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Bible Study

Days of Celebration
Try this quiz to test your knowledge on the Old Testament Jewish festivals.
by Lynn Austin

The Gospel Bassoon
My favorite Old Testament passage: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
by J.I. Packer

How Excellent Are Thy Names
What God invites us to call him says volumes about his relationship to us.
by Ken Hemphill

Top 10 Downloads of 2007
Some of our most downloaded single studies, courses, and movie guides from 2007.
by Hollie Baker-Lutz

We Revere the Bible More Than We Read It
New research shows a surprising number who follow Christ but don't prioritize time in the Word.
by JoHannah Reardon, ChristianBibleStudies.com Editor

The Problem with Mere Christianity
We jettison 'nonessential' theology at our own peril.
by J. Todd Billings

Sometimes Big Things Start Small
Saddleback's Small Group Ministry wasn't always a bed of roses.
An Interview with Brett Eastman, Founder and CEO, Lifetogether, Inc.

What Do You Know About Scripture?
Take this test to see how much you know.
by Jo H. Lewis and Gordon A. Palmer

Using Film Clips in Preaching
Careful choices yield best results.
by Marc T. Newman, Ph.D.

Joy in Easter Week
Celebrate this phenomenal week with deep appreciation.
by JoHannah Reardon

Put Your Bible Down for a Day
Let your light shine.
by Dennis Stout

7 Ways to Begin a Buzz About Bible Study
Use these ideas to interest others in studying the Bible.
by Church Health Encyclopedia

Top Ten Downloads of 2006
We've compiled a list of your favorites from this year.
by Holly Hess

Opening the Bible for Seekers
Discussion Bible studies are powerful agents of change.
by Marilyn Kunz

Too Racy for Bible Study
Origen could not believe the Song of Songs was a hymn to erotic love. So what did it mean?
by Warren Smith

Pastoring the Powerful
How to lead effectively in the church.
An interview with Lloyd Ogilvie

Overview of the Bible
A summary of what's in the greatest book of all time.
by Jim Townsend

The Evangelistic Bible Study: Making It Work
Consider this effective means of evangelism.
by Marilyn Kunz

Teaching a Church to Pray
How to have a vital prayer ministry.
by Daniel Henderson

Three Ways to Bring About Repentance
Wisdom from Luther, Wesley and Moody.
by Lyle Dorsett

Reaching the Disconnected Male
Looking back, Larry Kay says his life was "full of confusion, full of lust and pain, and almost completely void of God."
by Patrick Morley

Every Part Is an "I"
How will the Body function in an age of rising individualism?
by Lyle Schaller

God's Word for 'Up and Outers'
Dallas businessman Garry Kinder's Bent Tree Bible Study isn't a church, but it's no social club either.
by Ginger Kolbaba

Top 10 Bible Studies of 2004
What people liked most at ChristianBibleStudies.com.
by Cory Whitehead

The Habits of Highly Effective Bible Readers
What we can learn from the church fathers that will enrich our own Bible study.
A conversation with Christopher A. Hall author of "Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers"

Best-Selling Bible Studies of 2004
What caught your interest.
by Cory Whitehead

Hide It in Your Heart
Five ways to keep the Bible in mind
by Debbie Steensland

Top Ten Downloads of 2003
What people liked most at ChristianBibleStudies.com.
by Cory Whitehead

How to Study the Bible
A congregational tool
by Todd Wendorff

No More Cheesy Slide Shows
An interview with Pastor Rene Shlaepfer of Twin Lakes Church in Aptos, California.

Top Ten Reasons to Read Christian History
War's reports deluge us every hour. Why should we read the "old news" of Christian history?
by Chris Armstrong

Top Ten 'Starter Books'
Get rooted in the Christian past with these riveting reads of primary sources.
by Chris Armstrong

Top Ten Entry Points to Christian History
Some enjoyable ways to get the most out of the work of church historians.
by Chris Armstrong

Back to the Book
Seven ways to ignite a passion for reading the Bible.
by Kathy Widenhouse

Evangelism

Talking Narnia to Your Neighbors
How C.S. Lewis's fairy tales can impact your friends for Christ.
By Keri Wyatt Kent

Evangelism Takes Time
Evangelism, like sanctification, takes time. Therefore, we must give it time.
By Earl Palmer

The Violence of Evangelism
Why, exactly, does the word evangelism evoke such violent metaphors?
By Andy Crouch

Make Disciples, Not Just Converts
Evangelism without discipleship dispenses cheap grace.
A Christianity Today editorial

