, Holy Week, and All Saints Day. For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. They might focus on the Gospel text, for instance, by reading all four essays provided for that text, or they might explore connections between the Hebrew Bible, Psalm, Gospel, and Epistle texts by reading the theological essays for each one. Each lectionary year will consist of four volumes, one for the Advent and Christmas season, one for Lent and Easter, and one for each half of Ordinary Time. While the twelve volumes of the series will follow the pattern of the Revised Common Lectionary, each volume will contain an index of biblical passages so that nonlectionary preachers may make use of its contents.

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

This five-session small group Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately) by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume six of the That the World May Know series. In this volume, Vander Laan helps you experience Jesus' life up close and personal. Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God's Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible's fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures' significance for modern believers. The five sessions: Focuse on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD Include sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools Feature questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection Include 25 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today. Filmed on location in Galilee, Priene, and Didyma, these illuminating "faith lessons" afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study. Lessons include: When the Rabbi Says, "Come" - Filmed in Galilee When the Rabbi Says, "Go" - Filmed in Galilee The Presence of God: A Countercultural Community - Filmed in Priene Living Stones - Filmed in Priene The Very Words of God - Filmed in Didyma Designed for use with the In the Dust of the Rabbi Video Study (sold separately).

This six-session small group Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), With All Your Heart, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume ten of the That the World May Know series. Do you remember where your blessing comes from? In Exodus, God warned Israel to remember him when they left the dry desert and reached the fertile fields of the Promised Land. But in this tenth volume of Faith Lessons, you'll discover how quickly they forgot God and began to rely on themselves. Find out what it means to remember the Lord in your own life on this one-of-a-kind spiritual pilgrimage. Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God's Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible's fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures' significance for modern believers. Each lesson: Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection Includes 25 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today. The companion DVD for With All Your Heart was filmed on location in Timnah, Negev, and Jerusalem. These illuminating "faith lessons" afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study. This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the With All Your Heart DVD (sold separately). Lessons include: Build Me a Sanctuary - Filmed in Timnah Making Space for God - Filmed in Timnah He Led Them Like a Shepherd - Filmed in Negev By Every Word - Striking the Rock - Filmed in Negev With All Your Might: The Final Test - Filmed in Jerusalem A Well-Watered Garden - Filmed in Jerusalem

Drawing on examples from British world expressions of Christianity, this collection further greater understanding of religion as a critical element of modern children's and young people's history. It builds on emerging scholarship that challenges the view that religion had a solely negative impact on nineteenth- and twentieth-century children, or that 'secularization' is the only lens to apply to childhood and religion. Putting forth the argument that religion was an abiding influence among British world children throughout the nineteenth and most of the twentieth centuries, this volume places 'religion' at the center of analysis and discussion. At the same time, it positions the religious factor within a broader social and cultural framework. The essays focus on the historical contexts in which religion was formative for children in various 'British' settings denoted as 'Anglo' or 'colonial' during the nineteenth and early- to mid-twentieth centuries. These contexts include mission fields, churches, families, Sunday schools, camps, schools and youth movements. Together they are treated as 'sites' in which religion contributed to identity formation, albeit in different ways relating to such factors as gender, race, disability and denomination. The contributors develop this subject for childhoods that were experienced largely, but not exclusively, outside the 'metropole', in a diversity of geographical settings. By extending the geographic range, even within the British world, it provides a more rounded perspective on children's global engagement with religion.

How to Get Beyond Your New Year's Resolution Remember your last New Year's resolution? The last time you decided, "That's it, I'm going to change something"? And then you didn't? You wanted to see a change happen, you knew what you needed to do, but you couldn't make it stick. We do the same thing with our faith. We want to live more like Jesus lived, but just wanting to and trying harder never seems to work. So how do you transport your beliefs as a Christ-follower twelve inches from your head to your heart? You practice. You do. You act. In Act Like Jesus, Randy Frazee walks us through the spiritual workouts we need every day to develop a lifestyle of loving God and loving others, and learning to act like Jesus. To drive beliefs from our head to our heart, the first four practices help us reach up to God: We cement our confidence in God by worshiping him We have a conversation with God by praying We find God's guidance in the Bible We dedicate our whole lives to God's purpose The last four practices give us ways to reach out to others: We devote ourselves to Biblical community We exercise our spiritual gifts We give away our resources We share our faith out of love for others To become like Jesus, our beliefs need to not only inform us but also transform us. It is the practice of reaching up to God and out to others that will drive beliefs from our head to our heart. Act Like Jesus teaches the life-giving spiritual disciplines that will lead us in fulfilling our mission to love God and love our neighbor. Sessions include: How Do I Worship God? Why Do I Need to Pray? How Do I Study the Bible? How Much of My Life Does God Want? How Do I Develop Healthy Relationships? What Spiritual Gifts Has God Given to Me? How Do I Use My Money to Serve God? How Do I Communicate My Faith? This study is adapted from the Act portions of the Believe Study Guide and Think, Act, Be Like Jesus by Randy Frazee (2015). Designed for use with the Act Like Jesus Video Study available on DVD or streaming video, sold separately.

An essential course of study for church leaders and candidates for Christian ministry 'Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching' (1 Tim. 4:16) This course is a study of the three New Testament Epistles traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul - The 'Pastoral Epistles' - 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. This course-book will make the student aware of the issues surrounding the authorship, date and purpose of these epistles; and discuss of the principles of early church theology, practice and governance described within them. This course is meant to help the student discover how we can apply these principles to the 21st century Church, and so equip the student for Christian ministry as they lead the church of God in a modern context.

Adapting C.S. Lewis's classic allegory, this book is a gathering of 33 instructional letters written between demons. With wit, insight and a fearless honesty, this book shows how alcohol addiction ravages human lives and relationships.

This accessible introduction to the broad scope of Christian education focuses on its practice in the local church. Two leading experts argue that Christian education encompasses all of the intentional practices of the local church, including worship, mission, sacraments, and teaching. They explore Christian education not only as a field of study but as a vital congregational ministry, showing how congregations can engage in discipleship and formation for spiritual growth. The book features exercises and other pedagogical devices and includes reflection questions and suggestions for further reading.

The confessional writings of the Lutheran church, including the Augsburg Confessions, the Apology, the Smalcald Articles, and the Large and Small Catechisms.

Catechesis for Infant Baptism will help parishes design a catechetical process for the formation of a ministry team to share "our common treasure" of faith with parents preparing for their infant's baptism. This book is for pastors, pastoral staff, liturgists, DREs, and all those who prepare catechists to engage in this ministry. Ellen Marie Collins employs primary symbols, the Lectionary and prayer texts for infant baptism to offer a process for deepening the catechists' understanding of the Rite of Infant Baptism and to help them as they share their faith as a baptismal ministry team.

The Ark of Speech investigates the interplay of speech and silence in the dialogue between God and human beings, and human beings and the world. Ranging from the Old Testament and its depiction of God's creative word to the New Testament and its focus on the life and words of Jesus as the Word of the Father, the book shows how important it is for the believer to listen to God and to others in silence and devotion.