Share The Gospel In A Natural and Powerful Way While Being the Person God Made You To Be
According to Pastor Bill Hybels, the goal for every Christian is to reflect Christ’s love and follow his example by taking simple walks across rooms, leaving one’s circles of comfort and extending hands of care, compassion, and inclusiveness to people living far from God. Hybel’s firm conviction is that the highest value in personal evangelism is being attuned to and cooperative with the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This means playing only the role one is intended to play—walking when the Spirit says to walk, talking when the Spirit says to talk, and falling silent when the Spirit suggests that you’ve already said enough.
Study Gateway has a great selection of video-based Bible studies that focus on teaching you how to communicate your faith in a style that fits you. Be sure to check out the two studies highlighted below, and all the others in your Study Gateway Library.
Just Walk Across The Room – Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith
Drawing on fresh perspectives from the author’s own experiences, as well as time-tested and practical illustrations, this four-session video-based small group Bible study encourages and equips people to develop friendships, discover stories, and discern next steps with those who don’t know Christ.
Becoming A Contagious Christian – Communicating Your Faith In A Style That Fits You
This Willow Creek Resources six-session evangelism course for churches and groups of all sizes is designed to equip believers for effective evangelism by showing them how they can share the gospel in a natural and powerful way while being the person God made them to be.
Whether you are studying in a group or on your own, the Participant Guides are designed to help you get the most out of each course. By applying training principles to real-life situations and relationships, you’ll identify and develop an evangelism style that’s effective for you.
Max Lucado’s Message Is Simple: God Loves You; Let Him.
We’ve gathered all of Max’s best video-based studies into one place: your Study Gateway Library! Whether you desire to…
- Live without fear
- Be changed by God’s grace
- Be strong through tough times
- Make a difference in the world
- Go from a prayer wimp to a prayer warrior
- Live your promised land life now
Bestselling author, pastor and encourager Max Lucado has a message that will touch your heart and change the way you think about God and your place in His story. Gather your small group, family, friends, or just enjoy these studies for personal enrichment.
Each of the Max Lucado studies has accompanying books and study guides to help you take Max’s teaching to the next level and apply what you are learning. Great for small group discussion or personal study application.
How Will You Answer God’s Call On Your Life?
More college grads are leaving the church now more than any other time in history? Will you…or your son or daughter be one of them? Your Study Gateway Library features a collection of video studies that will inspire and challenge you or the young people in your life to:
- Tackle the tough questions and most common objections about the church and Christianity
- Look to the future and see compelling vision for followers of Jesus in our post-Christian culture
- Connect with people in a real and transparent way, sharing the love and grace of Christ
The NEXT Christians – How To Live The Gospel And Restore The World
In his six-session Bible study series, Gabe Lyons cites modern day examples and looks ahead over the next century to how Christians can adapt to a new way of living their faith and features interviews with notable thinkers and leader such as Tim Keller, Andy Crouch, Scot McKnight, Phyllis Tickle and Jon Tyson. The Next Christians study takes into account recent efforts at Christian renewal, addressing the significant challenges that could undermine the viability of Christianity if the faithful do not employ a completely new outlook. Lyons looks ahead at how Christianity can and must adapt over the next 100 years, as he optimistically paints a picture of how it’s best days might lay ahead as a new generation rediscovers their faith in this unprecedented new era in the West.
They Like Jesus But Not The Church – Insights From Emerging Generations
They Like Jesus but Not the Church is a six-session, video-based study by Dan Kimball that explores six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church and Christianity. The objections come from conversations and interviews the church has had with unchurched twenty and thirty-somethings at coffee houses. Each chapter raises the objection using a conversational approach, provides the biblical answers to that objection, gives examples of how churches are addressing the issue, and concludes with follow-through suggestions, discussion questions, and resource listings.
Jesus Is________ – Find A New Way To Be Human
Judah Smith digs deep to answer the most common and the most difficult questions about Jesus, a man so few understand and so many desperately need. In Jesus Is, Judah Smith explores a number of topics that reveal Jesus’ purpose for coming, what He accomplished while He was here, and what that means for us. Jesus is greatly revered, harshly criticized, and sorely misunderstood. Judah breaks down who Jesus is and explains to readers how understanding Jesus more fully will not only enrich their lives, but also give them meaning, as well as save them. The 8-week Jesus Is Video-Based Study will help participants discover how to have a deeper, lasting relationship with Jesus, and to commune with and grow in Him. Judah will show you that Jesus is more than a good teacher, more than an inspiring leader. He is the point of all life. Perfect for evangelism, the video sessions will help new Christians understand the person of Jesus, as well as help small group participants connect with one another.
