Proverbs: Wisdom for the Whole of Life

By Anthony Billington

Critical to the sustainability of this growing movement is the ability of Christians to read, reflect on, and see the implications of the Bible for themselves and their daily contexts – their frontlines. It’s a goal that we’ve pursued through a variety of publications - the work series, Frutifulness on the Frontline, and the Whole of Life for Christ. What we have not done is to self-consciously equip people to read different genres of the Bible through a whole-life lens. In light of this, we’re developing a series of Bible studies which align with LICC’s mission and activities and support biblical literacy in the UK church more broadly. The study series has emerged from the regular Bible Days we’ve been running over the last years for leaders and preachers. The whole-life aspect of the Bible is seen not only in the big story it tells, but also in the different kinds of writings it contains – stories and songs, laws and letters, proverbs and parables, poetry and prophecy. It’s the specific lens of genre which has provided insight into the Word of God for the whole of life through LICC’s Bible Days.


The Proposal

We propose to publish a 7-study series for individuals and small groups around the main genres of the Bible that will enable Christians to:

· Study seven single books of the Bible (independently of one another, though they form a series)
·Develop insight and skills in reading 7 different genres of Bible literature
· Reflect on the implications of each book and genre for the whole of life
·Develop applications which support and direct their life as disciples in their everyday, frontline contexts

In addition, the series will:

· Provide a resource to church leaders that supports their preaching and programmes in creating sustainable whole-life disciplemaking communities
Complement a ‘Preaching Pack’

• Language: English
• Publisher: IVP
• Release date: Oct 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781789740837

Anthony Billington

Antony Billington splits his time between being Theology Advisor at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC) and serving as pastor of the Beacon Church, Ashton-in-Maker?eld. Previously, he was Head of Theology at LICC for 11 years, having taught Hermneutics and Biblical Theology at the London School of Theology for 16 years.

Book preview

About the author

Antony Billington splits his time between being Theology Advisor at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC) and serving as pastor of the Beacon Church, Ashton-in-Makerfield. Previously, he was Head of Theology at LICC for 11 years, having taught Hermeneutics and Biblical Theology at the London School of Theology for 16 years.

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Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

Proverbs 3:13–15

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INTER-VARSITY PRESS

36 Causton Street, London SW1P 4ST, England

Email: [e-mail]

Website: www.ivpbooks.com

© LICC Ltd., 2019

Antony Billington has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version (Anglicised edition). Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

First published 2019

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978–1–78974–082–0

eBook ISBN: 978–1–78974–083–7

Typeset in Great Britain by Sublime

Print and production managed in Great Britain by Jellyfish Print Solutions

eBook by CRB Associates, Potterhanworth, Lincolnshire

Inter-Varsity Press publishes Christian books that are true to the Bible and that communicate the gospel, develop discipleship and strengthen the church for its mission in the world.

IVP originated within the Inter-Varsity Fellowship, now the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a student movement connecting Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout Great Britain, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Website: www.uccf.org.uk. That historic association is maintained, and all senior IVP staff and committee members subscribe to the UCCF Basis of Faith.

Contents

Introduction

The Gateway Seven Bible Study Series

Making the Most of Proverbs

Session 1 | A Lord to Honour (Proverbs 1:1–7)

Jake’s story

Session 2 | A Path to Take (Proverbs 2:1–22)

Session 3 | A Choice to Make (Proverbs 9:1–18)

Sean’s story

Session 4 | A Life to Pursue (Proverbs 15:16–33)

Session 5 | A Way to Speak (Proverbs 10:18–21; 11:11–13; 25:11–15; 26:17–22)

Session 6 | A Model to Follow (Proverbs 31:10–31)

Hazel’s story

Further reading on Proverbs

Other resources from LICC

About LICC

In biblical wisdom, know-how is rooted in know-God.

Features

What is the outline of the book of Proverbs?

How does Proverbs fit into the Bible as a whole?

What is the social background of the book of Proverbs?

How should we handle individual sayings in Proverbs?

Do I need to be male to read the book of Proverbs?

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Introduction

The Gateway Seven Bible Study Series

We don’t approach a novel in the same way we tackle a legal document. We don’t read poetry in the same way we might read a letter from a friend. So, we don’t read the 66 books of the Bible as if they were all the same kind of writing. Story, song, law, letter, and more, all make up the rich repository of writing that together is God’s word to us.

For The Gateway Seven series we’ve selected seven books of the Bible that each represent a different kind of writing. The mini-features sprinkled through the studies, together with the questions suggested for discussion,