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An Overview of the Bible -The Big Four
Genesis - Exodus 20 — The Old Test. is the foundation for the New Test. (Luke 24:27,32)
Genesis 1-11 : 4 major events: Creation, the Fall, the Flood, Babel
Themes:
- Attributes of God
- Where sin came from
- Judgment of God
Genesis 12-50 : 4 major people: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph
Themes:
- Promises of God
- Faithfulness of God
Exodus 1-20
Themes:
- God remembers His covenant to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (2:23,24)
- Passover (Exodus chapter 12)
- Ten commandments (Exodus chapter 20)
Matthew — The link book to the Old Testament (see Matthew chapter 1)
Themes:
- Jesus as king (Matthew 2:2)
- Jesus as the new lawgiver (Matthew 5 ties into Exodus 20)
John — Goes back to the beginning ( John 1:1-3)
Themes:
- Emphasis on belief (John 20:31)
- 7 signs
- 7 "I ams" demonstrate who Jesus is
Romans — Paul’s clear and logical explanation about the gospel ( Romans 1:16-17)
Themes:
- God’s righteousness
- Man’s sinfulness
- God’s solution
Why use the Big Four?
- Many people are no longer familiar with the Bible — this gets them into the Bible.
- Those who are familiar with the Bible have it in bits and pieces — this gives the big picture.
- This is Bible based — gets people into the Word on a personal basis and allows for self-discovery.
- God’s Word, not Bible study material, becomes the source of authority.
- They read the Bible on their own when not with you — extensive and intensive sowing.
- The habit of spending time in the Word begins forming and carries over after conversion.
- You can use this in small groups or one-on-one.
- This is an evangelism method that helps to produce disciples.
Applications:
- Read these books and look for the above-mentioned themes in each book.
- Begin praying for someone to share this with.
Reprinted with permission of Mark Bogart
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