DISCOVERING THE BIBLE LEARNING GUIDE€¦ · (Referenced Halley’s Bible Handbook by Henry H....

DISCOVERING THE BIBLE LEARNING GUIDE

Discovering the Bible 2

TableofContentsINTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 3

PURPOSE ................................................................................................................. 3 GOAL ...................................................................................................................... 3 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................ 3 LEARNING GUIDE ....................................................................................................... 4 REFERENCES AND RESOURCES ....................................................................................... 4

1.1 WHAT IS THE BIBLE? ..................................................................................... 6

1.2 WHY CAN YOU TRUST IT? ............................................................................. 8

1. CIRCULATION ........................................................................................................ 8 2. INTEGRITY ............................................................................................................ 9 3. ANSWERED PROPHESIES ........................................................................................ 10

1.3 WHY IS THE BIBLE THE WORD OF GOD? ...................................................... 11

1.4 DISCOVERY AT HOME ................................................................................. 14

SAMPLE REFECTION GUIDE ........................................................................................ 15

1.5 RESOURCES ................................................................................................ 16


INTRODUCTION Purpose The purpose of this learning guide is to equip you on your discovery journey. It is designed to enable you to follow along the discussion in your session as well as a handy reference for your review at home. This is particularly important to allow you to build a solid foundation for your journey to discover more about the Bible and how relevant it can be in your daily life.

Goal The goal of this guide is to encourage you to go to source, the Bible, to read and apply it to your life as you seek to know God better. This is the best, easiest and most authentic way to discover the Bible. The topics are intentionally designed to facilitate your learning and you can evaluate your progress as we walk through the learning guide.

Learning Objectives Given the session, the learning guide, references and resources, the participants will be equipped to know the three key takeaways in Discovering the Bible:

• What is the Bible? • Why you can trust it; • Why the Bible is the word of God.


Learning Guide The Learning Guide consists of three components: • Learning Guide • Discovery at Home • References and Resources This learning guide has been specifically designed using an interactive participant-centered approach to learning. It serves as a self-study guide as well. It is a supplement to your guided session and intended to help you apply your learning and reading immediately. Tips Tips are included in the guide to reinforce the key takeaways. Where necessary, the tips review, emphasize, and clarify various learning points. You can easily spot the tips by a shaded box.

Resources This section includes information, additional passages for further reading and any pertinent information in your discovery and journey with God.


Questions Many of us have questions about the Bible and that’s perfectly fine. Actually, the more questions, the better the learning and engagement. Before we begin, please write any questions you have below.

You will reassess these questions before the end of the session to see if they were answered. The facilitator is more than willing to discuss or follow up with you via email or a phone call. Use the space below for additional questions if necessary.


1.1 WHAT IS THE BIBLE? Fill in the blanks as you follow the session. It’s okay to ask the facilitator if you’ve missed anything.

The Bible is a collection of _____ books and it’s separated into two Testaments. The first testament is called the “Old Testament” and is made up of ____ books. The second, “New Testament” is made up of the remaining ____ books.

Testament means “covenant”; a solemn agreement or contract that establishes a formal relationship through mutual obligation.


The books that make up the Bible were written over a period of ______ years by over ____ different authors from all different walks of life. They were Kings, Servants, Poets, Prophets, Musicians, Philosophers, Farmers, Teachers, Fishermen, a priest, a statesman, a shepherd, a tax collector and a physician. They wrote during times of war and times of peace, in palaces and prisons, in cities and in the wilderness. They wrote stories,

poems, letters, histories, prophecies, and proverbs. (Referenced Halley’s Bible Handbook by Henry H. Halley)


1.2 WHY CAN YOU TRUST IT?

1. Circulation We live in a world with many different people, cultures, and languages. No other book is as widespread in despite these barriers than the bible. It has been translated in more than ______ languages and parts of it have been translated in over ___________ languages representing almost 90% of the world’s population.

United Bible society, scripture language report 2000, posted at www.biblesociety.org as accessed on January 17th, 2018.

No other book in history has reached as much of the world as the Bible, and this is despite being the most hated book in history. Those who devoted their lives to the duplication, translation, preservation and distribution of the Bible faced persecution and challenges of all kinds. In the process of translation and distribution some cultures did not yet have a written language. So Bible translators had to first learn the language and then create an alphabet in order to provide them the bible in written form.

