We Are Moving!!

Seriously! We have a Bible study series for people who absolutely can’t or maybe just won’t study for hours at a time. If you will give us 15 minutes a day we will walk you through whole books of the Bible in a way that the Scriptures make sense. The New Inductive Study Series (NISS) is perhaps one of our best kept secrets. These studies are perfect for people who really want to study the Bible but just don’t have the time for a Precept Upon Precept study.  “God laid this series on my heart so that people could get a grasp of the whole counsel of God and not be fooled by the cunning craftiness of false teachers or tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, but instead handling the Word of God accurately. This is a great tool for your quiet time.”   Kay Arthur On this program we will talk about this series, and how to use them for your own personal study or to make disciples. 

It's easy to get confused about how to please God. After all there are so many commands in the Bible how can I possibly keep up with them! And, I thought we were suppose to live by grace. but what does that look like? Do you ever feel that way? Confused? Centuries ago, in answer to this question, Jesus simplified all the rules and regulations into just two great commands: love God and love people.  On this edition of Precept Radio we are going to talk about how that might look for us today. Join us!  

Wouldn’t you love to have a Precept Ministries Workshop at your church? Wouldn’t you love to be a part of establishing people in God’s Word? Well, we’re here to help. There is a lot that goes into hosting a workshop but our team will walk you through it step by step. On this program we introduce you to Malinda Guider our workshop coordinator. Malinda has an amazing ability to simplify the process, take you by the hand, and help you successfully host a training workshop. You are going to love hearing a little bit of her story and hearing her passion to help people be a part of establishing others in God’s Word.

We typically think of online Bible studies as a very personal thing, “Do I want to sign up for an online study?” And as a Bible study leader your answer is probably “no”. But have you thought about online Bible studies s a resource for your church? Online Bible studies can be a great way to get others in your church involved in Bible study. And in some cases they are these studies are equipping tools to train new leaders. On this edition of Precept Radio we are going to talk about the online Bible study offerings we have and make some suggestions for ways to use these resources as discipleship tools for your local church.  

As a Bible study leaders we really don’t know who we have in our class rooms. I don’t mean we don’t know their names or some details describing their lives. I mean we don’t know what hidden or secret little sins are masked behind the smiles our students wear. We don’t know the conviction they may be wrestling with or how overwhelmed they feel. The pain they live with or the regrets that torment them are often hidden by manicured appearances, pretty smiles, and polite greetings. Sometimes people look like fine church going Christians on the outside, but they are a total mess on the inside. Bible study brings the light of God and the magnifying glass of God into the dark recesses of our hearts. When God looks deeply into our messy lives it can be an overwhelming experience. Those moments may be quiet and calm, or they may be emotionally overwhelming. They will probably happen at home. But, they may happen in your class. Simply because the people have been in the Word, and you are leading them in a discussion of the Scriptures you have the potential to see God work in your class. As Bible study leaders we need to be aware that there is more going on than we realize in the hearts and minds of our students. What do we do? Great question. Join us on this edition of Precept Radio.

Louie Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, has been invited to deliver the benediction at President Obama’s inauguration. Regardless of your political persuasion this is quite an honor. Billy Graham was invited to pray at 10 presidential inaugurations. To be invited to do anything Billy Graham had been asked to do is an honor. Louie Giglio was in effect uninvited from attending and praying at the inauguration just a few days later. He was uninvited because of his views of homosexuality. Louie believes homosexuality is a sin. It turns out believing someone’s sexual preference to be a sin, is actually the ultimate sin against our society. Why does it matter to you as Bible Study leader? Well, you as a Bible study leader live in this society. How you engage with the people around you matters. It is important to the King and to the kingdom that we do not allow the world to distract us from our purpose of being messengers of the gospel and drag us into an argument over individual sins. Join David Lawson as he discusses sin, slaves, society, and the Bible. 

Is your life falling through the cracks? That is why a lot of us make New Year Resolutions, we are trying to get our lives back together.  The statistics say about 45% of us made a New Year Resolution. The good news is that 75% of us keep the resolutions we make! Well, at least we will for the first week, and mostly for the second week, but we do start to fail rapidly after that. By the end of the year only about 8% of us will still be resolute in our resolutions.  That begs the question, if so few of us are successful, why do we make them to start with? Like we said, for some of us it is because we feel like our lives or at least some parts of our lives are coming apart and we know something needs to change. But if we know something needs to change and we are resolute in our resolve why do we still fail? Good question. It might be simply a bad approach. We will talk about on Precept Radio. IF your life is falling through the cracks we have 2 tips for retrieving it. Join us. 

Go deeper into God’s Word with others in 2013 by joining an official Precept Ministries International Online Bible study class! This is one of the great advantages of being a member of the Precept Online Community. Many of us promised ourselves, and some of us even promised God, that we would get more involved in Bible study this year. Precept Ministries is here to help all of us keep that promise.  We now have available Online Bible study classes!  These classes cover the whole range of our Bible study materials from no homework in advance all the way to five hours of homework before each class. And we even have all of Pam Gillaspie's studies available. Many of the classes are styled like a regular Precept class which meets once a week, except that they meet on line and discuss the homework assignments. And we even have two studies which are FREE!!!!   On this program host David Lawson discusses online classes and the Precept Online Community.  Join us!  

She wondered into church last Sunday drunk and confused. Minutes earlier she had stood looking at the railroad tracks on her right, planning to lay down there and die, and the church steeple on her left. She said something told her to walk toward the steeple.  She had no hope in this world that her life would ever change. As we talked she said “You don’t understand! I can’t be good!” But, I did understand. None of us can be good, that is why Jesus came. He came to save the ungood.  Join us today for a different Christmas story.

