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Israel's Mission Discovery Guide: A Kingdom of Priests in a Prodigal World (13)
Explore how we are called to engaged with a sinful and broken culture that seeks to undermine God's desire for Shalom among all people. In this thirteenth volume of the series That The World May Know , take a tour through the land of the Bible to the places where God first gave his people their unique calling in the world, and discover how God is still passionately seeking the lost sheep of his flock. This discovery guide includes passages of Scripture explored in the DVD (sold separately); questions for discussion and personal reflection; personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions; as well as sidebars, maps, photos, and other study tools. Designed for use with the Israel’s Mission Video Study (sold separately). _______________ THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW Join renowned teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan as he guides you through the land of the Bible. In each lesson, Vander Laan illuminates the historical, geographical, and cultural context of the sacred Scriptures. Filmed on location in the Middle East and elsewhere, the That the World May Know film series will transform your understanding of God and challenge you to be a true follower of Jesus.
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2015
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 14, 2015
I received the DVD and Discovery Guide from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for my honest opinion.
I love Bible studies because they help guide me through God's word and even give me a glimpse at my own thinking and understanding about what I've read and how I've interpreted it. However, many of the studies just gloss over the context of the passages and I feel like I'm missing a little bit because I've applied the information to the current world and not the historical world.
That the World May Know series of studies help us experience the Bible in historical context. It shows us where the pertinent places (now archaeological sites) of the Bible are located and illustrates how the people during the Biblical times lived and thought within their cultures. This helps me picture everything as it took place because the context gives me a better understanding of how everything relates in the Bible instead of just looking at them as a bunch of separate stories.
DVD: When you open the package, a Leader's Guide is tucked into the cover. It gives the the group leader a basic overview of how to conduct each hour long session with a small group. (Times are suggestive and other options are given depending upon how the study is to be used.) The basic session outline is as follows:
1. Opening Thoughts/The Very Words of God/Think About It
2. DVD Teaching (roughly 30 minute segments)
3. DVD Discussion
4. Small Group Bible Discovery and Discussion
5. Faith Lesson
6. Closing
The DVD segments themselves are pretty neat. Ray Vander Laan takes a group of people to the historical sites and gives an illustrative teaching about how the site was used during Biblical times. He also gives a brief study on the theme for that particular session:
1. Abraham and Sarah and Three Strangers
2. Israel at Sinai: The First Great Commission
3. Jesus Renews the Mission: Seeking the Lost
4. The Lost Son: Ina Far Country
5. The Seeking Father: The Lost Son Returns
At the end of each, there is a take-away for how we can apply the teaching to our own lives.
The videos are beautifully put together and realistically show how people lived and interacted within their society's cultural norms because they were filmed on location in the Middle East. As someone who really loves looking at the historical aspects of the Bible and where they fit into our culture's interpretation of history, I thought each video was a great way to actually visualize history as it happened.
Discovery (Study) Guide Book: I was a little intimidated when I first opened the study guide book to use with the DVD because it was exactly that--a book. I'm used to having a lot of "white space" on the pages of the typical Bible studies I do and this one does not have much. However, as I started to go through the study, I found that I wanted to take notes in my own journal because there is a wealth of information included for each session. (That, and I write huge so my notes and responses would not fit within the Discovery Guide.)
Within the Discovery (Study) Guide there is an Introduction as to the how the study is laid out and clarification as to what is meant by certain names used throughout. Each Group session is outlined as follows:
1. Background information on the theme or topic for the week
2. Opening Thoughts: The Very Words of God (Bible verses relating to the topic/theme)
3. Think About It (Brief points and questions about what will be taught in DVD)
4. DVD Notes (Brief Outline of topics for the session with a little bit of room for notes)
5. DVD Discussion (Question/s to answer in regards to the DVDs)
5a. Fact File (Archaeological information and facts about the time period and place)
5b. For Greater Understanding (Information about the Biblical people/s in study)
6. Small Group Bible Discovery and Discussion (Points and questions to be used as discussion that relate to the Bible verses brought up in the study)
6a. Point to Ponder (Points related to theme or topic)
6b. Did You Know? (Relevant points that help put everything into both Biblical and Modern context)
7. Faith Lesson (Ways to use what was learned with questions to extend thinking and application)
8. Closing (Memory Verse and closing remarks)
9. Five Daily In-Depth Personal Study Sessions (contains questions, facts, points to ponder, memory verses, and reflections for each day)
Honestly, I was a little overwhelmed at all of the information that was included in the personal study sessions. My experience has been 15-30 minute chunks of time for studies, but if you want to really learn and grapple with this text you will need a minimum of an hour for all of the session each day. (Although, I am a slow learner because it takes time for me to process and digest information, so if you pick things up quickly, then you may not need that much time.)
