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Top 5 Groups Ministry Blog Posts of All Time

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You rely on the Groups Ministry blog to find the content you need. Tips for group leaders. Resource recommendations to equip your discipleship. New ideas for your ministry. Already having been a content source for five years, the blog is continuing to provide fresh insight each week.

What have been some of the most helpful articles over the years? These top five most viewed posts have impacted many and can serve you today.

  1. Why Evangelism Is Important

Go. It’s the last command Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:18-20. We call it the Great Commission. We also call it evangelism. Whatever we choose to call it, Jesus instructed us to do it. At its core, the Great Commission, evangelism, is sharing the good news of salvation, forgiveness, and grace. Without those things, we would all be lost without hope, without a savior, and would have to endure the consequences of sin—death.

  1. Free Bible Teaching

Welcome to Free Bible Teaching from LifeWay Groups Ministry. Here you’ll find audio teaching from some of our most popular authors and Bible studies. Just click and listen to find teaching to help you grow closer to Jesus. Or you can use these sessions to help your busy Bible study group prepare by listening to the teaching before you gather. For each study, there is a Bible Study Book that can be purchased to help you or your group have a deeper discipleship experience and get more out of this free teaching content. You can also find these episodes on our Apple Podcast page for Free Bible Teaching.

  1. Five Bible Studies for Your New Year’s Resolutions

Most resolutions fail by February. Just about everyone is going to make some promise to themselves to do something in the New Year: lose a few pounds, break a bad habit, cut down on social media… There’s nothing wrong with setting goals. But this year, resolve to do something with a higher purpose. Something that has eternal weight and significance. Something your entire small group can get behind. Here are the LifeWay Groups Ministry’s recommendations for the top 5 Bible studies for your small group to do in the new year.

  1. Does It Matter Whether You Call It Sunday School or Another Name?

Over the past years, church leaders have given various names to their Sunday morning Bible study ministry. Sunday School has been the universal name churches have used for decades. That name originated from a school for children that used the Bible as its textbook. That school met on Sunday; thus the name.

  1. How to Plan a Fun-Filled Fellowship

Every Bible study class or group wants to have great fellowships. Fellowships help build and strengthen relationships, and create a fun atmosphere conducive to inviting guests. Here are 10 ways to provide a quality, fun-filled event.

Deborah Spooner is a Minnesota-born analytical creative serving as a Marketing Strategist for LifeWay’s Groups Ministry. As a pastor’s daughter with a background in Digital Communications and Media and Biblical & Theological Studies, you can find her at her local church, in deep conversation, or with a book or pen in hand as she seeks to know Christ more and make Him known.
Church Leadership

Help Your Group See Jesus in All of Scripture

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Have you ever sat down with a particularly difficult text and wondered “How do I see the Gospel story here?” 

Many of us have, and as group leaders, we are often faced with answering hard questions from our group members as we journey through scripture.

How can we train ourselves to notice God’s plan (from Genesis to Revelation) to rescue and redeem His creation through His Son, Jesus Christ?

Good news. 

Meet Gospel Foundations, a Bible study series designed to take you on a one-year journey through the storyline of scripture to see Jesus as Hero from beginning to end. 

How does this study practically show you Christ and the Gospel? Through context, content, and visuals. See an excerpt below from Volume 4: The Coming Rescue (2 Kings – Malachi). 

Setting the Context

The first order of business for the restoration of Jerusalem was the rebuilding of the temple. This was how it should have been, given the central place of worship in the lives of the people of God. Though there were delays, the new temple was completed in 515 BC. Sacrifices and festivals were resumed, and the people committed themselves to obeying the law. Things were going well. It seemed they had learned their lesson. 

What difficulties are prone to arise when things are going well in one’s spiritual life? Why?

Sadly, within a few decades, the prophet Malachi had to deliver his message because the worship of the people had grown stale. He focused on the failure of the priests to fear God and to serve the people conscientiously during difficult times, but the priests mirrored the people—they all lacked the sincere worship God commanded. The Book of Malachi is the last prophetic message from God before the close of the Old Testament. Then came four hundred years of silence from God. Malachi, like many prophets before him, gave the people a severe warning, but he also spoke of the hope to come. As “Seeing Jesus in the Return from Exile” (p. 83) shows, the Messiah was coming, and He was coming to deal with the true problem of humanity—the sin in our hearts. But would the people be ready for Him?

