At some point in a conversation online, a question about religion, faith, or world events come up. One of the best ways to learn more about a topic is to study it with someone else. Developing a common curiosity and going on a quest for answers is not only exciting, it can change your life.
If a friend, co-worker, or classmate is interested to learn more about God, it’s good to have a list of resources. Review this list of study guides and prayerfully consider which on is the best to use with another person or a group.
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Discover Bible Studies
The Discover Bible Guides provided by the Voice of Prophecy, explore the reason a loving God permits suffering and death, and seeks to answer common questions like, “What happens when I die?” and “What is the secret to a happy life?” You work through one lesson, take a review quiz, and move onto the next lesson.You will have to create a profile after the first lesson. Also, the site allows you to study the guides in order instead of randomly. Keep in mind, because the files cannot be downloaded, the person online you study with must either load the site on their end or you will have to share your screen in a video conference.
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Focus on Prophecy
Like Discover, Focus on Prophecy is provided by the Voice of Prophecy. These studies are especially for those who want to learn more about prophecies and mysteries in the Bible. The studies focus specifically on the books Daniel and Revelation, covering topics like the Mark of the Beast, the Antichrist, and the Millennium.There are no downloadable files. You and your online study partner will have to work closely to be on the same page at the same time.
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Amazing Facts Bible Study Guides
These study guides are archived and allow you and your online partner to choose which topic to cover, such as the origin of the devil, the Sabbath, marriage, state of the dead, and prophecy. You can choose from a variety of languages and there are six social media sharing options.Similar to the study guides already listed, the Amazing Facts guides are not downloadable and must be done with a consistent internet connection.
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Sabbath School Bible Study Guides
The Sabbath School Bible Study Guides are perhaps the most common guides used by the Adventist church. Each quarter the world church focuses on a particular topic, and there are different guides according to age group—which is helpful if you are a teenager, college student, or young adult looking for something that caters to your stage of life.These guides are available online and can be downloaded. If you choose to use this guide for online study, it can be followed up with group studies on Saturday mornings at a local church. If your online contact is interested, you can recommend that they visit a local church to continue the study. You can find the guide here.
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Revelation Publications
With these online studies you can choose the topics, including in-depth study of the Spirit of Prophecy. These guides are downloadable, which means you can have control over what you online contact can see during the study. You may want to consider for this (and other studies) is to create PowerPoint presentations. This allows you to focus on particular points and go at a customized pace, rather than consuming large pieces of text on a page. Start the Revelation studies here.
Remember, you and your online contact are on a journey together. God’s Word is the Ultimate Guide and these studies are tools to help us understand what God is revealing through scripture. Begin each study with prayer and leave room for questions and discussion. In the end, it is not your role to convict someone; only the Holy Spirit can do that. The best thing that you can do is share what Jesus has done in your life and invite someone else to experience His love, forgiveness, and grace.