Are you excited for 2024?  We are!

Because we're preparing a topic for you that Bible students sometimes overlook:

NT Letters OTHER than Paul's!

Have you ever considered the short New Testament letters that Paul, the Apostle, did NOT write?  Who wrote them? Who are they addressed to and what issues are they confronting?  Do they have anything in common?  What themes emerge that help us understand Jesus Christ’s teachings even more clearly?  And above all, how do we apply their lessons to our lives today?


These and other rich topics will be part of “search(ing) the Scriptures” for 2024.  We're going to shine a light on many of those writings that are often unexplored.  How often have you read the three brief letters of I, II, and III John, wondering who wrote them and if they have anything in common with John’s Gospel?  Or what about II Thessalonians?  If Paul didn’t write it (and he did not), then why is it called that, and is it a continuation of the themes of I Thessalonians?

 

Above all, as we search and explore the Bible together, you will have these three questions that BibleRoads has focused on for years as your guide:  

  • What does the text say?  (Offering Guidance)

  • What does the text mean?  (Providing Direction)

  • What does it mean to me (you)?  (Self Discovery and Answers)

Those three questions are the discipline of Bible study. Because  BibleRoads' mission is to help you better understand the Bible so that you can incorporate those lessons into your daily life, so you can feel God's loving guidance and protection for your daily rounds. 

 

You have monthly webinars to watch along with hundreds of other Bible students around the world.  These are live video meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, at 4 pm Pacific time.  You will have pre-work assignments to help get below the surface of the text, and handouts of the slides provided before the sessions to make it easy for you to take notes. 


You might adopt what a number of Bible study groups that have formed over the years now do: meet the week before the BibleRoads program, having read the suggested pre-study material, and share your thoughts and insights before the live BibleRoads session. 

 

What will be fulfilling about this study, and what should you expect to gain from this series?  

  • New Insights

    New insights on content that is less familiar.

  • Deeper Understanding

    Deeper understanding of timeless spiritual truths.

  • Application 

    Practical application to your life. 

  • Spiritual Strengh 

    Spiritual strength for current times and contemporary challenges.  

  • History & Knowledge

    Deeper understanding of the Bible through understanding background and context.

  • Biblical Connection 

    Closer connection with all Christians since you speak the same 'language' of the Bible. 

  • Appreciation & Sharing

    Appreciation for the Biblical word, related artistic works, and application in today's world.  Ideas and knowledge to share with friends, family, and students.   

We're excited to explore the following in the Bible:

Colossians
(4 chapters)

January 9th

We launch this new webinar series on the New Testament’s non-Pauline letter by examining Colossians.  Who wrote it, and did Paul authorize it in his name?  We’ll examine the issues the young Gentile-populated church faced and how that applies to the Church's contemporary challenges.  Ethical teachings of Colossians are highlighted, as well as the Colossian church’s important role in the evangelizing efforts that grew from the evangelizing of so many.  What can it teach us about our efforts to share the Good News?

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus Virtual Tour

 

February 13th

Egypt is one of the most mentioned places in the Bible beyond Canaan. It figures prominently in Genesis and Exodus, through the patriarchs and Moses, and in the books of Kings and Chronicles.  The latter captures how Israel’s many kings encountered Egypt and that effect on Israel’s development.  We’ll examine how Matthew portrays the holy family’s movement into Egypt, and the number of notable Egyptians referenced throughout the Scriptures.  Because Madelon will be in Egypt in late January, footage from important sites, such as St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai, will be played.

II Thessalonians
(3 chapters)

March 12th

Biblical historians have long thought Paul did not write this letter, but who did, and to what end? What are its key themes, and what does it say about Paul’s evangelizing strategies?  We’ll explore how a second-generation Christian – an individual converted by Paul – probably founded this church in the Lycus Valley of today’s Turkey and continued to pastor it through this letter.  Another Biblical figure, Philemon, is thought to have lived in Colossae and received the only letter to an individual from the Apostle Paul.  

 

 

 

 

 

April 9th

I Timothy (6 Chapters)

Timothy was a co-worker of Paul’s, close enough to exceed a personal relationship and thought of more as a ‘brother’, as Paul refers to him in I Thessalonians.  Timothy accompanied Paul mainly on the apostle’s second Missionary Journey and received not one but two letters from Paul.  This session explores how Paul used emissaries to promote missionary work, establish churches, and nurture new Christians.  We’ll also see how an individual of mixed heritage (Jewish and Gentile), finds his way across these early decades of Christianity. (Image:  a gold crown given to Roman emperors.)

May 14th

II Timothy (4 chapters)

II Timothy continues the story of Paul’s exhortations to his younger friend and co-worker, often using military metaphors as if talking to a soldier enduring hardship.  The letter makes evident Timothy’s faith, inherited from his mother and grandmother, and points to the martyrdom that Timothy will eventually face.  The letter also raises the issue of how individuals deal with the State in terms of obeying the law while it may try to execute you.  

June 14th

It's a Bible study SURPRISE!
 

Titus (3 chapters)

July 9th

Titus examines yet another traveling companion of Paul who is also a Gentile, like Luke.  He is most famous for his time at the Apostolic Assembly when he accompanies Paul and may have been circumcised voluntarily.  Was he there to prove a point to the Jewish elders present who were part of the leadership of the early Christian Church?  We’ll explore the role Titus might have played for Paul with the Corinthian church, which gave the Apostle much to meet.  

It's another Bible study SURPRISE!​​​​​

August 13th

September 10th

James (5 chapters)

This epistle is a powerful reminder of the goodness of God.  James writes about ‘every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,’ emphasizing God’s constant goodness throughout.  This is in contrast to so many of the other New Testament letters that focus on Christ Jesus, who James references only once.   Also, unlike Paul’s letters addressed to individual churches, James writes the entire Church, giving definition to what he explains is true religion.  His focus on widows and orphans makes us think of Luke’s sensitivity to the underprivileged and underserved and is part of James’ focus on the inner moral demands of the law. 

October 8th

I and II Peter (8 chapters)

The question of authorship – whether it is in fact written by the disciple, Peter – has much to do with how these epistles are interpreted.  Were they addressed to an area where Peter evangelized and if not, how much does that attest to his continued authority in the early Church decades after his martyrdom?  There is much “shepherd” language in I Peter that reveals his important role in the church communities of Asia Minor which we will explore, as well as themes of II Peter which many consider to be the last New Testament book to be written. 

November 12th

I, II and III John (7 chapters)

Scholars differ on who wrote these three brief New Testament letters,  but they are often called the Johannine epistles, traditionally associated with the fourth evangelist.  We’ll explore the distinctions between the three, particularly the first one, and see how they address the struggle for early Christians to maintain their identity in a world of pagans. 

December 10th

Jude and Zoom “Cloud of Witnesses” Christmas Gathering – Q&A on Letters

The first half of our December meeting will cover the one-chapter letter of Jude.  It’s brevity though, should not hide its important message warning about false teachers.  Yet its dominant message is a positive one about ‘contending for the faith’, which we’ll explore to see how the idea applies to today.   The last half of the hour will be an opportunity to have a two way conversation on a zoom platform so BibleRoads members can share their insights throughout the year or ask any questions that have not been resolved.  

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