Peter, John and Jude may sound a bit like a teenage boy band, but they were men that God used to rescue the Church in its darkest hour. False teachers on the inside and persecution on the outside threatened to strangle the Christian community at birth. In a world where the Church appears to be in terminal decline, we need their letters to show us how to survive and thrive and advance. God inspired the Bible for a reason. He wants you read it and let it change your life. If you are willing to take this challenge seriously, then you will love Phil Moore’s devotional commentaries. Their bite-sized chapters are punchy and relevant, yet crammed with fascinating scholarship. Welcome to a new way of reading the Bible. Welcome to the Straight to the Heart series.

Luke is excited. As the only non-Jewish writer in the New Testament, he can hardly believe that God became a human, not just for Jewish boys like Peter and Paul, but for Gentiles just like him. His excitement about the Gospel is contagious, as he tells us, wide-eyed: All of this happened for you too. Want to explore Luke, but feel like you don't have the time? Straight to the Heart of Luke is a concise and bite-size approach to Bible study, giving you nuggets of information that you can think about throughout the day. Bible study for busy people. Luke was so unlike the other New Testament writers that many of his contemporaries believed he wasn't qualified to write Scripture at all. But to understand the message of his gospel, we need to grasp who he was. Luke was the only New Testament writer who was not a Jew. The apostle Paul defends him by stating explicitly that his gospel was as much Holy Scripture as the Old Testament. Luke was an outsider to the Jewish faith that God inspired to compile an account of the life of Jesus in order to show people all around the world that what Jesus said and did him said and did for us all. The astonishing message of Luke's gospel is that what happened to Jesus happened for you. Phil Moore helps us to understand and see God's wisdom in choosing Luke as a writer. He shows that Luke assures us that this isn't someone else's story: he came for you. We can say yes to Jesus, discovering that he can use you. And that all this is possible because he made a way for you.

If the book of Isaiah doesn't make your head hurt then you are not reading it properly. It was designed to stretch your mind and blow your senses with the greatness of God. Isaiah's vision of God changed everything for him and it will do the same for us. It shows us that God is far bigger than we thought. God inspired the Bible for a reason. He wants you read it and let it change your life. If you are willing to take this challenge seriously, then you will love Phil Moore’s devotional commentaries. Their bite-sized chapters are punchy and relevant, yet crammed with fascinating scholarship. Welcome to a new way of reading the Bible. Welcome to the Straight to the Heart series.

The Gospel isn't first and foremost about forgiveness. That's simply how we enter into the hallway of salvation to explore all of the rooms in the palace. That's why we need these three books of the Bible. They remind us that God has given us some Promised Land to take as a result of our salvation. They help us to discover the God who keeps on giving. God inspired the Bible for a reason. He wants you read it and let it change your life. If you are willing to take this challenge seriously, then you will love Phil Moore’s devotional commentaries. Their bite-sized chapters are punchy and relevant, yet crammed with fascinating scholarship. Welcome to a new way of reading the Bible. Welcome to the Straight to the Heart series.

The epistles in this edition were written by two of Jesus’s brothers, James and Jude, and Peter and John, each writing their namesake letters. The author of Hebrews is believed to be Paul or Peter. Hebrews addresses the Priesthood of Christ, who fulfilled the Old Testament laws. James, the brother of Jesus wrote the Epistle of James to address practical Christian living. Peter wrote to the Hebrew Christians that their purpose is encouragement and testimony. Peter sets forth the doctrines of grace but foresees the departure from the faith that will culminate during "the last days." The First Epistle of John was written as from the Father to His "little children." John treats the sins of a Christian like a child's offense against his Father. His second epistle is brief but strong in its message which centers round the "truth" in its relation to Christian living, and that Jesus Christ is Himself the Truth alive. His third letter is written to his friends, Gaius and Demetrius, praising them for sound Christian living. John rebuked a third church member, Diotrephes, who was one of the first examples of domineering ambition in the church. The Epistle of Jude was written by Jude, another brother of Jesus. His message was written against apostasies in the early church so threatening that the Spirit caused Jude to write this letter of warning. Jude describes how apostasy leads to sinful living. A bonus section is included: Revelation [Apocalypse] in Plain Language.

