Adult Bible Studies

Fall 2023 Theme - God Provides

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Adult Bible Studies 
Hundreds of thousands of students and teachers use ADULT BIBLE STUDIES each week in Sunday school classes, mid-week Bible studies, and other small-group settings. Bible-based and Christ-focused, it is an approved resource by the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church. It is published quarterly.  

The units of the Bible lesson in this quarter unify around the theme Inspired by God.

Fall Student Book Sampler
Dialogue with the Hosts


Theme: God Provides
This fall, our Bible lessons follow the theme “God Provides” and remind us of how God meets our needs and of God’s call to help those who lack life’s essentials of food, water, and shelter. The writer of the student book Greg Weeks.

Unit 1 Food
Scripture recognizes that hunger, famine, and food insecurity make people vulnerable to a variety of threats. It also testifies to God’s generous provision of food for humans and wild creatures and to the human responsibility to help those hungry and in need. From God’s provision of manna in the wilderness to divine provision during famine, from Jesus’ feeding of crowds to his teaching of a new way of being with the poor and marginalized through table fellowship, Scripture bears witness to God’s graciousness and our responsibility as its recipients. Bible lessons in this unit are based on Exodus 16, 1 Kings 19, Mark 6, and Luke 14.
Spiritual Practice: Feasting

Unit 2 Water
Like food insecurity, water insecurity threatens human life and the earth’s species of plants and animals. Scripture uses the water motif in many ways. Water is dangerous as it represents a metaphor for chaos, historical enemies, God’s judgment, devastation of drought-stricken land, and personal distress. As well, water is a gift from God for the flourishing of all creation, refreshment for body and soul, and a source of eternal life embodied in Jesus. Thirst for water and provision of water are metaphors for the human relationship with God. Bible lessons in this unit are based on Genesis 21, Exodus 17, Psalm 42, John 7, and Matthew 25.
Spiritual Practice: Creation Care

Unit 3 Shelter
In major cities and small towns across the country, many people have lived experience with homelessness. One of the major causes of homelessness is rooted in childhood trauma. Mental illness, sometimes stemming from such trauma, is another contributing factor, among others. Exploring the theme of shelter in Scripture cannot find ancient analogies for what today is becoming a crisis compounded by economic and social vulnerabilities. Even so, we can imagine and extrapolate, based on related themes and texts, that the physical security of home is a relevant theological construct then as now. Although various texts may make it easy to rush to focus our attention on spiritual shelter in God’s presence, those who experience such a home in God find resources to extend hospitality and care through various means to those who today are experiencing homelessness. Bible lessons in this unit are based on Exodus 29, Psalm 27, Deuteronomy 8, and John 1.
Spiritual Practice: Hospitality

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Study Resources

Adult Bible Studies components include:

Student Book

Published quarterly, each week's Student Book lesson lists background Scripture features key verses, provides reliable and relevant biblical explanation and application, and more, in a readable font size that is accessible to everyone

Each week’s lesson features:

  • A purpose statement offering focus and direction for the lesson
  • Printed biblical text from The Common English Bible
  • Reliable and relevant biblical explanation and application
  • A closing prayer, guiding personal commitment

Teacher/Commentary Kit

Each quarterly Teacher/Commentary Kit includes a Teacher Book with additional biblical background and exposition and suggestions for guiding group discussion and a copy of the new quarterly Adult Bible Studies Concise Commentary, which provides additional background on the biblical text for each session of Adult Bible Studies.

Each week’s lesson includes:

  • A purpose statement offering focus and direction for the lesson
  • Printed biblical text from The Common English Bible
  • Verse-by-verse commentary on the biblical text
  • Detailed lesson plans, questions, and small-group activities that aid teachers in leading their classes to deeper understandings and applications of biblical truths

Video Sessions/DVD

The quarterly ADULT BIBLE STUDIES video sessions are designed to be used in conjunction with the weekly lessons. Each segment connects adults to the biblical text for the corresponding lesson, provides some overall context for the biblical text, and challenges adults to consider what difference the text makes in their lives. Lively, knowledgeable, and engaging hosts offer fresh insights and new ways of approaching the texts.

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Current Events Supplement

The free Current Events Supplement offers a way to connect each week’s lesson to a timely event or topic in the news. To subscribe to the Current Events Supplement, sign up for e-mail updates at the bottom of this page, and we will send them your inbox every week!

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