Garden City Church of Christ

You probably know this as "the minor prophets," which are the last 12 books in a typical Protestant Old Testament. But in the Hebrew Bible (and likely in Jesus' day), these were often considered together as one large book. In this lesson we take an overview and consider what the prophets were in the first place. (Hint: do not think of them as fortune-tellers.)

The account of Jesus' birth is found at the beginning of the books of Matthew and Luke. In this lesson, we look at the events in chronological order. It's not as bad as it sounds - the two texts actually tell almost completely different parts of the story, so there is far less flipping back-and-forth in your Bible as you might expect.

Keeping our hope on the ultimate goal.

The most obviously practical part of the book, this section discusses six kinds of roles, in three pairs (the led followed by the leader): wives and husbands; children and fathers; servants and masters. Yet the theme of unity still persists in these passages. The last lesson of a series in Ephesians.

The book turns to practical applications beginning in chapter 4. In this section, the focus is on being kind and getting along with one another in the church. Part of a series in Ephesians.

Chapters 2 and 3 describe how Christ united Jews and Gentiles into one body, which is the church.

Looking at the beginning and end of the book of Ephesians. Part of a series in the book.

An overview with a focus on the theme of unity in the book.

Looking at the song "Softly and Tenderly" verse by verse, seeing how it relates to Scripture and to our lives.

A famous poem about a godly woman. Specifically this is Proverbs 31:10-31. The poem is much more intricately structured than you may have realized.

An overview of the book, which is one long story. Esther saves the Jews from extinction.

Two final lessons in relation to the book of Daniel. No, Isaiah 2 is not in the book of Daniel. But it has much overlap with Daniel 2, and gives us a chance to look at some Bible poetry. Second, we do a character study of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He is a major character in Daniel but also in other books that record the exile to Babylon, such as 2 Kings and Jeremiah.

God is our King, which means a whole lot more if we know what it is actually like to serve a king - something most countries today do not have. To illustrate a monarchy, we look at the reign of France's King Louis XIV (the 14th), who lived in the 1700's, and draw comparisons to our heavenly King.

Two more short lessons from the book of Daniel. Chapter 2 is both a story involving Daniel and the king as well as a prophecy of the kingdom of the rock - which is to say the church of Christ. Next we focus on "the Son of Man" which is notably in chapter 7 of Daniel, but also the phrase that Jesus used most to describe himself. We discuss the significance of that phrase.

Two short lessons back-to-back. First an overview of the book of Daniel, followed by a story from it. This is the first in a 3-part series in Daniel.

Our God is the only one who can justify us, since He is just. We can spot when others are justifying their actions for selfish reasons rather than legitimate ones. But the biggest danger is when we declare our own (wrong) actions to be justified, often because we feel empowered to right the wrongs done to us.

Ruth (the person) is the unlikeliest of heroes, but through her humble actions, she saves her mother-in-law's family and becomes an ancestor to Jesus Christ. In this lesson we look at her character in the book of Ruth.

Households have "discretionary expenses," which is money spent on things not utterly necessary for survival but may be essential in other ways. Does a church have a right to have discretionary spending, and if so, does that mean that there are then no boundaries whatsoever? Part of a series on "Issues of the '50s and '60s."

An exposition of the chapter. James warns the rich, recommends patience, and encourages praying for those who are sick or suffering.

The Bible has several example of churches helping needy saints, and we should follow that example. But does the church have authority to help non-Christians? Part of a series on "Issues of the '50s and '60s."

Is a church assembly a time for potluck and planned social gatherings? The first in a series about "Issues of the '50s and '60s."

Many activities that Christians are asked to do are in community, including most acts of worship and steps of salvation - if not all of them. But not only is it necessary to be around other people, of course we also make each better.

Parting thoughts to the congregation on Bryant's last day.

A look at Ephesians 1-3

As our regular evangelist is preparing to move, this is a lesson of encouragement to the group.