Through a detailed examination of the historical shaping and final canonical shape of seven oft-neglected New Testament letters, Reading the Epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude as Scripture introduces readers to the historical, literary, and theological integrity of this indispensable apostolic witness. While most scholars today interpret biblical texts in terms of their individual historical points of composition, David Nienhuis and Robert Wall argue that a theological approach to this part of Scripture is better served by attending to these texts' historical point of canonization -- those key moments in the ancient church's life when apostolic writings were grouped together to maximize the Spirit's communication of the apostolic rule of faith to believers everywhere. Reading the Epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude as Scripture is the only treatment of the Catholic Epistles that approaches these seven letters as an intentionally designed and theologically coherent canonical collection.

The General Epistles are a collection of seven letters that were intended to be circulated among all the early churches. They were not sent to any one specific church and, with the exception of 2 and 3 John, do not address individuals by name. Their subject matter is important enough that the authors wanted all the churches to be informed on these matters. JAMES: One of the earliest books of the New Testament was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus, who was the pastor of the church in Jerusalem. James deals with the problems faced by Christians everywhere in their daily walk. For example, he discusses the religion that pleases God, faith which saves because it works, the power of the tongue, coping with suffering and warning against favoritism to the rich and famous. His advice is practical and written in a style that is reminiscent of the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament. 1 JOHN: Written by the disciple who was dearly beloved by Jesus, this epistle confronts the gnostic errors that were pummeling the early church. John wrote to clarify the heart of the Gospel which reflects the heart of Jesus. He exalted Jesus, promoted love to one another and urged believers to avoid sin and entanglement with the world. 2 JOHN: This epistle was written to encourage the churches in a time when deception was rampant and many believers were straying from the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He uses two key words in this letter to instruct them how to walk: truth and love. 3 JOHN: John urges the churches to support the itinerant workers who, in turn, support the house church network of that day. He provides us with a study in contrast as he condemns the domineering demands of Diotrephes and endorses the demonstrated diligence of Demetrius. 1 PETER: In this epistle, Peter writes to churches struggling with persecution and suffering. He urges them to depend upon the enduring Word of God, to live holy lives and not to be entangled in the affairs of this life. Their attitudes and actions should all be defined and delivered in the light of eternity. 2 PETER: This epistle was written very near to the end of Peter's life and he writes to warn his readers about the false teachers infecting the churches. He provides the basic steps to increase the fruitfulness of their lives and encourages them to pay attention to God's sure Word of prophecy, to be true to Christ, and to be ready for His expected return. JUDE: Like Peter's second epistle, Jude wrote to warn the churches of the influx of false prophets and teachers. These two epistles have several passages that are remarkably similar, a situation which indicates the seriousness of their words. Their letters had an immediate application to the destruction of Jerusalem, but the situation he describes and the advice he gives are directly applicable to the anticipated return of Christ in our lifetimes. As you use these Study Guides for LIFE, you will be helped by three specific tools: 1) Explanatory notes which offer insight into difficult or controversial passages; 2) Searching questions which direct you back to the text for answers, and 3) Probing questions that expand the context and challenge you to apply the truths in each book to your own culture. Our goal is that you will know what the text says, what it means and how to apply it appropriately. By these means you will be helped to experience the closeness and intimacy of the Lord Jesus Christ, structure your life around Him and prepare for His anticipated return. The Study Guides for LIFE are appropriate for the study efforts of individuals, small groups or teachers preparing to explain each book. Whether you are a curious seeker or a professional minister, these Study Guides will direct your studies into the advice of Jesus' apostles and followers, which are designed to produce disciples after God's own heart.