Overall, I was really impressed with the depth of information provided and the passion with which Ray Vander Laan teaches. I am interested in going through the other studies in this series (this is #13) because I think it will give me an even more comprehensive understanding of the Bible and its teachings.
If you want a meatier Bible study to either do on your own or with a group (which I recommend), this is the best series to use!
I love Bible studies because they help guide me through God's word and even give me a glimpse at my own thinking and understanding about what I've read and how I've interpreted it. However, many of the studies just gloss over the context of the passages and I feel like I'm missing a little bit because I've applied the information to the current world and not the historical world.
That the World May Know series of studies help us experience the Bible in historical context. It shows us where the pertinent places (now archaeological sites) of the Bible are located and illustrates how the people during the Biblical times lived and thought within their cultures. This helps me picture everything as it took place because the context gives me a better understanding of how everything relates in the Bible instead of just looking at them as a bunch of separate stories.
DVD: When you open the package, a Leader's Guide is tucked into the cover. It gives the the group leader a basic overview of how to conduct each hour long session with a small group. (Times are suggestive and other options are given depending upon how the study is to be used.) The basic session outline is as follows:
1. Opening Thoughts/The Very Words of God/Think About It
2. DVD Teaching (roughly 30 minute segments)
3. DVD Discussion
4. Small Group Bible Discovery and Discussion
5. Faith Lesson
6. Closing
The DVD segments themselves are pretty neat. Ray Vander Laan takes a group of people to the historical sites and gives an illustrative teaching about how the site was used during Biblical times. He also gives a brief study on the theme for that particular session:
1. Abraham and Sarah and Three Strangers
2. Israel at Sinai: The First Great Commission
3. Jesus Renews the Mission: Seeking the Lost
4. The Lost Son: Ina Far Country
5. The Seeking Father: The Lost Son Returns
At the end of each, there is a take-away for how we can apply the teaching to our own lives.
The videos are beautifully put together and realistically show how people lived and interacted within their society's cultural norms because they were filmed on location in the Middle East. As someone who really loves looking at the historical aspects of the Bible and where they fit into our culture's interpretation of history, I thought each video was a great way to actually visualize history as it happened.
Discovery (Study) Guide Book: I was a little intimidated when I first opened the study guide book to use with the DVD because it was exactly that--a book. I'm used to having a lot of "white space" on the pages of the typical Bible studies I do and this one does not have much. However, as I started to go through the study, I found that I wanted to take notes in my own journal because there is a wealth of information included for each session. (That, and I write huge so my notes and responses would not fit within the Discovery Guide.)
Within the Discovery (Study) Guide there is an Introduction as to the how the study is laid out and clarification as to what is meant by certain names used throughout. Each Group session is outlined as follows:
1. Background information on the theme or topic for the week
2. Opening Thoughts: The Very Words of God (Bible verses relating to the topic/theme)
3. Think About It (Brief points and questions about what will be taught in DVD)
4. DVD Notes (Brief Outline of topics for the session with a little bit of room for notes)
5. DVD Discussion (Question/s to answer in regards to the DVDs)
5a. Fact File (Archaeological information and facts about the time period and place)
5b. For Greater Understanding (Information about the Biblical people/s in study)
6. Small Group Bible Discovery and Discussion (Points and questions to be used as discussion that relate to the Bible verses brought up in the study)
6a. Point to Ponder (Points related to theme or topic)
6b. Did You Know? (Relevant points that help put everything into both Biblical and Modern context)
7. Faith Lesson (Ways to use what was learned with questions to extend thinking and application)
8. Closing (Memory Verse and closing remarks)
9. Five Daily In-Depth Personal Study Sessions (contains questions, facts, points to ponder, memory verses, and reflections for each day)
Honestly, I was a little overwhelmed at all of the information that was included in the personal study sessions. My experience has been 15-30 minute chunks of time for studies, but if you want to really learn and grapple with this text you will need a minimum of an hour for all of the session each day. (Although, I am a slow learner because it takes time for me to process and digest information, so if you pick things up quickly, then you may not need that much time.)
