Control?

Need to post this after the December 14th class.

Are You Governed Increasingly by God's Word?

Question 2 from
10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Don Whitney

Many people commit to a read-through of the Bible plan at the beginning of a new year.  I encourage you to read through the Bible, but do not read it merely to say you read it.
Read the Bible to know God, the Father, the Creator, and the Sustainer of the World.

Read the Bible to know God, the Son, the Savior of the saint's soul.

Read the Bible to know God, the Holy Spirit, our Helper and Intercessor.

Second Timothy 3:15 - 17 says Scripture gives us what we need for salvation and spiritual growth.   

A specific phrase in this question is crucial: "governed increasingly."  

This question implies that a healthy Christian is constantly growing. 
"So we speak of being governed by Scriptures as (1) a general characteristic of a true follower of Jesus, and yet (2) something which increasingly characterizes the growing Christian."

This growth does not come from us.  It comes through the Holy Spirit as we spend time in God's word.  

Whitney gives several suggestions to help go

1. Deepen Your Desire for God’s Word
• Read less, if necessary, to meditate more.
2. Make Time for God’s Word.
3. List five areas you have yet to consider from a Biblical perspective.  Here are some examples.
• Church: attendance, baptism, membership, serving in, giving to, learning in, praying with, fellowship, Lord's Supper, promoting unity
• Discipleship: meditation on Scripture, prayer, evangelism, missions, priorities/stewardship of time, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, learning/ reading, legalism versus consistency
• Family: marriage, family crisis, unconverted family members, childlessness, dealing with aging parents, parenting children, parenting teenagers, divorce, sex, family worship
• Money: giving, saving, investing, controlling debt, contentment, budgeting, gambling, wasting, not loving it, simplifying with less
• Work: the amount of, purpose, travel, attitude, dependability, integrity, witness at, relationships with boss, coworkers, customers, suppliers), integration of faith, retirement
4. Train yourself to ask, “How does the Bible speak to this?”

tinyurl.com/tbctenquestions

Thrist?

 Question 1 is "Do You Thirst for God?" 

Psalm 42:1—2

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?

Three Kinds of Spiritual Thirst

There is the Thirst of the EMPTY Soul.  Augustine wrote, “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."  We were created to worship.  For many, this worship - thirst for God - is not a longing for God in the scripture but for a god in their own image.  John 4:14 states, "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”  This EMPTY thirst is only truly satisfied in Jesus Christ.

Thirst of the DRY Soul is the Christian soul that knows what he is missing.  Whitney refers to three ways the Christian soul can be dry:  (1)  drinking too much from the "desiccating" fountains of the world, (2) perceived "God desertions," and (3) prolonged mental and/or physical fatigue. 

Finally, there is the Thirst of the SATISFIED Soul.  Philippians 3:7—11 and Psalm 34:8 refer to this thirst-inducing thirst.  

Whitney suggests three action steps to help satisfy this thirst for God. ways to 

• Meditate on the Bible.  This means more than just reading the Bible.  Meditating involves thinking about what the passage says.  
• Pray the Bible
• Read Thirst-making writers.
• The Valley of Vision by various Puritans
• Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
• Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent
• Holiness by J.C. Ryle

 To go back to the initial post, click tinyurl.com/tbctenquestions

 

Ten Questions

"'Many religious people' are always morbidly craving fresh excitement, and they seem to care little what it is if they only get it." J.C. Ryle wrote this in 1879, and it is still very true today.  

This fall, I am teaching a class, 10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health (Hoopla - audio,  Hoopla -ebook). The ten questions came from Don Whitney's book by the same title.

Starting on December 10, we will look at one question a week. 

Question 1:  Do You Thirst for God?
Question 2:  Are you governed increasingly by God's Word?
Question 3:  Are you more loving?
Question 4:  Are you more sensitive to God's presence?

Each lesson is an independent lesson.  The class time will include scripture, thoughts about that week's question, prayer time, and heart-felt discussion

Here is the official class description;

In the distractions of daily life, it can be hard to evaluate how we are doing spiritually. But monitoring the pulse of your spiritual health is just as important as monitoring your mental and physical health. This class will focus on asking yourself 10 questions developed from Scripture and praying for one another.   

As part of the introduction this past Sunday, we did a couple of things.

First, we introduced the theme verses, John 11:25, 26. 

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

The basic idea was we cannot talk about spiritual health unless we are spiritually alive in Christ. 

Second, we talked about what self-inquiry/self-examination is.  In his book Practical Theology, J.C. Ryle shares ten questions about self-inquiry.  For a free PDF copy of the book go to https://www.monergism.com/practical-religion-ebook

Here are the ten questions followed by five different groups of people who would benefit from asking these questions to themselves.

