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OTHER RELIGIONS How can you say that devout people who follow other religions are wrong? See notes on Colossians 2:20-23(2); 2:22-23; 2John 11-2; 1:3-4. What makes Christianity any different from the rest of religions? See notes on Hebrews 7:25; Tohn 5:12; 5:13.

PRAYER What good does prayer do? See notes on 2Chronicles 6:19-42; Psalm 4:3; Mark 9:29. If God knows everything, why pray? See notes on Isaiah 38:1-5; Acts 1:12-13. How should I pray? See notes on Jonah 2: Uff; Mark 11:22-23; Hebrews 4:16; [John 5:14-15.

REPENTANCE/CONFESSION Why are confession and repentance necessary? See notes on Leviticus 5:5; 2Samuel 12:14 (1); Matthew 3:1-2(D; lJohn 1:9(1and 2).

SIN What is sin? See note on James 4:17. Why is sin dangerous? What's the big deal? See notes on 2Samuel 11: 1ff; 1Kings 11:9-10; I Chronicles 21: 13-14; 21:14; 1Corinthians 6:12-13(1); 1Thessalonians 4: 4-5; Revelation 9:20-21. Why should I call myself a sinner when I can think of a lot of people who are reaily bad? See note on Romans 3:23. How could a loving God send sincere people to hell? See notes on Deuteronomy 7:2; Romans 118-20(land 2. Can someone be too sinful to be saved? See notes on 2 Chronicles 33:12- 13; Psalm 51: 1ff; 511-7.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS What are spiritual gifts? Does everyone have one? See notes on Romans 12:6(1); 12:6-8; Ephesians 4: 11-12.

SUFFERING Why do bad things happen to good people? See notes on Job 1:1ff; 2:10; Acts 12:2-11; Romans 8:28. How does God help me deal with the problems in my life? See notes on Exodus 5:22-23; Job 5:17-26; Psalm 106:40- 42; Philippians 1:29; 1Thessalonians 3: 1-3; Hebrews 11:35-39.

TEMPTATION How does the devil tempt me? See notes on Luke 4:3(1and 2). Why does the devil tempt me? See note on Genesis 3: 1-6. At what point does temptation become sin? See note on Matthew 4: Iff(D). How do [handle temptation? See notes on Matthew 26: 40-41; Luke 4: 1-13; 1Corinthians 10:13.

TRINITY Why isn't the Trinity like believing in three gods? See notes on Matthew 3:16-17; Mark 1: 10-11; Acts 1:4-5.

So You've Been Asked to Speak... Chances are you're going to find yourself faced with the task of leading a Bible study, giving a devotional, offering a short talk, or teaching a Sunday school class. Or perhaps you will be given the responsibility for leading a small group study and you won't know where to begin. The Life Application Study Bible is an inexhaustible resource of information. If you follow some of the steps and hints below, you'll be able to put together a talk that is both informative and challenging—to any audience, at any time.

Ways to Use the Life Application Study Bible as a Research Tool Using the Master Index If you need to cover a topic, take a quick trip to the Master Index and look up the topic. There you will find notes on that topic (with a phrase that gives you an idea of the content of the note)

A CHRISTIAN WORKER'S RESOURCE as well as any charts or personality profiles on that topic. (See the S idea how this would work.) P ample Lesson below to get an

Focusing on a Book of the Bible For studying a Bible book, the Life Application Study Bible has plenty of overview material to help. Simply start at the beginning of the book you're studying. For example, if you're working through Jonah with your Bible study group or preparing to speak about that book, use the introductory material to get a sense of the time frame, the author and reason for writing, and an introduction that places the book into a contemporary setting. Study the Blueprint to understand how the book is laid out. Read the Megathemes and discover the main themes of that book and their importance. Many books also include overview maps with key events noted to give you the geographical context and flow.

