A comprehensive Bible study plan and spiritual practices to deepen your relationship with God Hundreds of thousands of people each week have transformative encounters with God through Adult Bible Studies—Bible-based, Christ-focused Sunday school lessons and midweek Bible studies endorsed by the Curriculum Resources Committee of The United Methodist Church. The Kit includes a Teacher Book and a Concise Commentary that are both supplementary and complementary to the Adult Bible Studies student book The Teacher Book provides small-group leaders, teachers, and facilitators with additional biblical background and exposition, and suggestions for guiding group discussion. Printed with a larger font for ease of reading. Included to help leaders prepare and lead each week: As a comprehensive Bible study plan with more flexibility in terms of Scripture selection and topics. Additional information, as well as suggestions, is designed to help leaders and facilitators lead with confidence. Observation of the church seasons, including Advent and Lent. Suggestions for developing spiritual practices (prayer, confession, worship, mindfulness, solitude, community, hospitality, neighboring, service, and celebration). One font size in the student edition to accommodate all readers. No printed Scripture text allows you to choose your own Bible translation. The Concise Commentary provides biblical commentary for the focal Bible passages used in Adult Bible Studies. Based on the Abingdon Basic Bible Commentary. Printed with a larger font for ease of reading. Included each week are: The focal Bible passages for each Sunday. The unit introductions. Commentary on the focal Bible passages. A pronunciation guide for Bible names and places. Additional information about Adult Bible Studies, Spring 2023 Theme: The Life of Faith This spring, our lessons center around the theme “The Life of Faith.” The language of journey and pilgrimage is commonly used to describe the Christian life. This spring our lessons encourage us to walk alongside Jesus and his disciples on Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem and explore the nature of faith that calls us to follow Jesus despite our uncertainty and doubts. The last unit this quarter looks at the concept of sabbath, the foreshadowing of the rest that God promises at the end of our journey. The teacher book writer is Von Unruh. Unit 1 Journey to the Cross This Lenten season, we follow Jesus’ journey to the cross in Matthew’s account. Matthew’s Gospel stresses in many places that through his crucifixion, Jesus makes clear his perfect obedience to God’s will and the true nature of kingship under God’s reign. Scriptures: Matthew 16:21-28 | Matthew 20:20-28 | Matthew 21:23-27 | Matthew 22:15-22 | Matthew 22:41-46 Spiritual Practice: Simplicity | Accountability Unit 2 From Doubt to Trust We often treat doubt and wisdom as belonging in opposite categories; but often, questioning our wisdom, knowledge, and certitude is a sign of wisdom. As humans, we should struggle to understand. The path forward from doubt is one of trust in God. We are invited to imitate Jesus and let go of our doubt and our competition with God and to trust in God’s love and intentions. Scriptures: Matthew 26:36-46 | Matthew 28:1-15 | John 20:11-29 | 1 Corinthians 15:12-28 | 1 Peter 1:3-16 Spiritual Practice: Meditation Unit 3 Intentional Sabbath In the secular West, the concept of holy days and sabbath have been replaced by days off work or school and vacations. We rest so that we can work harder and earn more money so that we can take vacations away from our community. In the Bible, rest from work had a different purpose. One worked to prepare for the sabbath. On the sabbath, one participated together with the entire community, the livestock, and the land in a shared rest that signified the well-being and abundance that God intended for creation. No one was required to work to make another’s leisure possible. Sabbath rest is a foretaste of the rest that awaits us, and that God will provide in the fullness of time. Scriptures: Exodus 20:8-11 | Psalm 23 | Matthew 12:1-14 | Luke 4:16-21 Spiritual Practice: Self-Care Other Adult Bible Study components, sold separately, include: Student Book Each week’s Student Book lesson lists background Scripture, features key verses, provides reliable and relevant biblical explanation and application, and more in a readable font size that is accessible to everyone. Included to help students go deeper into the lessons are : A comprehensive Bible study plan with more flexibility in terms of Scripture selection and topics Observation of the church seasons, including Advent and Lent Suggestions for developing spiritual practices (prayer, confession, worship, mindfulness, solitude, community, hospitality, neighboring, service, and celebration) No printed Scripture text allows you to choose your own Bible translation DVD/Video Does your group enjoy watching videos as a way to generate conversation around Bible studies? Would your teacher or group facilitator appreciate having the support of video hosts in setting the stage for Bible lessons? Then the Adult Bible Studies is just what you need. Each video, directly corresponding to the content in Adult Bible Studies, features 13 5-minute video segments. On each, one of our three hosts will provide some context for the lesson and then tie that content to personal stories and daily living. Your group can then connect more deeply with the material, draw closer to God, and discover ways to live out biblical teachings. Visit AdultBibleStudies.com and sign up for the weekly newsletter to automatically receive the FREE Current Events Supplement and other information about these resources and more!