Covenant Bible Study: Participant Guides (Creating, Living, Trusting)

Covenant Bible Study guides small groups through a comprehensive, in-depth study of the whole Bible over twenty-four sessions broken into three eight-session modules. Unlike the learning participants may have experienced in other groups, this study emphasizes the biblical concept of covenant as a unifying theme through both the Old and New Testaments. It underscores the unique relationship that God chooses to have with us as God's people. This relationship is grounded in the faithfulness of God's love and on our ongoing commitment to stay in relationship with God while we share signs of God's love with others. Each Covenant Bible Study participant needs a Participant Guide and a Bible. The CEB Study Bible is preferred, but not required. The Participant Guide walks study participants through the daily scripture readings and offers space to interact personally with the readings, the group experience, and the weekly meditations. This single volume Participant Guide contains the materials required for all three modules: Creating, Living and Trusting. Creating: God establishes the covenant to be in relationship with us. This first module, Creating the Covenant, examines how the covenant community is created and established, by focusing on several books of the Bible. It discusses the story of our origins in Genesis, the Exodus narrative, the teachings of Moses, the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, as well as other books from each Testament that focus on the foundation of Christian faith. In doing so, it lays out the framework for a life lived in concert with God and others. Living: Living within the covenant translates into action--into how we behave in our everyday lives. That's why the second module, Living the Covenant, focuses on how the community lives out the covenant in faithful love--how it is applied to actual relationships in daily life. The scripture readings included in these episodes examine the practical challenges of faithful covenant life. Participants explore leadership challenges among tribal chieftains, kings and prophets, and spiritual and political crises. They look for practical wisdom and guidance in the teachings of Israel's sages, the letters of Paul, and more. By demonstrating how people of vastly different cultures came together in a common purpose, the study shows how faithful love is the root of the covenant life. Trusting: Life often presents significant challenges. Difficulties are inevitable. That's why the final module, Trusting the Covenant, looks at the crises that sometimes call covenant life into question, and how we are restored to trust in God when troubling things happen. It how hope is restored by faithfulness in the midst of suffering. From the story of Job, to the Hebrew exile, to the apocalyptic visions in Daniel and Revelation, we learn how God's faithful love is at work in everything--to restore hope, freedom, and wholeness to our lives.