Focusing on a Particular Passage If you have been assigned a verse or passage of Scripture to discuss, use the life application notes, cross-references, and section headings to help you put the passage into context. If you don’t find a note on that particular verse, consider the topic that you want to discuss and go to the index to look up the topic and other notes that will give further insight.

Using the Cross-References The cross-references are an often-missed resource. For example, if you're studying the life of David or of Solomon, you can use the cross-references in the inside column beside the text to send you to the same account recorded in 2 Samuel or in 1 Chronicles.

Studying the Personality Profiles The Personality Profiles are a nearly inexhaustible resource of study ideas. For instance, ina women’s Bible study, you could work your way through the profiles of women. Or you could study the profiles ahead of time and do a topical study based on the life lessons for various women (using them like case studies). You can study all the people ina particular book, compare various kings or apostles, or even study the Bible characters by age (for example, choosing some of the more elderly faithful followers, such as Simeon and Anna, for an older group).

Employing the Charts as Visual Aids The charts are designed to be simple and to summarize Bible data and teachings. They will give you an overview of a topic either from a specific book or the Bible as a whole. You could do an entire study from one chart or series of charts. For example, the charts in Proverbs pull together scattered verses on similar topics. These would be helpful in discussing key topics covered in Proverbs. In addition, the Bible includes several large charts that give sweeping overviews on various topics.

Seeing the Big Picture of Jesus by Using the Harmony of the Gospels In studying a Gospel or the life of Christ, the Harmony of the Gospels presents his story in chronological order (the events are numbered, and the numbers also appear in the text) and will show you where the same stories appear in other Gospels. (The Harmony of the Gospels is located after the Gospel of John.) In addition, none of the footnotes have been repeated—so the notes you read in Matthew on the feeding of the five thousand will be different from the notes you read about that same story elsewhere. Use the Harmony to help you get a full picture of an event by seeing it from the different perspectives of all who wrote about the same event. Read the same accounts in different Gospels. Notice the differing details. Consider the point of view of the authors.

Getting a Wider Perspective by Using the Harmony of Kings and Chronicles Ina study of the books of Kings or Chronicles, the Harmony of the Kings and Chronicles (located between the books of 1 and 2 Kings) will give you a visual timeline for when the various kings ruled, tell whether accounts of their reigns are recorded in other books, and show the prophet who was preaching at the time. Similarly, if you're studying any of the prophetic books, you can use the Harmony to learn about what was going on in the kingdom to which the prophet had been called to speak. This will give you great insight into why the prophet spoke as he did.

Sampling the Maps If your group is interested in maps, use the maps in the Gospels (in conjunction with the Harmony) to trace Jesus’ steps throughout his ministry. Use the maps of Paul's journeys and follow his footsteps across Asia Minor and on to Rome. Use the maps in Genesis to help your readers visualize the whereabouts of the people they are studying.

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Those are just a few suggestions for using the resources in the Life Application Study Bible. The following section takes you through steps for planning a topical talk using the Master Index.

ASample Lesson in Six Easy Steps You've been given the assignment to give a talk to a group about the importance of prayer ina Christian’s life.

STEP ONE: Pray. Begin by asking God to guide you as you put together your talk. Ask him to give you insight and wisdom. Ask him to guide the process and give you the right words to say.

STEP TWO: Anticipate questions. List questions your group might have about this topic, focusing on particular issues that may be important to them at this time. (For example, if a family is facing a difficult illness and God doesn’t seem to be answering their request, you will need to be prepared to discuss the issue of unanswered prayer.)

STEP THREE: Prepare an outline. Keeping in mind the questions from step two, begin an outline. Three points are usually good. Give an introduction (an anecdote, a question, an example). List the three points you want to make about prayer. Give an application-oriented conclusion (see the article, “Taking the Step to Application” on the following pages).

STEP FOUR: Go to the Master Index. Look up “Prayer” in the Master Index. You'll find a long list of notes on various verses. Whittle it down by looking at the topic sentence for each note; then jot down the locations of notes you think might fit into your outline. Also notice that the Master Index lists three charts that focus on prayer and three Personality Profiles that include life lessons on the topic of prayer. Make a note of the page numbers for these.

