Bill Smallman

God did not hand us The Holy Bible as an abstract encyclopedia. He revealed it in the flow of human history, phase by phase. God operated in successive modes of administration, or "dispensations." While Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism are parallel systems for the structure of biblical revelation, consistent hermeneutics and the recognized reality of the distinctiveness of the Church, and the Church Age, spell out a strong preference for the Dispensational approach. This book is designed to facilitate teaching Biblical Theology, the unfolding of God's self-revelation, at an accessible level for laypersons and students, not at grad school level where I first encountered it. We move through dispensations and covenants in chronological order in the framework of Bible history.

EPHESIANS is Paul's epistle of change: from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, from ethnic separateness to unity in the Body of Christ, from the old man to the new man in lifestyle. The Triune God is active in the creation and maintenance of the Church as a new and current entity, the locus of God's administration of the Word in the world. These 29 lessons for adults and teens focus on how God's grace is at work in fashioning new people for His glory. Life in Christ is not at all like life away from God. Believers can put on the whole armor of God to withstand the assaults of the enemy in every culture around the world.

DEACONS are the lifeblood of the local church as they serve the pastor, and serve with the pastor in shepherding the flock. The New Testament carefully defines qualifications for deacons, looking more at godly character than at credentials. The functions of deacons are described in terms of ancient (1600s) Baptist tradition of three tables: of the pastor, of the poor, and of the Lord. These 10 lessons can serve to train prospective deacons or to refresh the awareness of present deacons of their resources and responsibilities.

When Israel was taken into captivity by Babylon, some of her finest prophets were caught in that net. DANIEL was from a noble family and remained close to centers of power. EZEKIEL was out among the people. Both had messages from God that are valuable for us today. These 15 lessons on Daniel and 6 on Ezekiel will help teachers of adult and teen classes to enrich their teaching with both technical and devotional concepts.