Sermon on the Moun

Several years ago, I taught 30 lessons on the Gospel of Matthew. It was then I learned that Matthew is the only gospel that speaks of the “kingdom of heaven” instead of the kingdom of God. Primarily his readers were Jewish people who avoided pronouncing or writing the name of God out of respect and fear. The Sermon on the Mount covers Matthew chapter five through seven.  This teaching takes place early in Jesus ministry after he had been tempted by the devil in the wilderness. I really like the visual on Page 2. A bulleted list showing the many different areas Jesus taught during this preaching on a mount in Galilee. One of my favorites is what we call the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-12. “The beatitudes are not commands the believer must fulfill to enter the kingdom of heaven; rather they are rewards” we shall receive at of the coming of God’s kingdom. A chart on page 5 gives the text of the beatitude, explains the meaning of the phrase, and identifies the reward in the coming kingdom. Verses 13 through 16 in chapter 5 explain the essential elements of salt and light. As followers of Jesus, we must make a difference in the world pointing unbelievers to the true source of the light and life. Page 10 has a good chart on the model prayer Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew six. The prayer is broken into phrases helping us see the focus of every phrase in the prayer and listing God’s attributes. This is a compact teaching tool in fourteen pages. Solid ideas are found in this resource that would be useful for teachers and pastors alike. Henderson Rose provided this pdf for a fair and honest review.Several years ago, I taught 30 lessons on the Gospel of Matthew. It was then I learned that Matthew is the only gospel that speaks of the “kingdom of heaven” instead of the kingdom of God. Primarily his readers were Jewish people who avoided pronouncing or writing the name of God out of respect and fear. The Sermon on the Mount covers Matthew chapter five through seven.  This teaching takes place early in Jesus ministry after he had been tempted by the devil in the wilderness. I really like the visual on Page 2. A bulleted list showing the many different areas Jesus taught during this preaching on a mount in Galilee. One of my favorites is what we call the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-12. “The beatitudes are not commands the believer must fulfill to enter the kingdom of heaven; rather they are rewards” we shall receive at of the coming of God’s kingdom. A chart on page 5 gives text of the beatitude, explains the meaning of the phrase, and identifies the reward in the coming kingdom. Verses 13 through 16 in chapter 5 explain the essential elements of salt and light. As followers of Jesus, we must make a difference in the world pointing unbelievers to the true source of the light and life. Page 10 has a good chart on the model prayer Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew six. The prayer is broken into phrases helping us see the focus of every phrase in the prayer and listing God’s attributes. This is a compact teaching tool in fourteen pages. Solid ideas are found in this resource that would be useful for teachers and pastors alike. Henderson Rose provided this pdf for a fair and honest review.

Bible Study on the Book of James

This small book of James is a hard-hitting, “tell it like it is” letter written by the half-brother of Jesus, James the head of the Church Council in Jerusalem.  One of the first letters written in the New Testament, in AD 49, letter written mainly to the Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire. An epistle is about practical Christian living, the style is pointed, insightful, and remarkably similar to the wisdom of the Old Testament. Some of my favorite phrases are from the Book of James: “Count it all joy”, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,” “be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.”  When I became a teaching director of the women’s bible study class, James was the next book to be taught. Every penetrating truth I shared was reflected back at me. The lesson of the tongue was so true and authentic, I felt like I needed to teach to a full-length bridal mirror to highlight my transparency. James is a book about the realities of life. Following the format of the other bible studies in this series, this book has six sessions focusing on the six tests, that, according to James, reveal how healthy and mature our faith is. These are the tests: Trials, Favoritism, Good works, Speech, Relationships, and Prayer.  A leadership guide is included to help teachers present this wealth of information for today’s Christians living the world. Thank you 

