|
|
|
|
 |
Session five of the Alpha Course is on the Bible, and at this stage in the series of talks, the folks in the group are comfortable, discussions have established a bit of a pattern and they tend to follow the topic of the talk. It is good to keep in mind the course guest may have no experience reading a Bible before and may be overwhelmed with the idea of doing so. Good questions to encourage your group would be:
 "Where do I start?" might be a pretty typical question from an Alpha course guest. And The best place to start is with the gospels, particularly the Gospel of John.
Rather than overwhelming your Alpha course guest with an entire Bible, introduce them to the Bible gently with this special Alpha course edition of the Gospel of John. It was developed for both Alpha course guests and others who have little or no experience in reading the Bible. This 80 page paperback is an easy-to-use resource, helping readers understand why the Bible is so important, while providing answers to some key questions along the way. Such as: What is the Lamb of God? What does it mean to be "born again"? Features Include:
- Complete text of John's Gospel (New International Version)
- Condensed text of Nicky Gumbels' Alpha course talk, "Why and How Should I Read the Bible?" Clear, user-friendly introduction to the Bible and to the Gospel of John
- Text notes on the importance of reading God's Word,
- Stories from Alpha course participants
- Notes addressing unfamiliar terms and concepts
 Understanding the Bible isn't for the few, the gifted or the scholarly. The Bible is accessible. It's meant to be read and comprehended by everyone from armchair readers to seminary students. A few essential insights into the Bible can clear up a lot of misconceptions while helping you grasp the meaning of Scripture and its application to your twenty-first century life.
This practical approach to Bible study is for the Christian and the soon to be Christian. It's easy-to-understand style offers everything from translation concerns to different genres of biblical writings and helps the reader accurately understand the different parts of the Bible - their meaning for ancient audiences and their implications for you today - so you can uncover the inexhaustible worth that is in God's Word. Whether you choose this yourself in preparation for this session, provide it as a gift to your course guests or offer it on a resource table as an option for them, it is an ageless guide to be used time and again to inform your reading of the Bible.
 This powerful little booklet is taken from the book Alpha - Questions of Life by Nicky Gumbel and was especially created to give to the Alpha guests that missed the session five talk or even perhaps for a course guest that attended the talk but would love to review and reference what they heard. These are pocket size for all group leaders to hand out as needed.
- Is the Bible to be taken literally?
- Is it relevant for us today?
- What difference can the Bible make in our lives?
In this though-provoking booklet, Nicky Gumbel tackles the answers to these and other key questions people may be contemplating. | | | |  The Bible often looks daunting and it is difficult to know where to start. The purpose of 30 days is to help those who want to start reading the Bible. There are many ways to go about this. Nicky Gumbel has selected 30 passages which he has found to be particularly helpful. Some of the passages are from the Old Testament (which Jesus read and knew well) others are from the Gospels (which concern His life, teaching, death, and resurrection) and the remainder are from the rest of the New Testament (mainly letters written by those close to Jesus).
This book is an excellent resource for Alpha Course guests who may be curious about the Bible after attending week five of the Alpha course: "Why and How Should I Read the Bible?" Reading 30 passages from the Old and New Testaments over 30 days is just the right pace for those beginning to explore the Bible! Each day a portion of Scripture is accompanied by a challenging commentary and suggested prayer. Nicky Gumbel offers the following:
To get the most out of this book:
- Put aside time each day to be alone with God. A good way to begin is to pray as the Old Testament prophet Samuel prayed: Speak Lord, for your servant is listening (1Samuel 3:9)
- Read and think about the passage from the Bible for the day. Try and sense what God could be saying to you through the passage. Then read the comments that go with it, referring back to the passage as you go along. (The numbers in the parentheses refer to the chapter and verse numbers in the Bible.) After God has spoken to you through His word, then speak to Him in prayer.
I find the following a great help in structuring my prayers. The order is easy to remember as the first letter of each section forms the words ACTS.
A. Adoration praising God for who He is and what He has done
C. Confession asking Gods forgiveness for anything that we have done wrong
T. Thanksgiving for health, family, friends and so on
S. Supplication praying for ourselves, for our friends
Getting to know God is the purpose for which we were made. In order to do this we need to spend time speaking to Him and letting Him speak to us. Jesus Himself set for us a great example. Time alone with God has been the key for all great men and women of God. From Moses to Mother Teresa, from the apostle Paul to Billy Graham. As the prophet wrote, He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. (Isaiah 50:4b)
God has given us the extraordinary privilege of know Him. I hope that by the end of 30 Days you will want to make spending time with God speaking to Him and letting Him speak to you a lifetime habit. |
|
|
Why Jesus?
These booklets also make a great addition to the church welcome packet or for your greeters to give to each guest.
|
|
|
|
