Take the next Step in Your Bible Study

Digging into the Scripture is the best way to expand your understanding of the biblical story. And once you’ve grasped all the nuances of the text, the next step is to apply these lessons and themes to your own life in practical ways.

But it can be difficult to take this next step.

We designed the Not Your Average Bible Study Series to help you understand Scripture like a scholar would—while also giving you practical application to your own life. These studies will take you through the text, verse by verse, showing you what the Scripture means for you today. But we’re not telling you what to think—we’re helping you draw your own conclusions about the biblical text.

From the head to the heart

Let’s use Jonah’s story to illustrate how the Not Your Average Bible Study Series can help you transfer your head knowledge of God to your heart.

It can be easy to reduce Jonah’s story to the version we might have learned in Sunday school when we were young. Being swallowed by a “big fish” is a story that engages our imaginations and teaches a valuable lesson about obedience. But by focusing on Jonah and the fish, we miss the important themes of mercy and grace that are present throughout the book.

One of the obstacles Jonah faced in his story was his own understanding of God. He knew God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Jonah 4:2) but that knowledge wasn’t present in his heart. He grew angry at the mercy shown by God towards Nineveh.

Here’s the section from Jonah: A Prophet on the Run on this section of the text:

Jonah’s story reminds us that even when we fall short of God’s mercy and grace, he still invites us to serve in his kingdom-building work. When we seek to see people the way God see them, catching a glimpse of his vision, we gain a clearer picture of his mission. We begin to understand in our hearts the deep mercy God shows us.

Study like a scholar

The Not Your Average Bible Studies help you transfer your head knowledge of God to your heart. As you work through each study, you’ll be prompted to respond with discussion and reflection questions, specific prayer suggestions, and ideas for further study. This series works great for individuals or groups—it’s designed for both settings and the digital editions are enhanced with the amazing functionality you’ve come to expect from Logos.

Last summer, we released the entire 12-volume Not Your Average Bible Study collection. This is the best value if you want all of these incredible Bible studies, but we recently made each volume available for individual purchase!

Since these studies are adapted from Bible Study Magazine, we’re still developing new studies. The next volume will be on Lamentations. For now, you can pick up these volumes of the Not Your Average Bible Study Series: