Bible Studies I Would Kill to Have Been At

Working backwards, and assuming (fairly, I should think) where it does not mention the word "scripture" that given the time spent, scripture was the major content of their teaching...

Paul:

"When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets."
Acts 28:23

And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
Acts 19:8

And Paul went in [Thessalonica], as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ...
... Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Acts 17:2-3, 11

Interesting that the Bereans, whom we use as a model of diligent students, actually were eager to study in a very specific way - as Jews, they were checking scriptures to see if the Christ that Paul preached from the Old Testament was really there!

Jesus:

Then he opened their [the disciples] minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Luke 24:45-47

He presented himself alive to them [the disciples] after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:3

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them [the two men on the road to Emmaus] in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:27

and, of course
"You [Pharisees] search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me..."
John 5:39

The kingdom of God. The person, work and purpose of Christ. Jesus is the Christ. Is it reasonable to say that if they saw the OT this way, so should we. Isn't it also reasonable to say that to the extent we don't use all scripture this way, we're deviating from norm?

And oh, I wouldn't actually kill anyone. Maybe a rabbit.

Faith

Faith is not a power; it is merely acquiescing to the power of God.
-John Hannah

Sin and Legalism, John Owen

This might surprise you, but it's helpful. From John Owen's "Mortification of Sin in Believers" (I've tried to simplify the language a little, maybe it helps).

When a man fights against his sin only with arguments from the issue or the punishment due the sin, this is a sign that sin has taken great possession of the will, and that there is a superfluity of naughtiness in the heart. A man that opposes nothing from sin's seduction and lust in his heart except fear of shame among men or hell from God, is sufficiently resolved to do the sin as if there were no punishment for it; which, what is different from living in the practice of sin, I do not know. Those who are Christ's, and are acted in their obedience by Gospel principles, have the death of Christ,the love of God, the detestable nature of sin, the preciousness of communion with God, a grounded hatred of sin as sin, to oppose any seduction of sin, to all the workings, strivings, fightings of lust in their hearts. Joseph did so. "How shall I do this great evil," says he, "and sin against the Lord?" my good and gracious God. And Paul, "The Love of Christ constrains us;" and, "having received these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all pollution of the flesh and spirit," 2 Cor 7:1.

But now if a man is so under the power of his lust that he has nothing but law to oppose it with, if he cannot fight against it with gospel weapons, but deals with it only with hell and judgment, which are the proper arms of the law, it is most evident that sin has possessed itself of his will and affections to a very great prevalence and conquest. Such a person has cast of, with regard to the particular sin, the conduct of renewing grace, and is kept from ruin only by restraining grace; and so far is he fallen from grace, and returned under the power of the law. And can it be thought that this is not a great provocation to Christ, that men should cast of his gentle, easy yoke and rule, and cast themselves under the iron yoke of the law, merely out of indulgence of their lusts?

This truth should affect both how we approach our own sin as well as how we preach to others about sin. From where do we, as regenerate believers, draw motivation for the mortification of sin? From law and judgment, or the renewing grace of the Gospel? Owen 's warning is strong, that if you're motivating or being motivated by fear and judgment, you are "fallen from grace" and have "returned under the power law", the very thing you were redeemed from.

Rather, use gospel weapons: The death of Christ (and the many realities it brings for our relation to sin), the love of God (which, by the Spirit, compels us), the detestable nature of sin (in light of what God did about it), the preciousness of intimacy with God (and sin's hindrance of it) and therefore a deep hatred of sin as sin.

By the way, for all those on the 'new' Gospel-Centrality bandwagon, this was published (written much earlier) in 1658.

Be blessed.