Why is the gospel of Jesus the only solution for our true problem of the sin in our hearts?

CHRIST Connection

After Malachi, the prophetic word of God went silent for four hundred years. But Malachi prophesied about a messenger who would prepare the way for the Messiah to bring God’s kingdom. Centuries later, John the Baptist arrived as the messenger who prepared the way for Jesus. The last word of the Old Testament is “curse,” a reminder of the consequence of our sin. But in the New Testament, one of the first words we hear from Jesus is “blessing.” The One who bears our curse is the One who brings us blessing.

 

And this is just the beginning. To see a full preview of the Gospel Foundations products (including sermon outlines, sample content from volumes 1 and volumes 2, a preview guide, downloadable mobile wallpaper, and more), visit the Gospel Foundations site here.

Deborah Spooner is a Minnesota-born analytical creative serving as a Marketing Strategist for LifeWay’s Groups Ministry. As a pastor’s daughter with a background in Digital Communications and Media and Biblical & Theological Studies, you can find her at her local church, in deep conversation, or with a book or pen in hand as she seeks to know Christ more and make Him known.
Church Leadership

How to Talk to Your Group about Making a Difference

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The leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease. In 2015, 633,842 American lives ended as a result of heart disease, almost a quarter of total deaths that year (1). Steven Houser, the president of the American Heart Association, believes “the future of cardiovascular research is to stop the disease before it starts” (2).

Perhaps this goal explains the increasingly common labeling of various foods as heart-healthy. Salmon, almonds, blueberries, dark chocolate—all of these are applauded as heart-healthy foods and are recommended to include in our diets.

As serious as these heart-health issues are in our society, you and I come into the world with a heart problem that can’t be prevented. Ever since the first human beings, Adam and Eve, sinned, we’ve all entered this world with hard hearts. Instead of loving God and loving our neighbors, we love ourselves most of all. Instead of worshiping God and honoring Him as Lord, we try to kick Him off the throne and take it for ourselves. And because of this heart problem, we come into this world as God’s enemies. It’s not His fault; we’re the ones who sin. And we make ourselves His enemies because of our sin. What does the condition of our hearts have to do with being difference makers? You see, before you and I can be difference makers, a difference must be made in us. We need our unhealthy hearts to be replaced with healthy hearts.

An Old Testament Answer (Isaiah 1:1 – 15)

The Old Testament Book of Isaiah was written between the years 740 and 700 BC. The book has one major theme: trust God. In the Old Testament, Isaiah was a difference maker in the highest degree.

Isaiah was writing to people with hard hearts. They had a heart problem. They trusted in anything and everything before they trusted in God. They trusted in their kings and their military. Then when that strategy failed, they tried to make alliances with other nations so that they could trust in those kings and armies. They trusted in their external religion to keep God off their backs. But meanwhile Isaiah was speaking to their hearts, trying to help them understand that their greatest need was to trust in God.

Isaiah painted a bleak picture of rebellion against God. Through Isaiah, God said His children had “rebelled against [Him]” (v. 2). He called them a “sinful nation” and a people “weighed down with iniquity” (v. 4). As a result, God had made their land “desolate” (v. 7). He rejected their offerings and hated their festivals (see vv. 11-14); He stopped listening to their prayers (see v. 15). The Bible tells us that before we can make a difference in the world, a difference has to be made in us. But how? What can be done? The words of Isaiah give a clear outline.

Stop Doing Evil (Isaiah 1:16 – 18)

First Isaiah told the Israelites to stop sinning. Stop doing evil. Coming through loud and clear, Isaiah! Verse 16 says, “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from my sight. Stop doing evil.” When it comes down to it, sin is always the problem. And God is serious about sin. Why? Because He’s holy.

To be holy means to be distinct and set apart. There’s no one like God. He’s completely, uniquely holy, and all of His characteristics flow from His perfect holiness. In God’s total otherness and His complete purity and perfection, He exercises all of His other characteristics. God is concerned about human sin because it’s an affront to His holiness. Choosing evil is rejecting God, and rejecting God is never good for us. However, God doesn’t just ask us to stop doing something bad. He always points us toward something better. All of God’s commands are meant to lead us to life.