Overall, I was really impressed with the depth of information provided and the passion with which Ray Vander Laan teaches. I am interested in going through the other studies in this series (this is #13) because I think it will give me an even more comprehensive understanding of the Bible and its teachings.
If you want a meatier Bible study to either do on your own or with a group (which I recommend), this is the best series to use!
September 3, 2015
Sometimes I get the sense that I don’t understand what’s going on in the Bible because I don’t understand the history or culture that it’s written in. I keep applying the Bible to my life, but sometimes because I’m missing out on cultural nuances, I’ll discover that I might be applying it the wrong way. To counteract that feeling, I’ve become a student of ancient history. I want to know what the Bible means, and I want to know what it means by what it meant to it’s audience.
Because of this desire, when I received the opportunity to review Ray Vander Laan’s Israel’s Mission Discovery Guide with DVD: A Kingdom of Priests in a Prodigal World (That the World May Know), I was excited to get to dig in and learn more about the Bible. This is the thirteenth volume of the That the World May Know Series, a series of DVDs and Bible study guides that are dedicated to helping you enrich your knowledge of the Bible by allowing you to experience the Bible in it’s historical context.
Written for small group study, the theme of Israel’s Mission is redemption and restoration and on our role in helping to restore a lost world back into “the Father’s house.” This is a five-session Bible study and these five sessions are:
Abraham and Sarah and Three Strangers
Israel at Sinai: The First Great Commission
Jesus Renews His Mission: Seeking the Lost
The Lost Son: In a Far Country
The Seeking Father: The Lost Son Returns
As you can see, all these sessions are about people being away from the kingdom and our role in bringing them back into God’s family. The discovery guide that goes along with the DVD goes more in-depth on historical background and has discussion questions for group time. The guide also has in-depth Bible study, exploring the passages mentioned in the video teaching lectures, and expanding upon them through five homework lessons per small group session.
Ray Vander Laan’s lecture style on the DVDs is very easily understandable as well as very penetrating in the culture of the Bible and the words contained therein. We watched these videos as a family, and my ten year old was just as interested in the lessons as my husband and I were. Vander Laan is a very engaging teacher.
I also really appreciated the way that he used examples to color our understanding of what words that we see frequently in the Bible. One of my favorites from the first video was when he was explaining what the birthright was in a patriarchal culture. He compared it to your oldest receiving lots of presents for Christmas and your other children only receiving little bags of candy. Yet the younger children are dancing around excited because the gifts given to the oldest child mean that they’re taken care of.
Vander Laan related this concept to Abraham, but he also applied it to God. He is our Father. We live in his house and are under his care. The lost sheep of the world are out of the Father’s house and he is willing to use whatever resources he needs to to bring them back in.
As I mentioned, these themes are all reinforced for the Bible study participant throughout the wonderful discovery guide that is a part of the Bible study, and everything is high-quality and well done. It’s also easy to follow as you go about your study each week. I found that not only did I feel a deep heart tug towards what it truly means to be a “child of God,” but I also found my heart breaking for those who were outside the Father’s house, needing to be brought back in and restored to the family.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the discovery guide and DVD from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.
Because of this desire, when I received the opportunity to review Ray Vander Laan’s Israel’s Mission Discovery Guide with DVD: A Kingdom of Priests in a Prodigal World (That the World May Know), I was excited to get to dig in and learn more about the Bible. This is the thirteenth volume of the That the World May Know Series, a series of DVDs and Bible study guides that are dedicated to helping you enrich your knowledge of the Bible by allowing you to experience the Bible in it’s historical context.
Written for small group study, the theme of Israel’s Mission is redemption and restoration and on our role in helping to restore a lost world back into “the Father’s house.” This is a five-session Bible study and these five sessions are:
Abraham and Sarah and Three Strangers
Israel at Sinai: The First Great Commission
Jesus Renews His Mission: Seeking the Lost
The Lost Son: In a Far Country
The Seeking Father: The Lost Son Returns
As you can see, all these sessions are about people being away from the kingdom and our role in bringing them back into God’s family. The discovery guide that goes along with the DVD goes more in-depth on historical background and has discussion questions for group time. The guide also has in-depth Bible study, exploring the passages mentioned in the video teaching lectures, and expanding upon them through five homework lessons per small group session.
