Daily Bible Study Fall 2021

Daily Bible Study is a great companion to the quarterly Adult Bible Studies or as a stand-alone study. Bible-based, and Christ-focused, and United Methodist-approved, it coordinates with the theme of Adult Bible Studies. Each lesson includes a one-page Bible study for each day of the quarter, along with introductory reflection questions and commentary on the daily Scripture passage, life application, and a concluding prayer.
Daily Bible Studies Fall 2021
Theme: Belong

Unit 1: Outside In
Sociologists studying the story of the early church often attribute the growth of the church to the sense of belonging that it offered people in a world where belonging was limited to those with things such as property, high status, and/or birthright. This unit of lessons looks at the various ways that the Bible makes clear how we belong to God’s people even when we appear to be outsiders. Several of the lessons point out where we as human beings insert distinctions that restrict membership within the community of Christ.
Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:1–23; Luke 7:36–50; Galatians 2:11–21; Philippians 3:2–21; Ephesians 2:19–21
Spiritual Practice: Hospitality

Unit 2: Into the Future
After over 2000 years of existence as an institution, we can easily take for granted that we know what the church is. This unit invites readers to look at it from the view of the community living into the future. The Greek word for church, ekklesia, is not a word that the first members of the church associated with a religious activity. The word signifies the assembly of the people of God. It is instructive to look at what their understanding of the purpose of assembling as a group signified, how it has shaped our understanding of church, and how reading these texts might renew and expand our understanding.
Scriptures: Acts 2:37–47;1 Corinthians 12:12–31; Matthew 16:13–19; Revelation 3:1–6, 14–20; Deuteronomy 29:10–29
Spiritual Practice: Community

Unit 3: The Fellowship of the Table
Once one enters the Church through baptism, the central identity marker for membership in the church is participation in Communion. The opening of God’s people to both Jews and Greeks, men and women, masters and slaves required people previously unaccustomed to eating together to sit down at a common table. When we look at the Gospel narratives, we see Jesus modeling open table fellowship. In this unit, we will look at the significance of the practice of open table fellowship in the church as a sign of God’s shared abundance, ministry of reconciliation, and celebration.
Scriptures: John 6:1–15; 1 Samuel 25:2–39; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34; Isaiah 25:6–10a; 55:1–3
Spiritual Practice: Open Table Fellowship
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