Start Doing Good (Isaiah 1:17)

In verse 17 Isaiah told the Israelites not only to stop doing evil but also to start doing good. When we hear the command to do good, we immediately think, I’ve got to go to church more. I’ve got to work really hard to be religious. I’ve got to make sacrifices for God so that I can please Him and get Him off my back. But the Lord knew that response was coming.

We pursue religious activity because it seems easy and achievable. Isaiah’s point was that God isn’t interested in our attempts to earn His favor. They can never be enough. We don’t worship to get God off our backs; we worship because we love God. If we really love God, our devotion to Him will be evident in the way we love our neighbors.

Rest in the Finished Work of Christ (Isaiah 1:18)

Seven hundred years before Jesus walked on earth, God promised His people that He would remove their sins from them, and they would become pure. How does this happen? Only by an exchange. Jesus came to trade places with us. He came and lived the life we failed to live and died the death we deserved to die so that we could be cleansed of our sin and enter a right relationship with God.

We can’t stop doing evil and start doing good on our own. First our heart problem has to be fixed. Once that happens, God also enables us to do good. When God gives us new hearts, he gives us new affections. On the cross Jesus took on Himself the punishment for our sin, and He gave us His righteousness so that we’re no longer enemies of God but sons and daughters of God. This is the difference God has to make in us before we can be difference makers in the world.

Make a difference today by admitting you need a Savior.

This content is excerpted from Pastor Gregg Matte’s Difference Makers Bible Study. Find out more about living a difference making life here.

Church Leadership

4 Bible Studies about Jesus

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“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said” (Matthew 28:6). 

Jesus. From WWJD used in casual conversation to images of the cross venerated in sanctuaries, Jesus Christ is a rightful focal point for Christians. We’re even called Jesus followers. 

But how many of us really know many things about Jesus? Have we taken the time to study Him as well as get to know Him personally? It can be easy to say we love and follow Him, but it’s dangerous to not know the One we follow.

These four Bible study resources tackle just that: Jesus. Try one of them to deepen your faith in the Savior.

  1. Forgotten Jesus (Robby Gallaty)

Most Christians would say they know Jesus, but do we really know Him? Through the years our understanding of Jesus has been shaped by different cultural influences. Many Christians have forgotten that Jesus was a Jewish man living in a Jewish land, observing Jewish customs, and investing His life in Jewish men and women. 

This disciple-making Bible study takes us on a journey back to biblical times to rediscover who Jesus really was by seeing Him in the cultural and religious context in which He ministered. Exploring the implications of Jesus’ teachings and actions as a first-century rabbi will give you new reasons to fall in love with Him all over again. 

  1. Jesus, Continued (J. D. Greear and Trevin Wax)

Why do so many of us think of Christianity as a lifestyle to which we conform, rather than a God with whom we commune? Jesus gave His disciples the audacious promise that it was to their advantage that He go back to heaven because the Holy Spirit could then come to live inside of them. How many of us consider our connection to the Holy Spirit so strong and so real that we would call his presence in us better than Jesus beside us?

Throughout his Christian life, J.D. Greear felt disconnected to God and unsure about how to interact with Him. Although he had learned a lot of truths about God, these truths didn’t seem to bring him any closer to Him. He tried to have such a relationship, but all of God’s work seemed stockpiled in the past: He created the world, died on a cross, and left a Bible. God seemed like a busy teacher who had given an assignment and then stepped out of the room, leaving students to get the work done on their own.

But Greear discovered it doesn’t have to be like that. And this Bible study has been created to help you relate to the Holy Spirit in new ways. Over the course of this study, you’ll see how you can have a satisfying, powerful relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

  1. Jesus > Religion (Jefferson Bethke)

Jesus>Religion will help readers abandon dead, dry, rule-keeping and embrace the promise of being truly known and deeply loved. The study unpacks and highlights the difference between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair and hope. Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he’s not a pastor or theologian, but simply a regular, twenty-something who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. Along his journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him beyond the props of false religion.

