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Urbana 06 Bible Study

The book of Ephesians describes God’s cosmic purposes and the place of the church in his eternal plans. Writing from prison to ordinary people who were a small religious minority in the midst of a colossal economic, military, and cultural empire, Paul masterfully addresses the tension between the victory of Jesus over all things in heaven and earth (which has been accomplished) and our lived experience of waiting for the consummation of his reign over all things. Christians must live worthy of the calling in the midst of a fallen and spiritually embattled world.

The book has been divided into eight sections for study. Dr. Ajith Fernando, National Director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka and a globally respected author and Bible teacher, will speak on half of these sections during Urbana 06 plenary sessions. Participants will study the remaining four sections together in Manuscript Bible Study format.

We will study Ephesians in the following sections:

 

12.27.06

12.28.06

12.29.06

12.30.06

12.31.06

Manuscript Bible
Study Passage

 

Ephesians
1:15-2:10

Ephesians
3:1-21

Ephesians
4:17-5:16

Ephesians
5:17-6:9

Plenary Bible
Teaching Passage

Ephesians
1:1-14

Ephesians
2:11-22

Ephesians
4:1-16

 

Ephesians
6:10-24

Follow weekly Ephesians devotionals on urbana.org

Manuscript Bible Study

Manuscript study is a technique in inductive Bible study, a way for a group of people to look in depth at a particular passage of Scripture. It is called “manuscript study” because it uses just the text of the passage itself, devoid of editorial comment, textual notes, cross-references, and other things which may pre-dispose us to look at the Bible through someone else's eyes. Starting with a fresh "manuscript" can help us to come to the Bible with a clear perspective. Participants learn to observe the text, ask questions, interpret what it means, and find ways to apply it in their lives.

Each morning at Urbana 06, trained InterVarsity staff will guide groups of between 200 and 1,000 attendees, divided into small groups, in manuscript study. Urbana attendees will study passages from Ephesians in small groups with interwoven opportunities to share discoveries, questions, and insights with the large group. Participants will have a transformative communal experience in the Scripture while at the same time learning this powerful inductive method of study, which is a hallmark of InterVarsity.

Read more about the Bible and TNIV translation at Urbana 06.

 
 

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (NIV)

 
 

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