The accompanying Participant’s Study Guides will help you apply what you learn and provide meaningful questions to spark discussion and greater enrichment.
It’s interesting that prayer is the one thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them.
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of the disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1 – NIV)
Perhaps it was because they needed to be reminded, as we all do, that all of Jesus’ teaching and preaching and healing came from one source – his life of prayer. Whether you are leading a church, small group, or your own family – bringing people together in prayer is a powerful act that binds us together and moves God’s heart. The fact we are able to communicate with the Creator of the universe is an amazing gift!
Let these powerful studies help lead you into a life of meaningful prayer…and invite others to join you!
Moving Mountains – Praying With Passion, Confidence, And Authority
Why do some prayers work and others don’t? How would it feel to enter into prayer with confidence and assurance – certain that God heard you and that your prayers would make a difference? It would likely feel amazing and unfamiliar. That’s because often our prayers seem to be met with silence or don’t appear to change anything at all. Either response can lead to disappointment or even despair in the face of our ongoing battles and unmet longings – especially when we don’t know if we’re doing something wrong or if some prayers just don’t work. New York Times bestselling author John Eldredge confronts these issues directly in this eight-session video series, Moving Mountains. John offers a hopeful approach to prayer that is effective, relational, and rarely experienced by most Christians.
Before Amen – The Power Of A Simple Prayer
We all pray…some. We pray to stay sober, centered, or solvent. When the lump is deemed malignant. When the money runs out. When the marriage is falling apart. But wouldn’t we like to pray…more? Better? Stronger? With more fire, faith, and fervency? In this four-session video series, bestselling author Max Lucado reveals his struggles with prayer and how he discovered that it is not a privilege for the pious or the art of a chosen few but a simple tool everyone has been given to have a conversation with God. Join Max on a journey to the very heart of biblical prayer and go from being a prayer wimp to a prayer warrior!
The Circle Maker – Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams And Greatest Fears
The Circle Maker is a dynamic four-session study that uses the story of Honi the Circle Maker, who prayer-walked until the rains came during a devastating first Century drought. Author and pastor, Mark Batterson not only teaches about big dreams and bold prayers, he lives it. With stories of Honi, as well as reflections on modern day miracles as a result of prayer, this study will help you identify, discuss and put into practice the dreams and future miracles you need to draw circles around.
Watching the video sessions is great! But to fully experience the teaching, apply what you are learning, and truly grow your faith, be sure to include the accompanying book or participant’s guide in your personal or group study.
Chuck Colson on faith, politics, and how the choices we make impact our lives and the world.
- Why It Matters What We Believe
- Making Moral Choices
- Living Out Our Christian Faith
We are proud to feature The Charles Colson Collection of video studies in our Study Gateway Library. One of the most influential Christian leaders of our time, Charles “Chuck” Colson was a popular and widely known author, speaker, and radio commentator. A former presidential aide to Richard Nixon and founder of the international ministry Prison Fellowship, he wrote several bestselling books that have shaped Christian thinking on a variety of subjects. His radio broadcast, BreakPoint, aired to two million listeners. Chuck Colson donated all of his royalties, awards, and speaking fees to Prison Fellowship Ministries. Check out these powerful video studies by a man who learned to live out his faith.
Doing The Right Thing: Making Moral Choices In A World Full Of Options
In this six-session Bible study, Chuck Colson and Robert George, and an all-star panel examines how the ethical and moral breakdown hitting culture from all sides affects society. Through panel discussions, interviews, and live student questions it raises ethical issues in a non-condemning but challenging way, stimulating thought, discussion, and action.
Charles Colson On Politics And The Christian Faith: Why Christians Must Live Out Their Faith, Promote Freedom, And Be Good Citizens
From his time as counsel to President Richard Nixon to his years as commentator on the radio broadcast Breakpoint, Chuck Colson is uniquely qualified to provide an insider’s perspective on issues of faith and politics. In this four-session DVD curriculum, Colson’s discussions are neither “religious right” nor “religious left” but balanced, clear, and biblically based.