The African Planter
Nairobi Chapel pastor on mission trips, and working well across cultures.
An interview with Oscar Muriu

A Community of the Broken
A young organization models what it might mean to be the church in a suffering world.
by Christopher L. Heuertz

An Upside-Down World
Distinguishing between home and mission field no longer makes sense.
by Christopher J. H. Wright

Starbucks Spirituality
A new way of reaching out.
by Brett Lawrence

7 Questions Skeptics Ask
How to answer the tough questions.
by Rusty Wright

Guardians of the Gospel
Are you an evangelist?
by Timothy Robnett

How to Create Cynics
Everybody knows when we're covering up our confusion with God-talk.
by David P. Gushee

Speaking to the Secular Mind
We can't win non-Christians if we don't know how they think, and we can't know how they think if we never enter their world.
by Bill Hybels

What Can Openers and the Church Have in Common
What we can learn from little-known facts of history.
by Dennis Stout

Emerging Confusion
Jesus is the truth whether we experience him or not.
by Charles Colson with Anne Morse

Ministries Among Today's Women
Reaching women means aiming at moving and multiple targets.
by Naomi Gaede-Penner

How to Lead Someone to Christ
The Bible asks us to believe—to appropriate Christ's finished work on the cross by trusting Him alone to save us.
by R. Larry Moyer

Extreme Jesus
What's wrong with The Da Vinci Code Jesus?
by Brad Reardon

5 Big Questions from The Da Vinci Code
A brief guide.
by Christianity Today magazine editor Collin Hansen

God Does Not Count Our Converts
He examines our faithfulness, and rewards our labors. The results are in His hands, not ours.
by R. Larry Moyer

The Lost: They're Watching Us
What we do and say affects non-Christians more than we know.
by John Atkinson

Let Your Light Shine
Christians who do not have changed lives have a credibility gap.
by John MacArthur

20 Questions to Help You Share Your Faith
Transitions you can use to turn a conversation to spiritual things.
by Worldwide Challenge

What Are They Really Asking?
How to answer spiritual questions.
by Judson Poling

Evangelism for the Ordinary Church
Just because your people don't like to evangelize doesn't mean they can't share their faith.
by Steve R. Bierly

Premature Harvest
Personal evangelism means planting, watching carefully, and waiting.
by Rick Weinert

Ask Before You Answer
How to talk to skeptics, unbelievers, and mule-headed friends and family about God.
By Randy Newman

Group Effort
Four approaches to congregational evangelism.
by Eric Reed

The Good News of the Gospel
How would you answer if someone asked you, "What is the Gospel?"
by Anne Graham Lotz

My First Sunday at Your Church
Try looking at church through the eyes of a visitor.
by Jennifer Smith-Morris

Ten Objections to Christianity and How to Respond
Preparing yourself to answer the spiritual seekers in your world.
by Frank Harber

My Post-Evangelism Friendship
So, that person you were witnessing to actually got saved. Now what?
by Janice Thompson

Discipleship

The Gift of Brokenness
The outrageously fruitful ministry of my father.
by Nathan Hatch

John Ortberg on Religion AND Politics
Why the human race needs an administration of another kind.
by John Ortberg

Reading in Good Faith
The Shack is a tale of tragedy redeemed, not a theological treatise.
by Derek R. Keefe

Spending Time
Psalm 90:1–17: The eternal value of numbering our days.
by Bryan Wilkerson

On Finding a Spiritual Director
Eugene Peterson's desire for a guide to the interior regions of faith.
by Eugene H. Peterson

Holy Moments
Recognizing God's fingerprints in your life.
by Lenya Heitzig

Please Don't Interrupt Me
What if life is really in the interruptions?
by Roxanne Wieman

The Irony of Iron Man
What can we learn from an armor-encased superhero who can protect others, but can't save himself? And what does his story say about finding strength in weakness?
by Frank Smith

Expelled Enlivens Blogosphere
Controversy over new documentary is hot blog topic online; film draws praise from creationists.
by Josh Hurst

Authentic Fellowship
How do we learn the deep 'one another' community of Scripture without being in close proximity?
by Howard A. Snyder

Lent for the Non-Liturgical
Gain from the richness of liturgy, even if you're "proudly steeped in free church tradition."
by Elizabeth Diffin

Gutsy Guilt
Don't let shame over sexual sin destroy you.
by John Piper

Spirituality and Sex?
What 4 Christian sex therapists wish you knew.
by Ginger Kolbaba

