LifeGuide Bible Studies: Walking in the Spirit (19 vols.)

by Carolyn Nystrom; J. I. Packer; Peter Scazzero; Andrea Sterk; Dale Larsen

and

13 more

Publishers:

IVP Bible Studies; IVP

, 1998–2016

Overview

Living in accordance with the Holy Spirit is to set the mind on what the Spirit desires. This collection will assist Christians in doing just that. Grow in faith, hope, and love while inductively studying Scripture with a focus toward application. Study spiritual gifts, worship, hospitality, and integrity while cultivating Christian character with these studies. Examine the Fruit of the Spirit, what it means to follow and abide in Jesus, and how one pleases God.

These LifeGuide Bible Studies feature questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection. Leader’s notes are included with information on study preparation, leading the study, and small group components, as well as helps for specific Bible passages covered in each study. Featuring the inductive Bible study approach, LifeGuides are thoroughly field-tested prior to publication; they’re proven and popular guides for digging into Scripture on your own or with a small group.

Key Features

• Emphasizes Scripture’s meaning and practical application through inductive Bible study and discussion questions
• Equips Christians to understand the nature of living in accordance with the Holy Spirit
• Includes over 150 Bible study lessons for small group or personal study

Product Details

• Title: LifeGuide Bible Studies: Walking in the Spirit
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Volumes: 19
• Pages: 1,274
• Resource Type: Bible Studies
• Topic: Biblical Studies

Abiding in Christ

• Authors: J.I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love” (John 15:9). Before Jesus left this world he gave specific encouragement and instructions to his disciples on what to expect and how to live after he had gone. These words still apply to his disciples today.

In Abiding in Christ, trusted guides J.I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom lead you through a study of Jesus’ farewell to his disciples in John 14-17 to help you discover what it means to abide in Christ during the time between Christ’s departure and his second coming.

J.I. Packer is the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College and an executive editor for Christianity Today. Best known for his bestselling classic Knowing God (audio). Packer is the author or editor of more than 30 other books, including A Quest for Godliness, Concise Theology, New Dictionary of Theology.

Carolyn Nystrom (MA, Wheaton College) has written more than eighty books, Bible study guides, and children’s titles. She coauthored Praying with theologian J.I. Packer and Is the Reformation Over with scholar Mark Noll. She is also the author of the LifeGuide Bible Studies 1 & 2 Peter and Jude, Money and Work, Friendship, Listening to God and more.

In addition to actively serving in her church, she has been a foster parent, an elementary schoolteacher, the stated clerk of her EPC presbytery, and a book editor.

Christian Character

• Authors: Andrea Sterk and Peter Scazzero
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 1999
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Compassion, humility, faith, perseverance. We long for the beauty of Christ to be reflected in our lives. Such character comes only as the Spirit of God transforms us through the Word of God. These Bible studies will help you along your journey toward becoming all that God created you to be.

Andrea Sterk is a church historian teaching at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

Peter Scazzero is senior pastor of New Life Fellowship Church in Queens, New York. He formerly served as a staff member with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Faith: Depending on God

• Authors: Dale Larsen and Sandy Larsen
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Why don’t I get what I pray for? Do I wait in faith for God to change a bad situation, or do I step out in faith to look for change? Why don’t I feel more confident that God will help me?

If you ever struggle with uncertainties about faith, you’ll find good company in the pages of the Bible. Dale and Sandy Larsen lead you through nine Bible studies on people who struggled with faith to encourage you in your journey to deeper trust.

Dale Larsen is a writer living in Rochester, Minnesota. He and his wife, Sandy, have written more than 40 books and Bible studies together including Living Your Legacy and more than ten LifeGuide Bible studies. They have also coauthored eight N.T. Wright for Everyone Bible Study Guides with Wright.

Sandy Larsen is a writer living in Rochester, Minnesota. She and her husband, Dale, have written more than 40 books and Bible studies together including Living Your Legacy and more than ten LifeGuide Bible studies. They have also coauthored eight N.T. Wright for Everyone Bible Study Guides with Wright.

Following Jesus

• Author: Douglas Connelly
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In this study Douglas Connelly looks at various metaphors for how we grow more spiritually mature in Christ, including running a race, carrying a cross, constructing a building, fighting a battle and more.

