Enrich Your Bible Study

What is the greatest gift that I could offer to the First Christian Church of Chicago family?

Some of you might quickly respond the nourishing teaching and preaching that I strive to provide for the congregation of a weekly basis. Others might say willingness to pray with and for you when you are in need of prayer. Still others might say willingness to listen, walk along with you through a challenging set of circumstances, and let you know that you are not alone

Here is what I think is the greatest gift that I could give to you? The greatest gift that I could give to you is to equip you to prepare some of your own spiritual meals. It's it a good thing that I can provide hearty spiritual fare in Sunday preaching and weekly teaching. But how many of you eat real food only once of twice a week. Just a glance around our Worship Center on Sunday morning would assure us that none of us are going with out eating too much. Some of may even be guilty of eating too much. So, I want to use the space today to encourage you in your ability to study the Bible on your own, so that you can better feed yourself.

One of the most helpful things that would help you with your personal Bible study would be helping you to discover the Biblical background and cultural context of Bible passages. Developing this ability will go a long way in helping the average person increase their understanding of the Bible tremendously. Let me tell you that the key to developing the capacity to discover the important Bible ground information you need is the ability to access the right resources that provide this information. Believe me, finding resources that provide this information can be very expensive.

That is where I can give you some help. The help I can offer is even FREE.

Here is my recommendation - the Faithlife Study Bible. Don't look for it in book stores. It is out of print, and copies on Amazon sell for up to $300. However, you can get it free as an app on the Google Play store, or the Apple App Store. The app includes several Bible translation, plus all of the notes from the Faithlife Study Bible. If you register the app, you will also qualify to receive a free devotional book each month from Faithlife through the app.

Or you can download the Logos Bible Study App free version, and have access to the Faithlife Study Bible as well as a number of other free resources. You will also be offered a monthly free Bible Study book.

You may have wondered how I discover the link between Old Testament and New Testament passages, the Faithlife Study Bible is very helpful with that. You may also wonder how I come to know some of the cultural and historical background information I share in teaching and preaching. You will find much of that in the Faithlife Study Bible.

Let encourage you to download this app, and use it regularly to enrich your personal Bible study diet.