LifeGuide Bible Studies: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (17 vols.)

by Cindy Bunch; Juanita Ryan; Dale Ryan; Jack Kuhatschek; Ruth Ann Ridley

and

6 more

Publisher:

IVP

, 1999–2014

Overview

This collection will assist Christians in deepening their knowledge and experience of God. Meet the Triune God of the Bible—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—through inductive study of his Word. Reflect deeply upon God’s comfort and love. Study the names and attributes of the Lord as he is revealed in Scripture. Focus on Jesus’ coming, earthly ministry, final week, death, and resurrection for you.

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

• Corrects common distortions and misunderstandings of the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• Clarifies the meanings and significance of the names, titles, and attributes of God found throughout the Bible
• Includes over 125 Bible study lessons for small group or personal study

Product Details

• Title: LifeGuide Bible Studies: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Volumes: 17
• Pages: 1,110
• Resource Type: Bible Studies
• Topic: Biblical Studies

Advent of the Savior

• Editor: Cindy Bunch
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 64

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

On a seemingly ordinary day, in a manger in the middle of bustling, overcrowded Bethlehem, the promised Messiah slipped into the world as a tiny baby. Thousands had longed for his coming, few witnessed his entrance, but millions have been changed by his life. These six studies, edited by Cindy Bunch, will introduce you to the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus, remind you of God’s faithfulness and power to fulfill his promises, and draw you more deeply into the love that brought Christ to earth.

Cindy Bunch is an editorial director with InterVarsity Press, where she acquires and develops Bible studies, small group books, and a wide variety of general-interest books. She has been leading small groups for the past twenty years and has written numerous Bible study guides, including several in IVP’s LifeGuide Bible Studies series.

Distorted Images of God: Restoring Our Vision

• Author: Juanita Ryan and Dale Ryan
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 64

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

Though we say God is loving, trustworthy and all-powerful, our actions and thoughts reveal the subtle and not-so-subtle lies we’re believing: that God is impossible to please, manipulative and likely to abandon us. Written with compassion and conviction, these eight studies bring to light our distorted thinking and point us to the truth of who God is—the great healer who knows us intimately and pursues us with love.

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.

Dale Ryan is CEO of Christian Recovery International. He is also an assistant professor of recovery ministry and director of the Fuller Institute for Recovery Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has consulted with ministries in several countries who are seeking to develop support groups for alcoholics and addicts and their families. He is a coauthor of The Twelve Steps: A Spiritual Kindergarten, Rooted in God’s Love, and Bible study guides published by InterVarsity Press.

Encountering Jesus

• Author: Douglas Connelly
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2002
• Pages: 64

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

Jesus can change you, no matter what your life situation. He can give you peace, hope and joy in the most desperate circumstances. But you need a life-changing encounter with him. Douglas Connelly examines the stories of how eight people—among them a scholar, a failure, a blind man and an adulteress—found their lives changed forever when they met Jesus Christ. Looking at their lives can give you hope when you find yourself dealing failure or with an emptiness nothing in life seems to fill. The good news is that Jesus is waiting to meet you and longing to offer you what you need most.

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.

God’s Comfort

• Author: Jack Kuhatschek
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 64

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

Times of pain can tear your heart, wound your spirit, and leave you broken and scarred. You long for comfort. And if you seek God, you will find comfort. In the process, you may also find that your suffering is transformed into a source of spiritual growth, wisdom and compassion. As Jack Kuhatschek leads you through these Bible studies on God’s comfort, you will discover how to meet God in the midst of your struggles and disappointments and how to receive his strength and grace.

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.

God’s Love: Knowing God Through the Psalms

• Author: Ruth Ann Ridley
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 64

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

God cares for you in many ways! He offers help, calms your fears, guides you and strengthens you. Ruth Ann Ridley helps you explore the Psalms, showing how these songs of God’s people reveal the character, love and care of God. By reading, studying and praying Psalms—and by applying their teaching to your life—you will discover how God offers true salvation and deep satisfaction for you.

Ruth Ann Ridley is a freelance editor serving as an associate staff member with the Navigators. She has written the Women of Character Bible Study Series (NavPress) and Every Marriage Is Different (Victor Books), and she has led Bible studies for more than 30 years.

