This holiday season step into the Nativity scene through a hole in time and become an active participant in the true Christmas Story! Join this interactive Bible Study and move close to the events and people surrounding the Advent of Christ. You will have the opportunity to be one of the marginalized shepherds, the concerned citizens of Jerusalem and the mysterious but powerful Magi. This is not a quiet peek into the manger. The Christmas Story—Step into Scripture, A Bible Study for Advent is an exciting experience watching prophecy unfold in front of you and miracles appear all around you. It is a unique method for understanding and applying scripture. Scripture is the script! The Bible Study is the director but you determine your actions, thoughts, and feelings as: • A shepherd personally invited by the God of the universe to see his newborn son. • A Jerusalem citizen, aware that paranoid King Herod could go on one of his killing sprees. • One of the Internationally, renown Magi. You’re not a king but you are well known as a King Maker! • You—stepping through another hole in time, forward thirty years, listening to The Good shepherd, and watching Jesus in his ministry; HE is the King of Kings! Welcome to The Christmas Story—Step into Scripture, A Bible Study for Advent!
The Christmas Story: Scripture from the Gospels and the Prophets Here is the story of Jesus' birth and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in a beautiful ebook that can be used as a handout at Christmas and as a Bible study to use during Advent. Using traditional wording from Matthew and Luke's Gospels, and beautiful full-color art, this ebook starts with the angelic announcement of John the Baptist's birth and the angel Gabriel's visit to Mary. It continues with Mary and Joseph traveling to Nazareth, the birth of Jesus, and the visitation of the shepherds and the Wise Men. It ends with the Gospel story and a forward look toward Christ's second coming. This beautiful ebook will be treasured. Contains suggestions for Advent celebrations and traditional suggested readings; also includes suggestions for using the ebook as a Christmas program script. Ideas for Use Questions for Discussion or Journaling: •Read "The Advent of Hope" (panels 1-4). In the New Testament, John the Baptist fulfills the role of Elijah (also known as Elias in some Bible versions). What did the ancient biblical prophecies say he would do and why? •How did Jesus fulfill Psalm 89:3-4? What is the connection between Jesus and King David? •How did Mary respond to the angel's message? How did Joseph respond? How does the Lord deal with our own confusion in life? •Read "The Advent of Peace" (panels 5-6). In those days, the most powerful man in the world was Caesar Augustus. Look at the Old Testament prophecies. How is Jesus similar and different from Caesar? You may want to compare their status in society, their wealth and power, and their effect on future societies. Both would bring a kind of peace to the world. How would you describe the differences? •Read "The Advent of Joy" (panels 8-9). King Herod of Judea was one of the most ruthless rulers of the time. As a baby, Jesus had powerful enemies and his life was in danger. How did God protect him? Many people expected Jesus to be the Messiah for the Jewish people only, but God's plan was to bless the entire world. How do we see hints in these Scriptures. •Read "The Advent of Love" (panels 10-11). The Christmas story is more than the story of a tiny baby. Jesus was sent to earth to "seek and save" us. How was Jesus similar to us? How is he different? •Read Isaiah 53:5-6. What was the greater purpose for Jesus' life? How did he redeem us? Why is Jesus good news for all people? •At the time of Jesus' birth there was war and destruction. Within a few years of Jesus' death, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. What hope does Jesus bring to a dark world?,br/>•Jesus died, rose again, and ascended into heaven where he intercedes with the Father on our behalf. What is our response to Jesus? What claim does he have on our lives? Have you ever asked him to forgive your sins and be Messiah and king of your life?
John the Baptizer—one of the most fascinating and interesting characters in the New Testament. Jesus called him the greatest man that ever lived! Yet John is often misunderstood, appearing as a wild, ranting fanatic. The movies show him shaking his finger at people and shouting, “Repent, repent!” You, however, know the real John—now that you are one of his disciples! Step into Scripture Bible Study makes it possible for you to insert yourself into the pages of your Bible using this interactive study method. Up close, a whole new John emerges. The John you know is tough as leather, living outdoors and snacking on locust and honey! He is bold, confronting sin even in the highest places. But he is also humble, thoughtful, and proving to be compassionate with some of the most hated people in Israel (Luke 3:12–14). John the Baptizer: Knows who he is and why he is here. Understands his mission. Never craves the attention that his entire nation seems to lavish on him. Steps forward to do a job and back when it is accomplished. Gives God the glory and Jesus the limelight! As John’s Disciple, you are: Seeing him baptize Messiah! Hearing him call down corrupt leaders. Listening as he counsels your enemies. Watching your friend Andrew leave John for Jesus. Burying John—deciding who Jesus Christ is to you. John is a compass—always pointing to the Savior of the world. Walk with John in his ministry. Then step out of Scripture and back to today and decide what you think and feel about John and finally, the Lord Jesus, himself!
