Bible Study forNon-Christians
Engaging the World With the Word
A key part of our mission is to engage the world with God’s Word. One of the best ways to do this is by inviting people to experience the Scriptures for themselves, particularly the story of Jesus in the gospels. We want them to have an opportunity to personally know Jesus by meeting Him in the God-breathed writings of the Bible. We encourage members to study and discuss the Bible with interested non-Christians, giving them a chance to encounter Jesus’ life-changing story from the primary sources. This is often a great blessing for everyone involved. For those who want to learn how to lead such studies, we offer practical training and have created a free Bible study guide called The Jesus Story. This 7-session guide was designed to be easy to use, well-presented, and focused on helping non-Christians engage the Gospel of Luke in an exegetically faithful way.
Exegetically Grounded
There are many Bible study resources designed for Christians and non-Christians to use together. However, as we explored resources for our ministry at San Jose State University, we struggled to find material with the exegetical precision we desired. To address this, we attempted to create a “truer-to-the-text” Bible study for non-Christians. We consulted high-quality commentaries and research tools to develop the questions, contextual information, and leader notes for select passages in the Gospel of Luke. While we make no claims to exegetical perfection, we hope this guide offers an authentic experience of Jesus as presented in Luke’s gospel!
Easy to Use
Inspired by another resource, we developed an online study guide for participants to use during discussions. The guide allows participants to read the contextual information and questions together. The Jesus Story website is optimized for mobile devices but can be used on desktops and laptops as well. Because the “leader” acts as a facilitator rather than a teacher and many questions are designed to encourage self-discovery, hosting a study is relatively easy. The Leader Notes offer useful information to assist the leader in answering questions, sharing insights, enabling sound interpretation, and facilitating fun, impactful discussions. We also provide training for members who want to lead these studies through our Mission Ready Training.
Beautifully Presented
The online study guide incorporates historical works of art from the Western tradition. Each study showcases beautiful paintings inspired by Biblical stories - sometimes the very stories discussed in the study. The online guide strives for an overall design that is elegant, simple, and clear.
Designed for Non-Christians
The goal of The Jesus Story is to give skeptics an opportunity to engage with the story of Jesus and the core tenets of the Christian message as presented in Luke’s Gospel. Each study concludes with two big questions: (1) What does this story teach about Jesus? and (2) What does this story teach about us? Over seven studies, participants will explore Jesus' birth as the Savior King, His offer of complete restoration from brokenness, His mission to seek and save the lost, His teachings on the path to eternal life, His sacrifice for sin, His suffering as a righteous martyr, and His resurrection and recognition as the divine Messiah. Participants will also encounter the topics of faith, repentance, love, good works, willingness to endure suffering, and Christian reasons for joy and worship.
Available for Free
The Jesus Story study guide is available online for free. For access to the Leader Notes, please submit the form below.