  1. Bible Studies for Life: Like No Other – The Life of Christ (Tony Evans)

Jesus Christ is central to the Christian faith. That statement may seem obvious, but even Christians need a constant reminder that everything in our faith is built upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. Every aspect of Jesus’ life—from His birth to His current exalted state—is unique from any other person. His uniqueness means His life and character merit our fullest attention, and because He is uniquely God, His life and character greatly impact our lives.

Church Leadership

What Your Priorities Really Reveal

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“Who are you really?” It’s a fundamental question we all have to answer. Our first instinct may be to respond with a name. After that we tend to share a résumé of what we do or whom we’re related to. Should we define ourselves by the members of our family or even by what other people say about us? Maybe who we are is something deeper.

Identity is what people believe to be most true about themselves. It’s their source of value and worth. Tim Keller has written, “Our need for worth is so powerful that whatever we base our identity and value on we essentially ‘deify.’ We will look to it with all the passion and intensity of worship and devotion, even if we think ourselves as highly irreligious.” (1)

If people deify or idolize whatever they base their identity on, what happens when that source of meaning fails us or is taken away? It doesn’t just alter a worldview. It crushes the soul.

Enter Overcomer. Regardless of the intention with which you approach this study, the goal is a definitive answer to the basic question “Who are you?”

This Bible study, featuring group discussions, film clips, and personal studies, is designed to help you firmly establish your value and worth in Christ. You’ll encounter a variety of Old and New Testament giants who either demonstrated an identity firmly rooted in God’s truth or warn you of the danger of choosing alternative identities. Along the way you’ll have opportunities to determine whether your identity may be ill-defined and to be drawn back to the only source of meaning in life, ever closer to Christ.

1. Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (New York: Penguin, 2018), 164.

Who You Are Starts with Where You Come From

Create a list of people and priorities in your life that are important to you. Be as specific as you like, but in some cases a category will suffice. For example, you can record “My family” instead of listing each individual member.

Take inventory to make sure your list is complete, including items of even nominal importance.

Now the exercise becomes more challenging. Start marking entries off your list in order, from least to greatest importance. Which ones can you live without? Narrow your list to only two or three of your top priorities. Those indicate not only what’s of great worth to you but also what’s absolutely vital in making you who you are.

The old expression “You are what you eat” reminds you to make wise choices about healthful eating, but it holds little weight in creating an identity. A truer phrase is “You are what’s important to you.”

You define yourself by your values. The problem with that truth is the word your, which implies your own sovereignty despite your vast limitations as a mortal. Who are you to determine who you are? Even if you have that authority, where was it derived from? Scripture has the answer.

God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.

They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock,

the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

GENESIS 1:26

What description of humanity’s inherent nature and position did God offer in this verse?

God didn’t wait to confer with the man to determine what his nature should or shouldn’t include and what his calling or direction in life should be. God also created you to bear His image. Right from the beginning, before any of us were formed, God had a plan. For the couple in the garden, that included a definitive purpose.

Read Ephesians 2:10 and rewrite it in your own words.

These words by Paul follow a powerful description of salvation (see vv. 8-9). God has miraculously and graciously saved us to accomplish the purpose He intended.

How does knowing and being reminded of where you come from and why you were created shape your identity?

Revisit your lists for the week, both the one you created in the group session and the one you recorded at the beginning of this personal study. Which descriptions of you and values you hold are consistent with the image of God in you and the good work God planned for you?

Which ones might you need to reevaluate? End today’s study by asking God to show you the priorities and pursuits you need to eliminate and the ones you need to embrace in order to define yourself by His purpose for you.

All content above is excerpted from the Overcomer Bible Study. Find out more about the Bible study here.

Church Leadership

How to Engage with Big Questions on a Personal Level

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As small group leaders, we can become used to leading groups, and we start to approach our topics, Bible studies, and even the Bible from such a perspective.

How can I talk about this topic with my group?

What does my group most need from these Bible study videos?

What discussion question will most resonate with my members?

This way of thinking can be deeply helpful, but sometimes, those who help others can neglect to be helped themselves.

How can we make sure that we are not only aiding others in studying the Bible but engaging with it personally?

LifeWay might just have something to assist.

Meet Personal Bible Study, a new way to study with some of your well-loved Bible study experts. These studies take the traditional group-centered Bible study content and adapt for personal use while maintaining the theological depth and practical application that you rely on.