The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, And Why It Matters
Chuck Colson articulates the foundational truths of Christianity and how they compare to other belief systems. This study will serve Christians – and non-Christians- for decades to come. Chuck, along with Gabe Lyons lead you through six thought-provoking, soul-searching, and powerful sessions on the great, historical central truths of Christianity that have sustained believers through the centuries. Brought to immediacy with vivid, true stories, the truth of what Christianity is about and why it is a religion of hope, redemption, and beauty.
Be sure to check out Chuck Colson’s bestselling books and study guides for each of the studies in the Study Gateway Library. These resources will help you take your learning experience to the next level.
Everything You Crave Leads to the Heart of God
You vowed to never repeat the same mistakes, yet here you are again, right where you started. What is it that keeps drawing you back? The fact is, your longings are built from the blueprint of your needs: for protection, for love, for God. And those needs aren’t going anywhere. In this six-session video-based study, bestselling author Sheila Walsh shows that it’s our longings that often lead us into such traps. She draws on her own experiences and the life of King David to reveal that all our longings are rooted in a need for God—and nothing else will satisfy when it comes to filling that void.
Sheila speaks candidly about the trials in her life, including the heartache of her first marriage, and intertwines her story with the biblical saga of King David. As both Sheila’s and David’s stories make clear, some cravings are misguided, but they all stem from the same hunger—and they will haunt you until that hunger gets satisfied properly. If you keep reaching out to the wrong people at the wrong times in your own life,
The Longing in Me will help you understand that your cravings are not the problem. It’s where they lead you that makes all the difference.
Ultimately, the longings we all share can bring us closer to God and help us understand his incredible love for us. Perfect for personal or small group studies.
Sessions include:
- Longing to Be Chosen
- Longing for Protection
- Longing for Control
- Longing for Happiness
- Longing for God’s Grace
- Longing for God Alone
The Longing In Me Study Guide will help you unpack the teaching in this series and dig deeper into God’s Word. Whether you are going through the study on your own or with a group, the guide encourages practical application and questions for thoughtful contemplation or group discussion.
Learn how to live the “Good Life” – a life rich with family, friends, faith, and creativity – on a budget.
New York Times bestselling author and popular blogger, Ruth Soukup brings hope and encouragement to every woman who currently feels overwhelmed or stressed with a life that feels out of control. It speaks to the mom trying to juggle all the demands of a busy life with the pressure to keep up with those around her. Ruth’s real, honest and practical tips speak to the heart of the matter – how can we live the life we’ve always wanted?
Unstuffed – Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul
The follow up to Ruth Soukup’s bestselling book and study,
Living Well Spending Less, her newly released book and four-session video study,
Unstuffed will speak to women who are feeling overwhelmed by a life filled with too many things. In this video study, Ruth uses personal stories, biblical truth, and practical action plans to inspire and empower you to finally declutter not only your home but your mind and soul as well.
Great for personal study or with a group of friends, each of the four video sessions will help you:
- Discover that more closet space is not the solution, and instead learn how to set strict limits for the stuff we bring in
- Recognize the pitfalls of an overstuffed schedule and learn to combat the culture of busy that keeps us running from one thing to the next
- Find balance by letting go of unhealthy habits that can add to your spiritual clutter
- Begin to cultivate real friendships while eliminating the toxic relationships that weigh you down
Living Well Spending Less – 12 Secrets Of The Good Life
Have you ever felt that your life–and budget–is spiraling out of control? Do you sometimes wish you could pull yourself together but wonder exactly how to manage all the scattered pieces of a chaotic life? Is it possible to find balance? In a word, yes. Ruth Soukup knows firsthand how stressful an unorganized life and budget can be. Through personal stories, biblical truth, and practical action plans, she will inspire you to make real and lasting changes to your personal goals, home, and finances. In this four-session video series, with honesty and the wisdom of someone who has been there, Ruth will help you:
- Discover your “sweet spot”–that place where your talents and abilities intersect.
- Take back your time and schedule by making simple shifts in your daily habits.
- Reduce stress in your home and family by clearing out the clutter.