A Christmas To-Do List
by Mark Mitchell, with JoHannah Reardon

Newlywed Ambush
Uncover two secret saboteurs of your happiness.
by Les and Leslie Parrott

Don't Ask Me What I "Do"
We need to define ourselves in Christ rather than by our jobs.
by Steve Jolley

Learning from Fools
The safe thing to do with power and possessions.
by Andy Crouch

Living Life as a Mentor
It's easier and more natural than you think.
by JoHannah Reardon

Desire Happens
You see, you want. Then what?
by Agnieszka Tennant

We Are What We Behold
How to resist the demons that accompany influence and savvy.
A Christianity Today editorial

Soothing Ourselves to Death
Should we give people what they want or what they need?
by Charles Colson with Anne Morse

Noble Masculinity
Challenging men to follow Christ.
An interview with Robert Lewis

You Cannot Keep People Out of Hell
God does not fault us with anyone's eternal destiny.
by R. Larry Moyer

Anyone for Fasting?
Reconsider this ancient spiritual discipline.
by Clyde B. McDowell

Grace as a License for Sin
Why obedience isn't just for legalists.
Stan Guthrie interviews Robert Jeffress

For God's Sake
What 147 elk taught me about prayer.
by Philip Yancey

What I Learned from the Lazy Barista
If people are not following you, look at how you are leading.
by Trevor Lee

Deepening Our Conversation with God (Part 2)
A classic Leadership interview with Henri Nouwen and Richard Foster.

Deepening Our Conversation with God (Part 1)
A classic Leadership interview with Henri Nouwen and Richard Foster.

The Health Sequence
These five questions can clarify your church's mission.
by Roger Jenks

Downsizing Sin
Dallas Willard says discipleship is not as hard we make it.
by Mark Galli

New Disciples: Born, but Also Made
Be passionate about making disciples.
by Gary Olsby

Bringing Light to the World
If we are following Christ, we will be making disciples.
by John MacArthur

Discipleship by Numbers
A pretty effective formula for small souls (like mine).
by Mark Galli

Cost of Discipline-Ship
Discipleship takes our time and commitment.
by Stephen A. Macchia

Superheroes in Sunday School
What superheroes can teach us about God.
by David A. Zimmerman

Turning the Church Inside Out
Attenders become disciples when they minister to hurting people.
by Charles Roesel

Mentoring that Produces Mentors
From a handful of hungry men, we've developed several "generations" of leaders.
by Rick Lowry

Five Ways God Answers Prayer
Whatever the answer, your best interest is always in mind.
by Luis Palau

Broken People Can Become Whole Disciples
The steps from dysfunction to fully functioning Christian.
by Erwin R. McManus

True (and False) Transformation
Two counterfeit forms of spiritual maturity, and one way to find the real thing.
by John Ortberg

Beyond "Prayer Requests"
What if people's wishes run counter to God's sometimes painful path of transformation?
by Wayne Jacobsen

Making Devoted Disciples
How to be an effective mentor.
by Erik Johnson

Eight Keys to Discipling New Christians
Suggestions to help you mentor.
by Janice Thompson

Spiritual Growth

When the Facts Don't Add Up
A just, loving, and powerful God should follow certain rules, shouldn't he?
by Philip Yancey

The Secret of Walking with God
From the beginning, God has wanted a walking partner.
by Bob Sorge

An Easter Encounter
Embracing Christ's pain helps us appreciate the joy of His resurrection.
by Tiffany Colter

Pro-Life Cinema
2007 featured a surprising number of films affirming the sanctity of life.
by Mark Moring

The Christian and Baby Food
A desire to be "fed spiritually" may be killing us.
by Trevor Lee

The Three Most Important Choices
Your marriage depends on them.
by Gary and Carrie Oliver

How Do I Uncover My Spiritual Gifts?
3 ways to discern how God wired you.
by Nancy Ortberg

Are There Many Paths to God?
There is only one way to heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ.
by Lee Strobel

The Lost Joy of Sports
Sports is much more important than our culture lets on.
a Christianity today editorial

The God Who Can't Be Tamed
Could we be losing more than the land when we destroy it?
by Philip Yancey

Finding Heaven
Where is heaven, and how will we experience it before the final resurrection?
by Arthur O. Roberts

Guilt Good and Bad
The early warning signs.
by Philip Yancey

Too Much Stuff
If clutter's got you down, try these secrets to simplifying.
by Mayo Mathers

The True, the Good, and the Beautiful Christian
Beauty is making a comeback in science and theology. Will it find its place in the lives of believers?
by John G. Stackhouse Jr.