Try them today in paperback or in digital format. We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below!

Unanswered Personal Bible Study 

Includes an individual study opportunities for each day of the week and applicable Scripture.

We live in a radically skeptical age. Tough questions are being asked about Christianity. And most believers are ill-equipped to provide the answers our culture and communities desperately need. Many in today’s church do not know the Bible as well as they should and they struggle with their own “big questions” about the faith.

This study provides precisely what the church needs today: tools and answers! It addresses several challenging topics, including mental health and suicide, paranormal activity, the resurrection, how we got the Bible, suffering, and why God is sometimes silent. The study will show you how to answer, how to explain, and how to respond in a deeply winsome and attractive way, as a thoughtful ambassador of Jesus. You will leave this study enriched, characterized by a thinking faith, capable to communicate confidently, and committed to escape the tendency to offer trite answers to a skeptical world.

Power of God’s Names Personal Bible Study

Bestselling author Dr. Tony Evans shows that it’s through the names of God that the nature of God is revealed to us. Who is God in His fullness? How has He expressed His riches and righteousness? How can you trust His goodness? As you get to know the names of God and understand their meaning, God’s character will become real to you in life-changing ways.

You will explore the depths of God as

  • Elohim: The All-Powerful Creator
  • Jehovah: The Self-Revealing One
  • Adonai: The Owner of All
  • Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord Who Provides
  • El Shaddai: The Almighty Sufficient One
  • El Elion: The Most High Ruler
  • Jehovah Nissi: The Lord’s Banner of Victory
  • Jehovah Shalom: The Lord Our Peace
  • Jehovah Mekadesh: The Lord Who Sanctifies
  • Jehovah Rophe: The Lord Who Heals
  • Jehovah Tsikenu: The Lord My Righteousness
  • Jehovah Robi: The Lord My Shepherd
  • Immanuel: God With Us

By studying and understanding the characteristics of God as revealed through His names, you will be better equipped to face hardship and victory, loss and provision, and all of the challenges life throws at you.

Deborah Spooner is a Minnesota-born analytical creative serving as a Marketing Strategist for LifeWay’s Groups Ministry. As a pastor’s daughter with a background in Digital Communications and Media and Biblical & Theological Studies, you can find her at her local church, in deep conversation, or with a book or pen in hand as she seeks to know Christ more and make Him known.
Church Leadership

4 Ways to Help Your Group Focus on God’s Promises

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Our past. As we each live a new day, we leave a day behind. We can get caught up in what was or what might have been “if only things were different,” but this focus means we forget. When we hold onto our past, we neglect to cling to God’s promises.

In his new study No More Excuses (following the Kingdom Men Rising movie), Tony Evans helps believers focus on God’s promises. Learn personally and use your learning to help your group members through the wisdom from the No More Excuses study excerpt below:

(And, if you love the study, you’ll love studying it alongside others! Sign up for the No More Excuses online Bible study for a week to week experience alongside other believers). 

Go Get It!

God has given us more than five thousand promises in Scripture, but He’s not going to force anyone to live in the victory of His fulfilled promises. You have to go get them. When the people of Israel entered the promised land, God promised their leader, Joshua, that He would be given any piece of land where his foot walked (see Josh. 1:3), but he had to go get it. He couldn’t stand where he was and simply claim victory over all of his enemies.

Here are four key principles for claiming the promises God has made.

1. Leave the Past Behind

Learn from yesterday; don’t live in it. As Joshua set out to take the Israelites on a military conquest across enormous geographical areas, he had to let go of Moses as the leader and commander. As we see in Joshua 1:1-2, Moses had died. The miracles Moses had performed for the Israelite people were in the past. God would use a new man and a new plan to secure the nation’s victories moving forward. Embracing that truth was critical for their progress.

2. Seize Your Spiritual Inheritance

Joshua had to take steps of faith to secure the promises God had made. God placed a condition on receiving His victories. Joshua had to place the sole of his foot where he might normally have been afraid to do so. Doing so required faith. Passively waiting for God to dump your spiritual promises onto you isn’t the way God operates. You have to go after them.

