Bible Study

What Is God Really Like? – Luke 15:11-32

/ Bob

One of the best known parables of Jesus is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. However, a more appropriate title might be the Parable of the Compassionate Father. As is the case with all of the parables of Jesus, the story is about the Kingdom of God and, in this case, specifically about God Himself. In the compassion of the father for his prodigal son we see the compassion of our Father, God.

Often we see God as an angry and vengeful disciplinarian who actually takes a certain amount of delight in punishing His wayward children when, in reality, He is a kind, loving, and compassionate father who wants to live in close relationship with His kids and loves them even when they wander away from home. That’s what God is really like. He loves His children when they wander far from home and He loves His children when they don’t wander far from home, but get confused about their relationship with Him. God is love. (1 John 4:8) No matter where we are or what we are doing, God’s love for us never changes. It never wavers and it certainly doesn’t leave us – even when we leave Him.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, March 10, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Jesus Storyteller: Timeless Truths from His Parables. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at: https://gc2press.org/jesus-storyteller-luke-study-guide/ .Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
X – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Check the Lost and Found – Luke 15:1-10

/ Bob

We all lose things. We have all searched diligently for our keys, glasses, or wallets. It is as if our life gets put on hold until we find those lost items. So it is with the woman who lost 1 of her 10 coins and the shepherd who lost 1 of his 100 sheep. Everything came to a grinding halt until they found that which was lost. And then it was party time because what was lost was now found. Yay!!

All we like sheep have gone astray. Each one of us has turned away from God to follow our own path. (Isaiah 53:6) And yet God doesn’t give up on us. He pursues us like the Hound of Heaven. He will not let us go until we realize that in our search for meaning we realize that Jesus is who we have been searching for all along. And when we repent of our sinful ways He is there to lovingly caress us with His gentle hand even as he gestures with his other hand for the party to begin.

Check the lost and found. Are you lost or are you found?

(Follow this link to read “The Hound of Heaven” by Francis Thompson – houndofheaven.com/poem)

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, March 3, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Jesus Storyteller: Timeless Truths from His Parables. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at: https://gc2press.org/jesus-storyteller-luke-study-guide/ .Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
X – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

class-notes-03.03.2024-luke-15.1-10-what-makes-heaven-happyDownload

It Ain’t Nothin’ Until He Calls It – Luke 13:1-9

/ Bob

Bill Klem was a legendary baseball umpire who set the pattern for umpires to follow right up until today. He was the first to use hand gestures for calls. He was the first to use a chest protector. He was the pioneer of the slot position. He proved his value by calling more World Series games than any other umpire in history. Once, when asked by a batter if a pitch was a ball or a strike, he replied, “It ain’t nothin’ until I call it.”

Who is in control of the world? Who is in control of our country? Who is in control of your life? If the answer isn’t God, then we’re all in a world of trouble. God makes the final call on literally everything that happens in this world, in our country, and in our personal lives – it ain’t nothin’ until He calls it.

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree illustrates God’s Sovereignty and God’s Providence. In this study we answer the question “Why am I not dead yet?” and we find that God’s wisdom rules in the answer. It also gives us reason to respond to God’s delay in “calling us home.”

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, February 18, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Jesus Storyteller: Timeless Truths from His Parables. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at: https://gc2press.org/jesus-storyteller-luke-study-guide/ .

Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

X – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

class-notes-02.18.2024-luke-13.1-9-it-aint-nothin-until-he-calls-itDownload

How to Cultivate a Teachable Heart – Luke 8:4-15

/ Bob

When you want to get a point across to a group of farmers and/or gardeners you need to be conversant in the various aspects of planting, growing, and harvesting. You might be able talk with them and even persuade them that what you’re saying is true without such knowledge, but if you can drive the point home within the context of what they know – in other words, speak their language – you can be successful in communicating with them in a way that goes far beyond just talk.

In Jesus’ day, everyone knew about planting, growing, and harvesting. So he tells them the Parable of the Sower. The point of the story is that the Kingdom of God will be open to some, but will be hidden from others. It’s not that God deliberately hides something from them, but that they won’t see what is staring them in the face. He offers them the truth of the gospel, but their hearts are hardened, their hearts are shallow, their hearts are crowded with the influences of the world.

As we look at this parable it is my hope that we would see the need to cultivate the soil of our friends’ and neighbors’ hearts so that they will be receptive to the Word of God when it is cast into their lives.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, January 21, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Jesus Storyteller: Timeless Truths from His Parables. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at: https://gc2press.org/jesus-storyteller-luke-study-guide/ .

Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

X – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

class-notes-01.21.2024-luke-8.4-15-how-to-cultivate-a-teachable-heartDownload

Fit for Life: Spiritual Disciplines for Committed Christians – Part 4 – Bible Study, Memorization, and Meditation

/ Bob

In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we read that we are to train, that is discipline, ourselves for Godliness. Physical training we are familiar with in our body-image culture, but while bodily training is of some value, Godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Furthermore, we are told in Philippians 2:12-13 that we are to work out our own salvation knowing that it is God Who is at work in us for our sanctification and for His will.

Our first area of spiritual discipline is Bible Assimilation. We must spend time reading the Bible; listening to the Bible; studying the Bible; memorizing the Bible; and meditating on the Bible. In today’s lesson we dealt with Bible study, memorization, and meditation.


There is no excuse for a Christian in this digital age to not be able to find the tools necessary to study the Bible. Online sites and apps like YouVersion, Bible Hub, Blue Letter Bible, and BibleGateway provide digital resources that would outgun the libraries of many if not most pastors of the pre-digital age. You can look up any passage of scripture, read it in one of scores of English translations, check out the Greek or Hebrew meanings of words, find other passages that related to your initial passage, read commentaries by countless theologians giving you their interpretation of the passage, and that’s all on the first page of a Bible Hub search. If you own a computer, tablet, smart phone, or have access to one of these from a friend or public library you can study the Bible with all of these resources and so many more. Study the Bible!

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. – Psalm 119:11

When you memorize scripture you store it up in your heart so that the Holy Spirit can bring it to the forefront of your mind when you need direction in the midst of a moral dilemma; or when you need confirmation that what you’re doing is right; or when you need encouragement in the midst of a struggle. The Word of God is powerful, but it’s useless sitting on a shelf in the heat of the moment – it must be in your mind and in your heart. Memorize scripture!

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. – Psalm 1:1-2

Meditation is pausing to think deeply about a particular passage of scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, looking to God for understanding of the meaning

and the application of the passage. We must learn to stop all of the activity in our day to day lives and, in silence, simply think about what the Bible is saying. It’s nothing mystical. It’s nothing new-agey. It’s taking the time to ponder the incredible Word of God – verse by verse and passage by passage. Meditate on God’s Word!

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 28, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

class-notes-05.28.2023-spiritual-disciplines-part-4Download

Fit for Life: Spiritual Disciplines for Committed Christians – Part 3 ~ Bible Listening and Bible Studying

/ Bob

In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we read that we are to train, that is discipline, ourselves for Godliness. Physical training we are familiar with in our body-image culture, but while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Furthermore, we are told in Philippians 2:12-13 that we are to work out our own salvation knowing that it is God Who is at work in us for our sanctification and for His will.

Our first area of spiritual discipline is Bible Assimilation. We must spend time reading the Bible; listening to the Bible; studying the Bible; memorizing the Bible; and meditating on the Bible. In today’s lesson we only dealt with our listening to of Bible, but we also began to look at how to study the Bible.

Listening to the Bible being read is a wonderful way to take in God’s Word.  We listen each week as we come together for worship and Bible study and we can listen throughout the week to audio Bibles, podcasts, Christian radio, and wide range of digital sources via our smartphones, computers, and tablets.  We can listen as we drive, as we work, and during any activity where we normally listen to the radio or a podcast.  

We also began a look at print and digital resources for studying the Bible.  We only scratched the surface, but I would strongly suggest that you get a good study Bible.  I shared a link in today’s class to the Lifeway list of Study Bibles.  Because Lifeway is the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention you can feel safe in knowing that a Study Bible you purchase from them will be doctrinally sound.  That link is lifeway.com/en/shop/bibles/study-bibles .  

Other digital resources are at your fingertips.  You know what I mean.  Begin exploring the Word by exploring your devices for ways to read, listen, study, memorize, and mediate with the Bible.  Those devices are used daily for darkness.  Let’s use them for light. 

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 21, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

class-notes-05.21.2023-fit-for-life-spiritual-disciplines-part-3Download

Fit for Life: Spiritual Disciplines for Committed Christians – Part 2 – Reading the Bible

/ Bob

In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we read that we are to train, that is discipline, ourselves for Godliness. Physical training we are familiar with in our body-image culture, but while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Furthermore, we are told in Philippians 2:12-13 that we are to work out our own salvation knowing that it is God Who is at work in us for our sanctification and for His will.

Our first area of spiritual discipline is Bible Assimilation. We must spend time reading the Bible; listening to the Bible; studying the Bible; memorizing the Bible; and meditating on the Bible. In today’s lesson we only dealt with our reading of the Bible.

Bible reading is just that – reading. It’s not a time to spend studying or laboring over the text. It’s a time of refreshing reading of God’s story as found in the Bible. The story is all about Jesus and if we will relax and read the Bible thinking about where Jesus fits in, the Biblical narrative becomes a story of the ages – literally.