Ray Vander Laan’s lecture style on the DVDs is very easily understandable as well as very penetrating in the culture of the Bible and the words contained therein. We watched these videos as a family, and my ten year old was just as interested in the lessons as my husband and I were. Vander Laan is a very engaging teacher.
I also really appreciated the way that he used examples to color our understanding of what words that we see frequently in the Bible. One of my favorites from the first video was when he was explaining what the birthright was in a patriarchal culture. He compared it to your oldest receiving lots of presents for Christmas and your other children only receiving little bags of candy. Yet the younger children are dancing around excited because the gifts given to the oldest child mean that they’re taken care of.
Vander Laan related this concept to Abraham, but he also applied it to God. He is our Father. We live in his house and are under his care. The lost sheep of the world are out of the Father’s house and he is willing to use whatever resources he needs to to bring them back in.
As I mentioned, these themes are all reinforced for the Bible study participant throughout the wonderful discovery guide that is a part of the Bible study, and everything is high-quality and well done. It’s also easy to follow as you go about your study each week. I found that not only did I feel a deep heart tug towards what it truly means to be a “child of God,” but I also found my heart breaking for those who were outside the Father’s house, needing to be brought back in and restored to the family.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the discovery guide and DVD from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.
August 27, 2015
For some people to study subjects they want to know more about, some use books, reference materials of some sort, or a DVD which offers both an auditory and visual perspective, but when you pair these resources alongside your Bible to understand the meaning behind why God selected the Israelite people aside from all the other people living in the world, with a mission to bring the "sheep back into His kingdom," you want to probe into the context that really makes up a true Bible study. That is where the DVD, Israel's Mission: Experience the Bible in Historical Context, along with the book, Israel's Mission: Discovery Guide, from Ray Vander Laan, renowned teacher and historian of the "That the World May Know" series, comes into play.
Using five very different segments from Abraham and Sarah and the three strangers, Israel at Sinai, Jesus Renews the Mission of Seeking the Lost, The Lost Son in a Far Away Country, and finally The Seeking Father: The Lost Son Returns, we can unlock the meaning behind God's plan to reclaim His world that had been broken by sin and to use people as His partners in that effort. By choosing a people, Israel, and a place, the promised land at the crossroads of an ancient world, to make His name known. By living in the Promised Land and obeying God's commandments, his chosen people couldn't help but display his character and make Him known to the entire world.
Yet they struggled to be faithful. They were blessed repeatedly by God's hand, but turned away to worship the gods of the nations around them. Prophets of God called them back to Him, back to their mission, but when they refused God allowed pagan nations to conquer the land and carry His people away to foreign lands. The arena has changed in time, but the mission has not. God's partners have always struggled to carry out this task faithfully and this series and study is designed that people will seek to engage this culture and be a blessing to wherever God places us. Using real life locations through the DVD portion of this study, readers are engaged to revisit the Bible and see how even in modern day times, these lessons are still applicable. So many things from the Bible are culture based to apply to the people living in the areas at this time and for those of us that fail to really understand the concepts we miss how it applies to our life today.
I received Israel's Mission DVD and Discovery Guide by Ray Vander Laan compliments of Zondervan Publishers, Focus on the Family and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of the DVD and Discovery Guide for a favorable review and the opinions found here are my personal honest ones. For me this series takes all the necessary learning elements, auditory, visual and kinetic and brings the Bible to life in a whole new way. From understand the culture references, to rereading the Bible and seeing it from a different perspective it encourages the reader and viewer to an entirely new perspective into understanding the Bible, God's great commission and how we all need to do our part to share it with a lost and hurting world. It allows all of us to become a kingdom of priests in a prodigal world! For me these both rated a 5 out of 5 stars.
Using five very different segments from Abraham and Sarah and the three strangers, Israel at Sinai, Jesus Renews the Mission of Seeking the Lost, The Lost Son in a Far Away Country, and finally The Seeking Father: The Lost Son Returns, we can unlock the meaning behind God's plan to reclaim His world that had been broken by sin and to use people as His partners in that effort. By choosing a people, Israel, and a place, the promised land at the crossroads of an ancient world, to make His name known. By living in the Promised Land and obeying God's commandments, his chosen people couldn't help but display his character and make Him known to the entire world.