3. Focus on God, Not People

God promised Joshua: 

No man will be able to stand before you all the days

of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will

be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

Joshua 1:5

No doubt Joshua faced oversized, overpowering enemies as he sought to gain military victories and conquer the promised land. But God assured him of victory. If Joshua had focused on the people in his way, he might have cowered in fear. Likewise, when you direct your focus on God and His assuring Word, you can reduce fear and doubt in your life. Keep your eyes on your  Source and only on your Source.

4. Stay Tethered to God’s Word

A critical element in Joshua’s conquests was his consistency in staying tied to God’s Word. God instructed him:

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to

do according to all the law which Moses My servant

commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to

the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

Joshua 1:7

God’s Word gives wisdom on what to do, when to do it, and how to gain spiritual victories in the midst of physical limitations or obstacles. Men, as you move forward in life, meditate on and apply the truths of Scripture, and you’ll gain insight for accomplishing all God has in store for you.

This content has been excerpted from Tony Evans’ No More Excuses Bible Study, available now.

Deborah Spooner is a Minnesota-born analytical creative serving as a Marketing Strategist for LifeWay’s Groups Ministry. As a pastor’s daughter with a background in Digital Communications and Media and Biblical & Theological Studies, you can find her at her local church, in deep conversation, or with a book or pen in hand as she seeks to know Christ more and make Him known.
Church Leadership

4 Best Bible Studies for Summer

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Sunshine and spare time. Welcome, summer! Sometimes, summers can be the favorite time of year as the kids’ change of pace and the brighter and longer days can mean more vacations and maybe a little more freedom. Yet, for others, summers can bring increased stress and heightened deadlines. 

For our group leaders, summers can mean a bit of both. Groups might take a few months off, or they might need a study to fit in in the “in between” of the peak fall season.

Here’s five studies that can be the right fit for your group’s summer, no matter what the season holds for you.

Imago Dei by Mike Cosper + TGC

This Bible study from LifeWay and The Gospel Coalition seeks to establish how to view the imago Dei, or the image of God, in three ways: biblically within the grand narrative of Scripture, relationally as it applies to ourselves and others, and missionally in our service to others and in our obedience to the Great Commission. (6 sessions)

Praying at the Crossroads by Ken Coley

Prayer is essential to our spiritual growth, yet few of us pray as often or as fervently as we would like. We turn to God only in moments of desperation and crisis. The Bible shows us multiple examples of people praying to God for peace, comfort, guidance, strength, and much more. By studying these ancient prayers, participants can grow in their ability to call on God not only at a crossroads but also in their daily lives. (12 sessions)

No More Excuses by Tony Evans

Sometimes circumstances in life make it difficult for men to be all God wants them to be. But Tony Evans urges men to stop looking at their circumstances as excuses and instead to see them as challenges and opportunities for success. Exploring the examples of men of God throughout the Bible, this study will challenge you to lay down your excuses, stop compromising, and fight to be a man of character and commitment. Despite your setbacks, failures, and pressures, you can still find purpose, meaning, and direction in life and become the man God has called you to be. (8 sessions)

James by Matt Chandler

The Book of James is filled with practical wisdom for Christians, calling us to live out genuine faith through good works. In our own ability, we cannot stand in the face of adversity. Without faith we could never find the strength to trust God. We would never be able to see above the trials we meet and to keep our eyes focused on the King while counting our trials as joy. This is the essence of James. We don’t work to be saved; we work because we are saved. (13 sessions)

 

Church Leadership

Best Bible Studies for Graduates

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Their four years of hard work are complete, and now all that stands between graduates and their new beginnings is a stage and ceremony. 

We love our graduates. We’re proud of them. But how do we, as small group leaders, come alongside to equip them for whatever comes next?

Giving the gift of guidance can be a form of discipleship. Consider stepping in and gifting wisdom from these authors as your graduates step into their future.