Hope for the Christian
How to build a life of hope.
by Sid Stewart

What's Happened to Me?
Exploring what it means to be part of God's kingdom.
by Don Williams

A Velveteen Apologetic
How two creatures dig a rabbit hole in my disbelief.
by Agnieszka Tennant

Prayer Scandals
Prayer is an encounter with the living God.
by Mark Galli

A Long, Warm Glow
A respected evangelical elder on the life of faith.
by Philip Yancey

Being Considerate
The virtue of kindness.
by James S. Spiegel

The Truth About Deceit
Most lies are pitiful attempts to protect our pride.
by David P. Gushee

The Power of Presence in Prayer
Take time to settle your mind as you meet the Holy One.
by Trevor Lee

Drawing Near to God
Hungering for God's presence in worship.
by David M. Edwards

Cultivating the Soul
Spiritual formation can happen without saying a word.
by Gordon MacDonald

My To-Be List
What I learned from a 50-year spiritual checkup.
by Philip Yancey

"Why, God, Why?"
Facing the painful questions that life keeps asking.
by Anne Graham Lotz

Passion Lives Here
What we can learn from the Olympics.
by JoHannah Reardon

The Secret of Radical Obedience
Radical obedience does not seek to comply to the minimal standards.
by Bob Sorge

Weathering The Storms
The Virtue of Perseverance

Faking Church
Do we really want to serve God—or is it more rewarding to just look the part?
by Dan Schaeffer

Deep Down from Heaven
Why we'll never get to the bottom of God's love.
by Max Lucado

Heart Check
Test your spiritual vital signs.
by Nancy Beach

Spiritual Health Made Visible
The theological underpinnings of joy.
by Earl Palmer

To Abide or To Abound?
The disciple's dilemma: sit at His feet or serve in His name?
By John Ortberg

The Secret of Standing
Cultivating a secret life with God.
by Bob Sorge

Three Questions to Determine, "Is This True?"
Guidance for Christian discernment.
by Tim Riter

What Did Jesus Do?
The seven priorities that guided Jesus' decisions can help us in our daily choices.
by Mike Fleischmann

Building a Balanced Christian Education Program
Five measurements of spiritual growth.
by Rick Warren

Teaching a Church to Pray
Steps to vital, life-giving times of group prayer.
by Daniel Henderson

Lean On Me
by Matt Donnelly

"Great to Good" Churches
For those who find trying to be great isn't good enough.
by Eric Swanson

Small Groups

No More Mr. Nice Group
Five practices that take small groups beyond polite sharing to the disciplines that change lives.
by John Ortberg

Flex Your Spiritual Muscles
Use power like our Master.
by Trevor Lee

8 Habits of Effective Small Group Leaders
by Dave Earley

So, You've Been Asked to Speak. Now What?
Follow these basic guidelines to prepare a talk.
by Beverly J. Van Kampen

How to Start an Accountability Group
Become accountable to grow in your Christian life.
by Christopher Easley

Ministry Blah
What can you do when you're discouraged about your God-inspired service?
by Cory Whitehead

Escaping the Pigeon Hole
Why small group leaders really need to be "pastors"—and vice versa.
by Russ Robinson

Keeping Ourselves on Target
A good reminder for preachers and teachers.
by Bill Hybels

Cyber Follow-up
Our small group follow-up is faster and more frequent.
by T. R. Robertson

Five Small Group Myths
Home Bible studies don't always operate by the textbook.
by David A. Womack

How to Lead a Good Discussion
Follow these basic principles for leading a small group.
by JoHannah Reardon

Confessions of a Small Group Leader
Lessons learned the hard way.
by Joe Higginbotham

Conducting Acts of Hospitality
Follow these simple guidelines for conducting acts of kindness in the community.
by Scott G. Wilkins

No Time. No Resources. No Leaders.
Four tricks to launch something big with small resources.
by Brett Eastman

Launching Community
Three steps to making your small group dream come true for your church.
by Brett Eastman

Choosing Small Group Materials
Finding what to study may be the hardest thing small group leaders do.
by JoHannah Reardon

"Dude, I Can't Shepherd a Small Group"
5 tips on building community in your next group.
by Brett Eastman

The Five "Ms" Every Leader Should Know
What it takes to be a small group leader.
by Brett Eastman

Bad Days Are Sometimes the Best Days
And nine other lessons I've learned from my small group.
by Brett Eastman, Founder and CEO, Lifetogether