Yet they struggled to be faithful. They were blessed repeatedly by God's hand, but turned away to worship the gods of the nations around them. Prophets of God called them back to Him, back to their mission, but when they refused God allowed pagan nations to conquer the land and carry His people away to foreign lands. The arena has changed in time, but the mission has not. God's partners have always struggled to carry out this task faithfully and this series and study is designed that people will seek to engage this culture and be a blessing to wherever God places us. Using real life locations through the DVD portion of this study, readers are engaged to revisit the Bible and see how even in modern day times, these lessons are still applicable. So many things from the Bible are culture based to apply to the people living in the areas at this time and for those of us that fail to really understand the concepts we miss how it applies to our life today.
I received Israel's Mission DVD and Discovery Guide by Ray Vander Laan compliments of Zondervan Publishers, Focus on the Family and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of the DVD and Discovery Guide for a favorable review and the opinions found here are my personal honest ones. For me this series takes all the necessary learning elements, auditory, visual and kinetic and brings the Bible to life in a whole new way. From understand the culture references, to rereading the Bible and seeing it from a different perspective it encourages the reader and viewer to an entirely new perspective into understanding the Bible, God's great commission and how we all need to do our part to share it with a lost and hurting world. It allows all of us to become a kingdom of priests in a prodigal world! For me these both rated a 5 out of 5 stars.
October 14, 2015
A visual stunning DVD and accompanying study guide, "Israel's Mission Discovery Guide" really challenges the reader to discover what it means to be an ambassador for Christ.
An in depth dvd from the founder of "That the World May Know" and along with Focus on the Family, this is a compelling study that really challenges the individual in discovering the assignment that God has given not just those who have walked before us, but you and I today.
Filled with 5 episodes filmed on location in the Middle East, what really catches the eye is not only how visual rich this study is, but just going through the study guide alone, it is filled with maps, photos, questions that really has the individual digging deep both in the Bible and via personal reflection along with focus on Scripture that is presented in the film.
The book/dvd really creates an exciting, discussion rich bible study that is enriching for personal, group, Sunday School settings.
It's a rare find to discover a bible study that really brings to life in a historical context the Bible while bringing with it life applications that challenges the Christian to grow and mature in their walk.
An in depth dvd from the founder of "That the World May Know" and along with Focus on the Family, this is a compelling study that really challenges the individual in discovering the assignment that God has given not just those who have walked before us, but you and I today.
Filled with 5 episodes filmed on location in the Middle East, what really catches the eye is not only how visual rich this study is, but just going through the study guide alone, it is filled with maps, photos, questions that really has the individual digging deep both in the Bible and via personal reflection along with focus on Scripture that is presented in the film.
The book/dvd really creates an exciting, discussion rich bible study that is enriching for personal, group, Sunday School settings.
It's a rare find to discover a bible study that really brings to life in a historical context the Bible while bringing with it life applications that challenges the Christian to grow and mature in their walk.
September 17, 2015
In this informative DVD, Ray Vander Laan takes us through the some of the prominent cities discussed in the Bible. It is filmed on location as he shows the land, explains the culture, and describes how these tie together with the specific Bible story. This specific study focuses on our call to the lost and hurting people.
Each episode is a little over 30 minutes and is meant to be used with the "Discovery Guide". It is not necessary, but helpful if you would like to dig deeper into the study. Ray has a solid grasp on the Bible and the environment, culture and history. It is very informative and enjoyable to watch. It can be used as a group study, or for individual use.
Thank you, Litfuse, for this great set! As always, this is my honest opinion. Here's to many more!!
Each episode is a little over 30 minutes and is meant to be used with the "Discovery Guide". It is not necessary, but helpful if you would like to dig deeper into the study. Ray has a solid grasp on the Bible and the environment, culture and history. It is very informative and enjoyable to watch. It can be used as a group study, or for individual use.
Thank you, Litfuse, for this great set! As always, this is my honest opinion. Here's to many more!!
