Reading Assignment

Instructions

To successfully complete the New Testament Track with the DTS Global Institute, you must read all three items listed below. After reading everything listed, please submit your reading report. To do so, scroll to the bottom of this lesson, write up answers to the questions listed there, and submit your answers in a single file. This will allow you to reflect briefly on your reading and will affirm that you have in fact read all of the following:

  • All 27 books of the New Testament in any translation (we provided NIV, ESV, KJV, NET, and LEB in Logos)
  • Exploring Christian Scripture by Kreider, Svigel, and Yarbrough (Logos)
  • Insights on Acts (Swindoll’s Living Insights NT Commentary) by Charles Swindoll (Logos)

We recommend reading the following resources as well, though they are not required for completing the program:

  • Surveying the Gospels and Acts (Learn the Word Bible Survey Series), edited by Paul Weaver (Logos)
  • Surveying the Pauline Epistles (Learn the Word Bible Survey Series), edited by Paul Weaver (Logos)
  • Surveying Hebrews through Revelation (Learn the Word Bible Survey Series), edited by Paul Weaver (Logos) 

NOTE: All the resources listed above are included in the free Logos package provided to you.

Teaching Assignment


For this assignment, you will be required to teach through the New Testament book of Acts. Please feel free to do this in whatever way best fits your ministry context! To help you get started, we have provided you with a sample curriculum for three different settings—preaching, small group leadership, and one-on-one discipleship. We suggest you adapt these resources as needed for your ministerial and cultural contexts. You will find them all posted as downloadable files below.

The one stipulation for how to go about teaching this book is that you split it into at least four (4) lessons. This should be true whether these are four sermons, four small-group sessions, four one-on-one sessions, or something else. This will give you multiple instances of practice and will help you have more to reflect on for your final self-evaluation. See the curriculum provided for examples of how to do this—we suggest using Acts 1:8 as a four-part outline for the book, but feel free to focus on a smaller portion of the book in four lessons rather than attempting to cover the entire book in four lessons.

Once you have finished all four teachings on Acts, please return to this course and complete the “Self-Evaluation Report” in the next lesson below. This will serve as confirmation that you have completed the teaching assignment.

A FEW TIPS:

  • You are welcome to teach these lessons in whatever language you like, so long as the final self-evaluation is submitted in English.
  • In addition to the sample curriculum posted here, you will likely find it helpful as you prepare your lessons both to review the “Acts” course you took and to revisit Dr. Swindoll’s Insights on Acts commentary from your assigned reading.
  • Read through the self-evaluation questions before beginning your teaching experience so that you have an idea of what to look out for.
  • It may help to keep a journal/notebook throughout your teaching experience so that you can recall your thoughts when you fill out the self-evaluation at the end.
  • Remember: Be “text-centered and audience-focused”!

Please download and review the sample curriculum below. Although you may end up teaching in a different setting, we have provided curriculum for preaching, for small-group leadership, and for one-on-one discipleship sessions. Feel free to use any of these as they are, alter them as needed, or develop your own lesson plans. Regardless of which option you choose, however, we encourage you to adapt your four teachings to best serve the needs of your current cultural and ministerial context.

Gospel of John Reflection

For this assignment, you will be required to outline the Gospel of John and write a brief paper reflecting on the significance of this book to your life and ministry. This assignment gives you an opportunity to dig deeper into one New Testament book and consider how to apply what you are learning.

Part 1: Outline

The outline portion of this assignment must go down three “levels.” In other words, you will need to identify the main sections of John with I, II, III, etc.; the immediate subsections with A, B, C, etc.; and the basic progression of each subsection with 1, 2, 3, etc. Also, next to each point/subpoint on your outline, please be sure to identify which section of Scripture the point/subpoint is referring to. For example:

Please note that there is not necessarily one right way to structure this outline. Yours might look a bit different from someone else’s. In reviewing your work, our graders will only check to ensure that you hit on the key sections and themes of John.

Part 2: Significance to Your Life and Ministry

After completing the outline portion of this assignment, you will need to write a brief paper reflecting on the significance of the Gospel of John to your life and ministry. This paper will have three main sections, as listed below:

  1. Briefly describe the main purpose and argument of the Gospel of John. Give references to support your statements. The “purpose and argument” refers to the major themes, teachings, and goals of the book, as well as to how the author goes about accomplishing these goals. The intention behind this section of the paper is that you learn to (1) discern the importance of what this book teaches well enough to remember it, and (2) discern how the author develops and accomplishes his purpose.
  2. Write a short paragraph discussing how this book fits into the overarching message, story, and argument of the Bible. Support your statements with passages and cross-references from both the OT and the NT.
  3. Per the instructions below, address the significance of John in terms of knowing, doing, and being. The purpose of this section is to help you answer the following questions: What do I want my congregation, audience, or small group to apply after studying this book? What would I want them NOT to forget? And what does it do for me?
    1. KNOWING — Describe three principles or key truths which you gleaned from this book and which you and your congregation will think of when the book is named. These should be based on the text, so please give references for each.
    2. DOING — What will you lead others to do, based on or suggested by the text? Please name at least two items and give references from John for support. Clarify what you want to do, how you will implement it, and how you will determine if you have met your objective(s).
    3. BEING — What is one thing which touched your heart as you were reading/studying this book? Specify what the insight was and which text(s) in John it came from. How might this change your life and the lives of those around you?


PLEASE NOTE: For this assignment, instead of submitting a written report, you may choose to submit an oral report recorded on audio. However, all the same elements required for the written report must be covered thoroughly in your oral report. Also, at present our online platform can only receive submissions less than 100 MB in size, so please ensure that your audio recording is smaller than this.

New Testament Outline


For this assignment, you will be required to outline the entire New Testament, from Matthew to Revelation. However, keep in mind that you only need to go three “levels” deep on the outline. In other words, just identify the main groupings of books with I, II, III, etc.; the names of the books with A, B, C, etc.; and the main sections of each book with 1, 2, 3, etc. There is no need to go into further detail.

The purpose of this assignment is to ensure that you have a grasp of the overall structure and progression of the New Testament, giving a “big picture” view of the story throughout. You will have the chance to go into a bit more detail on a particular book of the New Testament in your other writing assignment and in your teaching assignment.

Also, next to each point/subpoint on your outline, please be sure to identify which section of Scripture the point/subpoint is referring to. For example:

  1. Gospels (Matthew-John)
    1. Matthew
      1. Royal Genealogy (Matt. 1:1-17)
      2. Joseph Accepts Mary and Jesus (Matt. 1:18-25)
      3. Visitation of the Magi (Matt. 2:1-12)
      4. Flight to Egypt (Matt. 2:13-18)
      5. Return to Nazareth (Matt. 2:19-23)
      6. [And so on…]
    2. Mark
      1. [And so on…]

Please note that there is not necessarily one right way to structure this outline. Yours might look a bit different from someone else’s. In reviewing your work, our graders will only check to ensure you hit on the main themes and major sections of the New Testament.

To help you get started, one common way of dividing the New Testament books is as follows (4 – 1 – 21 – 1):

  • Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
  • History (Acts)
  • Epistles (Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude)
  • Prophecy (Revelation)

PLEASE NOTE: For this assignment, instead of submitting a written report, you may choose to submit an oral report recorded on audio. However, all the same elements required for the written report must be covered thoroughly in your oral report. Also, at present our online platform can only receive submissions less than 100 MB in size, so please ensure that your audio recording is smaller than this.