10 Weeks in John: Bible Study, (Paperback)

10 Weeks in John is a 10-Week Reading Plan for new believers through the books penned by John, called the Beloved Disciple.Our hope is for your walk with Christ to be enriched through this book. The included reading plan is to read a chapter per day in one of the books of John. This devotional is planned between Sunday and Thursday with Friday and Saturday as make-up days.This devotional is a supplement, not a replacement, to your daily reading. If you have to make a choice, please read a chapter from the books of John, rather than the chapter from this book! Now, just to make sure that we're on the same page, the books of John are those historically accredited to John, the disciple of Jesus Christ: the Gospel of John, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and Revelation.John wrote these books based on his personal experiences with Jesus. He is called the Beloved Disciple, the one who reclined at the Last Supper on Jesus' chest, and the only one of the twelve present at the crucifixion as Jesus asked him to care for Mary, Jesus' mother. John was one of the first eye-witnesses of the resurrection. In short, John was as close to Jesus as any other person could be, which gives us great confidence that his accounts of Jesus' life, resurrection, and future return are absolutely true.As you read through the books of John, you will be reading through different genres of literature including history, sermons, parables, prophecy, letters, and apocalypse. Different types of literature are no more or less God's word. As Jesus said, each jot or tittle, or as we might say each dot over every "i" and every cross of the letter "t" is equally God's Word. But each genre must be read with the uniqueness of the style in mind. We do believe that a whale literally swallowed Jonah because the book of Jonah is history. We do not believe that a beast will literally rise out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads because this is typical of apocalyptic literature. The nuance will at times be hard to understand, but is nonetheless crucial. We've written introductions to the different styles of literature, Gospel, Epistle (letter), and Apocalyptic (Revelation) to help you understand how to read each part of the devotional.This devotional is not penned by one person, but an eclectic group of pastors. Contributions are made by a senior pastor, an executive pastor, a campus pastor, a mission's minister, an education guy, and we even let a couple of youth pastors contribute. Some of the contributors are Arminian (bless their heart) while others are Calvinist (the frozen chosen), and still others somewhere in-between. When you read Revelation, there will be devotionals written by dispensationalists, millenialists, and one who flirts with a-millenialism. All the same, each loves God's Word and believes in its perfect truth. The value in a diversity of perspectives is that it will enrich your understanding of John's recording of God's words. It's our heart's desire that as you read through the books of John and as you read this devotional, your relationship with God, through Christ and His Spirit, will be encouraged.