As a church, most of our teaching is expository, meaning we go through a text in the Bible, normally a whole book, and examine it chapter by chapter and verse by verse. The lessons below are different. For these, we start with a topic and look throughout the Bible to see what God has revealed to us through His Scriptures about it. In addition to these topical lessons, we have also tagged the key topics that are discussed in our expository lessons. To find lessons (either topical or expository) that address a specific topic, click here.
Image credit: 1 Chronicles 4:39 © Annie Vallotton
Is "the Lord's prayer" a general outline of what Christians should pray about, or does Jesus want us to say the very words of this prayer? This short lesson provides wonderful insights from Tertullian, an early Christian writer who considered the Lord's prayer to be "the highest and best prayer" for Jesus' followers to pray.
Should fear of God motivate Christians, or should we be motivated purely out of our love for God and His love for us? This lesson examines three men in Scripture who were commended for their fear of God. We dive into the role fear played in their lives, and the relationship of the fear of
God uses animals throughout the Scriptures to teach us important spiritual lessons. Our instructors today include the ant, the honeybee, the rock badger, the locust, the lizard, the ox, the pig, the dog, the sheep and the cow. This lesson, written for the young at heart, provides inspiring examples of animals for us to imitate,
Paul is able to write that he takes "pleasure" in his infirmities, needs, persecutions, and distresses. How can this be? In this third lesson on dealing with bitterness in our hearts, we focus on Paul’s example in the face of extreme suffering, and the unexpected ways God used Paul’s afflictions (and Christ-like spirit) to His
Let No Root of Bitterness Spring Up, Pt. 3 of 3 (Paul and Jesus) View Lesson
Let No Root of Bitterness Spring Up, Pt. 3 of 3 (Paul and Jesus) View Lesson
Since the beginning, Satan has sought to use injustice and man’s sin to turn people against one another and against God. Yet God has a very different plan. In this second of three lessons, we examine the example of David, who faced terrible injustice and persecution, but responded with great faith and righteousness. We also
Let No Root of of Bitterness Spring Up, Pt. 2 of 3 (David) View Lesson
Let No Root of of Bitterness Spring Up, Pt. 2 of 3 (David) View Lesson
Since the beginning, Satan has used bitterness as a weapon to turn men and women against God. Most of us have been, or will be, tempted to become bitter about different things in our lives, including sickness, injustice, and being wronged by others. In this three-part series, we examine the lives of men and women
Let No Root of Bitterness Spring Up, Pt. 1 of 3 (Naomi and Job) View Lesson
Let No Root of Bitterness Spring Up, Pt. 1 of 3 (Naomi and Job) View Lesson
The entire Christian faith hangs on the resurrection of Jesus on the third day. Paul told the Corinthian Christians that if it did not happen "your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins." But how can we know for sure? Jesus and the apostles pointed to the evidence of Old Testament prophecies
Jonah and Other Prophecies About the Resurrection of Jesus View Lesson
Jonah and Other Prophecies About the Resurrection of Jesus View Lesson
When Solomon was a young man, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and asked, "What do you want?" Solomon requested wisdom in order to govern God’s people properly, and as a result, God blessed him with legendary wisdom. Solomon later teaches about the importance of wisdom: to keep us from laziness, sexual immorality
**Due to the disturbing nature of the subject, this lesson may not be suitable for children** The Old Testament contains some things that are difficult for us to reconcile: oppression of women, brutal violence, indifference toward the helpless, and even genocidal wars. Perhaps the most disturbing story of them all (containing all of these elements) is the
The Most Disturbing Story in the Bible (Judges 19-21) View Lesson
The Most Disturbing Story in the Bible (Judges 19-21) View Lesson