Lightning studies What are they? Lightning studies are short, quick, and powerful Bible studies designed to make the most impact in the shortest amount of time. Time is the most valuable commodity in our world. People are busy and before they will invest a significant amount of time in any thing they need to see the benefits. Bible study sounds scary, daunting, complicated, and boring to many people. So when we tell people “Read your Bible!” many people think “Yes, I should. I can’t. I won’t” Lightning studies address all of those issues. They will not replace real serious Bible Study but they will engage the unengaged and open the door for more conversation. Join David Lawson today on Precept Radio to learn more about using this powerful tool. 

This is the 3 and final installment of our series introducing you to our new Precept Online Community. In the previous programs we have explained how to sign up for your FREE account, and some of the basics of being a member. We also talked about the community groups and which ones are a must join. Today we will focus our tour on the Resource Library. This is one of the greatest features of our online community. Join us and discover the amazing resources Precept Ministries has put literally at your finger tips!

Last week we started exploring the Precept Online Community. This week we will continue the conversation. Once you are in the community: What do you do? Where do you go? What groups are an absolute “must join”? How do I find those resources I keep hearing about? Join host David Lawson today for Precept Radio and get the insiders guide, part 2, to the new Precept Online Community. 

You joined the Precept Online Community, but now what? Where do you go? What do you do? How do you make the most of this new community? In this week’s edition of Precept Radio we will focus on the basics of: how to sign up for a free account how to choose a password what to do after you join how to find those new resources everyone is talking about Join host David Lawson today for Precept Radio and get the insiders guide to the new Precept Online Community. 

Join the conversation and join Precept’s new online community! Last week Kay Arthur introduced us to the new Precept Online Community, and this week I continue the conversation about this new community with two of Precept Ministries long time friends and co-laborers, Steve and Susan Butler. Steve and Susan are part of our network team and both are experienced Bible study leaders. I have asked them to join us because they know the online community inside and out. For the Butlers this tool fulfills a vision their vision of connecting and networking together leaders from across Tennessee, the US, and even around the world. Listen in, catch the vision and feel their passion to help Bible study leaders be all they have been called to be. 

You have heard Kay and David telling you to mark your calendar because something was coming on November 13! Well, yesterday was our day for the public launch of Precept Online Community! This is one of the most exciting things we have ever tried. This online community is the place for connecting and equipping Bible Study Leaders and students by providing ongoing support, training opportunities and exclusive resources to help them become more effective in their study of God’s Word and in making disciples for Christ. Join our very special guest Kay Arthur and host David Lawson as they introduce you to Precept Online Community!!

How do you deal with disappointment? How do you respond when your heart breaks and your hopes are shattered? For many people facing disappointment is like trying to breathe underwater. You feel overwhelmed and surrounded by pain, confusion, and fear. When the wind is knocked out you and you can’t get a breath, what do you do and where do you turn? What if the things we call disappointments are really His appointments?  Today on Precept radio we will look at the issue of disappointment and how as Christians we can, and should, respond. Join host David Lawson as he outlines some practical steps to take to get your feet back on the ground when disappointment knocks you down.

Jail Ministry!  Prison Ministry! Just the terms are a little intimidating! And for many of us the idea of stepping into that world requires more faith than we believe we have. But, for those of you whose heart has been stirred by God to reach into the darkness and help the hopeless it is a place of great opportunity. In there you can see the hand of God at work in the lives of your students in ways you might not on the outside.  Last week we started our conversation with Mary Alice about Bible study in prison or jail and she was way too much fun for only one fifteen minute program. So, this week she’s back! This week she will continue to share information and insight about surviving and thriving in the challenging world of prison ministry. Her humor and her faith will encourage your walk regardless of the ministry area God has given you. Join us!  You don’t want to miss this conversation!  

Answering The Call! Two years ago we interviewed John Wagoner, Vice President of Advancement, about an exciting plan we believe God has given us. Our God given goal is to reach 10 million new people with inductive Bible study in only 5 years at a cost of only $2 per person. Two years into the project, how are we doing? How much has God provided? How many people have we reached? John Wagoner joins us again on this edition of Precept Radio and fills us in on the progress. The report is EXCITING! It is, quite honestly, better than anyone expected. But, we still have a long way to go. Answering the call! We have answered. Will you?

As a Bible study leader you may have leaders or potential leaders in your class who need a ministry opportunity or a place to lead Bible studies.  Have you thought about a jail or prison ministry? MaryAlice Whalley, arguably the most exciting and amazing Bible study leader you will ever meet, is our special guest today on Precept Radio. As a Bible study leader Mary Alice always has a captive audience, that is because her classes are in prison. Her faith in her savior is humbling to most of us who choose to believe but find it scary to step out. Her stories are both funny and heartbreaking. MaryAlice will be here to share with us what she does in the California Prison System, and how you can start a jail or prison ministry where you are.  

   “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.”   Proverbs 14:34 With the Presidential election quickly approaching there is some confusion about what the candidates believe, the parties platforms, and how we should respond.  There are even some who wonder if we should be involved in politics at all. As a Bible Study Leader you are probably hearing a lot about politics in your groups. How should you respond? What do we do? Over the next few weeks we will be posting on ESTABLISHED one blog per week, addressing the topic of voting for righteousness and what that looks like. Today on Precept Radio we are going to discuss the issue and try to frame it in a way we can see the issue clearly and respond appropriately. Join us.