Bibles Bible Studies Books

Fee's work lays a definitive foundation for exegetical method in NT stuides. His approach is logical, seqeuntial and orderly. He covers every important step in the process and provides helpful examples along the way. This is a book you will certainly want by your side if you are a NT student. There is even a section for "shorter exegesis" for preachers, Bible class teachers, etc. Fee does an outstanding job of being concise, not wasting words or including extraneous material. Highly recommended.

The author guides the reader step by step through the process of doing exegesis. Good for all level.

There is simply no other book like this one.
This is a step-by-step procedure to exegetical outlines, from start to finish.

NOTE TO PUBLISHER:
This book edition is missing pages 37-68.

an excellent book will help pastors and students in second and third year in Greek to apply all you learn in class on preparing your messages and teaching lessons.
The book also has Gordon Fee's own bibligraphy from Historical to cultural to the best three commentaries on each book of the New Testament.

This book would have been terrific if the publisher would have taken the trouble to check the printing. There is one important section left out and one section repeated. In attempts to contact the publisher for resolution of the mistake, I was directed to an agent who has yet to respond.
I hold this author in high esteem and am certainly not holding him responsible for this publishing error, but suggest that he be more careful with selection of a publisher in the future, and use his influence to get this mess straightened out.

If you want to get to know God in a way that will change how you live everyday, this is the book to help you on that journey. Biblically accurate and a study that you can do on your own or in a group. There are also teaching DVD's that can be purchased of Kay Arthur's teaching for each chapter. I highly recommend this study.

This book on the names of God is awesome! So much information about the character of God, and how one can have a personal relationship with God and live in light of His Word, His truth. Wonderful book ... Wonderful study. Very indepth, and power packed.

Our ladies Sunday school class has been working through this book together. The chapters are about the right length to do in a 45 minute class. We read the chapters and think about the questions during the preceeding week then discuss together. We have found the book to be an excellent study of the names and character of God and may do another of the books in this series.

My small group of young women are enjoying this study very much. This is one of Kay's older studies, but it is timeless and applicable to all ages. They are enthused and we look forward to another Kay Arthur study.

These are the Hebrew names that the chosen people called on the God of our salvation. He is a God who sees, is solomn, is everywhere, is a provider, the most high God, the Lord of Hosts, is the Lord of battles, He is the all sufficient One. He is GOD!
Great teaching tool to understand and know who God is and how He can be all these things in your & my life.

I had bought the other book - Pagan Christianity - from the author and I thought it was the best until I picked up this book. Truly an awesome book. If you had been confused regarding the epistles regarding the context, background, etc -- this book is for you. It tells a story (story from Acts) and takes you through the entire New Testament in order (except the Gospels because that is totally different work). After reading this book, you will look at the epistles in a totally different way.

The thing I liked about this book is that it included not only history and background to properly understand the context for the epistles on why, how and when they were written but also the fact that this book acted like a little workbook -- in a sense that author would give you details regarding a particular place, writer, context and would actually tell you to go read the epistle, which I found very very helpful. Five stars to this book, buy it and read it - you can't go wrong. You will see what I mean...

I've had this book for a while now. It is absolutely wonderful! After you read it and stop at the points that it says to stop and read certain books of the New Testament, you will have a radically changed view of the NT and the early church. This book is a must have addition for anyone currently interested in organic church life. I've bought two copies of it: one for me and one for my step-mom.

This book is great, he explains the story of the New Testament in order. Some of it is made up from "Mirror Reading" and extra Biblical history, so don't expect absolute truth. But it will open your eyes to some interesting things that were hidden for you all along.

Frank Viola has, for a long time, studied the modern church. He has written a number of books on church renewal and reform. He is passionate about returning to the methods of the early church and its effectiveness. In The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, Viola has "straightened out" the New Testament, by placing the NT books in chronological order following the events of the book of Acts.

This is a fantastic book. If you really want to understand the New Testament, you can glean bits of information from a sermon here, a convention there, or get it all mixed up by watching a movie (normally not concerned with accuracy as much as drama). But you can save yourself time and frustration by reading this well-written, engaging, and often fascinating book.