- Stop busting your budget and learn to cut your grocery bill in half.
Want to know if this study is for you?
- Do you ever find yourself comparing your life to those around you?
- Have you ever wished for the courage to follow your dreams?
- Do you ever struggle to stay organized or get things done?
- Have you ever felt loaded down with stuff you don’t really need….or even really want?
- Do you ever struggle to keep your finances on track?
- Do you sometimes long for deeper, more authentic relationships in your life?
If the answer to any of these questions is YES, this study and book provides real and practical solutions from someone who has been there. Ruth doesn’t just offer advice, she walks it with you, and shares with brutal honesty her own mistakes, failures, and shortcomings. It is encouraging, motivating, and life-changing.
The
Living Well Spending Less and
Unstuffed video series are both designed for use with the coordinating paperback books that provide additional help and practical application tips and tools.
Learning To Walk In God’s Plan Instead Of Our Own
Worship leader and recording artist Laura Story’s life took an unexpected turn when her husband, Martin, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Their lives would never be the same. Yes, with God all things are possible. But the devastating news was that no cure existed to restore Martin’s short-term memory, eyesight, and other complications. The fairy-tale life Laura had dreamed of was no longer possible. And yet in struggling with God about how to live with broken dreams, Laura has found joy and a deeper intimacy with Jesus.
Laura helps us understand we aren’t the only ones whose lives have taken unexpected turns. She examines the brokenness of some of the heroes of our faith, and shows how despite their flaws and flawed stories, God was able to use them in extraordinary ways. And it was not because of their faith, but because of the faithfulness of their God. God may not fix everything. In fact, although your situation might not ever change or get better, with Jesus you can.
In this five-session study, Laura shows that while God may not fix every broken thing in our lives, he will lead us to a place where we are better because of it. This video series is perfect for personal reflection or for group discussion with the coordinating study guide.
“Our family has been ministered to by her vulnerability and willingness to walk in the valley and still say ‘God, I Trust You.’” — STEVEN CURTIS and MARY BETH CHAPMAN
Grammy Award-Winning Artist and New York Times Bestselling Author
Session Titles:
- Don’t Be Surprised by Trouble (14 min)
- Best-Made Plans (14 min.)
- When God Doesn’t Fix It (10 min.)
- Why? The Question on Replay (12 min.)
- A Better Broken (13 min.)
Dig deeper and enrich your learning experience with the
When God Doesn’t Fix It Study Guide. It includes leader helps, video discussion questions, Bible exploration questions, and personal study and reflection materials for in between sessions.
Explore ancient times, places, and customs to discover what it meant to follow Jesus – both then and now.
Filmed on location in Israel, Turkey and Greece,
That The World May Know is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scripture’s significance for modern believers.
Without leaving your home or Sunday school classroom, each of the 13 stunning video volumes will allow you to explore what it meant to follow Jesus in the first century – and what it means to follow him today.
You will want to enrich your study experience with the accompanying easy-to-follow Discovery Guides for each volume in the
That The World May Know series. The guides illuminate Jesus’ teachings and help you understand the context in which he lived and preached. Great for personal or small group study.
Move From Simply Knowing About God To Really Knowing God
In this five-session Bible study, Wendy Blight implements her practical and approachable style to equip women to study the Word of God and then apply it to their own lives in practical ways. This study is for any woman who wants to move beyond simply knowing about God to really knowing God in a very personal way. Join Wendy as she teaches how the very names of God reveal His character and heart. Perfect for personal reflection or group discussion.
This study will help women to:
- Realize their infinite worth as they explore the nature of the God who created and formed them.
- Live with bold assurance that their God is a personal God who sees them, hears them, and knows them by name.
- Walk confidently in knowing both who they are and Whose they are.
- Arm themselves with seven tools to pray more confidently and effectively in any situation or circumstance.
- Transform their walk with Jesus as they discover how He fulfills the Old Testament names of God.
I Know His Name paperback book includes biblical and historical background insights, practical application, and a memory verse for each chapter. The perfect way to dig deeper and apply what you are learning.
Chapters Include:
- Elohim: The One Who Created You
- El Roi: The One Who Sees You
- Jehovah Nissi: The One Who Stands Guard Over You
- Jehovah Rapha: The One Who Heals You
- More Magnificent Names