The Kingdom Come

A friend has been asking me, for a few years to start a weekly Bible study. I have been resistant, as I have been when others have asked me to start a study, due to many factors. A few being; I don't want to be presumptuous, I don't want them to feel a weekly Bible study could replace fellowship with an actual congregation, and lastly it is very serious business.

But after laying some ground rules, I decided to go forward and to be as transparent as possible, I'll be posting the basic outline of each week's study here online. The actual studies will take place on Wednesday nights in the Indianapolis area if anyone is interested (contact me).

GROUND RULES

Before I would agree to do the study, a few ground rules had to be established so as to avoid the study becoming something none of us desires.

1. Neither I nor anyone in the group are trying to be a "pastor" to others
2. Study premise will be based on the concept that God has guided the community of saints in the most basics of the Christian Faith. (i.e. There will be no talk of secret revelations to participants, but instead we'll operate on the common and ancient faith as held by 2000 years of Christianity)
3. Points of view will be offered as historic positions, instead of applying one view. This does not mean the study will be relativistic or inconclusive on topics, but only we will try to hold fast to point 2.
4. Studies will be mainly topical and based on expository and exegetical methods (i.e. cross-reference, in-context, basic literary rules)
5. Each study will be 30-60 minutes long.

With these simple ground rules, I hope to maintain a study where I am more like a tour guide to the Bible and so that the environment will stay focused on what the text actually says, and how it has been interpreted by the bulk of historic Christianity and why. We are NOT going to be trying to find some new or special meaning to the Bible, but rather try to understand the faith as delivered once and for all to the saints, and to hold fast to the biblical "tradition" passed down by the apostles (Jude 1:3, 2 Thes 2:15)

STUDY PLAN

For those following along online, I will post some follow up notes to each week's study. Feel free to comment as you'd like. You will be able to access all of the studies as they are completed by following this link: Weekly Bible Study

I wanted to present the study plan as far in advance as possible so that participants can be thinking about the upcoming week's study. Here are the first 3 week's plans.

WEEK 1 - What is the Bible and Why?
Discuss what the Bible actually is; Old Testament, New Testament. Where did the Bible come from? Why only 66 books/sections and not more or less.

WEEK 2 - Why are we Christians and not others?
Discuss and present texts that explain why one person is a Christian and another is not.

WEEK 3 - The Nature of God. Who is God?
Discuss and present texts that reveal the nature and attributes of God. His love and His justice.