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Overview
- Cover the entire book of Galatians in 12 lessons
- Equip yourself to lead a Bible study
- Imagine the Bible’s historical world
- Study word origins and definitions
- Explore thoughtful questions on key themes
- Go deeper with optional projects
- Add your notes with extra space and wide margins
- Find the flexibility to fit the time you have
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780891095620 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tyndale House Publishers |
| Publication date: | 01/22/2019 |
| Series: | LifeChange , #15 |
| Pages: | 144 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.44(d) |
About the Author
The Navigators is an interdenominational, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people "know Christ and make Him known” as they look to Him and His Word to chart their lives.
Navigators have invested their lives in people for more than seventy-five years, coming alongside them life on life to study the Bible, develop a deepening prayer life, and memorize and apply Scripture, The ultimate goal is to equip Christ followers to fulfill 2 Timothy 2:2—to teach what they have learned to others.
Today, tens of thousands of people worldwide are coming to know and grow in Jesus Christ through the various ministries of The Navigators. Internationally, more than 4,600 Navigator staff of 70 nationalities serve in more than 100 countries.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Lesson One
OVERVIEW AND GALATIANS 1:1-9
The True Gospel
Background
If you have not done so already, read the historical background. Then read through the whole book of Galatians. It is a fairly short letter, and you are just reading for an overall view. If you've read it before, try to get a fresh perspective. As you read, or afterward, jot notes to question 1.
1. Repetition is a clue to the ideas an author wants to emphasize. What key words and phrases occur repeatedly in this letter? _______________________________________ _______________________________________
2. According to Galatians 1:7-8, how would you explain the circumstances that led Paul to write this letter? _______________________________________ _______________________________________
3. Describe Paul's relationship with and feelings for the Galatian believers in the following verses:
4:11___________________________________ _______________________________________
4:13-15________________________________ _______________________________________
4:19-20________________________________ _______________________________________
4. How does he portray the Galatians in the following verses?
1:7____________________________________ 3:1____________________________________ 4:15-16________________________________ 5:7____________________________________ 5:15___________________________________
5. What seems to be Paul's mood or tone in this letter? _______________________________________ _______________________________________
6. What would you say is the basic purpose of this letter? _______________________________________ _______________________________________
7. An outline can help you see how the parts of a book relate to each other. In an overview, it's helpful just to give titles to the main sections of the book. Skim back through Galatians, and make up a title for each section listed below. Use a short phrase or sentence that summarizes the section and distinguishes it from other sections. Key words from the section are often good in titles.
1:1-9__________________________________ _______________________________________
1:10–2:21________________________ _______________________________________
3:1–4:31_________________________ _______________________________________
5:1–6:10_________________________ _______________________________________
8. Write down any questions that your first reading of Galatians has raised. They can serve as some personal objectives for further study.
_______________________________________ _______________________________________
Greetings (1:1-5)
Apostle (1:1). Literally, a "sent one," one who is appointed and empowered for a specific mission. The term was used of many in the early church designated to spread the gospel (see Acts 14:14; Romans 16:7). In a strict sense it referred to the Twelve, whom Christ Himself chose to bear witness to His teaching and resurrection (see Mark 3:13-15).
Ancient letters normally begin by identifying the sender and recipient. Paul varied his identifications to suit the situation of the particular letter.
Grace and peace (1:3). A Greek letter normally followed the identifications with a greeting. Paul devised a greeting that invited God's favor and blessing in the broadest terms. "They summarize Paul's gospel of salvation. The nature of salvation is peace, or reconciliation — peace with God, peace with men, peace within. The source of salvation is grace, God's free favour, irrespective of any human merit or works, His lovingkindness to the undeserving."
9. What do you think God's purposes are in rescuing us from "the present evil age" (1:4)?
(Optional: See Ephesians 1:6,10; 2:4; 3:10-11.)
_______________________________________ _______________________________________
A different gospel (1:6-9)
Gospel (1:6). Literally, "good news," the message God entrusted to Paul to preach and defend (see 1:12; 2:5,7). "The gospel is the joyous proclamation of God's redemptive activity in Christ Jesus on behalf of men enslaved by sin." 2
10. From 1:6-9, how do you think Paul would respond to the idea that there are many roads leading to heaven?
_______________________________________ _______________________________________
11. What are some things you would like to see happen in your life during your study of Galatians? Write them down, then ask God to accomplish them.
_______________________________________ _______________________________________
For the group
This "For the group" section and the ones in later lessons are intended to suggest ways of structuring your discussions. Feel free to select what suits your group and ignore the rest. The main goals of this lesson are to get to know Galatians as a whole and the people with whom you are going to study it.
Worship. Some groups like to begin with prayer and/or singing. Some share requests for prayer at the beginning, but leave the actual prayer until after the study. Others prefer just to chat and have refreshments for a while and then move to the study, leaving worship until the end. It is a good idea to start with at least a brief prayer for the Holy Spirit's guidance and some silence to help everyone change focus from the day's busyness to the Scripture.
Warm-up. The beginning of a new study is a good time to lay a foundation for honest sharing of ideas, to get comfortable with each other, and to encourage a sense of common purpose. Group discussion can be either stimulating or intimidating, depending on how safe people feel. Especially when you are studying a book full of truth-versus-error issues, you need to cultivate respect and acceptance so that people will be open to facing wrong thoughts and behavior. Establish the ground rules that the standard of right or wrong will be the Bible, and that no person will be rejected or carelessly hurt even when someone disagrees with someone else's views.
