“Now the Philistines gathered together their armies for battle…”
The writer of I Samuel carefully chose what to include and not include in his chronicle. He would have done this because of the limited amount of space he would have (limited by what would fit on one scroll). Even more importantly, he would have chosen based on the purposes and point he wants to make in his recorded history. Critics may claim that this would be “creating” or “editing” history. Not so. Every historian today does the same thing, choosing what is included in his account which best illustrates his emphasis.
Effective Bible study requires spending enough time and doing enough work and study to accurately represent what a certain passage, theme or topic of Scripture is about, how it was understood by its original audience, and then what the Holy Spirit intended in it for our edification today.
We are going to do a study of the story of David and Goliath to illustrate how I typically go about doing this. The original story is found in I Samuel 17. It has become a favorite for teaching children, and used to illustrate how we can be victorious against overwhelming odds if God is on our side. The expression “David and Goliath” has become a part of our English language. According to the online Oxford Dictionaries, it is “used to describe a situation in which a small or weak person or organization tries to defeat another much larger or stronger opponent.” But, to paraphrase an expression of former radio commentator Paul Harvey, let’s find out “the rest of the story!”Continue Reading
“I, Paul – An Apostle’s Story” is now available in our Store. This a 10 lesson series taught by Richard Cravy at the Sunset Church of Christ in 2017. Also included is a two-part dramatic monologue in Paul’s own words by Brian Garnett. It can be ordered as MP3 files on CD or as a download. The 61-page Study Guide is also available. This is an excellent choice for a sermon series, Bible class or personal study. Click hereto listen to the first lesson, entitled, “Growing Up Jewish.” Click here for a PDF copy of the first lesson from the Study Guide, entitled, “Growing Up Jewish.”
We have more events and miracles of Jesus recorded in Capernaum than any other place… even Jerusalem
We have already looked at two of those miracles: “Jairus” and “The Woman with Bleeding.” This lesson will look at a third miracle: “The Paralyzed Man.”
Sadly, these miracles and others by Jesus did not lead to faith for many in Capernaum, and the city was eventually condemned by Jesus – Matthew 11:23
By about AD 1000, Capernaum was abandoned and disappeared
Not until AD 1838 was its ruins re-discovered
While still being studied by archeologists today, the discovery and preservation of “Peter’s house” possibly ties into our story today.
Pete Souza was the Chief Official White House Photographer for President Ronald Reagan (from 1983-1989) and President Barak Obama (2009-2017). Many of us would recognize numerous photos of his which have appeared in the news media.
Souza estimated he and his staff took about 2,000,000 photos during President Obama’s two terms! This included those in the Oval Office, and during official functions, international trips, disasters, plus private family moments.
In the Gospels we have many such “snapshots” of Jesus, most of them when He was with people. These images are word pictures rather than photographic, but they are graphic and well focused all the same.
In these various photogenic moments with the Lord, teachers and preachers have usually focused on Him. But in this series we are trying to do what Jesus did – look at the people in the picture!
When we are reading the Gospels we notice many people with whom Jesus had contact only briefly. Most of those we never hear about after that initial contact.
For some of these people, the records we have are so brief we can know almost nothing about them. But for others, enough is recorded for us to learn from them.
This series I am calling, “Snapshots with Jesus.” It is almost as if a camera captured a picture of Jesus with each of these people. True, the image is verbal instead photographic; but the picture has been preserved for the ages through the Gospel narratives.
We begin by looking through our “photo album” of snapshots in Capernaum. Continue Reading
We are discussing how to do a series of sermons or lessons on lesser-known Biblical characters. This allows our audience or class to learn about people and stories they have probably never known about before. At the same time, making good application should provides a fresh and memorable way to grasp the Biblical lessons from the text.
Here are a few of the book resources I have found especially helpful as I have prepared these biographical lesson series over the years. Note that EBS may earn a small commission off any merchandise purchased through links on this page. Continue Reading
“Publish or Perish” is an expression often heard in the academic community to describe the pressure many scholars and researchers feel. They are expected to submit articles, research results, and more to appropriate academic publications as part of advancing in their careers, achieving tenure, or perhaps justifying receiving grants and funding. (see article on Wikipedia.)
