The Bible Explored with Rico Tice

Rico explains how our circumstances can have a huge impact on our contentment and how easily adversity can cause us discontentment. He shows how the apostle Paul had learnt contentment despite tremendous discouragements.

Rico highlights the danger to the believer of spiritual drift. He uses the acrostic of DRIFT: Draw together, Rejoice in the Lord, Imminence - the Lord is near, Focus on prayer and Think on these things.

In a world that offers us so many ways to make us happy, Rico shows us that happiness comes from our circumstances, whereas joy comes from what's in our hearts. He shows how this can be found even when we are under great pressure.

For some believers, sharing the gospel may be conditional upon their favourable circumstances. But Rico challenges us, using the situation of the apostle Paul in prison, to have confidence in sharing the gospel whatever our circumstances.

Rico shows how the prayers that the apostle Paul prayed can be a pattern for our personal prayers. Using Paul's prayer in Philippians chapter one, Rico draws out love's priority, love's character, love's fruit and love's goal.

Three strategies of the devil are his power, his wickedness and his cunning, according to Rico. As the believer faces each of We these, Rico states why we should pray, how we should pray and what to pray, according to Ephesians chapter six.

Obedience for the believer is not just regarding the gospel but in everyday life. Rico gives Biblical guidance on how we should parent our children, how we should be committed to our employer and how bosses should treat their staff.

The early Ephesian church faced numerous discouragements; not least of which was that their spiritual leader, the apostle Paul, was now in prison. It was from his prison cell that Paul wrote to those belivers giving reasons to be encouraged.

Rico recounts a personal and painful situation of racism from his childhood and uses it to show how racism pervaded the early church. He explains the extreme tension that existed between Jews and Gentiles and how this has been defeated.

As Ephesians chapter one documents all the spiritual blessings that belong to the believer in Christ, Rico is at pains to stress that it's no use our knowing all these things in our head if we don't internalise them in our hearts

Some say that we can get to heaven by pleasing God. However, Rico shows that it's only by the work of the Holy Spirit, that changes us from within, can we ever please God and serve others with humility.

Although we become Christians by receiving what Christ has done in dying for us, Rico shows us that following Jesus should be marked by our service to others. Rico concludes by explaining the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.

As we ask what we have to do to be accepted by God, Rico takes us into the book of Galatians chapter two to show that our acceptance by God actually stands on what Christ did for us when He died on the cross.

Although our coming to Christ does not require our passing an entrance exam, Rico explains that once we become a Christian, there are certain test that we do well to take to see how well we are progressing spiritually.

The devil is increasingly portrayed as a comical character who, at worst, causes misfortune to the unsuspecting. Rico shows how the devil's device is in promoting 'another gospel' to the world and deception to the believer.

The apostle Paul takes us into the church at Corinth to show us what the spiritually elite leaders were doing. Rico brings before us, by contrast, the poor specimen of Paul and shows us how Paul reflected the character and mindset of Christ.

Although many people have so many possessions and can consider themselves as rich, Rico shows us that in God's eyes we are poor. He makes it crystal clear how that it's only by the grace of God that we can be rich in Christ.

Rico explains that if a believer lives his life with guilt, it is the devil's territory. He shows how, by contrast, the Holy Spirit works in us to convict us of our guilt but also moves us on towards genuine repentance

Every believer will one day have to stand before God and give an account of how they have lived on earth. Rico looks at the rewards for faithful service and also challenges us to be practising a ministry of reconciliation .

Although the apostle Paul suffered terrible treatment and persecution, Rico assures us that Paul never once gave up because he saw all of his suffering in the light of heaven's reward.

Rico uses 2 Cor 3 to show that it's possible for us to have a heart for theology and the church, but to have no heart for people. Rico gives examples to demonstrate how it is only through our own weakness that Christ can work through us

Christians in the early church were cruelly mocked because they claimed that they would one day be raised from the dead with new bodies. Rico shows from 1 Cor 15 the basis for their claim.

Whilst what happened to Jesus after His resurrection is documented in Scripture, Rico shows us what will happen to our bodies after our resurrection from the grave subsequent to Christ's return.

When it comes to the resurrection, Rico asks "does it matter?", "where is the evidence?" and "what difference does it make?" Rico clearly shows how there is a past, present and future aspect to the resurrection of Christ.

Although 1 Cor 13 is the great love portrait in scripture, Rico shows why it is not the most appropriate passage to use at a wedding. He explains the priority, portrait and perseverance of love and touches on the subject of speaking in tongues.