November 17, 2015
When Jesus was born, His ministry was to tell all about God the Father and the relationships that people have with God. However, there was no way that Jesus was able to complete that mission. Before Jesus Ascension into Heaven, he commanded the disciples to complete this mission. This is our great commission. As HIS disciples. We were all given this command – share. Share God. Ray Vander Laan’s Israel’s Mission, Becoming a Kingdom of Priests in a Prodigal World gives us practical ideals and takes us back to the Bible for ways to do this
This DVD series starts with Sarah and Abraham and, and goes through Israel at Sinai, Jesus Renews the Mission, Seeking the Lost, The Lost Son In a Far Country, The Seeking Father The Lost Son Returns. All of these topics and going through each one of these subjects with great detail and great knowledge and Historical facts. Imagine stepping back in time, and experiencing where Sarah and Abraham lived, and what their ministry had in store for the world during that time frame; Abraham experienced such a deep relationship with God and followed him unconditionally. In the town where they lived Arad, Sarah and Abraham lived to serve others with everything they had. They gave everything. Abraham was so favored and trusted that by giving unconditionally, everything that they had to do God’s work, God provided everything that they needed.
This DVD/Bible Study goes into detail for all of this and so much more While I am reviewing the Bible Study for #Litfuse, I am going to go back and redo the entire study so that I have more time to do lots of the research, and the details as well as being able to soak up such a detail oriented study!
Designed for use with that the World May Know: Israel’s Mission Discovery Guide.
Filmed on location at these biblically significant sites in Israel and Jordan:
-Back to the Father’s House – Negev Desert
-Show Them the Way – Timnah
-Prodigal Sons and Daughters – Qatzrin
-Return from the Far Off Country – Jerash
-Welcome Home – Qatzrin
http://litfusegroup.com/author/RVande...
Like I said, I will be going back to redo the study in detail and to really study it. I can’t wait actually.
The study proves to be a very insightful, in-depth, study of God’s expectations for us! What a great way to spend my time! Studying God’s word, learning more about Him and just soaking in the knowledge that others have researched and brought to you in a DVD/Study!
This DVD series starts with Sarah and Abraham and, and goes through Israel at Sinai, Jesus Renews the Mission, Seeking the Lost, The Lost Son In a Far Country, The Seeking Father The Lost Son Returns. All of these topics and going through each one of these subjects with great detail and great knowledge and Historical facts. Imagine stepping back in time, and experiencing where Sarah and Abraham lived, and what their ministry had in store for the world during that time frame; Abraham experienced such a deep relationship with God and followed him unconditionally. In the town where they lived Arad, Sarah and Abraham lived to serve others with everything they had. They gave everything. Abraham was so favored and trusted that by giving unconditionally, everything that they had to do God’s work, God provided everything that they needed.
This DVD/Bible Study goes into detail for all of this and so much more While I am reviewing the Bible Study for #Litfuse, I am going to go back and redo the entire study so that I have more time to do lots of the research, and the details as well as being able to soak up such a detail oriented study!
Designed for use with that the World May Know: Israel’s Mission Discovery Guide.
Filmed on location at these biblically significant sites in Israel and Jordan:
-Back to the Father’s House – Negev Desert
-Show Them the Way – Timnah
-Prodigal Sons and Daughters – Qatzrin
-Return from the Far Off Country – Jerash
-Welcome Home – Qatzrin
http://litfusegroup.com/author/RVande...
Like I said, I will be going back to redo the study in detail and to really study it. I can’t wait actually.
The study proves to be a very insightful, in-depth, study of God’s expectations for us! What a great way to spend my time! Studying God’s word, learning more about Him and just soaking in the knowledge that others have researched and brought to you in a DVD/Study!
September 5, 2015
What's your mission? Your mission is to dig deep as you discover more about God's word, the people of the Bible and why Israel is so important to the Christian faith. I love the Discovery guide because it has great factual information that makes this book so imperative. Each session has an opening thought with from the the Bible, which allows you to explore your thoughts and get theological with those you're doing the study with or to ask questions of God? Then you get to answer questions from the DVD, which are about 30-34 minutes in length. The DVD sessions are completely FASCINATING! Don't worry, you won't be snoozing through this series, but instead will be excited as you learn about the life in the Middle East, getting an up close encounter of the Village of Qatzrin where Jesus did much of his teaching, learn about the prodigal son and learn about a lost son who is the model for how much God loves us even if we find ourselves far from him. This DVD series makes the Bible come to life with stories and the companion guide is brilliant for any small group looking to go deeper. The companion guide has five days for each session and there are a total of 5 sessions.
I think our mission is so simple, yet so important: BRING BACK the LOST sheep and Ray does a powerful job in illustrating this message when he takes us to different places in ISRAEL to make this message come to life!
