Studying
the
Word
for
Life
This is an audio course.
• Following your registration, a link to the weekly audio file will be emailed to you for six successive weeks.
Audio Course 1: Titus, Studying the Word for Life
AVAILABLE SOON
Audio Course 1 focuses on Paul’s letter to Titus and runs for six weekly sessions, with links to the audio files delivered every week. Given the current and growing number of live courses, this course currently is offered only on audio and will be available soon.
Audio Course 1–Titus
This audio course runs for 60-75 minutes for six classes, focusing on the powerful letter the Apostle Paul wrote to his apprentice and associate, Titus. Along the way, we will give special attention to Paul’s first letter to another apprentice and associate, Timothy.
The goals of this course are several:
First, to gain skills in Bible study by practicing the weekly assignments.
Second, to approach mastering the content of the letter to Titus and to become increasingly familiar with 1 Timothy.
Third, to develop a habit to observe words and phrases within their contexts, as they participate in their constellations of communication.
Ultimately, the goal of this short course is to help us come to share God’s affections and aversions—to desire what he desires and to despise what he despises, and to live accordingly. May we glorify God and enhance the well-being of our neighbors.
Now, there are many ways to study the Bible. This is but one of them. When combined with other habits (such as reading the Bible throughout the year), the methods of this course should notably enhance our abilities and understanding. This is a method that first focuses on gaining familiarity and then progresses to details and themes and larger arguments, resulting in a nimble set of reading skills that are sure to enhance our appreciation for and our practice of the word and will of God.
Registration
The fee is £60 fee may be paid via PayPal during registration. Shortly after registration, the first audio file will be made available.
Materials Needed
(Please note that the links to Amazon below are affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase using them, at no additional cost to you, a small portion of the price is given to us, to help support our ministry.)
• A Bible, and nearly any translation (NIV, ESV, NKJV, RSV), just not those that are highly paraphrastic (The Message). I prefer a wide-margin Bible. I use this one, though here is another, and, of course, there are still others. A digital version will not be suitable as your main text.
• A wide-margin print out of Titus—which takes perhaps two pages with 2” margins. Participants will be given access to a downloadable PDF for printing.
• A notebook to write in, though digital note-taking would be suitable.
• A set of colored pencils like these. I use this set all the time and very much appreciate the hard carry case. And don’t forget a pencil sharpener, like this one; and perhaps a regular pencil, whether wood or mechanical.
• Finally, a commentary on Titus will be used during the final three weeks of the course. We recommend one by Gordon Fee on the pastoral epistles ($9.99 on Kindle). Others will be suggested when the course begins.
Equipment Needed
• A computer or other device capable of downloading and playing mp3 files.
Your Time Commitment
• There is a 60-75-minute audio class delivered weekly.
• There are weekly assignments that should require under one hour per day of your own study time—usually closer to a combined 30 minutes each day.
Note that no prior reading or study is required for this course. The first assignment will come during our first class.
Content Summary
Note: For the first several weeks we will explore some case studies for proper interpretation, usually pertaining to the literary or historical context of the passages under examination.
• Materials; reading and rereading well; reading from the beginning; the Pastoral Epistles; the man Titus; the island of Crete; assignment
• Repetitions, themes, constellations, arguments; transcending versification; cross-referencing; assignment
• 1 Timothy and Titus; texts and other texts; assignment
• Titus 1 in detail; special topic: men and women in ministry; assignment
• Titus 2 in detail; special topic: works of the law and good works; assignment
• Titus 3 in detail; summing it all up; what is next?
Stipulations
• Fees paid are non-refundable.
• Audio files must not be shared with others.
• Participants are expected to complete the weekly assignments. If not completed, the value of the course will be diminished. While content learned is of some value, the ability to discover and discern for oneself is of enduring value well beyond the course.