The Tabernacle

The Tabernacle is one of my favorite topics to study. The Tabernacle was an actual part of Israel’s history. The precise directions and measurements were given to Moses by God Himself.  Each piece of the Tabernacle can be compared with the coming of the Messiah. The format of this book will be easy to teach because it divides the study into 6 Parts. Each part follows the same format beginning with reading the Word of God: Read It, Know It, Explore it, and finally Live It. Life Application Questions to help us draw meaning from the traditions of the Old Testament and using it in our daily lives. The various treasures in the Holy of Holies are divided into groups and discussed in detail. Part 1 God with Us, concentrates on the Temple in the wilderness. It was a place where God would actually come down and enter the Tent of Meeting. Several artist rendering and even a scale model of the Tabernacle help us understand the dimensions. The timelines and cutaway diagrams were very detailed. Part 2 Sacrifices and Holiness, explore the altar where the animals were sacrificed and the laver. The Laver was a magnificent piece where the priests must purify themselves before they performed their duties. The surface of the laver was said to be highly polished so the priests could see their own reflection as they washed in the water. One of my favorite illustrations is the colorful shaded chart showing the various four different kinds of offering in the Old Testament. It supplies appropriate scripture and detailed descriptions. Part 3 The Lampstand, shares how light is viewed in the Bible. The subtitle is light in a dark place. Our world is definitely in darkness but Jesus is the light of the world. Part 4 God’s Invitation, details the Table of Bread and Altar of Incense. Part 5 Drawing Near to God, teaching the importance of the Veil that was ripped from top to bottom when Christ died on the Cross. The Ark of the Covenant is a holy and sacred and was a crucial part of the Tabernacle. Part 6 Finding  Mercy, the demonstrates a paramount issue of our faith. The garments of the High Priest is depicted and explained. A glorious picture of the Mercy Seat also called the Atonement Seat. In order to understand the pageantry and details of the Tabernacle, we must realize the sacrificial offering that Jesus made on the Cross. The mention of Jewish holidays, comparing of Old Testament and New Testament, a chart showing the contents of the Ark listing the items, their symbolism and describing how Jesus fulfills every need, makes this resource very complete and useful as a teaching tool. Hendrickson Rose, provided me this wonderful resource in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Life of Paul

The Book of Acts chronicles the life of Paul: from his conversion on the Damascus Road, his unique calling to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles, and details of his arrests, trials, and prison. For the past eight months, our women’s class has been studying the Acts verse-by-verse. As we moved through the Acts of the Apostles, Peter and Paul were key players. This book on the Life of Paul would have been a great help to me as I prepared my lessons. The 120 page Bible study of Paul’s life is divided into six sessions. Each session has maps, a timeline of Paul’s missionary travels, life application questions, and plenty of space for answering study questions. Beautiful photographs of the area give credence to the study. The charts are neatly organized and easy to read. Interesting commentary on Paul’s missing years, and “the curious case of John Mark” adds depth to the study. A two column chart parallels between Jesus’ and Paul’s final entries in Jerusalem.

A special section entitled “Leaders Guide” is filled with helpful suggestions and cautions for leading a group. There is a list of do’s and don’ts, as well as group guidelines of behavior. Several schedules are provided with the breakdown in time for 30-minute sessions, 60-minute sessions and 90-minute sessions, also included are very helpful group guidelines. This 6-week inductive study guide is very well-planned and in an easy to use format. Thank you, Hendrickson Rose, for providing me this wonderful resource in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Armor of God

As a Bible Study teacher and an Internet evangelism coach, I was excited to acquire another resource on the Armor of God. Ephesians six has always been my “go to scripture” when explaining to Christians about the enemy. I have a small book entitled “What to Wear to the War,” plus I have posters and pamphlets labeling the many pieces of armor. This resource is special because it is in the form of a bible study course with 6 sessions. The mature ladies in my Sunday school class have just now started to dig into the word of God. It is taking them years to discover the treasures of wisdom and God‘s holy Word. This will be a great tool to teach the sobering reality of spiritual warfare. I really like the clarity and organizations of charts and this 120-page book many charts through the book. The full-color photographs of each piece of armor are detailed and eye-catching. A chart in the second chapter gives scriptural insights to the protection God has provided for us. It lists our responsibility of faithfully dressing for battle every morning. Quotations and insights are gleaned from notable authors and historians. A beautiful prayer on page 36 would be a welcome addition to any morning meditation. Chapter 3 introduces us to our greatest enemy, Satan. The deceiver whose goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. Many women I have encountered believe the lies of Satan.  They cannot be forgiven. That no one loves them. Once a person is so devastated by abuse and abandonment, it is hard for them to believe the everlasting love, the infinite mercy, and the amazing grace offered by our Lord Jesus Christ. This book teaches us how to effectively use the weapons of war: Prayer and the Sword of the Spirit, the infallible Holy Bible. A wonderful treasure trove of scripture and thought-provoking questions are included. A special section entitled “Leaders Guide “is filled with helpful suggestions and cautions for leading a group. Several schedules are provided with the breakdown in time for 30- minute sessions, 60-minute sessions, and 90-minute sessions, also included are very helpful guidelines for group interaction. This 6-week inductive study guide is very well-planned and in an easy to use format. Thank you, Hendrickson Rose, for providing me this wonderful resource in exchange for an unbiased review.