God’s Word: Power to Shape Our Lives

• Author: Cindy Bunch
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 61

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

You love God’s Word. You want Scripture to inform you daily life and seep deep into your soul. Yet too often Bible study becomes a mere fact-finding exercise or a dull, spiritless routine. How can Bible reading shape you and transform you? How can you meet God face to face while pondering his message in the Old and New Testaments? Cindy Bunch has written this practical study guide to help you experience the variety of ways that Scripture can meet your desire for spiritual connection and growth.

Cindy Bunch is an editorial director with InterVarsity Press, where she acquires and develops Bible studies, small group books, and a wide variety of general-interest books. She has been leading small groups for the past twenty years and has written numerous Bible study guides, including several in IVP’s LifeGuide Bible Studies series.

I Am: Discovering Who Jesus Is

• Author: Douglas Connelly
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 62

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

In eight studies, Douglas Connelly looks at the “I Am” statements of Jesus. In the midst of friends’ grief, a crowd’s hunger and followers’ fear, Jesus made some bold claims: “I am the Resurrection.” “I am the Bread of Life.” “I am the Way.” His claims are still true in our grief, fear and uncertainty. These studies help us see Jesus more clearly and live with hope and confidence because of who he is.

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.

Images of Christ

• Author: Dale Larsen and Sandy Larsen
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 64

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

Good Shepherd. Branch. Bridegroom. Cornerstone. There are many images of Christ in Scripture. Some of these word-portraits are easier for us to grasp than others, but each reveals an important aspect of who Christ is. By helping us understand the different images, these ten studies by Dale and Sandy Larsen lead us to know and respond to the reality behind the images—Christ himself—in new and deeper ways.

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.

Images of God

• Author: Dale Larsen and Sandy Larsen
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 64

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

Rock. Warrior. Peacemaker. Builder. Husband. Potter. The pictures of God in Scripture are multifaceted. In each of the ten studies in this study guide, Dale and Sandy Larsen show you another aspect of your powerful and peaceful Lord. But the purpose of this guide goes far beyond surveying the images of God. The Larsens also lead you to focus on your relationship to the reality behind the images. God will lead you to know him better through these inspired word-portraits.

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.

Images of the Spirit

• Author: Dale Larsen and Sandy Larsen
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 62

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

How do you picture the Holy Spirit? Our imagination is likely to run to something like a vague fuzzy cloud. Or perhaps we think of an invisible, impersonal force. No wonder the Holy Spirit is often called “it.” While Christians affirm that the Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, we struggle to think of him as a person at all.

The Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is a person. But how can human beings understand who he is? Scripture helps us by giving us strong word pictures of the Spirit as wind, fire, a counselor, anointing oil and more. As you go through these eight Bible studies by Dale and Sandy Larsen, you will find that your mental picture of the Spirit comes into focus. And even better, you will find that you can have a real relationship with the third person of the Trinity as you experience the power, comfort and gifts that flow out from the Spirit.

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.

Jesus the Reason

• Author: James W. Sire
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 64

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

What reason do you have for believing Christianity is true? The best reason is Jesus himself. James W. Sire invites you to meet Jesus by digging deep into the Bible. You’ll discover what Jesus did and said. And you’ll be encouraged to decide what place Jesus has in your life today. Whether you are reading the Gospels for the first time or for the fiftieth, you’ll find these investigative Bible studies challenging and transforming.

James W. Sire (PhD, University of Missouri), formerly a senior editor at InterVarsity Press, is an active speaker and writer. He has taught English, philosophy, theology, and short courses at many universities and seminaries. He continues to be a frequent guest lecturer in the United States and Europe.

He has frequently written for InterVarsity Press, with books and Bible studies including The Universe Next Door (a worldviews textbook), Scripture Twisting, Discipleship of the Mind, Chris Chrisman Goes to College, Why Should Anyone Believe Anything at All?, Habits of the Mind, Naming the Elephant, Learning to Pray Through the Psalms, Why Good Arguments Often Fail, and A Little Primer on Humble Apologetics.

