Behold and Believe: A Bible Study on the "I Am" Statements of Jesus (TGCW Bible Study)

This Bible study is SO SO GOOD!! Really helps you grow confident in Jesus and the promises he makes us!!

I just finished doing this study with 10 other women. We all loved it! There are 2 authors who trade off writing different weeks. They have slightly different styles and we all had our favorites, but both writers were incredibly gifted. The style of this study is exactly what I was looking for-it is doable for women trying to build a daily habit of studying God's word (not too much time or intensive) while also deep enough to really challenge you. The layout of the study is Day 1- Observation, Day 2 and 3- Interpretation, Day 4 and 5- Application. Each week follows up with discussion questions that you can use. We did not have the corresponding videos because we did this in the Spring of '24 and they are being recorded in the Summer. I learned many cultural things and cross-scriptural points about each of the 7 statements Jesus made. All in all, the thing I love the most about this study isn't a specific thing I learned, but that, at the end of the 7 weeks, I walked away feeling like I knew Jesus better and that I had spent some wonderful, rich time with him.

Each of the 7 lessons follow the same format of observation, interpretation, application and reflection with one day devoted to each concept. The lessons are about 7 “I am” statements made by Jesus and are short enough to do in about 30 minutes per day.

This study guide was good. I would not call it great but it is good. The subject is great. Studying the "I AM" statements is a good endeavor and they tell us a lot about Jesus and what John was trying to tell us about Jesus.The structure of the book is also good. It's a weekly study for seven weeks. The weekly format includes specific material to cover for five days. This is great in case you need to catch up. I also think the individual goals for each day are great. "What does the text say?", "What does the text mean?", "What does the whole Bible say?", "How can I faithfully respond?", "and finally reflection. Each day is expected to take about 20 minutes. The various questions guide you through the day.There will also be a conference in June 2024 that will provide keynote videos that relate to each chapter. I'm sure that will be a good resource, when it becomes available. Overall, I appreciate that the study is very accessible.As stated earlier, I think it's a good study but not great. Some of the material seemed a bit elementary when I thought it could have been richer or perhaps there could have been different questions. There were various tie-ins to the Hebrew Bible and good theological connections throughout the study. The study is also really good for reflection and for guiding people of various stages towards growth. I just felt that the guide could have been shorter or richer in some areas.

I loved doing this study in home with a mixed generation group ! As a mature believer I thought it was a gorgeous cover, great length of daily study and the ice breaker questions each week were fun and engaging. I really loved that Jesus stands out and not a particular author speaking on videos that you have to watch.

I’m really enjoying this study! Each week focuses on an I Am statement, reading the text and other portions of scripture related to it. I like the method of comprehension, then interpretation, then application.

I’m not a new Christian, but I am new to digging deeper into God’s word. I get frustrated when I’m seeking something that gives me a deeper understanding- historically, through the eyes of the people, what certain words really mean. This study is a good step into developing a deeper relationship with Jesus. It covers the “I am” statements and challenges you through reading their material as well as parts of your bible and delving deeper with your own understanding of people, places, and roles. I really appreciate the challenge this book represents. It’s obvious it could be broken into weekly reading with each “I am” statement being a lesson and Bible group study for the week. A perfect first step for me.On the technical side: the book is well made, good binding, easy to write in the lines (plenty of room) and the pages are not so thin everything bleeds through.

I’m about to begin studying seven of Jesus’s most vivid and metaphorical incidents of self-disclosure with the women of my church. As a guide, I’ll be using Behold and Believe, a Bible study on the “I Am” Statements written by Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel.As an eyewitness to Jesus’s life and ministry, the Apostle John would have heard all seven declarative statements, each one a literary device in which Jesus broadens our understanding of his role and his identity by using something concrete to open up his listeners’ imaginations.Doctor and Kimbrel guide readers through comprehension, interpretation, and application with daily questions, memory work, and helpful grounding in whole-Bible context. The goal of each lesson is for the learner to walk away with new reasons to love Jesus while also committing to life changes in response to the truth.Many thanks to Crossway for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.