Thank you to Focus on the Family for allowing me to review this material. I was not compensated for a positive review, but was given the curriculum for review purposes only.
I think our mission is so simple, yet so important: BRING BACK the LOST sheep and Ray does a powerful job in illustrating this message when he takes us to different places in ISRAEL to make this message come to life!
Thank you to Focus on the Family for allowing me to review this material. I was not compensated for a positive review, but was given the curriculum for review purposes only.
September 13, 2015
Israel's Mission is volume 13 in the That the World May Know series. I had never seen this series before but was very excited to review this as I had heard of Mr. Ray Vander Laan and knew he was an excellent teacher. I was totally correct about that.
The Book is divided into five sections:
a. Abraham and Sarah and the Three Strangers
b. Israel at Sinai
c. Jesus Renews the Mission
d. The Lost Son
e. The Seeking Father
The teaching is so inspiring you feel as though you've gone back in time and are right there as these events took place. The filming on the DVD is done on location, which I loved, because it helped me to visualize what it was like when these things took place. The book was easy to understand and read.
I learned so much! With the companion book that goes along with this DVD, it is like doing an in-depth Bible study. It would be excellent as a small group study or as a study at church. Of course, doing it on your own is a most excellent idea, too! As a former homeschool Mom, I would have definitely used this resource in our homeschooling. My junior high/high school age children would have loved it.
I highly recommend this! It kept my attention, I learned a tremendous amount and I love the setting. Just a great teaching all the way around! I give this 5 out of 5 stars
*This DVD and book was provided to me for my honest review by LitFuse Publicity Group
The Book is divided into five sections:
a. Abraham and Sarah and the Three Strangers
b. Israel at Sinai
c. Jesus Renews the Mission
d. The Lost Son
e. The Seeking Father
The teaching is so inspiring you feel as though you've gone back in time and are right there as these events took place. The filming on the DVD is done on location, which I loved, because it helped me to visualize what it was like when these things took place. The book was easy to understand and read.
I learned so much! With the companion book that goes along with this DVD, it is like doing an in-depth Bible study. It would be excellent as a small group study or as a study at church. Of course, doing it on your own is a most excellent idea, too! As a former homeschool Mom, I would have definitely used this resource in our homeschooling. My junior high/high school age children would have loved it.
I highly recommend this! It kept my attention, I learned a tremendous amount and I love the setting. Just a great teaching all the way around! I give this 5 out of 5 stars
*This DVD and book was provided to me for my honest review by LitFuse Publicity Group
October 7, 2015
In Israel’s Mission, Ray Vander Laan explored the history of Israel and our mission to lead the lost sheep and prodigals back to the Lord. The film and book contains five lessons including: Abraham and Sarah and the Three Stanger’s, Israel at Sinai: The First Great Commission, Jesus Renews the Mission: Seeking the Lost, The Lost Son: In a Far Country, and The Seeking Father: The Lost Son Returns. The Bible study also encompasses five days of personal devotional studies to help readers to dig deeper into the message.
I would recommend this awesome Bible study to anyone who enjoys learning about Israel and the message Jesus has for His people. This series would make a great Bible study for your next small group study. Ray Vander Laan did an excellent job at filming and conveying the teachings found only in Israel’s land. I loved how he filmed and showed Israel and it helped me to imagine what it looked like since I haven’t ever personally seen the Holy Land. I loved the topics of reaching out to the lost sheep and the power that is found when Jesus touches their hearts and lives and they are transformed. I also loved that the book shared tons of scriptures and had a great number of questions where readers could ponder and discuss with a small group. If you’re looking for an exciting new Bible study, then read and watch this one!
“I received a review copy of Israel’s Mission Film and Discovery Guide Book from Litfuse for this review.”
I would recommend this awesome Bible study to anyone who enjoys learning about Israel and the message Jesus has for His people. This series would make a great Bible study for your next small group study. Ray Vander Laan did an excellent job at filming and conveying the teachings found only in Israel’s land. I loved how he filmed and showed Israel and it helped me to imagine what it looked like since I haven’t ever personally seen the Holy Land. I loved the topics of reaching out to the lost sheep and the power that is found when Jesus touches their hearts and lives and they are transformed. I also loved that the book shared tons of scriptures and had a great number of questions where readers could ponder and discuss with a small group. If you’re looking for an exciting new Bible study, then read and watch this one!
“I received a review copy of Israel’s Mission Film and Discovery Guide Book from Litfuse for this review.”
September 25, 2015
Renown author and Bible teacher, Ray Vander Laan is the founder of That The World may Know Ministries. He is also the creator and Bible teacher of the video lecture series, That The World May Know. Ray has a passion to see believers taught the Word and driven further into Bible study.
His latest DVD and Discovery Guide is titled, Israel's Mission and he takes us on a journey through the time and land of the Patriarchs. He gleans from them the mission God gave to Israel, mainly that they would bring the "lost sheep" back into the fold. Also, he shows how God intended them (and believers) to be a kingdom of priests. We have the same mission.
The study has 5 sessions, each DVD segment is around 30 minutes in length and is designed to be used with the Discovery Guide. In the guide, you have a little more in-depth study, a place for discussion of the DVD lesson for that period, some discussion questions. There are also more teaching in Fact File, Did you Know, For Greater Understanding, and Think About it, pictures and maps. Designed to be done at home, there are also verses to memorize.
If your small group wants to dig deeper into God's Word, you will want to look this series over.
I received a free copy of this DVD and Discovery Guide from the publishers and Litfuse for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.
His latest DVD and Discovery Guide is titled, Israel's Mission and he takes us on a journey through the time and land of the Patriarchs. He gleans from them the mission God gave to Israel, mainly that they would bring the "lost sheep" back into the fold. Also, he shows how God intended them (and believers) to be a kingdom of priests. We have the same mission.
The study has 5 sessions, each DVD segment is around 30 minutes in length and is designed to be used with the Discovery Guide. In the guide, you have a little more in-depth study, a place for discussion of the DVD lesson for that period, some discussion questions. There are also more teaching in Fact File, Did you Know, For Greater Understanding, and Think About it, pictures and maps. Designed to be done at home, there are also verses to memorize.
If your small group wants to dig deeper into God's Word, you will want to look this series over.
I received a free copy of this DVD and Discovery Guide from the publishers and Litfuse for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.
September 15, 2015
This was a fascinating and informative DVD and discovery guide. I've seen many others in this series and I was excited to find out there was a new one. Learning about the cultural, spiritual and historical background was incredibly interesting and shed new light on stories I've heard all of my life. I took away a lot of new insight into these familiar stories. The DVD sessions were about a half hour long each and the book really went more in depth using the DVD as a launching pad. For each of the five sessions there was some background to the story, opening thoughts, a think about it section, guided notes to take as you watch the DVD, some discussion questions that point you back to the Bible for passages to read, a closing and verse to memorize. Then another section is for personal study with questions and deeper reflections for five more days. This brought in other Bible stories that pertained to the topic. There's fascinating background, maps, photos and explanation in sidebars. The topic is such an important one and really made me think about my role in reflecting who God is to His lost children and what more I can do to bring them back to Him. I highly recommend this set!
I received this book and DVD from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book and DVD from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
May 14, 2018
Israel’s Mission is a Discovery guide with accompanying DVD which is divided into five lessons. The main idea is Israel’s patriarchal society that brings those who have been alienated from the Father’s house to redemption and restoration back to the Father’s house.
The Discovery Guide and DVD focuses on the covenant between God and Abraham and Sarah to start the mission of redeeming and restoring all those who did not know Him to the Father’s House (beth ab).
There is good information in the guide and DVD but seemed a little repetitive in nature. I would have been able to tolerate the host a more if he did not scream his message throughout the program.
I received this guide and DVD through the Litfuse Reviewer Program in exchange for an honest review according to the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.
The Discovery Guide and DVD focuses on the covenant between God and Abraham and Sarah to start the mission of redeeming and restoring all those who did not know Him to the Father’s House (beth ab).
There is good information in the guide and DVD but seemed a little repetitive in nature. I would have been able to tolerate the host a more if he did not scream his message throughout the program.
I received this guide and DVD through the Litfuse Reviewer Program in exchange for an honest review according to the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.
December 2, 2015
Ray offers fresh insights into what God's mission for Israel was, and our calling as the church today. But returning to the historical context of Israel allows you to appreciate God's call for holiness in the Old testament and to find the Lost sheep in the New Testament. His insight into why the eldest inherited all the fathers wealth, to provide for the whole family was a revolutionary insight, for me.
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