Jesus’ Final Week

• Author: Cindy Bunch
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 61

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

The events that took place during Jesus’ final week on earth—Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the trial, Jesus’ death and his resurrection—are foundational to your salvation and your Christian life. As these Bible studies allow you to focus more closely on these amazing events, you’ll gain new understanding about who Jesus is and how he loves you.

Cindy Bunch is an editorial director with InterVarsity Press, where she acquires and develops Bible studies, small group books, and a wide variety of general-interest books. She has been leading small groups for the past twenty years and has written numerous Bible study guides, including several in IVP’s LifeGuide Bible Studies series.

Meeting God

• Author: J.I. Packer
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 80

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

His majesty will fill your thoughts. His love will soften your heart. His holiness will purify your life. When you meet God, you will be changed. Meet him now as J.I. Packer, author of the bestselling Christian classic, Knowing God, leads you through twelve key passages from the Old and New Testaments. These inductive Bible studies will engage your heart and mind. And enlarge your vision of the God you worship and serve.

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.

Meeting Jesus

• Author: Leighton Ford
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 80

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

Once you’ve met Jesus, you are never the same again. His teaching challenges your thinking. His compassion softens your heart. His love turns your life around. In this Bible study, evangelist Leighton Ford leads you through 13 studies from the four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that will open your eyes anew—or for the first time—to Jesus Christ.

Leighton Ford is President of Leighton Ford Ministries, which seeks to help young leaders worldwide to lead more like Jesus and more to Jesus. For many years, Ford communicated Christ around the globe through speaking, writing and media outreach, addressing millions of people in 37 countries on every continent. He served from 1955 until 1985 as associate evangelist and later vice president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and was featured as the alternate speaker to Billy Graham on the Hour of Decision broadcast.

Ford describes his current mission to be "an artist of the soul and a friend on the journey." He served for nearly twenty years as chairman of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, an international body of Christian leaders. He chairs the Sandy Ford Fund and has served as a board member for World Vision U.S., the Duke University Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He received the 1990 Two Hungers Award, recognizing his contributions to addressing the physical and spiritual hungers of people around the world. In 1985 he was selected as Clergyman of the Year by Religious Heritage of America and TIME Magazine singled him out as being “among the most influential preachers of an active gospel.”

Meeting the Spirit

• Author: Douglas Connelly
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 64

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

Who is the Holy Spirit? How does he change our lives? How does he work in the world? In ten sessions Douglas Connelly helps you examine these and other critical questions. You will see that the Spirit of God is eager to work in your life to draw you closer to God.

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.

Names of God: Glimpses of His Character

• Author: Douglas Connelly
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 64

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

“God of glory.” “The God Who Provides.” “Holy One.” God is called by many names in Scripture—names that highlight specific aspects of his character. This guide by Doug Connelly, focused on eight titles for God from the Old Testament, invites you to know and experience the Lord Almighty in deeper ways. As you do so, you will come to trust him more fully and worship him with fresh awe and reverence.

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.

The Messiah: The Texts Behind Handel’s Masterpiece

• Author: Douglas Connelly
• Series: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2014
• Pages: 64

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

Prophets prophesied about him. Angels and shepherds rejoiced at his birth. Friends cried for joy at his resurrection. And we still celebrate him today. He is Jesus, the Messiah.

Perfect for Advent or Lent, this study guide explores some of the key passages in the Old Testament about the Messiah and their completion in the life and saving work of Jesus. These passages have had a profound effect on the imagination and worship of Christians for two thousand years, leading George Frederic Handel to write one of the greatest expressions of worship and adoration—his oratorio, the Messiah.

We hear parts of it sung every year during the Christmas season, but what many listeners fail to realize is that the entire text of Handel’s Messiah is drawn from Scripture—and many of the Old Testament passages that shaped Israel’s hope for their Redeemer are included in that text. This guide leads you through Scripture passages used in Handel’s work that highlight who Jesus is and what he came to do. It might change the way you listen to the Messiah. Even more, it might change the way you live.

This will prove to be an excellent resource for an eight-part study. . . . Well done, Douglas Connelly, who is a seasoned craftsman of Bible study guides.

—Haddington House Journal, 2015

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.