Five Essentials for Small Group Health
How to keep your groups growing vibrantly.
by Randall Neighbour

What Do We Want to Study Next? 
Five principles for selecting the right study for your group.
by Michael C. Mack

Questions: Icebreakers and Beyond
Steering your discussion the right way.
by Dan Lentz

Breaking and Entering
True Christian community does whatever it takes to connect a friend with Jesus.
by John Ortberg

Teaching

Nothing New
Popular spiritual author and Oprah favorite Eckhart Tolle quotes Jesus a lot. Is he a Christian?
by James A. Beverly

The Nicene and Apostles' Creeds
A close look at these two creeds helps define what Christians believe.
by JoHannah Reardon

The Joy of Aging
What faith looks like when it's dangerous to sing and walk at the same time.
by Don Bastian

Resource Review: Bluefish TV Short Clips
These little videos can enhance your group experience in a big way.
by Sam O'Neal

Coping with People Who Beef, Bite, and Bellyache
How to handle difficult relationships.
by Dr. Les Parrott

Loving Your Prodigal
What can parents do when a child turns her back on her family and her faith? Author H. Norman Wright offers help.
Interview by Carla Barnhill

A Severe Case of "Affluenza"
Are your kids fighting the gimmes? Here's how to help.
by Lisa Jackson

Understanding Different Learning Styles
Here's how to teach in the ways people learn best.
by Penny Zettler

The Pain of a Prodigal
Yet I learned valuable lessons from my daughter's rebellion.

Fall Planning
ChristianBibleStudies.com has everything you need for small groups and adult Sunday classes.
by JoHannah Reardon

High-tech Teaching Tools
Digital products make Bible research a breeze.
by Mike Phillips

Learning from Great Bible Teachers
Gain wisdom from God's Word through these renowned teachers.
by JoHannah Reardon

Reflections: Teaching and Learning
Quotations to stir heart and mind.
Compiled by Richard Kauffman

What to Do with the Classroom Rebel?
I'm glad God prompted me to see past John's defiant scowl.
by Phyllis Swartz

Training People to Teach
If Harvard cannot assume their professors can communicate, how much less can churches.
by Howard Hendricks

What Makes Christian Education Distinct
Secular education seeks to make more successful and intelligent people. The Christian educator aspires to nothing less than the transformation of a believer into the image of Christ.
by Howard Hendricks

Teaching That Motivates
Successful teaching not only opens the mind but also stirs the emotions, fires the imagination, galvanizes the will.
by Howard Hendricks

How Do You Know You're Effective?
Experience in teaching doesn't tend to sharpen my abilities; rather it dulls them. Evaluated experience improves my skills.
by Howard Hendricks

Baby Lambs and Old Sheep
I have the same goal for both older and newer Christians: to make the language fresh, to make it come alive.
by Earl Palmer

The Unique Task of Teaching Adults
The heartbeat of the church is adults.
by Roberta Hestenes

Home Bible Studies: What to Do with the Kids
Use these creative ideas to solve a perennial problem.

Knowing What to Teach, and How
Knowing what subject to teach and how to teach it can become less of a mystery and more of a ministry.
by Roberta Hestenes

Recruiting and Keeping Teachers
Recruiting is the holy act of helping others discover their gifts and discern God's will.
by Roberta Hestenes

Keeping Up with the Jones's Kids
What youth ministry taught me.
by Ray Johnston

Preparing Yourself to Teach
I avoid Sunday morning meanderings by cultivating textual fluency, people fluency, and schedule fluency.
by Earl Palmer

When Is a Broken Person Ready to Lead?
5 questions to determine whether the hurting are ready for responsibility.
by Daniel Brown with Bob Moeller

Spotting a New Leader
Ten ways to identify a promising person.
by Fred Smith

The Uncertain Leader
You can't always be sure, but you'd better be clear.
by Andy Stanley

What Do I Want Students to Know, Feel, Do?
Teaching that effects change.
by Roberta Hestenes

Asking Questions Like the Master Teacher
8 types of questions Jesus used to produce change.
by Dave Arch

Three Goals to Help You Teach Better
A teacher's mental preparation.
by Roberta Hestenes

Henrietta Mears
She loved outrageous hats and teaching Sunday school.
by Marlene Baer

Great Leaders Are Great Teachers, Part One
Leaders must be effective teachers.
by Dr. John C. Maxwell

Great Leaders Are Great Teachers, Part Two
Eight more tips to teach more effectively.
by Dr. John C. Maxwell