However, I want to use this saying in a different way unrelated to the above. I realized early in my preaching and teaching ministry that the moment I stepped away from the pulpit or classroom podium, almost everything I had said was lost forever! I had entrusted my spoken message to the fallible memories of my audience, and the vast majority of what was said would no longer be remembered even one week later! Those who said, “Great lesson, preacher” on Sunday morning could seldom remember the main points by Sunday night. Continue Reading
In the Winter 2008 term at Sunset International Bible Institute, I taught the “Effective Bible Study” course to 49 students. MP3 files of all 13 class sessions are now available to listen to or download without charge by clicking on the link below. All handouts and presentation materials used in the class are also available for download or viewing. If you would like to have a copy of all the MP3 files, handouts, and presentation materials shipped to you on CD for use on your computer, you may order this series through our store.
ClickHEREto go to 2008 Effective Bible Study Course page.
Perhaps my favorite illustration of the work involved in effective Bible study is a story dating from the 1850s. It is called, “The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz.” Dr. Louis Agassiz (see Wikipedia article) was one of the most respected scientists of the 19th Century, and a professor of zoology and geology at Harvard with sometimes controversial theories. The story is of a student of Agassiz’s who learns the critical importance of diligent close examination of the subject he was supposed to master. It provides a great but humorous demonstration of our need to devote the time and attention to gain all we can from the study of passages of Scripture. Click here to read or download the story. You can also access the audio and handouts of our entire “Effective Bible Study” class here.
I occasionally have my hearers and students ask me how I know so much about the historical background of the Scriptures. Perhaps they heard something I taught which connected in a way they had not thought of before, or learned something which had previously eluded them. My response is pretty uniform: I have spent most of my adult life diligently seeking to know more about the Scriptures!
The Book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament provides a first-hand account of the death throes of the nation of Judah as it struggled against the judgment of Jehovah before succumbing to the might of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire in 587-586 BC. It is the second longest book in the Bible, just behind the Psalms in size. We have available two separate series I taught on Jeremiah.
“Jeremiah” is a six message series I preached at the Tanglewood Church of Christ in Odessa, Texas in 2010. You may listen to the entire series by clicking here.
“Jeremiah: The Prophet & His Book” is a classroom course I taught at the Sunset International Bible Institute in 2004. It is about 18 hours of instruction recorded on 7 DVDs. You may purchase it in our Store by clicking here.
“Now the Philistines gathered together their armies for battle…”
Effective Bible study requires spending enough time and doing enough work and study to accurately represent what a certain passage, theme or topic of Scripture is about, how it was understood by its original audience, and then what the Holy Spirit intended in it for our edification today.
“I, Paul – An Apostle’s Story” is now available in our 
TEXT: Mark 2:1-12
INTRODUCTION:
INTRODUCTION:
We are discussing how to do a series of sermons or lessons on lesser-known Biblical characters. This allows our audience or class to learn about people and stories they have probably never known about before. At the same time, making good application should provides a fresh and memorable way to grasp the Biblical lessons from the text.
“Publish or Perish” is an expression often heard in the academic community to describe the pressure many scholars and researchers feel. They are expected to submit articles, research results, and more to appropriate academic publications as part of advancing in their careers, achieving tenure, or perhaps justifying receiving grants and funding. (see 
In the Winter 2008 term at Sunset International Bible Institute, I taught the “Effective Bible Study” course to 49 students. MP3 files of all 13 class sessions are now available to listen to or download without charge by clicking on the link below. All handouts and presentation materials used in the class are also available for download or viewing. If you would like to have a copy of all the MP3 files, handouts, and presentation materials shipped to you on CD for use on your computer, you may order this series through our store.
Perhaps my favorite illustration of the work involved in effective Bible study is a story dating from the 1850s. It is called, “The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz.” Dr. Louis Agassiz (see 
The Book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament provides a first-hand account of the death throes of the nation of Judah as it struggled against the judgment of Jehovah before succumbing to the might of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire in 587-586 BC. It is the second longest book in the Bible, just behind the Psalms in size. We have available two separate series I taught on Jeremiah.