Bible Studies from around the world

Around the Word Bible Studies are prepared for use in the congregation and home and are great for both group and personal study.
Each study is formatted on two pages and is intended to lead you deeper into the Scriptures to receive the Lord's truth and comfort.
These studies are free to use, in whole or in part, in any way you find helpful to the Gospel.

Studies series available include:
The I AM Sayings of Jesus
Author: Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz
During this Easter season we reflect upon Christ’s saving work in his death and resurrection on our behalf. The season of repentance has given way to rejoicing. The fast has given way to the feast. The prophecies and promises are fulfilled. As Jesus declared on the cross, “It is finished.” Through Jesus’ dying and rising, we receive God’s gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Everything that Jesus promised, has come true for you.
This is abundantly true in the famous “I AM sayings” of Jesus in John’s Gospel. Jesus used these seven titles for himself in order to fulfill God’s promises in the Old Testament and to point us to his saving work on the cross. In this bible study series, we will study the seven “I AM sayings” of our Lord in their context as well as their fulfillment in Jesus’ death and resurrection. We will also look at a second set of Jesus’ “I AM sayings” that are less familiar, but equally important in declaring Jesus’ saving work. Join us for this study as we rejoice in our risen Lord, whose saving Name, I AM, delivers God’s promise, presence, and peace to us.

​The Blood of Christ
Author: Rev. Jeffrey Ries
Blood is often not a pleasant subject.  It appears in such uncomfortable phrases as “blood and guts,” or “blood, sweat and tears.”  The sight of blood makes many squeamish.  Because of infectious diseases, blood is treated with no small amount of caution. But blood is a very prominent biblical theme.  And just like the phrase used by the Red Cross’s blood donation program, “Gift of life,” when the Bible speaks of blood, it’s all about life.  Jesus shed His holy, precious blood to give us the gift of life eternal.  This Lenten Bible study series focuses on this gift of life – the blood of Christ.

Hymn Study: O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright
Author: Rev. Eric Andersen
The hymn, “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright” was written by Pastor Philipp Nicolai during the Great Pestilence of 1597, which claimed the lives of 1300. In July alone, 300 people died, and Nicolai often buried up to 30 people in a single day. “O Morning Star” is a hymn that overflows with the comfort, peace, and joy of the Gospel—even as it looks death square in the eye.

Isaiah on Christmas
Author: Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller
Jesus is the “promised One.” All the prophets testified of Jesus, of His suffering, and of our forgiveness in His name. Chief among these prophets is Isaiah. His writing has been called “The Fifth Gospel” because he preaches so clearly of Jesus, His birth, His life, His suffering and death and resurrection. Isaiah preaches Christ crucified for sinners. In this four-part Bible Study we will consider Christmas in Isaiah, looking specifically in Isaiah 7:10-16, 9:2-7, 11:1-10, and 12.

Parables
Author: Rev. Jeffrey Ries
Things are not always as they seem, and this is definitely the case with our Lord’s parables. The characters and items in the parables stand for something else (allegory) and teach us about the reign of God in Christ Jesus. But our Lord also uses the parable genre to convict His hearers of their sin. Like Nathan, who tricked David into indicting himself by telling him a parable about “a little ewe lamb” (which was really about Uriah and Bathsheba; see 2 Samuel 12), our Lord often uses the parables to get His hearers right where He wants them before pulling the rug out from under their feet. In this way, the parables do the very important work of both convicting us of our sin and preparing the way for grace.

The Seven Churches of the Revelation
Author: Rev. Travis Loeslie
Revelation records seven sermons of our risen and exalted Lord Jesus Christ, sermons that are absolutely packed full of Law & Gospel. Here the Great Preacher does His work of killing and making alive by calling His Church to repentance and faith, admonishing, encouraging, and assuring us of His steadfast love. These letters are an excellent window into Holy Scripture and couldn't be more relevant for the contemporary church.

I Am Content: A Study of Ecclesiastes
Author: Rev. Eric Andersen
King Solomon was known for his practical wisdom, and the book of Ecclesiastes is no exception. In this book, he takes a no-nonsense approach to the follies of materialism and hedonism and points to Christ, the only source of true and lasting contentment.
Introduction to Ecclesiastes | Download Here

Resurrection! A Study of 1 Corinthians 15
Author: Rev. Randy Asburry
St. Paul puts forth his teaching of the resurrection in this great chapter. We will spend five weeks unfolding the beautiful and wonderful truth of the Lord's resurrection and our own.

The Seven Penitential Psalms
Authors: Rev. Eric Andersen & Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller
The seven penitential Psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143) teach us the Biblical doctrine of repentance, sorrow over our sin, and the sure and certain hope of the forgiveness of all of our sins. We offer these seven studies for the seven weeks of Lent, 2015.