Saints Cyril and Methodius holding the Cyrillic alphabet, A mural by Bulgarian iconographer Z. Zograf, 1848, Troyan Monastery


2. Integrity

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Jesus (Matthew 24:35)

If the Bible was written so long ago, how can we know that it hasn’t been tampered with? For any ancient document to be deemed accurate to it’s original form it will have manuscripts. Manuscripts are ancient documents preserved over time that were used in the writing and copying of an original text. The new testament of the Bible was written in Greek and at this time there are more than ________ ancient manuscripts of the Greek new testament, over __________ in all. When you combine that with the manuscripts and scrolls of the Old testament there are a total of over _____________ manuscripts. For comparison sake, Homer’s Iliad is a Greek epic poem written approximately 400 years after the Trojan war and tells us a significant amount about the war itself. Today in any university classroom Homer’s Iliad is considered a completely reliable piece of literature as it has close to 600 copies in manuscript. If so much confidence can be had in today’s translation of Homer’s Iliad then we can certainly stand confident in the accurate translation of the Bible.


3. Answered Prophesies In the Old Testament not only are there common threads shared in all 39 books, but there are hundreds of prophesies made about the life, ministry, and lordship of one in the bible named Jesus. It is important to understand that these are different books written by different men over a period of more than 1000 years, all speaking of different details regarding the life and impact of the one who was to come, Jesus Christ. Peter W. Stoner wrote in his book “Science Speaks” that when you apply the measurement of statistical probability to the chance of simply 8 of these prophesies being fulfilled in the life of a single person, it is 1 in 1017.

100,000,000,000,000,000 One hundred thousand trillion

He went on to explain what that chance would look like: that if in an area the size of the state of Texas were covered in silver dollars, 2 feet high, it would be like a blind man having to pick from that area the only silver dollar with a single red dot, the first time!

“We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark

place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its

origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Peter 1:19-21


1.3 WHY IS THE BIBLE THE WORD OF GOD? It’s very likely that before today you had heard about the Bible, or even from the Bible and may have not even realized it. It is quoted in film, television, books, music and billboards. It’s used by sports teams, studied in universities, and may have even been used in your home when there was talk of the golden rule. The truth, however, is although the Bible seems to be everywhere it is rarely used for the purpose in which it was written. In this section we will discover its purpose and identity, and the best place to discover this is in its pages. 2 Timothy 3:16 What do you think it means when the scripture says, “All Scripture is God-breathed”?

Genesis chapter 2 speaks of our own creation; that God formed Adam from dust and gave him life by breathing into him. Imagine: The life of all mankind fueled by a single exhale! Hebrews 4:12 When scripture is speaking about “God’s word”, what is it referring to exactly?


What do you think might be some examples of how God’s word is alive and active?

How can we know where the soul ends and where the spirit begins? Would you trust just anyone to perform surgery on your knee or shoulder, to cut through something as tightly woven as joints and marrow? What is this scripture trying to help us understand about God’s word?

Romans 10:17 The word “faith” is hard to define, it is used in all sorts of different ways. People claim to have faith in all sorts of different things including themselves, their favourite sports team and even their pets. If you have been exposed to religion you may have seen that people will put their faith in symbols, or places and may even have faith because of personal experiences. What we find in this scripture however is that faith may have many faces but that where God is concerned, the definition of faith narrows.


What does Romans 10:17 tell us about what God considers to be faith?

Where does faith come from?


1.4 DISCOVERY AT HOME

So you’ve sat through a one hour class and are wondering “where do I go from here?”. Well, this is one of the most exciting parts of Discovery. In your own time this week you get to examine the incredible book called the Bible. Use what was talked about in your Discovery Class as a lens when reading through the suggested material and ask lots of questions and find lots of exciting answers. You were probably introduced to the Discovery Class by a

friend and if you get stuck or just want a hand, they would love to join in on this journey with you as you get to discover the Word of God. The beginning of the Bible is the Old Testament and the New Testament is roughly the last third portion of the Bible and begins with the life of Jesus. Psalms in located in the middle of the Bible. Psalm 1:1-3 This scripture speaks to the potential that God’s word can have in your life. Take some time and meditate on this scripture and this chapter. Consider what it is saying about God, about His word and about what He is saying about you. Journal your thoughts below.


Sample Reflection Guide Psalm 1:1-3

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do prospers.

Reflection Questions:

1. What does it mean to be “blessed”? 2. How can you make sure you are growing in your faith and influenced by the right

thoughts and people? 3. How can you tell if someone delights in the Word of God? 4. What challenges can prevent you from delighting in the Word of God (reading and

applying the Bible to your life)? 5. A tree planted by streams of water is healthy and flourishes. What benefits will be

produced in your life if you meditate on the Bible regularly?


10 PROPHESIES (1.2 Answered Prophesies)

1.5 RESOURCES

1. Psalm 19:7-11

2. John 8:31-32

3. 1 Timothy 4:11-16

4. James 1:22-25

5. 2 Timothy 2:14-16

6. Matthew 4:4

7. Jeremiah 15:16

8. Acts 17:10 - 13


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DISCOVERING THE BIBLE LEARNING GUIDE€¦ · (Referenced Halley’s Bible Handbook by Henry H....

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