Helping support one another for the kingdom
This year we launched a brand new series of emails that is focused on leadership. Over the last 30 years Precept has trained thousands of leaders in our leadership training workshops. Our goal is to better engage leaders and our monthly Leader Connect email is one of many ways we want to interact with you and support you.
Get the latest news direct to your inbox, including an invitation to our monthly Leader Connect meeting to be encouraged in God’s Word and meet other leaders across Canada!
Resources
Testimonies
Impacted by the book Romans
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Being a Precept Leader during a pandemic
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God's Word transforms our hearts
I was able to share the hope found in God’s Word with these ladies. What had once been my struggle, my brokenness, was now being used to point others to the freedom found in Christ alone!
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From knowledge to a passion for teaching
I began with Precept Ministries in April 2020 as soon as the pandemic hit. It is quite an incredible thing once a believer learns how to dig for themselves because it unlocks the treasure of God’s Word. My eyes have been opened, and the Lord has used this knowledge to increase my passion for teaching others.
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Hunger for God's Word
In the mid-1980s, when we were first in Kenya, my wife led several Precept Upon Precept studies with college students, starting with Thessalonians. The college students would regularly ask if the study could be held several nights a week instead of just once per week. These are the examples of a hunger for God’s Word that amazed us. However, it is not always about numbers.
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The Power of God's Word
Although I have been leading Precept studies for about fifteen years, this year, probably more than ever, I have seen how effective the inductive study method is. Despite the simplicity of what we do as we observe, reflect and discuss God’s Word, I continue to marvel at how God is working to bring insight and change — not only in myself as I study but in the lives of those who study with me.
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Sharing the eternal flame
It was a cold November evening in 1989 when I kicked the snow off my boots on West Street in Brantford, Ontario, and entered a world of warmth that would last forever. I had been invited to attend my first Precept Bible study run by Tom and Jane Hart. That first Precept Bible study ignited a flame to understand and apply God’s Word in the way the human authors intended it to be understood.
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Listening on the hillside
When I discovered that I had spiritual gifts, I purposed to use them to serve the body of believers. When circumstances threaten to “steal my joy,” I remember what I learned in Philippians about where to find true and lasting joy. I often picture myself seated on a hillside, listening to the words of the “Teacher from Nazareth” and how He said a wise person would not only hear but do what He says.
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Sincerely Studying Inductively
I was introduced to the Inductive Bible study method by an older, mature Christian friend back in 1996. I had been part of numerous women’s Bible studies and even had led some of them, but I never was satisfied. So often, it felt like a pooling of ignorance and just an expression of how we ‘felt’ about a passage.
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A Matter of Trust
“We do what God puts in front of us to do and leave the rest in God’s hands.” I have said this often, but did that statement come from a person who believed what she said? Had you asked me that before COVID-19, I would have sincerely said yes! Even though I had been in a personal ‘desert’ for a few years (I hadn’t turned my back on God exactly, more like hitting the pause button on spiritual matters), I thought I trusted God and thought I was in an okay place spiritually.
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Cultivating a Love for God's Word
Even as a child, I loved to study the Bible. When my parents had company over on Sunday evening, I would crawl out of bed and sit at the top of the stairs, listening to my dad share his Biblical insights — so I can thank him for cultivating a love of God’s Word in my heart.
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A Precious 40-year Treasure Hunt
My journey with Precept Ministries and studying the Bible inductively began in 1983 when I attended an annual Christian women’s conference in Waterloo, Ontario. The book table at the conference was filled with a variety of Precept Upon Precept study books. This setting was the first time that I had heard of Precept Ministries. By divine appointment, I picked up the study on the book of Philippians.
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Leader Tips
Word Studies with Beth Schmidt
Word studies should go beyond simply looking at the one-word definitions in most online apps. Hebrew and Greek scholars have given us readily accessible tools to help us and others in our Bible study groups dig much deeper into God’s Word.