This last year I have been exploring the Hebrew roots of Christianity, reading somewhere between 75 - 100 books. (Such books as Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith, New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus: Insights from His Jewish Context and Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church, excel, filled thoroughly with information on their specific topics.) But even after so much reading, I've highlighted nearly every page of this book! The interplay with society and history, and the original meaning and progression of the New Testament letters is thought-provoking and motivating.

This book's clear, enlightening manner will answer questions you've had since becoming born-again (for me that's 29 years). More importantly, it will help correct thinking you were sure you were right about.

For your personal study and understanding, I recommend this book right up there with getting a Concordance!

Pastors, Bible Study leaders, Youth group leaders - prevent misunderstandings of the New Testament from taking root early, or help your students uproot wrong ideas. Though this is not a text book (and the writing is fluid and accomodating) it could easily be used as one. Get this book. See for yourself that it is a crucial addition to your ministry material.

This is an excellent quick ref guide for those trying to learn Hebrew or for those who have been learning. Everything you need to know is on this guide in a logical layout! I couldn't be more pleased with this product!

I found this study guide a very helpful item. It allows quick reference to verb charts and stems that are cumbersome in the appendix of the book. Great 4 page resource to have. I simply stuck it in my binder. I still use it well after my class is over!

This four page laminated Notebook insert covers all the basic concepts of Biblical Hebrew grammar; the Alphabet, vowel diacritics, syllables, nouns, adjectives, articles, conjunctions, prepositions, verbs, pronouns, and construct chains. All in all, very much a useful item. I actually got mine in the Biblical Hebrew Survival Kit, which includes the Vocabulary Cards. Check that item out before you make your decision, since the Study Guide and Vocab Cards (in addition to the vocab CD) are both useful even with grammars other than Zondervan's.

Gary Wills does an excellent job of analyzing Paul's writings and his place in the early Church. he debunks a number of myths and clarifies Paul's role in evangelizing the gentiles. I truly appreciated his line by line discussion of Paul's writings and those attributed to him but probably written by someone else. Great read!

Wills' earlier book, "What Jesus Meant", was truly inspired -- engaging from start to finish, it challenged many of the assumptions of modern Christianity about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I was expecting more-or-less the same from "What Paul Meant". I was slightly disappointed; because this book doesn't quite measure up to the extremely high bar set by its predecessor. Nonetheless, it is a very good book; and I'm glad I took the time to read it (though, since it is a short book, it didn't really take much time at all). The goal of the book is to defend Paul against the unfair criticism that he has received over the centuries from those who claim that he distorted the teachings of Jesus, and also to rescue Paul from those Christians who have twisted his writings to support doctrines that that are contrary to the true gospel of Jesus. Wills argues that Paul's basic message was the same as that of Jesus. The book aims to explain why Paul is so misunderstood, and what he was really trying to accomplish. However, the bulk of the book is actually an attempt to use the available textual and historical evidence to sort out the details of Paul's life and mission -- where he went, what his goals were, what problems he had to deal with, what his relationship was with the leaders of the Jerusalem church and various other missionaries, etc. If you're interested in the life of Paul and the early history of the church (as I am) you will find this a worthwhile read. But, given the title of the book and the precedent set by his earlier book, I was expecting more of an analysis of what Paul wrote, and less of an analysis of his life, his mission, and his relationships with other followers of Jesus. Nonetheless, my disappointment with the book is only slight; and I would certainly recommend it. (Of particular value is the appendix that deals with issues surrounding the proper translation of various words found throughout Paul's writings.)

The author, Garry Wills, offers a fresh approach to New Testament books usually attributed to Paul, attempting to put specific words into context of the first century. He carefully chooses to deal with the books that almost certainly were written by Paul, giving reasons for believing that some others probably were not written by him. Dr. Wills says that he is not a theologian but writes from the perspective of a Historian and a Greek scholar, although he did study for the priesthood. He separates fact from myth in an interesting and readable writing style.

As a younger man, I attended a conservative Christian college, where I majored in biblical studies. I still recall how adamant the professors were that the Bible was not only infallible but inerrant as well. It is almost amusing to watch the hoops such people will jump through to maintain this untenable position.