So reading is an enjoyable activity, but it is also part of the discipline of Bible Assimilation. It is one of the ways that we bring the Bible into our lives. And if it is a discipline, there must be a disciplined approach to reading God’s holy word.

You need to find a time and place to meet with God for your time of reading. It’s a daily appointment that you have to schedule into your life and, like any appointment with a doctor or the boss, you need to keep it. You need a reading plan. We discussed some in this session, but you need to choose a plan that works for you. You need a readable Bible. For some that might mean the King James version and for others The Message or The Living Bible, etc. Remember, you’re reading – not doing deep study.

The main thing is to start reading. It is a dangerous thing to call yourself a Christian without knowing what the Bible says. We hire lawyers to read contracts because we don’t want to sign our name on that contract without knowing what it says. And yet, we declare ourselves to be Christian – bearing the name of Christ – without knowing what the Bible actually says. We need to start reading.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 14, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content are included below and can also be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

class-notes-05.14.2023-firt-for-life-spiritual-disciplines-for-committed-christians-part-2Download

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Fit for Life: Spiritual Disciplines for Committed Christians

/ Bob
In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we read that we are to train, that is discipline, ourselves for Godliness. Physical training we are familiar with in our body-image culture, but while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
Furthermore, we are told in Philippians 2:12-13 that we are to work out our own salvation knowing that it is God Who is at work in us for our sanctification and for His will.

We are saved not by what we do, but by the One in whom we put of trust.
For by grace have have been saved through faith. And it’s not because of anything we have done; it is the gift of God. So we can’t brag about what we’ve done that’s so good or so important. And we sure can’t count on the good things we’ve done to save us. The deal is that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
That’s where spiritual discipline comes in.

Just like a marathon runner has to train to endure and be successful in the race, so we must train to endure and be successful in the race that we call life.
It is sheer folly to think that we can live as Christ wants us to live by just schlepping through the week and showing up on Sunday to check off the box that says we went to church. But that’s how a lot of Christians approach the Christian life. God wants us to live for Him – every day – in every way.
The Holy Spirit – our personal trainer for this race – will not force us to follow his coaching,
but when we do, we can learn what the abundant life that Jesus promised us is all about.

It’s going to be an exciting time as we learn how to grow in Godliness and grow in our relationship with Jesus.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday,
May 7, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by
Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at:
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available below.

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
class-notes-05.07.2023-fit-for-life-spiritual-disciplines-for-committed-christiansDownload

The Hope of the Resurrection and the 2nd Coming of Christ

/ Bob

Paul, in his first letter to the church in Thessalonica was hoping to encourage the believers with the hope of the resurrection and, more specifically, the 2nd coming of Christ and the resurrection of all believers who had already died. In 1 Corinthians 15:14-17 Paul explained that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our faith is useless. But the New Testament proves that Jesus did in fact rise again after His death and is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf. Because Christ rose from the grave, we too will rise again. That is the hope of the Gospel.

There will come a time when those who put their faith and trust in Jesus will experience first hand the light of the resurrection. “And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them.” (Revelation 22:5 NLT) We will pass from the dimness of this dark world into his glorious light. From the time God created light in the midst of the dark, formless, and void earth He has been moving from darkness to light. And the ultimate expression of God’s desire to move us from the dim, dark, world in which we live to His place of eternal light is the resurrection.

Therefore, encourage each other with these words. Paul gives this exhortation to the Thessalonians in both the 4th and 5th chapters. We should likewise take to heart this call to the ministry of encouragement. We must spread the news that in Jesus we can know victory over death; we can know victory over the darkness of this world; and we can walk in the light even as He is in the light – no matter how dark the world may grow around us.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, September 25, 2022. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions from The Gospel Project – a Bible study curriculum developed by Lifeway Christian Resources. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

class-notes-9.25.2022-1-thessalonians-4-5-hope-of-the-resurrectionDownload

Godly Leadership

/ Bob

In Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy he gives Timothy advice and encouragement by telling him what Godly Leadership looks like. In so doing he gives excellent advice to all Christians about how to respond to adversity. He says that Godly leaders will rejoice when they face persecution for Christ’s sake. They will endure hardships for the cause of Christ. The same should apply to all who believe.

Godly leaders must teach sound doctrine under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. They should do so in the faith and love found in Jesus. The same should apply to all who believe.

Godly leaders should accept the challenges laid down by the saints who have paved the road for the Gospel of Peace. They should persevere with the determination of the soldier in battle; they must press on to win the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ; and, like the farmer, they should wait patiently on the Lord because they know that He Who began a good work in them will be faithful to complete it in Christ Jesus. The same should apply to all who believe.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, August 21, 2022. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions from The Gospel Project – a Bible study curriculum developed by Lifeway Christian Resources. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

class-notes-agape-life-08.21.2022-godly-leadershipDownload