STEP FIVE: Read the passages, notes, and other helpful materials. Now refer to your jotted list and read the notes, charts, and profiles. When you find Bible verses and significant points in the notes that you want to use, write them on your three-point outline.

STEP SIX: Put it all together. Now make your points flow together. Write transition sentences between points. Finally, add a conclusion that challenges your listeners to take the message to heart and let it make a difference in their lives.

Taking the Step to Application Whether you are studying the Bible for yourself or teaching it to others, moving toward application is the most important part of the studying and teaching process. You see, just having information about what is in the Bible is not enough (even Satan knew enough of the Bible to be able to quote it—Matthew 4:1-11), Understanding the context or the concepts is not enough. Even being able to see that it is relevant to today’s world is not enough. For the Bible to really make a difference in our lives, we need to (1) receive the message personally, (2) reflect on our lives and identify what needs to change as a result of God’s Word, and (3) lay out a plan to make that change. Taking the step to application means that we finish our Bible study or go away from a lesson asking:

Now that I know what God wants me to do, how am I going to start doing it? Application is the step between knowing what the Bible says and doing what it says. While the truths of the Bible never change, people’s life situations are different and are constantly changing. You must continue to study the Bible and learn the new things God wants you to learn. And when you teach, you may be able to tell your listeners how you are applying certain principles from God’s Word, but at the same time you need to give them the tools and the opportunity to apply the Bible to their own life situations. So how do you do that? We have developed a Bible study system called the Pyramid. Using the nine sets of questions in the Pyramid, you will be able to study the Bible and then apply its principles more practically and thoroughly to your personal life situations.

A CHRISTIAN WORKER'S RESOURCE

PRINCIPLES

POINT PRESENT

PLOT PARALLELS

PLACE

PRIORITIES

PEOPLE

PLAN

LIFE APPLICATION PYRAMID

Each step is described in detail below, followed by the questions you should ask yourself as you work your way over the Pyramid toward application. After point 5, at the top of the Pyramid, we offer an example of how your study might look. Then follow points 6 to 9 down the other side of the Pyramid. We have provided an example here as well although these points will vary greatly for each individual.

1. People Begin by identifying the people in the passage, the characters who are actively involved. Sometimes no specific individuals or groups will be named (such as when you're reading Proverbs or Romans). But don’t forget the author and the original audience. Note the people and learn something about them. (For example, if you're reading Isaiah’s message to Moab, look up the “Moabites” in the Master Index and read the notes to better understand the people in this passage.) So you should ask,

© Who are all the people in this passage?

• Howare these people like people in my world?

What characteristics of these people do I see in myself?

2. Place Next, consider Place. This step puts the passage in its original setting, the historical and cultural context. You can learn about Place by again using the Master Index and looking up the notes (and often the maps). The more you know about the culture, history, and problems of the people in the passage, the more you will be able to find parallels to your life today. Ask,

• What is the setting of this passage?

What are the significant details in the history, culture, and geography?

• What are the similarities to my world?

3. Plot This step answers “What's happening?” Usually you can discover this by the context of the passage and book. The notes in the section you're reading will also help you to unravel the plot of a particular passage. Ask,

© What is happening in this passage?

© What is the conflict or tension?

© What would I have done in this situation?

© Howis this similar to what is happening in my life or in the world today?

4. Point Before you can determine what something in the Bible means for you today, you must first ascertain the meaning for the original audience. The events recorded in the Bible happened to real people at specific times in history. Real audiences heard the parables, and real churches received the epistles. Therefore, carefully consider the cultural context (what you learned in the first three steps) to find the particular lessons that God wanted to teach these people. A clear understanding of the Point can prevent damaging misapplication and is invaluable for determining the timeless truths in the passage. To determine the Point, ask,

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