Paul's Prison Letters

by Smith, Christopher R.

• ISBN13: 9780830858101
• ISBN10: 0830858105
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-07-01
• Publisher: Ivp Connect

Summary

Feel, live, and breathe the letters that Paul wrote from prison as you study them in the context of his life and work with this excellent guide by the Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Smith. This guide will lead you through Paul's final seven letters (Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, Philippians, 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy), explaining where, when, and why they were written. It will give you a deeper and more personal understanding of what God was doing among the early communities of Jesus' followers and how their experiences can impact you today. You'll witness the dramatic story unfold of how--despite his imprisonments--Paul continued to be active in spreading the gospel, guiding and directing the work of local churches, and explaining to the wider world who Jesus is and what he has done.

Author Biography

The Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Smith is a writer and biblical scholar who lives in East Lansing, Michigan. He served local churches for nearly twenty years and was a consulting editor to the International Bible Society (now Biblica) for The Books of the Bible, an edition of the Scriptures that presents the biblical books according to their natural literary outlines, without chapters and verses. He is the author of After Chapters and Verses; Read the Bible Smarter, Not Harder; and the other volumes in the Understanding the Books of the Bible series. He has a B.A. in literature from Harvard, a master's degree in theological studies from Gordon-Conwell, and a Ph.D. in historical theology and Bible from Boston College.

Table of Contents

How These Study Guides Are Different	p. 1
Colossians
Experiencing Colossians as a Whole	p. 11
Who Paul Is and What He Teaches about Jesus	p. 16
Following Jesus Means Living in a New Realm, Not Keeping Religious Rules	p. 20
Living a New Life Together as Followers of Jesus	p. 25
Ephesians
Experiencing Ephesians as a Whole	p. 36
What God Has Done for Us through Jesus	p. 39
Life in a New Realm and the New Humanity	p. 43
The Unified Body's Diversity of Gifts; Putting Off the Old and Putting On the New	p. 47
The New Life in Basic Relationships; Arming for Spiritual Conflict	p. 51
Philemon
Experiencing Philemon as a Whole	p. 56
Philippians
Experiencing Philippians as a Whole	p. 63
Paul's Prayer for the Philippians; Their Concern about His Imprisonment and Trial	p. 66
Jesus' Example, Illustrated by Timothy and Epaphroditus	p. 71
Paul's Example of Living to Know Christ	p. 76
Pauls Personal Thanks and Encouragement and His Practical Advice	p. 82
Timothy
Experiencing 1 Timothy as a Whole	p. 89
Timothy Is to Correct the Problems in Ephesus as Paul's Representative	p. 92
Restoring Order and Decency and Establishing Good Leadership	p. 97
Ensuring Community Support for Worthy Leaders	p. 103
Living Both in This Age and the Coming One	p. 108
Titus
Experiencing Titus as a Whole	p. 114
Timothy
Experiencing 2 Timothy as a Whole	p. 120
Timothy's Heritage, Giftedness, Faithfulness, Teaching, and Dedication	p. 124
The Conflict and Sufferings of the Last Days	p. 129
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