Bible Study Magazine—November–December 2010 Issue

• Feature Stories
  Discover new ways to connect the Bible with your ministry and life through reading great interviews with and articles from the biggest names in the church and biblical scholarship.
• Bible Study Tips
  Thoughtful and engaging authors tackle the tough passages in Scripture, explain difficult concepts, and confront complex interpretations in a way that helps God’s Word make sense to 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 along with those who have come before you, and learn from the wisdom of the early church—in their 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 Bible in the contemporary and 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 the books and commentaries to equip you in your study of God’s Word.

Excerps from the Nov-Dec 2010 Issue!

Plan of Action: Greg Laurie Explains How the Bible is Our Guide

"Studying the Bible isn't about Picking and choosing passages; it is about understanding texts in their entirety," says Greg Laurie. "Only with proper contextualization can we really understand God's message and effectively share it with others."

Laurie, 58, is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship,—a Calvary Chapel church in Riverside, California with an average attendance of 15,000. He is also the founder of Harvest Ministries, which is committed to "knowing God and making Him known," according to its mission statement.

Scholar Norman Geisler on Where the Rubber Meets the Road

The first step to effective Bible study is not to study. "The first thing I do is pray. Communication is a two-way street. God speaks to me through the Bible and I speak to Him through prayer," says Norman Geisler. For this Bible scholar, apologist and philosopher, reading the Scriptures is not merely an intellectual exercise; it's a personal encounter with God.

God is God, Right?

Maybe not in the way we usually think of Him. Back in the days of Genesis, people believed in many gods. The Israelites distinguished God from the gods of other nations by adding an attribute of God Most High, God Almighty, or God of Abraham.

The names of God emphasize God's relationship with His people. They show us the connection between the sovereign creator in Gen. 1, and the redeemer who would keep His promises and deliver a nation in Exodus. They tell us who our God is.