Bible Study Guide

Following God's Designed Plan of Engagement

God never used an approach of teaching His people facts or philosophy. He trained them by teaching them how to relate with Him. He purposed that they would absorb His Word and learn His ways by keeping their hearts and minds focused on Him. Hear His heart speaking to the Hebrew people in these three contexts.  

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!    You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.   "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart . You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down , and when you rise up . You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.   You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him , and keep His commandments and obey His voice ; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.
(Deuteronomy 13:4)

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night , that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
(Joshua 1:8)

Throughout the Bible, we see God applying a very specific process. He would give an individual an assignment (or raise a topic), reveal a word of truth, and then have them meditate on what they experienced. He brought them through a process of active engagement.

Messiah used the same process. He revealed nuggets of truth, illustrated His point through parables or live applications, and then had His disciples think about what they experienced.

The most important pattern God revealed in regards to relating and engaging with Him on a cyclical basis was the series of seven feasts. God designed these seven feasts to serve as a blueprint of the way He planned to relate and engage with His people on a continuous basis.   

The Lord's feasts, as Paul relates in Colossians 2:17, "a shadow of things that are coming, but the body is of the Messiah."   As shadows, they may be viewed as a reflection of a blueprint illustrating God's plan of engagement revealed through The Messiah.  

Psalm 85:13 relates how His footsteps are our pathway. The PATHWAYS TO ZION grid, therefore, serves to illuminate ways to relate to God and engage with Him.   In fact, Lamentations 1:4 reflects the heart of God yearning for God's people to follow such a course: "The roads to Zion mourn because no one comes to the set feasts."

We are all wired differently. There are many routes along the spiritual journey.   To accommodate our different needs and styles, God will, therefore, lead each of us through a variety of processes.   We all have our own questions for God, and issues to address with Him. The Bible does have the answers!   The Holy Spirit is our guide and teacher.  

The PATHWAYS TO ZION process, therefore, marks a multi-dimensional path of engagement with God. It in essence, facilitates a path of study by key topics, integrating Old and New Testament passages.   In addition, it provides thought-provoking questions for reflection.   In total, it facilitates spiritual growth across six different dimensions, each following God's general pattern.  

The PATHWAYS TO ZION process truly enables you to:

• Present Christianity or Messianic Judaism based on a strong foundation built on Biblical principles
• Train Christian or Messianic disciples according to the process God designed
• Retain the richness of the Hebraic roots of the faith

Tailor the Multi-Track PATHWAYS TO ZION
Bible Study Guide to Your Needs and Style

The PATHWAYS TO ZION process provides the flexibility of tailoring a study plan according to your time constraints and style. Whether used on an individual or group basis, consider it as a tool providing a series of outlines or lessons in a customized course!   Consider the following study tracks:

Horizontal Approach

Choose from any of the 7 horizontal tracks, and move across the grid focusing on one topic at a time.  

Vertical Approach

Do an in-depth study across the 7 vertical tracks, moving through the grid at your own pace.

Spirit-led Approach

Allow the Holy Spirit to direct your study as specific topics are relevant to your walk of faith and spiritual growth.