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Why hold an orientation session? with Sharon Kaufman
An orientation session is for new people and can also be a refresher for those familiar with Inductive Study. This session will give everyone in your group the confidence to be prepared to participate fully in the first official week of the class study.
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Commentaries 101 with Mark Sheldrake
“How do you know which commentary is best to use?” Find out how to find the best commentaries to use for your study.
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How to disciple your students with Sandra Loewen
Discipleship is more than leading a weekly class. God was teaching me that He does not call us to be all that we can be, all on our own. Instead, he calls us to pour ourselves out for others like a drink offering. I realized that not to make disciples (in the Spirit’s power) is to disobey Jesus.
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Training 101 with Mark Sheldrake
Our new leadership workshops are designed to create an environment to practice new skills learned in training or to use the skills you have been developing over the years to teach a practice lesson where others can learn from your experience. Leaders, I want to encourage you to refresh your skills in our workshops. Here are two things vital for leaders and three workshops I want to highlight for you.
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Creative Questions with Carol Folkeringa
It is super important for students to keep reviewing and reinforcing what they’ve already learned and use that knowledge as a basis for what they will learn. But can I just say — don’t these kinds of questions sometimes get B.O.R.I.N.G? Still, I wonder: could we do the review in a more interesting or engaging way to help students remember without repeating the same questions every week?
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Leadership Development Small Group with Beth Schmidt
Community — we all want to be part of a small dynamic community. And a small dynamic community that is sharing and growing in the Word together is even better. That’s what Precept Canada is all about. The next step is to develop our skill in the Word so that we can teach others how to grow deeper in their knowledge and understanding of the Lord through His Word.
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Leading through Job with Mark Sheldrake
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to lead a group of people through the Book of Job in our Precept Study Program. Forty-two chapters in six days! And I plan to do it again in March for two reasons. First is that the topic of suffering and how to interact with those suffering is vital to us today. The second reason is that Job is an intriguing story with two different types of literature within its forty-two chapters.
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Pivot, Pivot, Pivot! with Mark Sheldrake
We are heading into the third year of this pandemic, and I don’t know about you, but I had hoped that we would be out of this pandemic and back to doing more of our ministry in a hybrid format with both online and in-person classes and training. It seems like life is a lot like Ross trying to get his couch up the stairs.
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Persevere in Observation with Mark Sheldrake
A few years ago, I was in the lobby of our church after the service discussing the sermon we had just heard. The pastor had shared the importance of making God’s Word a part of our daily routine. I love these sermons as they speak to my heart; they probably speak to your heart as a Precept Leader as well. This is what we do; we study God’s Word as a part of our regular day-to-day routine.
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Where To Get Started? with Mark Sheldrake
In February, Sharon Kaufman and I had the opportunity to work with a new set of Precept Upon Precept leaders in our three-day new-leader training workshop. I love this training workshop as it creates a safe space for new leaders to teach a Precept Upon Precept lesson from the Gospel of Mark.
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In the world not of the world with Beth Schmidt
“In the world but not of the world.” What did Jesus mean?
To join a cloister tucked away from society to keep the world’s filth from contaminating us? Guess what, when you entered the cloister, you ruined it for everyone else — we are the problem!
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Tool Highlights
How to Study Your Bible
Step-by-step instructions and practical helps so you can use the inductive method–letting the Bible speak for itself–to discern the clear, timeless meaning of any passage of Scripture.
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Logos Bible Software
Logos is an intuitive and rich resource filled with in-depth study tools that can help you as you prepare your studies. It is is a powerful tool available online, on your computer or as an app. You can even download Logos 9 Basic for FREE!
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The New Inductive Study Bible
Every feature of this study Bible is designed to help you gain a more intimate understanding of God and His Word. This is a fantastic study companion to have because it is the only Bible based entirely on the inductive study approach.
