Course Offerings

The four gospels tell the story of the earthly life of our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a story that is loved and appreciated by all who call Him Lord. Some men, however, are gifted to see more in the Gospel story than most. They are able to go deeper and discover things that others miss. Such a man was G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945). In his book, The Crises of the Christ, Morgan identifies seven “crises” that the Lord passed through to fulfill His divine purpose: His birth, baptism, temptation, transfiguration, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. Morgan unwraps each “crisis” so that we can see them as never before. Get ready to have your eyes opened and your appreciation of the Lord’s life uplifted!

The book of Psalms is a book of poetry. As long as people have had hearts, they have written poetry—using words to convey the depths of their experiences, sentiments, and thoughts. The psalms compiled in the book of Psalms are the same; they express a multitude of feelings from many people arising from their real walks with God. They speak out praise to God, accusation of the enemy, resentment of evil ones, blessings to the righteous, criticism of man, and evaluations of themselves. But the Psalms are also different; expressing not just human feelings, but also God’s speaking. There is one Psalmist writing the Psalms—God Himself. The voice of this Psalmist rings out through the praises of David, the sighing of Moses, the prayers of Solomon, the yearning of the sons of Korah, and the aspirations of many anonymous writers.

The first part of this course will cover Book 4 (Psalms 90-106). The theme of Book 4 is “The Testimony of Life.” These Psalms are poems concerning four figures: men, the dwelling place, the King and the earth. The details of these four figures are like a jigsaw puzzle. Once they are put together, there is a beautiful picture of the church as “The Testimony of Life.”

The second part of this course will cover Psalm 119. The psalmist of Psalm 119 loved the Lord and the Lord’s being. The psalmist really knew who the Lord is. This is the depth of his understanding. In Psalm 119, he spoke a lot. In appearance, it is simply an utterance, but in fact, it is a testimony or a proclamation from his understanding. Dear brothers and sisters, if we have this deep understanding, we have the assurance for ourselves, our existence, our labor, the Lord we believe, the Lord’s achievements, and the Lord’s work.

This class includes how to read the Greek Bible, how to do key word studies with Greek lexicons and theological dictionaries, how to conduct verses and chapters studies with basic Greek grammar, syntax, and key commentaries. In this semester we will focus on the study of the word “gospel” in the New Testament. We will put all participants in small groups for group assignment and group presentation in the class.

The telling of parables was a major element of Jesus’ earthly ministry, making up 35% of His teaching in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus was, quite simply, a masterful storyteller, using elements of the lives of the people around Him to meet them at their level and to express to them the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Sometimes, His parables seemed meant to clarify or explain (such as His story of the unforgiving servant to Simon the Pharisee); at other times, His parables seemed to shroud the kingdom in further mystery (as with the parable of the sower in Mark 4). And sometimes, according to Mark 4:34, Jesus could not stop talking in parables!

In this class, we want to cut through the murkiness many feel when reading Jesus’ parables. Rather than ask what every element of a parable corresponds to, or what the story “means to me,” we will seek to find the central point Jesus was driving at. Though sometimes enigmatic, Jesus’ parables were meant to stimulate our thinking, they always sought a response in their hearers, and all are revelatory to some degree of God, His kingdom, or His expectation of people. We hope that this class will help students develop a “sense” for studying these parables—that is, a sense of when details matter (and the tools for defining them), a sense for when details don’t matter, and a desire to seek out the revelation and response that Jesus was always pointing His hearers towards.

When it comes to following Jesus, some people are clear that they would rather go the way of the world; others live so spiritually that they seem to float on clouds. Many of the rest of us are content to be “middle-of-the-road” Christians. In Jesus’s eyes, however, there is no such thing--we are constantly either growing with Him or traveling a different path. In this class we will explore nine aspects of how Jesus spent time with those who chose Him, bringing them into His own view, living, and pathway to glory. This is not a class on how to conform to a “good Christian in the church” standard. Rather, it will touch on some ways we can have a life that is rich with eternal value, filled with Himself, as His disciples. There will be about 30 minutes of homework per week outside of class time.

