When LifeWay Christian Resources planned the January Bible Study for 2021 two years ago — well before COVID-19 — the needs of a new year beginning amid a global pandemic were not factored into the decision.
Even so, the study, “John’s Epistles: Living with Assurance,” based on 1 John, delivers much-needed direction for the new year by uncovering false doctrines about the identity of Jesus and illuminating the impact His identity has on a believer’s everyday life.
‘Always relevant’
“The beauty of God’s word is that it is always relevant,” said Dwayne McCrary, LifeWay team leader for ongoing adult Bible study curriculum. “Had COVID not taken place, John’s epistles would still have a great deal to say to our fallen world. World events like COVID just make us more aware of the relevance of God’s word in our lives.”
The study of 1 John, and of all God’s word, is appropriate for all the times believers will face, including a pandemic, said Bryan Mosley, pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church No. 2, Union Grove, in Marshall Baptist Association.
“This study of John’s epistles is especially appropriate because it talks about living out your faith in ways that are pleasing to God,” Mosley said. “Right now, as the church is looking for new ways to spread the gospel in light of social distancing, how to live in these times in a way that pleases our Lord should be on the forefront of our minds.”
Each year, Marshall Baptist Association presents a preview of the upcoming LifeWay January Bible study, giving pastors the opportunity to examine the curriculum.
Due to COVID-19, Mosley led this year’s preview of John’s epistles as a round-table discussion rather than the planned lecture.
And while pandemic-related concerns kept some pastors away this year, Mosley said the informal setting fostered more conversations about how to apply the text directly to one’s everyday life.
Practical applications
“John examines living out one’s faith. Being able to discuss this in light of today’s challenges might actually be more beneficial than just listening to a lecture on the subject,” Mosely said.
LifeWay January studies generally alternate between Old and New Testament texts, balancing genre types and considering the scope and also the sequence of ongoing curriculum.
The 2021 study of 1 John focuses on practical applications of a person’s understanding of Jesus. John’s epistles uncover two common false doctrines related to the identity of Jesus — the beliefs that He was thoroughly human but not God and that He was completely God and not human.
“False teachers with an incomplete understanding of Jesus as both human and deity have sought to mislead believers and continue to seek to do so today,” McCrary said.
According to Mississippi pastor and cartoonist Joe McKeever, believers often deceive themselves about God. A focus on the truths of 1 John reveals the good news that Jesus is the “best of all saviors — all God, all man,” he said.
The study helps believers relate to the common struggles they share with the early church, McKeever said. The epistles offer modern-day Christians an eyewitness account of Christ’s teaching and the chance to receive His teachings through the accounts of those who heard it firsthand.
“Nothing steadies us for handling life’s storms like knowing God’s word,” said McKeever. “He is the rock, our shelter in the midst of the storm, and His word is our ‘sure foundation.’ These epistles constantly reinforce this.”
Adaptable across ages
McKeever, an Alabama native, will lead churchwide studies of the emphasis in January at Cloverdale Baptist Church in Grand Bay, Jan. 10–11, and at West Jefferson Baptist Church in Quinton, Jan. 24–27. All ages are invited to attend, and McKeever, who sketches people in every church where he teaches, hopes children and teens also will choose to attend.
The study is conducive to small groups of all ages and can be taught in socially distanced groups as well as small virtual groups.
Resources for the study include print and electronic editions of the personal study guide and leader guide, which also contains handouts, digital presentation backgrounds, clip art and posters as part of a redeemable download. Additional free resources also are available.
A free download of McKeever’s cartoons is available at tabonline.org/resources.
More information is available at lifeway.com/jbs.
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