Closer to The Real Christmas Story explores an alternate telling of the popular Christmas narrative. Much more than a children¿s Christmas story book, readers of all ages will be challenged to take a closer look at what the biblical text does and does not say, what historically we do and do not know with relative certainty, and culturally what we should and should not expect logically. Read and studied individually, as a family or in a small group, this discipleship tool will promote healthy dialogue, sharpen critical thinking skills and develop principles of Bible interpretation.
After Easter—Step into Scripture Bible Study, captures the thrill of spending time with the risen Savior and tackling the enormous job of evangelizing the world! This interactive study lets you insert yourself into pages of your Bible. You become one of the apostles, taking part in the action. Scripture is the script! Like an epic movie, scenes are vividly presented and historical background introduced. You step into those scenes. How will you feel as events unfold? For instance: Just when you think the risen Christ is gone, he comes back, again and again! Jesus teaches you for forty days until one afternoon he ascends into heaven! Now the religious rulers target you and your friends as they once did Christ. But exciting moments are still ahead of you: Pentecost! Flames, wind, and pilgrims hearing God being praised in their own language! People being healed in Jesus’s name. An angel opening the door in your dark cell, leading you to freedom. Peter, bolder than ever confronting opposition and winning hearts for Christ. Samaritans, turning from a sorcerer and his magic to faith in Jesus and his miracles! After Easter, is a Bible Study that marks powerful beginnings for the new church, for the world and for you. Enjoy this study as you step into Biblical history and then step back to today with a new sense of purpose. Because, after all, the acts of Christ are not finished!
People know the often-told story of Christmas so well that it is hard to hear or feel afresh the joy of the meaning of Christmas. This book features original Biblical texts.
Year after year, countless believers immerse themselves in the story of the first Christmas, rehearsing the well-known tale of the baby King who was born into the humblest of circumstances. But for some, the nativity story has become so familiar, it has been robbed of its power. For others, the biblical narrative is more like a puzzle: the pieces are all there, but it’s not clear how they all fit together. Luke talks about shepherds and a census, while Matthew deals with wise men and an escape to Egypt. There’s a star and a manger and more angels than you can count—it can be hard to keep it all straight! Rediscovering Christmas is a modern paraphrase of the Christmas story, drawn directly from the Gospels and created to help readers see the Father’s heart in details that are all-too-often overlooked. The result is a seamless retelling of Jesus’s birth that will fascinate new and mature believers alike. Also included are twelve devotional essays that invite readers to step into the first Christmas story as if they were there, going deeper into cultural contexts that will help them discover the goodness of God in fresh and surprising ways. This beautiful, hardcover volume is perfect for quiet times, group study, or family reading, and is sure to become a favorite holiday tradition.
Learn Something New This Christmas We hate to admit it, but after years, sometimes even decades, of reading the same Luke 2 story of Christmas, we get a little bored—we lose some of the awe we ought to have when discussing the greatest miracle in history. That’s why The Characters of Christmas was written, to help you take a fresh look at the Christmas story by getting to know the minor characters that played a part in Jesus’ birth, such as Zechariah and Elizabeth, the Shepherds, and Herod. As you slow down, engage your imagination, and enter into the stories of these women and men, you’ll see the most important character—Jesus Christ—with new eyes. And with discussion questions and a Christmas song suggestion at the end of each chapter, it’s perfect for engaging your whole family. Break free from the familiar, and discover something you never knew about the story you’ve always heard.
Presents the story of the birth of Christ, from Mary's meeting with the angel Gabriel to the birth of baby Jesus in a stable and the visit of the shepherds and the three wise men. A beautifully illustrated version of the Nativity that incorporates verses from the Gospels of Matthew & Luke from the King James version of the Bible. According to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke from the King James Bible. The story of the birth of Christ, celebrated around the world at Christmas, is one of the most beautiful in the New Testament. From Mary's meeting with the angel Gabriel to the birth of baby Jesus in a stable, to the visit of the shepherds and the three wise men, the story is rich in imagery and symbolism. Here, in a triumph of glorious art, is that wondrous story excerpted from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew from the King James Bible. Gennady Spirin has been described in the Boston Globe as an artist who "truly represents the picture book as an object of art." In The Christmas Story, his paintings are luminous and reverent. Drawing on both his classical training at the Stroganov Academy of Fine Arts in Moscow and his Orthodox Christian faith, Mr. Spirin has created a work of art to be passed from generation to generation.
