Bible Study Magazine—March–April 2013 Issue

• Feature Stories
  Discover new ways to connect the Bible with your ministry and life through in-depth interviews and articles from the biggest names in the church and biblical scholarship.
• Bible Study Tips
  Explore the Word—thoughtful and engaging authors tackle the tough passages in Scripture, explain difficult concepts, and confront complex interpretations in a way that helps the Gospel make sense in your life.
• On the Cutting Edge
  Keep up to date on the latest news in biblical research, including archaeological and historical findings.
• A New Kind of Bible Study
  Encounter God by yourself or with other believers with an ongoing Bible study in each issue.
• On Teaching
  Get advice on how to preach or teach the Bible in any setting from well-known pastors and teachers who use the Bible every day.
• Tool Box
  Learn how to effectively use the latest Bible study tools with our how-to guides.
• In the News
  Keep informed about the latest news in biblically related topics, discoveries, and events.
• Thoughts from the Ancients
  Read the Bible together with those who have come before you, and learn from the wisdom of the early church—in its own words.
• Word Studies
  Get a close-up view of the Bible! Each issue contains insights about specific words found in the Bible and tutorials on how to do word studies.
• If Only Someone Would Explain It to Me
  Enrich your understanding of the Bible with explanations of biblical and theological concepts by top scholars.
• Did You Know?
  Discover interesting facts about the place of the Bible in the contemporary and the ancient world.
• What They Don’t Tell You in Church
  See things you never noticed in biblical passages you have read dozens of times.
• Biblical Humor
  The funniest stories and the best comics related to the Bible, useful for any setting.
• Book Reviews
  Stay on top of the latest books about Bible study. Each issue contains reviews of books and commentaries to equip you in your study of God’s Word.

Excerpts from the March–April 2013 Issue!

Tim Keller: Church in the City

“Jesus gave us two commandments: love God and love your neighbor,” says Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. “When I call people to repent and convert, I’m telling them to love God. When I call people to do good in the city, I’m telling them to love their neighbor.”

“People in the city have to see that you’re not just trying to increase your following. What we call evangelism—and what I think is the most important thing you can do—the city sees as just recruitment and accrual of power.” This can generate a lot of hostility. Keller says evangelism should do the opposite. “The gospel makes us unselfish. We show the gospel in the city through deeds of love and mercy. That makes people more willing to listen to your message, which is, ‘You’re sinners and you’re lost.’ The city needs to see us loving our neighbor.”—Jessi Strong

Sally Lloyd-Jones on Telling Stories

“Teach your children the Bible is not about them. It’s not mainly about them and what they should be doing. It’s about God and what He has done. We can tell the story and then let the story do its work. Don’t sum it up into a sentence or drill it down into a moral lesson—that will kill the story. Lessons come at you head on and leave you with your defenses up, but a story comes around the side and captures your heart.”

8 Ways to Pray: A Study of 8 Psalms

We often think of worship as joyful noises and hands lifted in praise. Expressions of grief, frustration and fear don’t fit the mold of worship—they’re often sorted out privately.

The Psalms challenge our modern constructs about emotions. They give voice to the joyful and desperate cries of an ancient people in a manner that many of us would hesitate to express today. The Psalms abandon façades for complete authenticity before God. —Miles Custis