“For in the full abundance of the Holy Scriptures we feed upon the plain parts, we are exercised by the obscure: by the one, hunger is driven away, and daintiness by the other.” —Augustine of Hippo

The Scriptures are full of passages that offer clear insight, causing a ready believer to grow up into salvation. Other portions hide more obscure meanings, known only when determined students of the Bible wrestle with its contents until they receive its blessing. Yet even beyond these exist passages that seem to challenge or contradict the broader teachings of Scripture, presenting what we will refer to as “hard questions.” In this class, we will engage with nine challenging passages from the four Gospels, each presenting a difficult question that has historically sparked varied interpretations within Christianity. Answering these questions demands a diligent and thoughtful approach, and their answers can expand our understanding and equip us to address concerns within ourselves and among fellow believers.

Each class session will focus on a specific passage and its associated question. We will (1) identify and articulate the challenges each question poses, (2) analyze and compare different interpretations through the centuries, and (3) work toward developing a reasoned answer that reconciles the passage with the full breadth of Scripture. By the end of the class, we hope to be better equipped to understand and answer these difficult questions—not necessarily because the answers are essential to the Christian faith, but more so to enhance our ability to engage with Scripture in a thoughtful and precise manner, deepening our understanding of the Word.

“Where I am going, you cannot come.” The time of Jesus’s passion was near, and He was going to depart the world and go to the Father. Yet, His heart was not full of His own coming agony but rather was full of His disciples, those men whom He loved and was soon to leave to face the world without Him. John 14–17 are the final words of comfort and instruction Jesus left for those apostles who would become the nucleus of the church. In these words, we see the outpouring of the rich sentiments of the heart of the Son of Man, preparing the disciples for the coming days where they would have to follow Him in a new way.

In this class, formatted as a round-table bible study, we hope that Jesus’s words can also become our nucleus, comforting and becoming a charge within us as we live in this world as His disciples and His testimony. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples.”

Have you ever wondered why the Gospels have different details when they are telling the same story? Why is John so different from Matthew, Mark and Luke? Why do we say that Jesus was 33 1/2 years old when he was crucified? Or have you ever wondered if Jesus' ministry changed over the course of the years presented in the Gospels?

Studying the Four Gospels together can be a daunting task. And harmonizing the four accounts greatly enriches our perspective of the life and work of the Lord we love. Join us as we learn the tools and techniques of Gospel harmony enabling us to study the ministry of Jesus Christ in 3D (4D!).

One amazing thing about God’s work is that it centers on a person. Instead of merely presenting dry theology, great feats of supernatural power, complex ideas, or systems of behavior, God wraps everything up into one Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and presents Him to the world. The four gospels focus on and highlight this virtuous, profound, and mysterious Person, who we all love. This class is a grand overview of all the classes (and more) that Sweet Savor Bible School will teach on the gospels this semester. We will touch the great events of Jesus’ life, like His birth, death, and resurrection, where God changed the entire universe through this Man. We will look at the path of Jesus as we follow His life as described by the four gospel writers. We will give an overview of His teaching in parables and plain words, His miracles, and His prayers. We will look at how Jesus taught His disciples lessons as He ministered to the world. We will gaze lovingly at the beauty of His person, especially as He is highlighted in the gospel of Luke. From the book of John, we will look at the divine facts of who He is as the Word, as bread, as light, as life, as truth, etc. We will explore the seeds His words planted that eventually grew into great New Testament truths, like the church, the Spirit, the Lord’s table, and a life in death and resurrection. We will end by exploring the profound truths revealed in Jesus’ last words in John 14-17.

During this nine-week class of the 2024 SSBS fall semester participants will consider together many of the significant miraculous works of Jesus Christ that can be found in the four gospels of the New Testament. Each class will involve an intensive reading, mutual-fellowship, and reflection of the significance related to some of the Lord’s healings, casting out of demons, and other miraculous interactions He had with people during the last years of His life. We hope that this class will not only give each the opportunity to read, learn, and consider these miracle moments of Jesus, but also see their significance and importance toward those whom the Lord interacted with specifically, as well as the application for the New Testament believers today.

