Discipleship

Ephesians Memorization

For the next several weeks we are going to be looking at the book of Ephesians in our sermon series. Posted here is a list of verses that we invite you to join with others in memorizing over the coming year. Print the sheet, cut out verses and carry them with you, looking at them throughout the day.

As we focus our attention on Paul's letter to the Ephesians we can commit these and other portions of scripture to memory. These are passages which can encourage us, remind us of God's grace, and remind us of our life together as a church, the bride of Christ.

Make an effort with your family, your small group, or personally to commit several (if not all!) these verses to memory over the coming months and find great joy in having God's word on your lips all day!

Resources for Gospel-Centered Living

I've recently come back into contact with the Sovereign Grace Ministries Blog. Sovereign Grace Ministries is a national group of churches. A familiar name in Sovereign Grace is CJ Mahaney, pastor and teacher, and author of some of our recommended resources here on the Discipleship Blog and in our library at the church (lower level in the Adult Education rooms).

Several of the posts in the blog have encouragement and teaching on gospel-centered living: living our lives with the gospel at the center of our attention, motivation, responses, actions and reactions. The gospel of Jesus--at the center of our lives in all circumstances and places--will affect our work, our home, how we spend our money, the things that we have, how we discipline, our vacations, and each of our relationships.

CJ Mahaney and his pastoral staff have worked together to compile documents, mp3s and articles which encourage and teach how to shift our thinking to make the gospel the center of our attention and to see the world with a gospel-centered lens. Take a look at some of the recent posts, in the main body of the page, as well as in the right-hand column. If you find something helpful or insightful, please call attention to it by commenting on this post.

Sovereign Grace Ministries Blog

NIV Study Bible

The NIV Study Bible has been around for several years offering students of the Word of God greater clarity in the use of words, ideas, themes and contextual information.

Over 20,000 notes are the handiwork of the same translation team that produced the NIV translation. The same exacting, conservative scholarship that brought you today's most read, most trusted Bible translation went into creating the most celebrated, widely used Bible study notes in existence.

NIV Study Bible Link

ESV Literary Study Bible

The ESV Literary Study Bible combines thousands of insightful notes with the complete ESV text, the new Literary Study Bible will help you understand God’s Word more fully, in all its richness and beauty. You’ll explore in detail the Bible’s story lines, complex characters, historical settings, literary genres, motifs, theological themes, imagery, and important terms, making the Bible come alive with greater clarity and impact.

ESV Study Bible Link

ESV Study Bible

This fall, Crossway books will be releasing the ESV Study Bible. In order to help people better understand God's Word and the context in which it was written including its people and places, Crossway has worked with several scholars to capture text, notes, maps and more to help readers engage with the text.

With completely new notes, maps, illustrations, charts, timelines, and articles, the ESV Study Bible was created by an outstanding team of 95 evangelical Christian scholars and teachers.

ESV Study Bible Link

NIV Life Application Bible

Another resource you may want to consider this summer in your study of God's Word is the Life Application Bible.

In the newly updated version, the NIV Life Application Bible has over 300 new Life Application notes, nearly 350 note revisions, 16 new personality profiles, updated charts, and a Christian Worker's Resource have been added. The Life Application Study Bible not only explains difficult passages and provides valuable background on Bible life and times but also shows how God's Word speaks to every circumstance and situation of life.

NIV Life Application Bible Link