Douglas Connelly (MDiv and MTh, Grace Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at Davison Missionary Church near Flint, Michigan, after serving 12 years as senior pastor at Parkside Community Church in Sterling Heights, Michigan. A writer and speaker, he has written 17 LifeGuide Bible Studies as well as several books, including The Bible for Blockheads and Angels Around Us.

Forgiveness: Making Peace with the Past

• Author: Douglas Connelly
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Forgiveness is a door. It’s the way to peace and joy. But it’s a small door, and it can’t be entered without stooping—or kneeling. And sometimes it is very hard to find. When we hurt the people we love, how do we go about restoring the relationship? When we suffer the pain of betrayal or injury or rejection from someone else, how do we deal with the anger and resentment we feel?

In eight studies, Douglas Connelly leads the way to help you discover, understand and practice what the Bible says about forgiveness.

Douglas Connelly (MDiv and MTh, Grace Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at Davison Missionary Church near Flint, Michigan, after serving 12 years as senior pastor at Parkside Community Church in Sterling Heights, Michigan. A writer and speaker, he has written 17 LifeGuide Bible Studies as well as several books, including The Bible for Blockheads and Angels Around Us.

Fruit of the Spirit

• Author: Hazel Offner
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 1999
• Pages: 58

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. To be spiritually mature is to show the fruit of the Spirit of Christ in our lives. These Bible studies from Old and New Testament passages highlight each quality and inspire us to nurture the Spirit’s fruit in our lives.

Hazel Offner has for many years worked with students in the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship chapter at the University of Illinois. She has also helped to lead and promote hundreds of Bible study groups in the Champaign-Urbana area.

Hope: Your Heart’s Deepest Longings

• Author: Jack Kuhatschek
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 61

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Sometimes hope becomes so real that it’s almost tangible. But at other times—especially when tragedy or hardship intrudes—you wonder whether your hope will fail, leaving you exposed, vulnerable and overwhelmed. In eight sessions, Jack Kuhatschek leads you to explore both sides of hope. You’ll confront doubts and fears, and you’ll anticipate the great joy that awaits you in Jesus Christ.

Jack Kuhatschek was formerly executive vice president and publisher for Baker Publishing Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the author of many Bible study guides and the books Applying the Bible and The Superman Syndrome.

Hospitality: God’s Call to Compassion

• Author: Patty Pell
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 96

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The word hospitality brings to mind tables filled with cookies and pots of good coffee. Offering food to friends is a wonderful ministry indeed, but the biblical concept of hospitality is much deeper and more significant. In these studies by Patty Pell, you’ll discover the Old Testament call to hospitality as the distinguishing feature of those who are in relationship with God, the outward-focused expression of the grace and provision that one has received from God. In the New Testament the extension of life, provision and protection is expanded as Jesus unpacks image after image of the kingdom of God in the language of host and guests. Come and discover God’s call to hospitality.

Patty Pell (MA, Old Testament Studies, Denver Seminary) is a staff worker with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado and at Christ Community Church in Greeley, Colorado. She is the author of Esther and Hospitality in the LifeGuide® Bible Study series and a coauthor of Small Group Leaders’ Handbook.

Integrity: Living the Truth

• Author: Carolyn Nystrom
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Is truth an outdated concept? Today it is often considered rude to speak of right and wrong. In such a culture of relativism, we desperately need to be reminded of the biblical value of integrity. These Bible studies invite us to find contentment in who are and how we follow God as we grow to be people of real integrity.

Carolyn Nystrom (MA, Wheaton College) has written more than eighty books, Bible study guides, and children’s titles. She coauthored Praying with theologian J.I. Packer and Is the Reformation Over with scholar Mark Noll. She is also the author of the LifeGuide Bible Studies 1 & 2 Peter and Jude, Money and Work, Friendship, Listening to God and more.

In addition to actively serving in her church, she has been a foster parent, an elementary schoolteacher, the stated clerk of her EPC presbytery, and a book editor.

Love: The Greatest Gift of All

• Author: Phyllis J. Le Peau
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 63

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

It begins with God. As you come to know of and believe in his everlasting love, you begin to think about loving others—through prayer, service, forgiveness and more. Phyllis J. Le Peau offers nine Bible studies to help you build a foundation of confidence in God’s love for you. You will be encouraged and equipped to respond to his love by loving others.

