Start
Your Own
Bible
Study
Class
You would be surprised at how many people in your parish
would welcome a Bible Study class. So many are intimidated by Holy Scripture, as
they are unfamiliar with the basics of how to understand the Word of GOD. Many
pick up a Bible and turn to page one and start reading it as they would a novel.
This is all well and good for a start, but soon they realize they are completely
lost as to just what is going on. The story becomes muddled and hopelessly
complicated. This causes them to lose interest and quit.
Holy Scripture is
the rarest of all jewels, and with just a little understanding of the basics,
the reader will soon find that it is a veritable inexhaustible treasure chest.
It is an amazing collection of such magnitude, that one lifetime is not long
enough to master it all. Once you discover a few simple keys to Bible
understanding, you will find, as I have, that it is pure excitement that will
last forever.
I have tried to make this course easy for you by providing all that you will
need to get started. All of the various files are provided for you on this
website. It is only a matter of printing them out and starting your very own
class. Here are the files, in the order in which I would teach them. The
first of these lessons are laid out in building block fashion and should be
taught in the order listed. I will be adding to this list from time to time.
The Basics of the
Bible. This is an introduction to the
Bible. It is very basic and can be done in one session.
The Canon of the
Bible. This is the history as to the
origin of the Bible which you use today. It explains why and how Protestant
bibles have only 66 books, while ours has 73 books. This is a long one so it
might take more than one session.
Some of the Basic Rules of Bible
Interpretation. This is a short lesson
with some important aids to Bible understanding.
The Senses of Scripture.
In order to understand the verses, you should know in which
of the various senses the author had in mind as he was writing them. Some verses
have multiple senses also.
Typology of Scripture. This section ties the Old Testament to the New Testament and helps to
show that the entire Bible is one continuous story.
Prefigurements of Scripture.
This lesson consists of additional "Types" from Scripture
which you learned about in "Typology of Scripture".
With a good understanding of the preceding lessons,
the following could be taught in the order you or your students prefer. Take a
vote in order to add student participation.
Authority: Which Church has
it? A very important topic, since to have
only one truth, you have to have only one authority.
The Family of GOD. We on earth are united with those in purgatory and in heaven. We are one
family.
The Catholic
Church in the Old Testament. It is
prefigured, predicted, and prophesied by many Old Testament prophets.
The Catholic Church in the New
Testament. This is a very long file, but
an extremely important one. It will lay out a blueprint of the primitive Church,
the Church which Jesus Christ founded. With it, you can compare every Church on
earth and see immediately which is the only Church that fits this plan
perfectly. It is all Biblical. I would advise this lesson to be spread over
several sessions.
Prophecies
of the Old Testament which were Fulfilled in the New
Testament. This lesson shows that over
100 prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in the New Testament. How
could anyone deny that Jesus Christ is the Messiah after reading this? This one
is fascinating.
"The New Testament lies hidden in the Old Testament, and the
Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament", St. Augustine.
Jesus Christ
did say, "I have not come to condemn but to fulfill", Matt 5:17
The True Presence in the Holy
Eucharist. We analyze the Gospel of John,
Chapter Six.
The Blessed
Virgin Mary in the Old Testament. With
your understanding of the basic foundational building blocks in previous
sessions, this topic is readily revealed in the Old
Testament.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There
are some observations in this file that you no doubt have never heard of
before.
The Papacy is
Scriptural. Surprise! Protestants say the
Papacy is an invention of the Catholic Church. The truth is, the Papacy is very
Scriptural...if you know where to look.
The Primacy of Peter. It is denied by those who do not know their Bible. The Scriptural proof
that Peter indeed had primacy over all of the Apostles is
overwhelming.
Purgatory is
Scriptural. Even in the 66 book
Protestant Bibles.
The
Inquisition is Scriptural. This is a
topic which Protestants constantly bring to our attention, but, surprise!!!, it
is very Scriptural.
Amazing Stories from the Bible.
Some short stories which add interest to Bible
study.
Tidbits. Some
amazing Biblical issues you may have never noticed before. It is loaded with
facts.
The Bible is a
Scientific Wonder. For those of you who
have scientific minds, the Bible provides scientific facts, some of which were
not discovered by man until centuries later.
GOD is Pro-Life. You will be very surprised at the number of verses which support
pro-life.
Bible
Twisting. Methods used by some to twist
the meaning of Scripture to suit their teaching. We must be careful and be on
guard to be able to recognize these devious ways designed to lead us
astray.
Truth or
Consequences. Yes, we must say, teach,
and preach, the truth at all times, for if we do not, we will suffer the
consequences, and Scripture tells us those consequences are severe.
There
are many more topics on this website from which you may choose to add to your
class.
©
Written by Bob Stanley, February
22, 2000
Updated December 7, 2006
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