Fast forward a few years, to when I took my first serious look at the other end of the spectrum, the ominous "liberals." There I found an approach to the Scriptures in which any possible contradiction or inconsistency in the text is trumpeted loudly as an error, with no attempt whatsoever to harmonize the seeming disparities. Whereas my old mentors were obsessive in defending the Bible's perfection, the other side seems almost gleeful in its attempts to fictionalize as much of it as possible.

Wills obviously belongs to this latter camp, and it shows in the condescending approach he takes to the New Testament. A prime example is on pages 32-36, where he examines Acts 9:1-19, the account of Paul's Damascus Road experience.

On page 33 he writes: "We know from Paul that he was 'unknown by my features to the Judean gatherings in Messiah (Galatians 1:21)......how could a man who had gone house to house arresting the brothers be unknown by them?"

Wills fails to read the surrounding verses in the Galatians passage. They answer his question easily:

"Then I went into the regions of Syria and Silicia, and I was still unknown by sight to the churches in Judea that are in Christ. They only heard it said, 'the one who was formerly persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy." And they glorified God because of me." Galatians 1:21-24.

What Paul is actually saying is not that the Judeans saw him and didn't recognize his face. Rather he is saying that during this particular journey he did not make personal contact with those believers, though they did hear he was in their area. A simple examination of the text makes Willis' objection fall to pieces.

Other points he makes suffer from similar problems. On page 33 he writes "if Paul had been a pupil of the famous Gamaliel, he would have surely said so when he boasted of his Pharisaical training."

Really? How does Wills know this? Is it possible that Paul had a valid reason not to mention this training? Perhaps upon becoming a Christian his former mentor disowned him, in effect saying "do not disgrace me by speaking of our past associations," and Paul honored this request. Perhaps Paul simply didn't see it necessary to mention.

Perhaps Gamaliel was especially hated or feared by the Christians, and Paul's mention of his name would only have made them unduly suspicious of him as well.

Wills considers none of this. Upon sniffing out what may be a problem in the biblical account he loudly proclaims that the New Testament is in error.

The solution he proposes is predictable: "Luke's fiction has replaced far more interesting fact. Here as elsewhere we must look intently at Paul's own words to see what he actually meant. Luke will prove a continuing obstacle to this effort." page 36.

So, once again, it's the biblical writers who screwed everything up, and it's up to modern scholars, looking back two millennia, to correct their lies and find the real truth they failed to report. This isn't scholarship, it is arrogance, and a particularly pompous type of arrogance as well.

Yet it is this very attitude that guides Wills throughout the rest of the book, which is a mixed bag in my view. He defends Paul against claims of inciting hate (a good example is on page 56), demeaning women, etc. and at many times employs sound hermeneutical principles. On the other hand, he seems passionate to remold the Apostle into a politically correct advocate of diversity and multi-culturalism.

In conclusion, I give this book an overall positive recommendation, but with reservations. It is useful both for its insights into modern approaches to the Bible as well as its analysis of Paul's writings.
Let the reader be aware, though, that it is faulted by biases that should be critically - and fairly - examined. Of course, this is good advice when reading any book, even the Bible.

Review of: "What Paul Meant"

By: Garry Wills

Paul was the first letter writer of Christianity.

His epistles are considered the most pessimistic writings of the early church.

Despite the pessimism of Paul's epistles, he guided the early church and aided the growth of the early church. The author, Garry Wills, calls the growth of the early church an explosion of belief. He says of Paul: "Paul was part of this explosion of belief." Garry Wills says that Nietzsche called Paul the "dysangelist" or the bad news bearer, and "a man with a genius for hatred." This is in contrast to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the "evangelists" or the good news bearers.

The author asks the question: "how much of this notoriety is deserved?" His answer: "very little."

This book uses seven of Paul's letters: "Letter to the Thessalonians", "Letter to the Galatians", "Letter to the Philippians", "Letter to Philemon", "First Letter to the Corinthians", "Second Letter to the Corinthians" and "Letter to the Romans." These are the letters whose authorship is not disputed.

Author Wills shows that Paul echoed and amplified the message of love spoken by Jesus. Paul had the same message of love as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John when he reports on the teaching of Jesus.

This book also gives details of the life of Paul and of the history of early Christianity.

