Paul goes to Jerusalem and is supported by the church leaders. When the gospel changes lives we can visibly see and tangibly experience God's amazing grace.
 
Part 3 - Grace In Action (Galatians 2:1-10)

Paul was not impressed by those who were IMPRESSIVE. 

How Do We See Grace? 

1. Is the GOSPEL changing lives? 
2. Are people making SACRIFICES ? 

Generous GIVING, when it is done to the glory of God, shines a light on grace.

Where Do We See Grace?
Since God is everywhere, God's grace is everywhere. 

Need Prayer? 

Paul tells his story and how he was completely changed. We should similarly be changed by an encounter with Jesus. When humanity impacts holiness, humanity is totaled.

Part 2 - Totaled (Galatians 1:11-24; Acts 9:1-20)

• When humanity impacts holiness, humanity is TOTALED. 
• What are the SCALES that need to come off of your eyes? 
• Paul now had a PURPOSE to pursue and a STORY to share

Need Prayer? 

Paul was passionate about the thing that meant the most to him… the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And he was adamant that the Galatians would not be deceived by a false Gospel.  

Part 1 - No Other Gospel (Galatians 1:1-10)

• Where does your AUTHORITY come from? 
  
  
• It is the MESSAGE, not the messenger that matters.
  
  
• Who do you regularly seek to PLEASE?
  
  
• If someone were to gauge what you care about most based on how much PASSION you have for it, what would they conclude?
  
  

Need Prayer? 

Jesus teaches the crowd what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like and later explains the parable of the Wheat and Weeds (Tares) to His disciples. 

Need Prayer? 

The Bible gets accused of saying a lot of things that it never actually says. Little  sayings that over time become well-known axioms that get embedded into our culture. Sayings that are said to be biblical even though they are not. This week we are asking the question, does the Bible say, "God helps those who help themselves?"

THE BIBLE DOESN’T SAY THAT…
“Try first thyself, and after call in God, for to the worker God Himself lends aid.” Euripides (428 BC)

The main problem with believing “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves” is... 
We become our first source of help and strength, and God becomes secondary. 

• Isaiah 25:4 (NASB)
• Proverbs 28:26 (NIV)
• Jeremiah 17:5 (NLT)

Matthew 6:25-33 (NIV) 

TRUTH: Following Jesus is about living a selfless life

As it turns out… “God helps those who can't help themselves”

Need Prayer? 

The Bible gets accused of saying a lot of things that it never actually says. Little  sayings that over time become well-known axioms that get embedded into our culture. Sayings that are said to be biblical even though they are not. This week we are asking the question, "Does the Bible say we need to forgive and forget?"

THE BIBLE DOESN’T SAY THAT…
“Forgive & Forget"

Jeremiah 43:25 (NLT) “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord . “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people…“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Isaiah 43:25 (NLT) “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”

Problem #1 - To “forgive and forget”… is mentally impossible.

Problem #2 - Remembering past offenses… can be emotionally devastating.

Problem #3 - God doesn’t actually forget anything.

What does a healthy process of Forgiveness look like?

1) Forget about Forgetting. 

2) God is God, and you are not. 

• Forgiveness may not look like reconciliation. 
• Forgiveness is not condoning what happened.
• Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice. 
  • Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

3) God will never remind you of your sin

Micah 7:19 (NLT) “Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!” 

Sins can’t swim… 

Need Prayer? 

This is a very practical application on how to study the Bible. Covering key ingredients of Bible study, study methods, tools and resources. The Good Book is a series studying the Bible itself.

Part 4 - HOW DO I STUDY THE BIBLE? 

2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

7 INGREDIENTS OF BIBLE STUDY

1. Faith in Jesus is necessary for PROPER interpretation.
2. Let the Bible interpret ITSELF. 
3. Read the Old Testament IN LIGHT of the New Testament. 
4. Allow what is CLEAR to help with what is unclear. 
5. Understand words and verses in light of their CONTEXT. 
6. GOD'S WILL trumps history. 
7. Understand PERSONAL experience in light of the Bible

T.A.R.G.E.T. METHOD
Time // Ask // Read // Gather // Engage // Thank
(see more at www.arrows.church/resources) 

Other Tools

• Study Bibles
• Commentaries
• Concordance
• Formatting

Two Questions: 

• What would you need to rearrange in order to make God’s Word a priority?
• What is the Holy Spirit saying to you right now?

Simplified Bible Reading Plan  - www.arrows.church/resources

Need Prayer? 

Can reading the Bible really change my life? Can a book written so long ago have anything to offer me in today's culture? The Bible tells us four specific ways it can show up in our life. The Good Book is a series studying the Bible itself.

 Part 3 - WHY SHOULD I READ THE BIBLE? 

Ephesians 6:10-17 

Reading the Bible is less about you getting THROUGH the Bible, and more about the Bible getting through YOU.

Proverbs 2:3-6

1. The Bible is a SEED. 

• One of the reasons you and I face so many struggles is… We want imperishable crops… but we are planting perishable SEEDS.

2. The Bible is a SWORD. 

• Ephesians 6:17
• Hebrews 4:12

3. The Bible is FOOD. 

• Matthew 4:4
• 1 Peter 2:2
• Don’t get caught up in what you DON'T understand… live on what you DO understand.

4. The Bible is a MIRROR. 

• James 1:23-25
• Others’ OPINIONS about us are mirrors. 
• Expectations from family are mirrors. 
• CULTURE is a mirror.

Check out the Simplified Bible Reading Plan  - www.arrows.church/resources

Need Prayer? 

Is the Bible just a degraded copy of a copy of a copy? Is what we have today the same as what they had 2,000 years ago? Why are there so many English translations? The Good Book is a series studying the Bible itself.

WHERE DID THE BIBLE COME FROM?
1 Peter 1:24-25 “the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

QUESTION: Isn’t the Bible we have today just a degraded copy of a copy of a copy?
QUESTION: So how do we know we have the right books?

Books were included in the New Testament based on three things: 

1. The Authority of an Apostle. 
2. The Teaching of the Truth. 
3. The Confirmation of the Church. 

QUESTION: Why are there so many English translations? 

TWO IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT BIBLE TRANSLATION

1. Bible translation is not Chronological. 
2. Bible translation is not simply Improvement. 

• Word for Word translations (NASB / ESV / KJV) 
• Thought for Thought translations (NIV / NLT) 
• Paraphrase (The Message) 

The Bible says what it says and doesn't say what it doesn’t say.
2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

Whenever there is a Conflict between what the Bible says and the way I feel or what I’ve been taught, or the opinions of others, or what seems reasonable to me - whenever I have a difference of opinion with the Bible for any reason - the Bible is always right.

Need Prayer? 

Is the Bible foe real? How do we know we can trust the Bible? What is the historical and biblical evidence in support of the Bible? The Good Book is a series studying the Bible itself. 

IS THE BIBLE FOR REAL? 

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

The Bible is meant to be a daily vitamin, not a yearly flu shot.

WHAT MAKES THE BIBLE DIFFERENT?

1. Revelation - God choses to reveal Himself (His nature and will) to us through the Bible.
2. Inspiration - The process of God working through human writers to inspire them to write down His words.
3. Illumination - The Holy Spirit’s work of bringing light to the words of the Bible as we read them.

How do we know the Bible can be trusted?

Probability trumps Possibility. 

Evidence for the Bible:

External Evidence - Evidence that supports the Bible but is from an external source, not the Bible. (i.e. early manuscripts)

Internal Evidence - Evidence that supports the Bible that is found in the Bible.

• 2 Tim 3:16 - “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
• 2 Peter 3:14-16
• 1 Timothy 5:18

Personal Evidence - Evidence based on our personal experience.

• Don’t approach the Bible like a Magic 8-Ball. 
• Don’t approach the Bible like a  Yearbook.
• Don’t approach the Bible like a Checklist.
• Don’t approach the Bible like a  Rule Book.

Where Do I Start? 

• Pick it up (do you have a Bible?)
• Open it (daily vitamin) 
• Read it (visit arrows.church/resources to access the Simplified Bible reading plan)

Need Prayer?