Phyllis Le Peau worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for over two decades in St. Louis and the Chicago metro area. She is also the author of several Bible study guides published by InterVarsity Press and Zondervan.

Loving Justice

• Authors: Bob Hunter and Carol Hunter
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 76

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

God is loving and powerful. He is able to work against some of the strongest forces of hate in the world. You can imitate God’s justice by fighting against these same powers in your own life and in the lives of those around you. Taking a fresh look at this theme throughout Scripture, Bob and Carol Hunter challenge you to love justice as God does. And they show you how to work for justice in your everyday life.

Bob Hunter is a specialist in multiculturalism and justice for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. As adjunct associate professor of peace and global studies, he often teaches courses in the religion and math departments, and he has several times taught a course on racism for the college. Hunter also chairs the Human Rights Commission for the city of Richmond.

Carol Hunter (PhD, State University of New York, Binghamton) is professor of history at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.

Miracles: Signs of God’s Glory

• Author: Douglas Connelly
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 1999
• Pages: 76

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Most of us could use a miracle. Some physical condition, relationship problem or financial crisis we struggle with could be fixed rather quickly with just one miracle. When we open the pages of the Bible, our desire for a miracle intensifies as we read astonishing stories of God’s power poured out. What do these events have to do with us? How can we experience the power of God in the battles we face every day? This Bible study explores the miracles of God to help you discover how he works in our world— yesterday and today.

Douglas Connelly (MDiv and MTh, Grace Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at Davison Missionary Church near Flint, Michigan, after serving 12 years as senior pastor at Parkside Community Church in Sterling Heights, Michigan. A writer and speaker, he has written 17 LifeGuide Bible Studies as well as several books, including The Bible for Blockheads and Angels Around Us.

Pleasing God

• Author: Jack Kuhatschek
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 1999
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Like children performing for our parents in a backyard play, we long to receive the applause, the approval, the divine “well done” of our heavenly Father. This Bible study is about how we can please God—not by following legalistic rules but by putting our trust in Christ. As we grow in our relationship with him, we see how godly character flows from a clear conscience and a sincere heart.

Jack Kuhatschek was formerly executive vice president and publisher for Baker Publishing Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the author of many Bible study guides and the books Applying the Bible and The Superman Syndrome.

Sabbath: The Gift of Rest

• Author: Lynne M. Baab
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

What is the Sabbath? A weekly day of rest and worship. A day to rejoice in abundance. A day to practice thankfulness. A day to slow down, take a deep breath, step aside from work and worries, and let the world go on without us, knowing that God is caring for everyone and everything. The studies in this guide will help you to learn more about what Sabbath is and how to practice it. More people of all ages are finding the Sabbath to be a gift from God that brings a renewed awareness of who God is and who we are as God’s beloved children. Come and discover God’s gift of rest.

I recommend this study for all readers to re-discover how to draw closer to God through the observance of the Day of Rest.

—Gail D. Welborn, The Cypress Times

Lynne M. Baab is the author of multiple books and Bible studies. A Presbyterian minister, she completed a PhD in communication at the University of Washington in 2007 and moved with her husband to Dunedin, New Zealand, where she is a lecturer in pastoral theology at the University of Otago. Lynne is the author of eight books, including A Renewed Spirituality, Sabbath Keeping, Fasting, Sabbath, Personality Type in Congregations, Embracing Midlife, Beating Burnout in Congregations, Reaching Out in a Networked World: Expressing Your Congregation’s Heart and Soul, and Friending. She is also the author of three LifeGuide Bible Studies.

Service: Ministry with Heart and Hands

• Author: R. Paul Stevens
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2014
• Pages: 80

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This LifeGuide Study includes ten sessions exploring service in a variety of contexts: family, the physical creation, society, the city, neighbors, relationships, the church and the workplace. Looking inside ministry specifically, R. Paul Stevens examines examples of service that were motivated by imagination, passion, faith, hope and love—from Genesis to Revelation. Out of these studies you will discover how to live and serve wholeheartedly. No matter what your profession, you are a full time minister of Jesus Christ.

