Hello! Below are Plants & Pillars top recommendations for youth group Bible studies (or for individuals if you just want to read them on your own!). Links to where they can be purchased follow every one: “RHB” is “Reformation Heritage Books,” which is located in Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI (therefore these will be US$). “RBS” is “Reformed Book Services,” in Brantford, ON (and these will be CA$).
Featured
Do you have a Bible Study to recommend? One that your youth group used and really liked? Write us a little blurb (like the one above) and we’ll feature it here! Click here to send it to us.
TOPICAL STUDIES
Knowing the Living God by Paul Washer. “… a sound, biblical substantive theological study for those of us who have been longing for more. Anyone interested in bolstering their understanding of the doctrine of God will find this study immensely valuable.” A workbook. 13 studies. (RHB, RBS)
The Forgotten Fear by Al Martin. “The fear of God is an important theme in the Bible, yet many Christians today overlook it or treat it carelessly. Fearing God is the soul of godliness, and those who claim to love God should desire to understand what it means to fear Him.” 7 chapters. (RHB, RHB e-book, RBS)
Who is Jesus? by J. V. Fesko. “Fesko takes a close look at Jesus’s ‘I am’ claims in the gospel of John and guides us to a better understanding of who Jesus is.” (RHB, RHB e-book, RBS)
When you Pray by Philip Ryken. Ryken “looks at the power and truth in each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer, compares with biblical parallels, and shows how to make this prayer your own.” (RHB, RBS)
Grace Works! by Douglas Bond. “Sounding the alarm, Douglas Bond celebrates the amazing, effective power of grace while showing us how to identify destructive law-creep in our churches and lives.” (RHB, RBS)
Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. “Jerry Bridges addresses the “acceptable” sins that we tend to tolerate in ourselves, including pride and anger. He goes to the heart of the matter, exploring our feelings of shame and grief and opening a new door to God’s forgiveness and grace.” (Book: RHB, RBS) (Book + included workbook: RHB, RBS)
7 Toxic Ideas Polluting Your Mind by Antonio Salvaggio. “Two conflicting worldviews, Christian and non-Christian, are in constant friction. Unfortunately, Christians are often unaware when they adopt non-Christian ideas. This book examines seven non-Christian ideas that cripple the Christian mind.” (RHB, no RBS)
A Quest For More: Living for Something Bigger Than You by Paul Tripp. “Tripp expertly traverses the deepest recesses of the human heart and compassionately invites fellow Christian travelers to journey with him into God s bigger kingdom.” (RHB, RBS)
A Fight to the Death by Wayne Mack. “Too few Christians are aware that they are in a fight to the death! Mack explores the seriousness of sin and where it will lead us. He also shows the necessity of fighting against it and presents a biblical method of killing the sin within us.” (RHB, RBS)
Ashamed of the Gospel by John MacArthur. “The signs of compromise are all around us: Numbers have become more important than the message. Churches are offering up “Show-Time” religion instead of the “Old-Time” religion. Pastors have turned to the marketing industry to help them draw people in rather than relying on the sovereign power of God.” (no RHB, RBS)
Choosing My Religion by RC Sproul. “Choosing My Religion will help readers in their late-teens and early twenties arrive at sound answers to life’s big questions.” 5 chapters. (no RHB, RBS)
Overcoming the World by Joel Beeke. “Many Christians struggle to live faithfully in such a world and stay true to Christ’s command to be in the world, but not of it. Taking direction from the Puritans, John Calvin, and others, Joel Beeke guides readers to the biblical alternatives to worldliness: genuine piety and holiness.” 21 chapters. (RHB, RBS)
The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies. “Scriptural principles are practically applied to help Christians not only develop and define day-to-day spiritual discernment but regard it as an essential practice.” 10 chapters. (RHB, RBS)
Contagious Christian Living by Joel Beeke. “Beeke looks at four people in the Bible to find out how people today can live an influential life in dependence on the Holy Spirit.” 4 chapters + study guide. (RHB, RBS)
The Happy Christian by David Murray. “The Happy Christian invites readers to shed negativity and become countercultural missionaries by demonstrating the positive power of the gospel in their lives.” 10 chapters. (RHB, RBS)
Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. “This book will warn you not to get caught up in a life that counts for nothing. It will challenge you to live and die boasting in the cross of Christ and making the glory of God your singular passion.” 10 chapters. (RHB, RBS, RBS group study edition)
Every Thought Captive by Richard Pratt. “A helpful study manual on apologetics. Using down-to-earth language, Pratt teaches how to answer nonbelievers in a practical format using concepts that any one can understand.” 14 chapters + study questions (RHB, RBS)
BIBLE BOOK STUDIES
Glory Veiled and Unveiled by Gerald Bilkes. “An ideal tool for personal or group Bible study, with questions following each lesson, Glory Veiled and Unveiled considers the contexts and main messages of twenty-five parables and puts our hearts under the searchlight of Scripture, guiding us into the knowledge of Christ, our gracious and glorious king.” 25 chapters + study questions. (no RHB, RHB e-book, RBS)
Mercy Revealed by Gerald Bilkes. A “heart-warming, experiential look at twenty-two of Christ’s miracles, with questions following each chapter, is an excellent tool for personal or group Bible study and will lead you to the cross, the empty tomb, and the God who purposed and performed these important events of Scripture..” 23 chapters + study questions. (RHB, RHB e-book, RBS)
The Epistles of John by Joel Beeke. “Travel through the epistles of John and you will come to know the essence of the gospel, the glorious adoption of the children of God, the Christian’s duties in this world, the believer’s path to fulness of joy, and much more.” (RHB, RBS)
Love Divine and Unfailing: The Gospel According to Hosea by Michael Barrett. “Though many were deaf to Hosea’s preaching, even the dullest could see his grief, sympathize with his sorrow, and wonder at his persistent love. Hosea’s marriage was a living sermon: What Hosea did for Gomer, God did for Israel; What Gomer did to Hosea, Israel did to God.” (RHB, RBS)
Lets Study… by Sinclair Ferguson. A series of bible study books that are very well written and recommended for older groups of young people. Discussion questions included. (Mark: RHB, RBS), (Ephesians: RHB, RBS), (Philippians: RHB, RBS)
Opening up Proverbs by Jim Newheiser. “The Book of Proverbs has one central message (how to gain wisdom) and deals with an extensive array of practical topics including vocation, financial stewardship, moral purity, and how to have successful relationships.” 13 chapters. (RHB, no RBS)
MULTIMEDIA STUDIES
(Many thanks to Scott deKorte and the huge work he did in initially putting this list together!)