The Good(?) Book
February 2 - March 8, 2020
Part 1: The Purpose of the Bible
February 2, 2020 • Ronnie Rothe
The Bible is probably the most misunderstood book in history, yet it has powerfully shaped human history for the past 2,000+ years. For many, the reality is that our approach to this “Good Book” is influenced by our past experiences and issues with the Bible. So, if all of our individual issues are different, how can we know its primary purpose?
Part 2: The Reason for the Bible
February 9, 2020 • Ronnie Rothe
Most of us are familiar with some stories in the Bible, but many of us are unfamiliar with how we got the Bible in the first place. As the purpose of the Bible is for our transformation, grasping the reason we even have this “Good Book” is key to understanding the stories written in it.
Part 3: The Origins of the Bible
February 17, 2020 • Ronnie Rothe
“In the beginning…” can be a loaded phrase – one that forces us into debate and doubt. But maybe we’re missing the point of Genesis 1:1- a point Moses made to a world where the violence and injustice of the gods justified and legitimized the violence and injustice of human rulers. Many civilizations had creation stories that supported the idea that the human race was an afterthought. Consequently, throughout history, individuals had no rights, hope, intrinsic value… until Moses introduced a radically different, unparalleled, and untested worldview.
Part 4: The Purpose of the Old Testament
February 23, 2020 • Ronnie Rothe
The Old Testament. Is it a rule book something else? Do we align our lives around it or simply know it? What is it? Simply put, the Old Testament is the backstory to THE Story. It chronicles God’s redemptive history. It’s a fabulous, gritty, epic history of the Hebrew people. One that presents the history of God preparing the world for a Savior.
Part 5: The Event That Changed Everything
March 1, 2020 • Ronnie Rothe
The Bible did not create Christianity. Christianity is the result of an event (the resurrection of Jesus) that created a movement (the church) that produced sacred and reliable texts that were collected and bound into a book (the Bible). But how do we approach not being at peace with everything we read in the Bible? Well Paul—once a Pharisee turned apostle, author, preacher, who became one of the biggest church planters in history, offers us clarity and confidence to move forward.
Part 6: Reading the Bible
March 8, 2020 • Ronnie Rothe
The Bible wasn’t written primarily for our information but for our transformation… becoming everything God created us to be. God’s intended purpose of giving us the Bible is to lead us to his son Jesus and to equip us to follow him so that we are transformed by him. But transformation comes only through application. So the question stands…do you want to be transformed into everything God created you to be?