The Greatest Stories Ever Told

Scott Risley

Teaching biblical narratives is rewarding yet often underutilized. Not only is there a vast array of stories to choose from in the Bible, but they are also enjoyable and memorable, allowing truth to seek in deeply when taught well. This workshop presents several key tips for interpreting narratives. These include setting the scene, identifying the plot, describing characters, utilizing dialogue and repetition, offering summaries or conclusions, emphasizing irony, and understanding background knowledge. Through practicing these suggestions and avoiding common pitfalls, we can learn to effectively teach biblical narratives.

Christ, The Living Word

Ryan Lowery

We can relate to God through His Word, a unique revelation. The living Word creates, heals, liberates, illuminates, and nourishes the believer. We should learn to meditate on it. \r\n

An Invitation to Covet

Dave Schutter

Psalms 19:1-14

Typically when we hear the word covet, we think of the envy of others and their possessions that God calls us to avoid. But Psalm 19 introduces a new way to think about coveting; it presents an invitation to covet God's Word, to cultivate a deep desire for it. From this psalm, we see that creation declares God's glory, crediting the glory to God and not itself. We also see that God speaks to us personally in His Word. His written word is truth and truth is simultaneously good because it has been spoken by God. God not only knows us personally, but He knows us in a redemptive sense, another truth presented in this psalm.

The Word and Leading Home Group Evangelism

Doug Patch

1 Corinthians 3:5-9

God calls every one of his followers to evangelize, including people who may not be gifted in this area. Therefore, we must strive to lead this practice in our home groups, making sure that we are utilizing God's Word to do so. From there we can begin approaching our group by first making a clear biblical case for evangelism. We should communicate how the group is doing, demonstrate how God's grace empowers believers to do this, develop an action plan for both the inner attitudes and outwards actions, and present vision for where God will lead the group.

The Value of "Small" Studies

Cathy Treyens

John 17:1

In an age where we are constantly distracted, it is very difficult to give our undivided attention to anything, let alone God's Word. Here's an alternative Bible study method that prioritizes quality over quantity. Through doing "small" studies of a single clause or idea, we can meditate on that and pull a lot of truth and application from it with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is especially helpful when studying the psalms, Jesus's teachings in the gospels, and the epistles. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Salvation and Transformation - The Scriptures in the Lives of Leaders and Their People

Lee Davis

Romans 12:1-2

The scriptures lead us to Christ. It is in the scriptures that Jesus Christ is revealed. If people want to be effective leaders for Christ, they must be devoted to God's Word. God's Word can offer grace and correction daily. Time spent in His Word can lead to character transformation. We see this transformation from the Word in the life of Timothy.

God's Living Word - Is the New Testament True?

Fouad Masri

Romans 12:1-2

Fouad Masri, from the Crescent Project's women's ministry "Without Borders", delivers a talk about the credibility of the New Testament. The evidence for the reliability of the New Testament texts is a powerful tool in witnessing to people of other faiths. Fouad offers advice on how to engage in conversations about this topic with others, specifically those with a background in Islam..

The Power of Scripture in Sharing the Gospel

Lindsey Tobin

Acts 14:14-17

The Bible is truth and it was written to persuade people of it's truth. It is a powerful tool to use scripture while sharing the gospel with people. God promises that His word wont return empty and is powerful enough to convict the hearts of people. Jesus and His apostles used scripture for several different purposes while sharing the gospel. They used scripture with people to show fulfilled prophecy, challenge thinking and to clarify the gospel.

Making the Bible Clear to Youth

Brad DuFault

Brian Runk

Ephesians 2:8-16

The Bible teaches that all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for a variety of things. Thus, it is imperative that we work to teach the Bible in a clear way to young people, without skipping over difficult subjects. We want to aim high with students and stretch their minds but also communicate in a relatable and engaging manner. During this workshop, we see an example of a Bible teaching for students and examine strategies that are helpful for making passages clear and impactful.