One way to foster common ground is to talk about what each group member hopes to get out of your group — out of your study of Galatians, and out of any prayer, singing, sharing, outreach, or anything else you might do together. Why do you want to study the Bible, and Galatians in particular? If you have someone write down each member's hopes and expectations, then you can look back at these goals later to see if they are being met. Allow about fifteen minutes for this discussion so that it does not degenerate into vague chatting.
How to use this study. If the group has never used a LifeChange study guide before, you might take a whole meeting to get acquainted, discuss your goals, and go over the "How to Use This Study" section. Then you can take a second meeting to discuss the overview. This will ensure that everyone understands the study and will give you more time to read all of Galatians and answer the overview questions.
Go over the parts of the "How to Use This Study" section that you think the group should especially notice. For example, point out the optional questions. These are available as group discussion questions, ideas for application, and suggestions for further study. It is unlikely that anyone will have time or desire to answer all the optional questions. A person might do one "Optional Application" for any given lesson. You might choose one or two "For Thought and Discussion" questions for your group discussion, or you might spend all your time on the numbered questions. If someone wants to write answers to the optional questions, suggest that he or she use a separate notebook. A notebook will also be helpful for discussion notes, prayer requests, answers to prayers, application plans, and so on.
Invite everyone to ask questions about how to use the study guide and how your discussions will go.
Reading. It is often helpful to refresh everyone's memory by reading the passage aloud before discussing the questions. Reading all of Galatians is probably unreasonable, so just read 1:1-9. Try to make the letter sound like a living person talking.
First impressions. Try to get through questions 1–5 fairly quickly. They are background to the meat of question 6. The better your statement of the overall purpose of Galatians is, the better is your foundation for studying the details. However, don't belabor this point; you'll come back to it in the review.
You might want to compare your broad outlines of Galatians to some in Bible handbooks or study Bibles. There is also a chart of Galatians.
Questions. Give everyone a chance to share questions about the historical background and the letter. It is good to clear up any confusion as early as possible. However, don't answer any questions that deal with specific passages. Write those down and let the group answer them when you get to the passages.
Greetings and A different gospel. Questions 9 and 10 are some interpretation questions based on 1:1-9. Encourage several group members to offer answers.
Application. Invite everyone to share answers to question 11. If application is new to some group members, you might make up some sample applications together. Choose a paragraph or verse from 1:1-9 and think of how it is relevant to you and some specific things you could each do about it.
One application that is immediately relevant is handling the conflict that inevitably arises when people seek truth. What kinds of conflict do you observe in 1:7; 2:12; and 5:17? You'll be studying these passages in more detail later, but what principles for handling this kind of conflict (in your group, for instance) can you see? Take a look at 2:9,11; 5:15,26; 6:1-5.
Wrap-up. The group leader should have read lesson two and its "For the group" section. At this point, he or she might give a short summary of what members can expect in that lesson and the coming meeting. This is a chance to whet everyone's appetite, assign any optional questions, omit any numbered questions, or forewarn members of possible difficulties.
Encourage any members who found the overview especially difficult. Some people are better at seeing the big picture than others. Some are best at analyzing a particular verse or paragraph, while others are strongest at seeing how a passage applies to their lives. Urge members to give thanks for their own and others' strengths, and to give and request help when needed. The group is a place to learn from each other. Later lessons will draw on the gifts of close analyzers as well as overviewers and appliers, practical as well as theoretical thinkers.
Prayer. Many groups like to end with singing and/ or prayer. This can include songs and prayers that respond to what you've learned in Galatians or prayers for specific needs of group members. Even if your focus is on Bible study, an atmosphere of caring and praying for each other is essential to openness. Encourage members to become friends, not just fellow students.
Some people are shy about sharing personal needs or praying aloud in groups, especially before they know the other people well. If this is true of your group, then a song and/or some silent prayer, and a short closing prayer spoken by the leader, might be an appropriate end. You could also share requests and pray in pairs.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Galatians"
by .
Copyright © 2013 The Navigators.
Excerpted by permission of NavPress.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
How to Use This Study, 5,
Historical Background — Paul and Galatia, 9,
Map of Paul's Missionary Journey, 9,
Major Events of Paul's Life and Ministry, 10,
One — The True Gospel (Overview and 1:1-9), 15,
Chart of Galatians, 21,
Two — The Source of Truth (1:10-24), 25,
Chart: Alternatives in Galatians, 33,
Three — Confirmation of the Truth (2:1-10), 37,
Four — Contending for the Truth (2:11-21), 47,
Five — Living by Faith (3:1-14), 59,
Six — The Priority of the Promise (3:15-25), 67,
Seven — The Rights of a Son (3:26–4:11), 77,
Eight — A Choice of Allegiance (4:12-31), 87,
Nine — Christian Freedom (5:1-15), 97,
Ten — Living by the Spirit (5:16-26), 107,
Eleven — Keeping on Track (6:1-10), 117,
Twelve — Focusing on the Eternal (6:11-18 and Review), 125,
Study Aids, 133,