Regular readers of What is Truth? are likely aware of the series of evangelistic Bible studies here which can be downloaded and personalized for use in your Baptist church here. People who are not willing to sit down or meet over Zoom with a church member can be directed to view the series itself taught here on YouTube.
I have had the privilege of doing a series at Bethel Baptist Church on how to lead one of these studies with a seeking unconverted person. We are almost done going through teaching study #3, “What Does God Want From Me?” There are currently twenty-four videos in the series (and counting) as I write this blog post. Church members who watch this series will be well equipped to lead an evangelistic Bible study. If you would like to watch the series on leading an evangelistic Bible study yourself, or recommend it for others in your church, you can access it here:
Watch the series on how to lead an evangelistic Bible study by clicking here
Please check back regularly as new videos are added to the series and we move through studies #4-7, Lord willing, and put what you are learning into practice by being Christ’s instrument for making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and teaching them to observe everything Christ has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). You can subscribe to the KJB1611 channel to be notified whenever new videos are posted.
–TDR
A bit out of topic, but I’m asking for help to find good book resources.
I hope Pastor Brandenburg or Bro. Ross can help. Someone is asking me for recommendation on good books for Christology and also Prison Epistles. Seminary level.
How many people have you taken through this whole series and how many have come to Christ? Do you have an option to lead someone to the Lord in one visit?
Dear Tenrin,
Good books is a pretty broad question!
I am on Psalm 144 in reading through Spurgeon’s Treasury of David, which has good exegetical insights and devotional application on the Psalms. John Owen’s Communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is excellent; the edition I would recommend is at faithsaves.net/trinitarianism/. Owen’s books on mortification, etc. are also very helpful for the Christian life, and are at faithsaves.net/soteriology/, although physical books are likely better for me at least to read cover to cover. God’s Battle Plan for the Mind: The Puritan Practice of Meditation by Saxton is great on Biblical meditation. America in Crimson Red is an interesting Baptist history.
Hoehner’s commentary on Ephesians is about as good as you are going to get for a Greek text-based commentary on Ephesians–he is dispensational and believes in inerrancy and scholarly. More application will appear in Hodge or Matthew Henry on Ephesians.
Joel Beeke’s systematic theology probably combines sound doctrine and good application on Christology, although I have not read it (at least yet); vol. 1 of his systematic theology does a good job on prolegomena while also being edifying. (Just throw the TULIP out.) Vol. 4 of Muller’s Post Reformation Reformed Dogmatics is very good on the Triunity of God, although it is not a comprehensive study of Christology. Standard systematic theologies by Shedd, etc. would probably have good material on Christology. For a history of dogma, I am reading Grillmeier’s multi-volume history of Christology up to AD 600 (Christ in Christian Tradition). It is not only helpful as history but if one wants an in-depth presentation of how people are thinking about Christ as one Person with two natures you are going to get that covered deeply, and you can consider what Scripture teaches in relation to that topic as you read it. I want to read through Bavink’s systematic theology and Petrus von Mastricht’s one. I like Wilhelmus von Brakel’s combination of doctrine and practice in his four volume The Christian’s Reasonable Service. For something not super in depth but that is historic Baptist, Robert Sargent’s 4 volumes on Bible doctrine from Bible Baptist Church Publications should be read.
Hopefully that helps at least a bit–thanks.
Thank you for your long answer, Bro. Ross. Much appreciated.
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for the question. Both my wife and I have personally seen the Lord use His Word in doing this series of evangelistic Bible studies to bring people to conversion. So have others in churches in the USA and in other countries. Furthermore, the material is not all original; for example, much of study #5’s material on repentance comes from the most widely used evangelistic work of the 17th century, Joseph Alleine’s An Alarm to the Unconverted, which the Lord used to bring great numbers to Himself in past times. Most importantly, we see a basis for doing evangelistic Bible studies in the book of Acts, as I explained in part #1 of the series of videos on how to lead one.
A pastor who was doing evangelistic Bible studies for a good while before I was enlightened to their value said that over the years about 50% of people who complete one eventually profess conversion, and of that 50% around 90% get baptized and around 90% are in church a year later.
Please note that the video series linked to above is to those who wish to LEAD a study with a seeking lost person. Videos for lost people to watch are also available at:
https://faithsaves.net/Bible-studies/
I would not tell a lost person to watch the series on how to lead a study, although it would be fine for him to do it.
Presentations on how to give the gospel to someone at his door are here:
https://faithsaves.net/evangelism-video/
https://faithsaves.net/soulwinning/
and further helps are here:
https://faithsaves.net/soteriology/
and here:
https://faithsaves.net/ecclesiology/
Thanks.