See Also:

What the Gospels Meant

and

What Jesus Meant

This book is a good amplification of the meaning of Paul's letters. It is clear and easy to understand and the reasoning is very sound.

I recommend "What Paul Meant" as a supplemental guide when reading the New Testament or as a stand alone text.

I enjoyed John MacArthur's Twelve Ordinary Men despite some reaching on his part. The Chapters on Peter, John, and Judas Iscariot were mostly excellent. This is primarily because there is no shortage of information on these men in the Biblical Record. The problem I found was that even with those three and especially with the lesser know Disciples, MacArthur assumes some things that may be true (we cannot know for sure), and then refers back to the assumptions as fact. Despite that issue, there is a ton of good information in this book and it is one that I recommend. Just remember that a lot of the details we won't really know until we meet these men on the other side.

John MacArthur, the veritable "walking bible", serves up an all too brief, but well supported glance at the men who would lead the spread of the Gospel immediately after Pentecost. MacArthur squeezes all details of the mens' lives (which in some cases is not much), and gives the reader the sense that these were real men of ordinary stature. He deftly drives home the point that what Jesus, then and now, is searching for is, AVAILABILITY. An easy, but informative read for anyone who desires to dig into the background of the New Testament.

MacArthur is a popular writer and pastor and he took on a task that is difficult; describe the lives of men we know little about.

Unfortunately the author throws too much of his own politics into ridiculous places throughout the book and he creates personalities out of nothing.

A good discussion starter but not a seminal piece of work.

Pastor MacArthur is one of my favorite authors. He always backs up what he is teaching with scripture. If you want to gain some more insight into the twelve apostles and their relationship with each other as well as Christ Jesus, then get this book.

Twelve Ordinary Men- How the Master shaped his Disciples for greatness and What He wants to do with You by John MacArthur. The book I received was in excellent condition and came in quicker than I expected. The Ladies at church in my UMW are starting this as a monthly bible study on 4/7/08. We are really looking forward to it.

The pace of modern life leaves many of us feeling that we don't have very much available time. When it comes to learning more about the Bible and in this case the Old Testament, many people have good intentions, but often feel intimidated by the subject matter or bound by their lack of available time. If this sounds like you, then I'd highly recommend this small book. At only 96 pages, you will be able to finish reading it (minus the appendixes) in little more than an hour.

Mark's focus in this book is to provide the reader with a succinct introduction to the entire Old Testament that will both encourage and inspire you to read it for yourself. Many readers will relate to the stories Mark recounts in the introduction about his early experiences with reading the Old Testament and how this book grew out of the many questions he has answered on the subject during his time in ministry. In chapter 1, following a brief introduction to the Bible as a whole, Mark focuses on 9 common questions he has been asked about the Old Testament. They are as follows:

1. Who wrote the Old Testament?
2. What does the Old Testament say about the Old Testament?
3. What does the New Testament say about the Old Testament?
4. What does Jesus say about the Old Testament?
5. How were the Old Testament books chosen as scripture?
6. What is the central message of the Old Testament?
7. How did we get the Old Testament in English?
8. Why are there different Bible translations?
9. How can I get the most out of the Old Testament?

Chapter 2 is concerned with how somebody might go about reading the Old Testament. In this chapter, Mark breaks down the various kinds of literature found in the Old Testament. He also gives a short overview of the theme and purpose of each Old Testament book.

The book closes with 2 appendixes. Appendix 1 talks about the importance of in-depth Bible study and makes many great resource suggestions for building your own theological library. Appendix 2 has a Bible reading checklist that the reader can use to keep track of their progress in reading through the Old Testament.

Let me conclude by saying that this great little book covers a lot of ground in less than 100 pages. Non-believers, new Christians, and even seasoned Christians will benefit from reading this book. Mark's writing style is engaging and clear, making this topic accessible for any reader of any experience level with the Old Testament. The price point also makes this a reasonable resource to share your friends and family.


Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill church [www.marshillchurch.org] in Seattle. He is also co-founder and president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network [www.acts29network.org]. Mark has penned an ever-growing list of books including: A book you'll actually read series, Vintage Jesus, Death by Love (Sept. 30, 2008), and others. Mark is married to his high school sweetheart Grace. They have been blessed with 5 children.

