Scripture forms the basis for each Urbana. As such, Urbana 15 has developed several posts to give you context for the Gospel of Matthew, context for studying Scripture in general, and background on how Urbana approaches studying the Scriptures. Keep these posts handy as you engage with the Scriptures.
The story of God’s mission runs throughout the entire Bible—from Genesis to Revelation and everywhere in between. Doubt the biblical basis of missions? Here’s a quick primer to get you on the right track.
Not only do we find the basis for missions in Scripture, the Bible itself is an indispensable tool for mission. InterVarsity’s Director of Scripture Engagement, Lindsay Olesberg, puts it this way: “Just as it is nearly impossible to build a house without a hammer, so any work of evangelism, church planting, or discipleship is impossible without God’s Word translated into the local language.”
Matthew is an amazing Gospel! Okay, so are the other three. But this here post is an inspiring overview of the themes of Matthew and their uncanny relevance to current events. Use it to give context as you grow in your in-depth study of Matthew.
Make sure you take A Gospel for Our Time with this one about the connection between refugees and Matthew's Gospel.
The Living God’s Story resource will help you create communities of growing disciples who learn from Matthew’s stories and then live them out in their context.
When you come to the Scriptures, you’ve got to come curious. Otherwise, you’re bound to shortchange your study, stunt the growth God has for you in reading his word, or even missing vital details and coming away with a wacked reading of Scripture.
If you’re ready to enter into the Scriptures, these seven steps are your map. The steps are good to use on your own, but also provide a great framework for working through a particular book with a small group over time.
Prayer and Scripture aren’t discrete ways of relating to and knowing God. Instead, praying Scripture opens our hearts and lets God inform the content of our prayers. This post is six ways Scripture and Prayer go together followed by some exercises to try.
We study Scripture at Urbana for a lot of reasons, not least of which is to take advantage of the diverse community God gathers there. As you engage with Scripture beyond Urbana, be sure to do so in community as well as on your own. Here’s why.
Ever wonder what Urbana’s underlying values are for studying the Bible? Glad you asked! Here they are. In a sentence: Urbana studies the Bible inductively, in community, by making space, relying on God's power, again and again.
And finally, here are those videos you saw during the Manuscript Bible Studies at Urbana 15. Use them to introduce others to the manuscript method and get some tips for how to (not) have a successful Bible Study.