Lesson #1

Each person needs to ask this question: Do I want to be a friend of God?
This is what we sometimes call having a relationship with God.
Jesus said in John 15:15:

“Henceforth, I call you not servants; for the
servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you
friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made
known unto you.”

Jesus Christ wants to draw us to God the Father so we can have a
relationship with Him. Then we can know God, love Him, trust Him, and
follow Him.
That is what this Bible course is going to be all about: coming into a
relationship with God so that God is your friend. If God is your friend, He is
one that you trust, one that you follow, one that you love, one that you
enjoy being with. That is not something that most people are able to say
today.
In this Bible course, we are going to look at what we call the Bible Story
Line. You may have heard someone say, “If I want to know this person, I
need to know their story.”
What they are really saying is this: I want to understand who they are,
where they have come from, and how they have lived. That will help me
understand their heart, then I can come to trust them.
Many people do not trust God. They do not know who He is. So I am going
to invite you to go on this journey with me—of learning the storyline of the
Bible, and getting to know who God is. The goal is that you will then know
how to come into a relationship with the God of the Bible.
Now, why would I be talking about this? Because this is the story of my life.
Many years ago, I was in a religion, following a religion, trying to do the
things that the religion taught me. But I did not know God in a personal
way. I did not have a relationship with Him.
The church that I was in, although they said they believed the Bible, never
led me to that relationship with God. I soon began to realize most people
who carry a Bible and claim to be Christians are not friends of God. They
need help.
After I was born again the Bible way, I began to study the scriptures for
myself so I would be able to teach others. I have spent my life teaching people what God’s story is all about, and how to
come into a personal relationship and walk with Him. I want to share that
with you as well.
In this Bible Study, there are 38 lessons. At the end of each lesson there
will be a few questions. You need to read through the lesson and then
answer the questions. Someone will mark your answers for you and then
get the next lesson to you.
In our next lesson, I want to tell you about the truth that is hidden in plain
sight. Most people never see it because they do not know to look for it. It is
found in the creation story in Genesis chapter one.
There are no questions with this lesson for you to answer. But here is some
homework for you to do before you begin the next lesson.

Go to Genesis chapter one in your Bible and read it so you can get ready for the next lesson.