Beyond the Basics Work Books

INTRODUCTION
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Before the event recorded in the Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verse 1, God had a mission He intended to make a reality.  He saw the end He intended, and everything from the beginning, Genesis 1:1, through to the end, Revelation 22:21, is a disclosure of that mission, along with instructions on how to bring it about, and warnings of pitfalls and traps to be aware of and avoid.  The Bible is often viewed as a collection of stories about creation, the Jews, Jesus, and the Church.  Topical studies can reveal great details but also allow for much disagreement as to substance.  Reconsideration of scripture in terms of God's mission results in a different perspective.

Many Christian congregations are going blindly along, either oblivious to what is happening, or ignorant of the consequences of a touch of the Spirit.  They are faithful in attending Sunday worship services and may be involved in the work of the church.  They have a firm foundation in the basics of Christianity and are comfortable with where they are spiritually.  They understand the message from the pulpit because it is familiar to them.  However, the message from most pulpits is rebuilding the foundation, over and over again.  What is needed is spiritual growth to maturity, building upon the foundation that has already been laid.  The church today bears little resemblance to the church of the first century.  The early passion for God has been replaced by a tolerance of God mixed with a tolerance for the world.  Many people sitting in the pews have never been told that there is more expected of them, and that there is a closer walk with God available to all who desire it.  When the Holy Spirit moves, there will not be only many non-believers coming to God, but a new hunger for more of God will grow in the existing Christians.

These lessons are intended for those who know God and will soon desire more of Him.  God had a plan when He created heaven and earth and everything else, including us.  What happened in the Garden in Eden delayed the fulfillment of that plan, but it remains God's plan.  Lessons 1 and 2 are a view of God's plan.  Lessons 3 and 4 are about the guidelines and requirements of God's plan.  Lessons 5 and 6 relate to the present out of compliance status of the Body of Christ.  Lessons 7 and 8 concern getting back to where we need to be in God's plan.  Lessons 9 and 10 are about ushering in God's Kingdom, the realization of God's plan.  Jesus told us that we will not know the day or the hour when He will return, but we will know the season.  The season is now, and the time to get into spiritual shape is now.  Once He appears it will be too late to start.

The various lessons are not designed to fit into any particular time allocations.  They are intended to cover each subject in however much time it takes.  Some prepared studies specify time limits for this and time limits for that so the entire session fits neatly into a pre-designated time slot.  Specific time limits can be used, but material should not be skipped.  If a subject is not completed in the session at hand, continue it during the next session.  The only objectives are to impart the knowledge to believers and to inspire them to make that knowledge their own.

Each lesson consists of three parts:

1)  The lesson text is the authors intended material in the order it would be presented.  This text is not intended to be all-inclusive, but rather it is a starting point for more discussion and expansion.  Let the Holy Spirit guide your speaking.

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2)  A lesson outline which can be used to develop the presenter's own delivery.  The outlines contain the main scripture references, the main point associated with the scripture, and considerations and questions.  Associated scriptures are also identified.  All scripture references are present in the order in which they are intended to be presented.  The scriptures selected are not exhaustive, but introductory.  It is intended that during the presentation of materials, related scriptures be included.  All scriptures referenced in the presentation should be read out loud, preferably from several different translations, and provisions made for discussion and questions related to the scripture. The considerations and questions are also intended to be introductory in nature, not comprehensive.  The overall intent is that this material should not be presented as a sermon or a lecture, but should be presented as thoughts and ideas that lead to discussion and questions from the students.

3)  Word definitions give selected words in the original languages and their shades of meaning.  Both Hebrew and Greek words have a deeper and more varied interpretation than English words.  Their various shades of meaning provide a deeper insight to their use. 

The words listed are from the King James version of the scriptures simply because the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance I have is based on King James.  The word definitions are in the same order as the outlines.

David R. Laughlin - Yelm, Washington - June 10, 2006
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