Ezra Bible Institute
COURSE CATALOG
Below is a list of our courses.
BIBLICAL STUDIES
The Biblical Studies section contains three courses that will help students become better readers of the Bible by developing the overall storyline of the Bible and showing how all of the parts fit together in Christ.
HOW TO READ &
STUDY THE BIBLE
This course will introduce students to the Bible and equip students with basic tools for reading and interpreting the Bible. The course will help students understand the basic history, nature, and structure of Scripture; learn how to be better readers of their Bibles; and be able to identify unique genres and how to interpret them. In addition to reading assignments, students will be asked to write a studied interpretation of a significant text form the Bible.
OLD TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION
This course will survey the landscape of OT with a focus the texts and themes that are essential to understanding the historical and redemptive significance of the OT. Students will study the major events of Old Testament history within their redemptive-historical context. The course will familiarize students with significant Old Testament texts and help students develop a summary knowledge of important themes in the Old Testament.As a course project, students will be asked to develop and present an interpretation of an Old Testament text within its historical and redemptive contexts.
NEW TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION
This course will introduce the historical background of the New Testament, consider the work of Christ as presented in the gospels, and survey the theological and pastoral implications of the post-resurrection NT texts. Students will study the New Testaments major events, characters, texts, and theological themes. Special attention will be given to the Sermon on the Mount and to the theology of the apostle Paul. Students will also be asked to prepare a paper on a significant theological theme in the New Testament.
THEOLOGY
The theology section has three courses that present and apply what the whole Bible has to say regarding its core teachings. These courses will enable students to understand the Bible’s core teachings, articulate these teachings, and apply them to the Christian life.
KNOWING GOD THE FATHER
This course will introduce the student to the study of theology and the core teachings that present God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible. We will begin with an introduction to theology and we will consider the unique framework from which we do theology. We will cover both general revelation (what we learn about God from God’s creation) and special revelation (what we learn about God from His Word). We will turn to the study of God himself. We will consider the existence and knowability of God, the attributes of God, the Trinity, and God the Father in His role as Creator and Provider.
KNOWING GOD THE SON
This course will study the Bible’s core teachings that present Jesus Christ’s central role in the creation, fall, and redemption of human beings. We will consider why the Son of God became a human being in light of the creation of human beings in the image of God, the fall of human beings into sin and sin’s consequences, the interplay of law and grace, and the need for human redemption by a perfect human substitute. We will then study the person of Jesus Christ, His work in both His humiliation and His exaltation, and His offices as prophet, priest, and king.
KNOWING THE HOLY SPIRIT
John R.W. Stott said, “The Christian life is life in the Spirit…It would be impossible to be a Christian, let alone to live and grow as a Christian, without the ministry of the gracious Spirit of God. All we have and are as Christians we owe to Him.” Due to the importance and misunderstandings of the Holy Spirit this course will seek to provide you with a biblical understanding of the person, role, work of the Holy Spirit in the Triune Godhead. You will explore what this means personally for you in terms of your adoption, regeneration, and sanctification. Additionally, you will gain a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit’s role in ecclesiology or in our lives together, corporately, as the Church.
PRACTICAL THEOLOGY
The practical theology section contains three courses covering three essential areas of ministry: missional leadership, pastoral care, and preaching/teaching. Each course will require students to engage the practice of ministry as it is studied.
MISSIONAL LEADERSHIP
The missional leadership course will examine missional leadership as the foundation for leadership in any ministry. In our day, and age the word “missional” is used broadly and frequently. We will explore what the term means particularly in the context of the early church. This will lead into an examination of the characteristics of a missional leader. A missional church and missional ministries emphasize the importance of making disciples. Small groups play a key role in the formation of a mature disciple so this course will examine the cell church movement and small groups within a church. Practical tools for building and leading these groups will be provided. Additionally, this section will explore the basics of the art of ministry management. Ministry involves working with a variety of volunteers and this means the skills of communication, motivation, delegation, and appreciation need to be developed. This section will cover these.
BEING & MAKING DISCIPLES
Jesus called every disciple to go out and make disciples (Matthew 28:16-20). It is in the process of making disciples that we become fully formed disciples. Most Christians would agree with this, but at the same time discipleship seems to be a lost art, at least in the western world. This course will restart your own discipleship while reframing your understanding of a biblical discipleship. Additionally, you will gain some practical tools for making disciples.
WORLDVIEW, CULTURE, AND CHRISTIANITY
Worldview has become a very important concept for those who desire to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ in an increasingly secular culture. We will briefly look at traditional apologetics, the distinctions between worldview and culture, and the challenges of separating a secular worldview from a Christian worldview. Most of the course will work on building a biblical worldview, the kind of values and communications that should flow from a such a worldview, and, finally, how biblical Christianity can present itself to a post-Christian culture.
MINISTRY PROJECT
This course is an applied ministry project, much like an internship. It is intended for students who have completed the curriculum in Biblical Studies, Systematic Theology, and Practical Theology. Instead of time spent in the classroom in the classroom, this project requires students to spend time serving in their local church in partnership with their church leadership. Examples of projects may include: planning a retreat, leading a small group, or teach a Sunday School class. The project should help students think carefully about how their studies at Ezra Bible Institute can be used in local church ministry for many years to come. The Ezra Bible Institute instructors will oversee the project and communicate with the appropriate local church leader as to the student's progress.