Life + Love: Navigating Singleness, Dating, Engagement, and Marriage by Ben Stuart

Your graduates will likely graduate into new relationship statues in the coming years. Equip them with insight from Passion City D.C.’s pastor Ben Stuart:

In a society where everyone is supposedly more connected, why do people feel so lonely? Even as marriage rates decline, recent studies find the overwhelming majority of single adults still hope to get married. But how can you navigate life and love in this disconnected culture?  Life + Love Bible Study will help you chart a course through four relational stages: singleness, dating, engagement, and marriage. Learn to embrace God’s design and live out His purpose for each stage of your life. (6 sessions)

Foundations: New Testament by Robby and Kandi Gallaty

Your graduates might be more pressed for time than ever before. Equip them with a practical devotional-styled study to take them through the entire New Testament in reflective ways:

Study all 27 books of the New Testament in one year by reading Scripture passages and related devotions five days each week. The H.E.A.R. journaling method will allow you to read and respond to God’s Word as you highlight, explain, apply, and respond to passages throughout the yearlong plan.

Pathways by Tony Evans

Your graduates might be wondering about their purpose. Equip them with assurance of God’s plan amid the chaos and sometimes painful and confusing moments:

The story of Esther appears to be a series of coincidences that delivers the Jews from certain death. However, God selected Esther for a particular purpose at a particular time in the history of His chosen people. This Bible study will help you discover the power of God’s providence in the midst of your personal pain, fear, gain, loss, and love. You’ll see that God has a purpose for your life, and He uses every action and event that occurs in it to make that purpose a reality. (6 sessions)

Gospel Above All by J.D. Greear

Your graduates may face new challenges to their faith. Equip them with an insightful look at the gospel and its place amid the noise seeking our attention:

The gospel isn’t just an entry into the Christian faith, it is the entirety of the Christian life. This Bible study leads groups to a greater awareness and practice of gospel culture, gospel mission, gospel renewal, and gospel unity. The most pressing need for Christianity today isn’t a new strategy or an updated message; it is a return to elevating the gospel above all. (8 sessions)

Deborah Spooner is a Minnesota-born analytical creative serving as a Marketing Strategist for LifeWay’s Groups Ministry. As a pastor’s daughter with a background in Digital Communications and Media and Biblical & Theological Studies, you can find her at her local church, in deep conversation, or with a book or pen in hand as she seeks to know Christ more and make Him known.
Church Leadership

What is Free Bible Teaching?

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Christian content. We love it. You love it. Finding trustworthy teachers of the Bible to learn from can help our faith and can help us lead others in our small groups and Sunday schools deeper into their faith.

We have ways we access this quality teaching.

We can read Bible study books, mark up the pages, and answer the questions. We can purchase leader kits and access video teaching sessions. We can download e-books and read from these Christian teachers across many devices.

Often, we read their written words or watch them delve into topics in their videos.

What if there was a third option? What if we could start learning not only through reading and watching but also by listening?

Meet Free Bible teaching, a completely free audio supplementary version of many of your loved and trusted Bible studies from LifeWay Groups Ministry.

What is Free Bible Teaching?

We picked some of our favorite and popular studies. We went through the video teaching sessions that accompany each Bible study week’s session. We extracted the audio, and we’re giving that audio to you.

How can you use Free Bible teaching?

Free Bible Teaching is easy to access. All of the content can be found here on the blog (link to page), and you can listen straight from iTunes (link to page). You can select one of the available studies and listen to each week’s sessions.

These sessions can be listened to in the car, as you’re woking out, or as you are getting things done around the house.

But, there’s more. If you are leading a group through one of these studies, listening to the audio content that complements the sessions can help you prepare. Yet, you also can use the teaching to enhance your own personal study. As you work through the physical Bible study book, the audio content brings you deeper and expands on the book’s content. You’ll gain more from your study though this simple (and free) session supplement.

What studies are available through Free Bible Teaching?

Glad you asked. 

You’ll find quality teaching from authors such as Tony Evans, John Piper, J.D. Greear, Randy Alconrn, Robby Gallaty, and more.

You’ll find content on topics such as prayer, the Gospel at work, holiness, happiness, God’s names, parenting, and more.

It’s clear. Free Bible Teaching can help you find more freedom and fullness in Christ and empower you to lead others into the Gospel. Why not give it a try?

Deborah Spooner is a Minnesota-born analytical creative serving as a Marketing Strategist for LifeWay’s Groups Ministry. As a pastor’s daughter with a background in Digital Communications and Media and Biblical & Theological Studies, you can find her at her local church, in deep conversation, or with a book or pen in hand as she seeks to know Christ more and make Him known.

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