Looking inside ministry, Stevens examines examples of service that were motivated by imagination, passion, faith, hope and love—from Genesis to Revelation. From these studies readers will discover how to live and serve wholeheartedly with the understanding that no matter their profession, they are full-time ministers for Christ.

—Christian Retailing

R. Paul Stevens is professor emeritus of marketplace theology and leadership at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, and a marketplace ministry mentor. He has worked as a carpenter and businessman, and served as the pastor of an inner-city church in Montreal. He has written many books and Bible studies, including Doing God’s Business, Work Matters, Marriage Spirituality, The Other Six Days, and Spiritual Gifts. He is coauthor (with Pete Hammond and Todd Svanoe) of The Marketplace Annotated Bibliography.

Songs from Scripture

• Author: James W. Reapsome
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

“Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is King of all the earth; sing ye praises with understanding,” (Psalm 47:6-7).

Throughout the Bible there are songs. Some are songs of celebration and hope while others express despair or humility and still others recount God’s redemption. “Songs lift our hearts and minds,” writes James Reapsome. “They powerfully convey truth poetically and musically. God commands us to love him totally and exclusively with the union of our emotion, intellect, and will. That’s why he included songs when he inspired the words of the Bible.”

Taken together these songs reveal our humanity before God and the glory and grace of life in him. In nine studies, this LifeGuide explores several biblical songs from both the Old and New Testaments.

James W. Reapsome (d. 2017) was a pastor and served as editor of Evangelical Missions Quarterly and the World Pulse newsletter. He was the coeditor of Innovation in Mission and the author or coauthor of LifeGuide studies such as Exodus, Hebrews, Grief, Marriage, and Songs from Scripture.

Spiritual Gifts

• Author: R. Paul Stevens
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

You are unique. You have been created and invited by God to participate in his kingdom work. Yet, you have probably also experienced feelings of uncertainty about how to serve God, about what gifts you have to use, and about God’s purpose for your life.

In these studies, R. Paul Stevens helps you to recognize your spiritual gifts and the gifts of others. And he leads you to consider how to practically use these gifts to glorify God in your relationships, your work and your world.

R. Paul Stevens is professor emeritus of marketplace theology and leadership at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, and a marketplace ministry mentor. He has worked as a carpenter and businessman, and served as the pastor of an inner-city church in Montreal. He has written many books and Bible studies, including Doing God’s Business, Work Matters, Marriage Spirituality, The Other Six Days, and Spiritual Gifts. He is coauthor (with Pete Hammond and Todd Svanoe) of The Marketplace Annotated Bibliography.

Waiting for God

• Author: Juanita Ryan
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2013
• Pages: 60

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

We spend much of our life waiting. For healing for ourselves or a friend. For a wayward daughter to return to God. For a new job. For marriage and children and grandchildren. Sometimes the waiting can cause us to feel stuck, or forgotten by God. But waiting time is not wasted time.

These eight studies by Juanita Ryan help you draw near to God in times of uncertainty and postponement. As she leads you and your group through significant moments of waiting in Scripture, you will become familiar with the dynamics of such times and learn to hear God’s call to rest in his timing.

Juanita Ryan is a clinical nurse specialist with an MSN in psychiatric mental health nursing. She has taught mental health nursing at Bethel University, Rio Hondo Community College and Biola University. She is currently a therapist in private practice at Brea Family Counseling Center in Brea, California. She is the coauthor of The Twelve Steps: A Spiritual Kindergarten and the author or coauthor of over 30 InterVarsity Press Bible studies.

Worship: His Love Endures Forever

• Author: Sundee Tucker Frazier
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 64

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Why do we worship? Do we do it simply because it’s part of a church service, or does it spring from a heart of genuine praise? The Bible gives us a clear picture of what worship is—and isn’t—about. In eight studies Sundee Tucker Frazier helps you dig into the Bible, learning how to worship with your whole life and taking you to the heart of the matter—the character of the God who loves you.

Sundee Tucker Frazier is a full-time mother and children’s writer. She worked for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for ten years, first on campus staff and then as the worship leader with her husband, Matt, for Urbana 2000, InterVarsity’s student missions convention. She is the author of Check All That Apply (IVP, 2002) and Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything in It (Delacorte Press/Random House, 2007).