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We will not be silenced — Responding Courageously to our Culture's Assault on Christianity
This is a must read for every Christian as it will open your eyes to see what is happening in our culture today. From discussions on Progressive Christianity, racism, gender issues, sexual sin and cancel culture Erwin Lutzer opens our eyes to how today’s culture is looking to turn even further away from a biblical worldview. This book focuses on what is happening in the USA today but easily applies to what is happening in Canada today. One of the most important aspects of this books is how the church should respond in action and prayer.
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Another Gospel by Alissa Childers
There is a movement that is seeking to redefine Christianity called Progressive Christianity. This new thinking seeks to redefine the historical truths of Christianity itself with “new thinking”. This book is one of the most important books to read and Alissa Childers takes you on a personal journey as the Progressive Movement attempted to deconstruct her faith. Learn about Progressive Christianity and how to answer questions about this movement.
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The Power of Knowing God (40-Min Study)
This is a great study to engage new people in the study of God’s Word. This book is self contained which means the scriptures are in the book as well as the questions. I would encourage you to purchase two of these studies and invite someone to study it with you this summer.
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Free Bible Software
This free software is a great tool to help with your Bible study. There is a resource with library commentaries and word study tools. These websites are very easy to use and will enhance your weekly study. Pass it on to your students as well.
“Come, Thou Expected Jesus” Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas
Advent is just around the corner. In past seasons I have appreciated and been encouraged by the book Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas. This book includes twenty-two Advent readings from both classic and contemporary theologians. Christmas can be a very hectic season. This book is a valuable resource to help us set our minds on the true reason we celebrate Christmas.
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Precept Leadership Training
Leadership Skills Development workshop is a three-day workshop focused on sharpening your skills in developing effective discussions through coaching and mentoring with one of our trainers and your peers. Students must complete the Philippians Precept Upon Precept Workbook and be prepared to lead one lesson/discussion in our small group. This workshop focuses on developing good questions for reasoning and applying the Scripture in your lessons.
The Planning and Leading Discussions workshop is a two-day workshop that equips leaders to lead four different types of lessons. You will learn how to lead effective discussions in Old Testament History, Old Testament Prophecy, New Testament Letters and New Testament Prophecy.
Please join us for both of these workshops in 2022 and sharpen your leadership skills!
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Then and Now Bible Maps Insert
This is a great tool that conveniently fits right inside your Bible case.
The Then and Now Bible Maps Insert provides twenty-three maps and eighty clear plastic overlays, making it easier than ever to see where Biblical locations were 3,000 years ago and where they are today.
Tired of looking at the tiny maps included in the back of your Bible and still not understanding an ancient city’s location? Most study Bibles provide maps showing only the position of cities during Biblical times in super small print, making your study efforts frustrating, time consuming, and incomplete.
Enjoy having twenty-three easy-to-read, full-colour maps that you can easily slip inside your Bible cover with this incredible tool! Features include – larger print, easy-to-read type, and eight clear plastic overlays showing the location of modern cities and countries in red. Now you can easily see where Bible places are located today, plus Old and New Testament time lines!
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Precept Catalogue
It’s not just for shopping!!!! Remember the old Sears Catalogues? The Wish Book was the best one for sure. As a kid I would grab that catalogue and start folding the pages in the toy section to make it known what I wanted for Christmas.
The Precept Catalogue does have a list of all available studies but it also has recommended places to start based on different time commitments. This is a quick resource to go to when looking at what studies are available to you. The best part is that you can grab the item number from the catalogue and plug it into the search bar and find it right away…no more looking for hours on our website.
Praising God Through Prayer And Worship (NISS)
Discover the psalmists’ heartfelt expressions – in prayer, in confession, in grief, and in praise – of their love for and devotion to God. As you learn to apply the text, your personal prayer times will grow more profound and worship experiences more fulfilling.
24-week Study. Six days of guided lessons, 20 to 30 minutes long, help and teach you how to discover God’s precepts, purposes and promises on your own. Questions for group discussion or individual study are provided on Day Seven along with closing commentary.
