Bible Studies

Bible Study Topic: The Lord’s Prayer

Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer in response to the disciple’s request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In fact, Jesus gave this prayer twice, once recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 and once in Luke 11:2-4.

“So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'” Luke 11:2-4 (NKJV)

Whether you call this the “Lords Prayer,” or the “Disciples’ Prayer”, doesn’t matter as long as we recognize that it is a model for all true prayers. The Lord’s Prayer was not given to us just be recited as a ritual. It is actually given to us as the Lord’s model to us for prayer that is acceptable to God. There is something tremendously important about the way Jesus answered the disciples question, “Lord, teach us to pray.” The Lord’s Prayer was given to show the disciples how to pray, after all that is what they asked. The Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer that is to be prayed through. When we pray through the Lord’s Prayer, we will find that we cover exactly what God wants us to pray.

 

Bible Teacher: Pastor Joe McNulty

Pastor Joe McNulty is the Senior Pastor at Cornerstone Church of the Nazarene in Cullman, Alabama. Joe and his wife Lisa recently moved back to Alabama after successful pastorates in South Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, Florida and New Jersey. He also worked for almost 20 years at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama.

He has held many positions on the district level including District Secretary in Alabama, Colorado and North Florida. In 1997, he was chosen as The “Chaplain of the Year” for the Church of the Nazarene. His education includes degrees in Religion and Psychology and he has extensive training in the field of grief, crisis intervention, family counseling and Leadership Development. In 2016 became a Certified Trainer in Leadership Development and training with the John Maxwell Team.

Joe has a great passion for the souls of people and his message of scriptural holiness has made him an often requested speaker for revivals and campmeetings.

His wife Lisa has a wonderful gift of “Intercessory Prayer”; she enjoys studying about prayer and revival, leading prayer ministries and encouraging people to draw close to the Lord through prayer.

Pastor Joe and Lisa have a married son, Joseph and he and his wife Mendy live in Nashville, Tennessee where they pastor the Springfield First Church of the Nazarene in Springfield, Tennessee. Joseph is also a Licensed Professional Counselor in the Nashville area.

Joe and Lisa are the proud grandparents of four grandsons, Joseph, Jackson, Hudson and Andrew.

 

Bible Study Topic: Philippians

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is often viewed as a letter of encouragement and joy since rejoice and joy are used repeatedly. It is important to learn that they also are connected as root words for grace (charis). Across the four days of study, this theme will be explored, with a view toward how grace and joy flow in the life of a Christian.

• Monday – Chapter 1 – grace flowing into, and through, the life of a Christian
• Tuesday – Chapter 2 – Christ as our model in living out God’s grace
• Thursday – Chapter 3 – living in response to grace instead of through human effort and the results
• Friday – Chapter 4 – grace enabling a Christian to meet the needs of others

 

Bible Teacher: Dr. Paul Madtes Jr.

Dr. Paul Madtes Jr. received a BA in Chemistry from Eastern Nazarene College and continued his studies with an MS in Biophysics and a PhD in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University and a PhD in Biblical Counseling from Trinity Theological Seminary. Paul has been married to Judy for 36 years and they have raised two children: Sarah (28) and Matthew (23).

He is currently serving as Professor of Biology at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. He began his career as a Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center and then as a Staff Fellow with the National Institutes of Health (National Eye Institute). He has since served as a faculty member in Nazarene Higher Education for 32 years
(4 years at Point Loma Nazarene College and 28 years at Mount Vernon Nazarene College/University). For his first sabbatical in 2001, he conducted biomedical research at The Ohio State University. During his subsequent sabbaticals, he has taught at European Nazarene College (fall, 2009) and Africa Nazarene University (fall, 2016). He is the author of 29 original biomedical research papers, 1 book, 7 chapters, 42 abstracts, and 25 invited presentations. He served on the Board of Directors for the Central Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (CAAHP) and as the Director of the Ohio Health Professions Advisors (OHPA). At the spring, 2017 meeting, Paul was given the Father Joseph Walter Award by the CAAHP in recognition of contributions to the advising profession at the local, regional, and national level.

Paul has continued to serve in ministry. He has devoted 49 years to Youth (Teen) Bible Quizzing – as a quizzer, coach, district director, regional director, tournament director, official, national consultant. He has been on the Board of Directors for the World Bible Quiz Association (WBQA) for 20 years and served as the President, Vice-President, and Member-At-Large. He was the founder of the Soli Deo Gloria Experience (Bible Quizzing tournament) and spent 32 years as a director. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Cape May Holiness Association Camp Meeting. He has devoted 30 years to leading a mentoring ministry with college students and 30-plus years teaching Sunday School classes in the local church. In the fall, 2016, Paul was given the 2016 ENC Alumni Achievement Award for his professional and ministry accomplishments.

 

Bible Study Topic: Conversations in Holiness

Conversations in Holiness is a series of discussions designed to engage people in discovering new understanding about their own spiritual formation.  Today’s worshiper finds themselves surrounded by a materialistic consumerism that produces a spectator mentality towards worship. Combining that with a pluralistic culture creates a disconnect for many Christians, including millennials who are searching for authentic Christianity that brings a deeper spiritual experience and lifestyle.  Our conversations during our time together will explore ways of discovering new spiritual vitality and renewal.

 

Bible Teacher: Rev. Dr. Charles Gates

As an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene for over 45 years, Dr. Gates has made his mission to mentor, disciple, and develop many leaders who have gone into full-time Christian service as pastors, missionaries, and evangelists.  He has served as pastor for more than 35 years and 10 years as a missionary for the Church of the Nazarene to the Republic of South Africa, where he pioneered a work among the Ndebele people.  Following his missionary assignment, Dr. Gates served as Senior Pastor at Vineland First Church of the Nazarene for 16 years, where he also taught ordination courses for the Philadelphia District.  Following this assignment, Dr. Gates was invited to serve as Associate Professor of Religion at Trevecca Nazarene University, where he developed and taught graduate and undergraduate courses and developed a Missions Minor program for the University.  Simultaneously, he pastored Faith Community Church of the Nazarene in Tennessee.  Dr. Gates moved back “home” to rejoin the Philadelphia District as Senior Pastor in 2010 and served at Sea Shore Community Church of the Nazarene in Cape May, NJ, for four and a half years.   He is currently Lead Pastor at Pitman Church of the Nazarene and serves as Director of the Philadelphia District Ministerial Training Center.   Dr. Gates has a passion for lifelong learning and has focused on continuing his education throughout his career.  His undergraduate work was completed at Eastern Nazarene College in 1971, after which he attended Nazarene Theological Seminary.  He completed a Master of Church Management from Olivet Nazarene University in 1997, a Master of Religion from Trevecca Nazarene University in 1999, and a Doctor of Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC in 2002.

He is a churchman who believes that the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the holiness message is the most relevant message for our world today.