This class will include both instructor-based as well as student participation for each of the nine sessions. Those who sign up can expect a good mix of mutual interaction with other students as well as instructional-based learning throughout the semester. We will encourage reading of the scripture out-loud together, shared questions, mutual fellowship, open discussion and interactions to help foster inspiration, light, and application for the participants.

The beginning of a new church is an exciting time. Those who have believed in Jesus Christ, and experienced the new birth in Christ, are a new creation. As they come together with other believers to worship and serve the God whom they love, they are filled with hope and expectation to be a light to their community, to reach the unsaved, and to grow numerically and in the knowledge and stature of Jesus Christ. How many churches have begun in this way? How many churches continue in this way? How many churches stumble and eventually split? We have only to read church history, and look at the situation of many churches today, including our own, to realize that the church life is not as idyllic a life as we imagine it to be. The apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, like no other letter, brings us down to earth, to challenge each church with stages that must be gone through in order to become the testimony that satisfies Christ and shines to the world.

This is a one year (three semester) course. However, each semester will be self-contained, even though only five or six chapters of the book will be covered each semester. Thus, during the fall semester, we will look closely at the first stage that a church needs to pass through: its relationship with apostles, or those servants of God who have raised up the church. Firstly, who are apostles? What is their ministry? What is their message? How do they relate to the believers in that church? Secondly, what is the standing of the believers in a particular city, as the church? How does God view them? How are they related to the apostles? A healthy church must lay hold of such a vision in order to deal with any division, the bane of Christian unity and harmony, and enjoy a proper relationship with Christ as the Head of His body, the church, and with His servants or ministers whom He has raised up to plant and water, and with God who gives the growth.

Le début d’une nouvelle église est une période passionnante. Ceux qui ont cru en Jésus-Christ et ont expérimenté la nouvelle naissance en Christ sont une nouvelle création. Alors qu'ils se réunissent avec d'autres croyants pour adorer et servir le Dieu qu'ils aiment, ils sont remplis d'espoir et d'attente pour être une lumière pour leur communauté, pour atteindre ceux qui ne sont pas sauvés et pour grandir numériquement, dans la connaissance et dans la stature de Jésus-Christ. Combien d’églises ont commencé de cette manière ? Combien d’églises continuent ainsi ? Combien d’églises trébuchent et finissent par se diviser ? Il suffit de lire l’histoire de l’Église et d’examiner la situation de nombreuses églises aujourd’hui, y compris la nôtre, pour réaliser que la vie de l’église n’est pas aussi idyllique que nous l’imaginons. La première lettre de l’apôtre Paul aux Corinthiens, comme aucune autre lettre, nous ramène sur terre, pour défier chaque église avec des étapes qu’elles doivent franchir afin de devenir le témoignage qui satisfait Christ et qui brille pour le monde.

Il s'agit d'un cours d'un an (trois semestres). Cependant, chaque semestre sera autonome, même si seuls cinq ou six chapitres du livre seront abordés chaque semestre. Ainsi, au cours du semestre d’automne, nous examinerons de près la première étape par laquelle une église doit passer : sa relation avec les apôtres, ou les serviteurs de Dieu qui ont élevé l’église. Premièrement, qui sont les apôtres ? Quel est leur ministère ? Quel est leur message ? Quelle est leur relation avec les croyants de cette église ? Deuxièmement, quelle est la position des croyants dans une ville particulière, en tant que l’église ? Comment Dieu les voit-il ? Quel est leur lien avec les apôtres ? Une église saine doit s'emparer d'une telle vision afin de faire face à toute division, fléau de l'unité et de l'harmonie chrétiennes, et jouir d'une relation appropriée avec Christ en tant que chef de Son corps, l'église, et avec ses serviteurs ou ministres que Dieu a élevés pour planter et arroser, et avec Dieu qui donne la croissance.