Has just the right verses you need, categorized according to topic. Perfect for praying the exact verses you need at the moment and for the situation you need them. Awesome!

I received this book just after receiving a life-changing medical diagnosis. Joyce Meyer has taken scripture and categorized it by need (i.e. sickness, worry, depression, etc.). I was able to turn to the section I needed and pray scripture, believe scripture and allow God to replenish my soul. I would recommend this book to anyone going through a tough time!! I have bought them in bulk now to give to friends! Truly a must have, go-to book in all life's circumstances.

This book has gotten me through some rough times in my life with the enemy was trying to take over my mind with fear, depression, and lack of confidence. Like the reader who gave the 2-star review...no its not a book full of insight from Joyce...that wasn't its purpose. The purpose was to make certain scripture dealing with certain situations easily accessible to the believer and this book does just that. When I am going through I whip out this book and look up the situation I am facing or the characteristic that I want to develop in my life at that time and just read the scriptures to myself our out loud. When you are going through your mind is frazzled sometimes and you really aren't in the mind set to flip back and forth through the bible or concordance saying, "Now where is that scripture on faith again??" Joyce has categorized it for you. The word of God says that death and life are in the power of the tongue...we must speak life into our destinies or death into the attacks of the enemy. This book is so awesome that I've been buying it and giving it away and that is why I am on Amazon now so that I can buy more. I would like to see Joyce add to this...to include even more issues/characteristics but she has definitely done a great job of covering major situations that we face everyday. Thanks, Joyce!!!

I bought this book and I'm so glad I did! I'm using it every day, speaking God's Word for my life and the positive changes are really remarkable. This is the most useful book I've ever seen by Joyce Meyer and I just can't say enough about it. I'd rate it 10 stars if that were possible. Besides the content itself, this is a really well-made book, very sturdy and small enough to take along in my purse.

Many times when people are praying, they are just speaking to God about their problems. This is faithless prayer and God cannot change anything in your life when you don't ask with faith. God already knows about the situation and think about it this way...God says His Word will never go void, but that He watches over His Word to bring it to pass. When you speak God's Word over situations in your life, situations are guaranteed to improve. Speaking God's Word has caused my faith to grow enormously.

The book is broken down into different topics like courage, health, depression, finance and so many more. Get this book and start using it today!!! God will bless you like never before. Also get "God's Master Plan For Your Life" by Gloria Copeland. It's awesome! I pray that God begins to bless you in every area of your life as you put this foundational principle to work!

This book is excellent. It has many Bible scriptures on several subjects, any of which you may be dealing with at a particular time. Often, the scriptures are written in the first person so that that you can personalize them and make them daily confessions. For those of us that believe that speaking God's word is necessary, and is the essence of prayer, this book gives us quick access to spiritual nuggets in every imaginable area. It is a "God send," literally.

A Letter to My Sisters: The Way Out
I am indeed invigorated and ready to proceed into the future. This book helped me to break away from the bondage of things that had been sitting in my way for a while. Thank you Lady Beth for sharing you revelation.
A Letter to My Sisters: The Way Out

This was one of those really excellent experiences. Shipping was done within the days specified. The shipper sent notification the book had been shipped and the book arrived within a week. Above and beyond expectations!!

Great Amazon Seller! Would buy from again. Received book exactly as described in great timing.

Don't you just love Beth Moore?!? What an inspiration Beth is to ALL Christian women across this world. God has used Beth in such an awesome manner - don't you wonder what it's costing her? To whom much is given, much is required. This book flows just like her Bible study with the same title. This book will help you to find areas in your life where you are being held back and weren't even aware you were being held back! There are so many things that we as humans accept as just a part of normal life. Beth shows us in biblical terms why that is just not true! Just because it's a common 'side effect' of living in this sinful world DOES NOT mean that we have to accept it in our lives! I strongly urge you to find a church in your area that offers Beth Moore Bible studies. Read this book - it will set you free!!!

Several of my friends and I are using this book for an e-mail small group Bible study. It is well suited for that with its short chapters and review questions.
I ordered 3 items at exactly the same time and had to pay 3 separate shipping charges. I probably would not do that kind of shopping again.