------------------------------------------------------------ Jesus and the Kingdom of God Bible Study GROUNDRULES AND GUIDELINES ------------------------------------------------------------ o Weekly studies o Stick to the text o Do not quote authorities o Brevity and Moderation o Inviting Your Friends o Why Are We Conducting this Bible Study? o Bible Translations o Your Choice of Lists WEEKLY STUDIES Typically, questions will be distributed on Friday, and the following week the days will be divided as follows, with 2 to 4 questions discussed each day: MONDAY - LEVEL 1: OBSERVATION QUESTIONS. What does the text say? We begin by surveying the ground so we are acquainted with the content of the passage. TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY - LEVEL 2: INTERPRETATION QUESTIONS. What does the text mean? Here is where we dig into the text to fetter out its meaning. We won't tolerate much "proof-texting" from other parts of the Bible. We'll be staying in the stated text. This way we're all on common ground, from the newest Christian to the most mature. We encourage you to use Bible study tools, but not to quote commentaries or study Bible footnotes in the discussion. Friday and Saturday - Level 3: Application Questions. What does the text mean to me? Until we apply the truths to our life, Bible study is merely an intellectual exercise. Here is the place for honesty and self-examination -- and growth! Saturday and Sunday - Application and E-Mail Prayer about the passage and its relation to our lives. If you haven't experienced the power of e-mail prayer, you have something to look forward to. We plan to send out the all of the following week's questions the Friday previous to the first question beginning on Monday. Though you are encouraged to prepare ahead, please don't discuss questions on the Discussion List until the day for that question, so we can keep some semblance of order. STICK TO THE TEXT With many people involved in this discussion, we are rather strict about confining the discussion to the text itself. This is not a doctrinal study, though it will illumine doctrine. It is a study of what the Scripture itself says, focusing narrowly on our texts. Sticking to the text also means not quoting texts from all over the Bible. Let's stick to the Gospels -- but if you can't restrain yourself, limit yourself to one brief non-Gospels text per e-mail. DO NOT QUOTE AUTHORITIES With 160+ participants, we don't have time for lengthy quotations from commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and the like. They tend to keep us from our purpose of studying what the text itself says, and make us feel that someone else needs to interpret the Bible for us. You'll be amazed at what we'll learn from studying the text itself. If you can't resist quoting an authority, then e-mail me privately (pastor@joyfulheart.com) and I may relent and send it out on your behalf. Then again.... The moderator is the exception to the rule . I will occasionally define words and quote snippets from here and there to give you enough background so you can discuss the topics meaningfully. BREVITY AND MODERATION With 160+ participants you'll have to be brief in your comments. A paragraph or two at most per e-mail will be plenty. I personally receive hundreds of e-mails a day (not counting this Bible study), so if you're long-winded, I'll remind you politely once, maybe even twice. I think it was Shakespeare who said, "Brevity is the soul of wit." Of course, there's the Italian proverb that says, "Half a brain is enough for him who says little." -- Forget I said that! ;-) But please do make your comments brief -- thoughtful, but brief. For those of you for whom English is a struggle, your brief comments will be very welcome! By all means contribute and participate. Read what others have said. If someone has already made the contribution you had in mind, respond to what HE or SHE said, rather than just repeat the idea again. Let's DISCUSS! INVITING YOUR FRIENDS Despite the size of the group, I encourage you to invite your friends. Part of the experimental nature of this group is to see what the practical size limitations are. However, after the first few weeks we may close the group to newcomers, so do your inviting early. WHY ARE WE CONDUCTING THIS BIBLE STUDY? Four reasons: First, a deep conviction that God will use the Internet to communicate the eternal gospel. Along with that conviction comes a sense of personal calling to pioneer inductive Bible study on the Internet, and then point the way to others to spread this kind of Bible teaching around the world. Second, a deep conviction that when people encounter the Scripture up close and personal, they find God speaking to them in profound ways. I know that this Bible study will be a life-changing experience for several of you. Third, a desire to lead people to Christ. While this Bible study isn't intended to be evangelistic, it is intended to be nurturing, and people who come to Christ via the medium of the Internet are likely to be receptive to nurture via the same medium. Finally, the hope that people involved in this study will turn their energies to the work of the Lord in their local churches, where even more effective nurturing is done. BIBLE TRANSLATIONS Please feel free to use any "study Bible". If you are in the habit of using the Living Bible for devotional reading, however, I strongly recommend a more literal translation for serious study. Too often the Living Bible says things that the text just does not say, and we're going to be a bit literal here to make sure we don't miss some of the nuggets God has for us. I'll be using the New International Version, though you are welcome to use whatever other version you are most comfortable with. Some other more modern translations are the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), the New King James, Today's English Version (especially good for those for whom English is a second language), and many others. Of course, many will use the King James Version (translated in 1611), and I will be helping to interpret that great translation to you also. YOUR CHOICE OF LISTS Depending upon your tolerance for e-mail, you can subscribe to either of two options, and may change back and forth. BIBLESTUDY DISCUSSION LIST will echo to you an e-mail of any contribution to the discussion within minutes of sending. This gives you an immediacy and ability to comment during the day, but can fill up your e-mail box with many messages for a very active discussion. To subscribe, send an e-mail message addressed to majordomo@joyfulheart.com with the words SUBSCRIBE BIBLESTUDY in the body of the message. If you desire to unsubscribe, use the words UNSUBSCRIBE BIBLESTUDY in the message portion. BIBLESTUDY DIGEST LIST will send you a compilation of all the messages sent recently. A digest issues after a certain volume of text. This keeps your e-mail box from clutter, but makes it a bit harder to respond to individual messages. To subscribe, send e-mail to majordomo@joyfulheart.com with the words SUBSCRIBE BIBLESTUDY-DIGEST in the message body. To unsubscribe, send the words UNSUBSCRIBE BIBLESTUDY-DIGEST as the message. In either case, when you want to send a contribution to the Discussion list, send it to biblestudy@joyfulheart.com I look forward to this Bible study with you all. In Christ, Pastor Ralph -------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, Director pastor@joyfulheart.com JOYFUL HEART MINISTRIES http://www.joyfulheart.com PO Box 308, Rocklin, Calif. 95677, USA (916) 652-4659 Experimental on-line Bible study project for the Kingdom -------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1996-97, Ralph F. Wilson, all rights reserved. Joyful Heart is a trademark of Joyful Heart Ministries.