10 Questions About Self-Inquiry
From Practical Theology by J.C. Ryle

1. Do we ever think about our souls at all?
2. Do we ever do anything about our souls?
3. Are we trying to satisfy our consciences with a mere formal religion?
4. Have we received the forgiveness of our sins?
5. Do we know anything by experience of conversion to God?
6. Do we know anything of practical Christian holiness?
7. Do we know anything of enjoying the means of grace?
8. Do we ever try to do good in the world?
9. Do we know anything of living the life of habitual communion with Christ?
10. Do we know anything of being ready for Christ’s coming?

Consider these questions.

• Is any reader of this paper asleep and utterly thoughtless about religion?
• Is any reader of this paper feeling self-condemned, and that there is no hope for his soul?
• Is any reader of this paper a professing believer in Christ, but a believer without my joy and peace and comfort?
• Is there any reader of this paper a believer oppressed with doubts and fears, on account of his feebleness, infirmity, and sense of sin?
• Is any reader of this paper sometimes downcast by the trial he meets with in the way to heaven, bodily trials, family trials,  trials of circumstance, trials from neighbors, and trials from the world?

 

The Gathering of the Church WATC

For every We Are the Church post, click HERE.
For information about the Winter 2023/24 classes, starting December 3rd, click HERE.

God is to be worshiped the way God said we are to worship him.

Over the last ten weeks of this We Are the Church, we have looked at many different areas of the church.

•  Meaningful Membership:  
• Intentional Relationships:  
• Ministries of the Church:  
• Celebrating with the Church:  
• Prayer & the Church:  
• The Bible & the Church:  
• Preaching & the Church:  
• Leadership & the Church:  
• Discipline & the Church:  

The week's study, the Gathering of the Church, is probably the most thought about, misunderstood, and underestimated part of the church.

• Most thought about—When people think about the church, they usually think about the Sunday morning gathering—the people of God meeting at a specific location at a specific time. 
• Misunderstood -  As we have been learning, the church is much more than this.  The gathering of the church is a critical part of the church family. 
• Underestimated - People, even many church people, underestimate the importance of believers regularly gathering together with the purpose of worshipping

In this Gathering of the Church study, we will examine why this gathering time is essential.  The reason is one word: worship.

We gather together NOT for entertainment and NOT merely to learn.  We gather together to worship God.  

We glorify him through meaningful membership, intentional relationships, and all church ministries.

We do this by celebrating, praying, and learning God's Word through preaching and many other ways.

We do this as we work together as a congregation.  The elders serve the congregation by leading, and the deacons serve the congregation by serving (H.B. Charles Jr).

We seek to grow together as Christ-followers through discipleship and discipline.

Let's begin by looking at what worship is not, with a look at the Pharisees.

Why did Jesus reject the worship of the Pharisees?

"Jesus rejects the worship of the Pharisees, saying their worship was futile because they were teaching their doctrines rather than God’s doctrines. They were worshiping according to their will rather than His will."  (The Regulative Principle of Worship by Banner of Truth)

Read Matthew 23 for reasons why Jesus rejected the Pharisees.

In what ways do people “worship” incorrectly?

Selfishness is the primary way people "worship" incorrectly.  While the idea of entertainment-focused, attractional, seeker churches might come to mind, we must carefully evaluate our motives.  If the church gathering time must be the way I like it, we are moving towards or steeped in selfishness.   

Another path to incorrect worship is focusing on minor rather than major ones. 

How are we to worship God?

Trinity's website says, "We believe that our greatest goal is God’s pleasure, not our own.  We invite you to worship with us.  As we study the Bible, God’s Word, we are challenged and encouraged in our relationship with Him and each other."

 

Committing to other believers - Meaningful Membership. 

Looking to the Bible as our guide - the Regulative Principle - The Bible & the Church.  “The acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself and limited by his own revealed will” (Westminster Confession of Faith 21.1).

Preaching and living out the preaching of God's Word - Preaching & the Church.  Preaching in which the text's meaning is the sermon's point. 

Singing the Bible - Standards for Edification through Music.  Questions to ask about the songs we sing: 

1.     Is the song biblically accurate?  

2.     Is the song God/Christ-focused?

3.     Is the song clear?

4.     Does the song reflect the breadth of Biblical expression?

5.     Is the song singable by the congregation?

6.     Does it bring unity to the church?  Remember, unity does not mean conformity.

Praying the Bible—Praying & the Church - Prayer is not one of many ministries.  Pray, a dependence on God, should be part of EVERYTHING the church does.  While we should pray for physical needs, the church's prayers should focus on spiritual growth and salvation.

Seeing the Bible in the two sacraments of the church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38–39; 1 Cor. 11:23–26; Col. 2:11–12)

An Additional Resource:  

Book:  God Made Me for Worship. It is an excellent resource for helping parents talk to their children about the church gathering for worship.

Website:  10 Reasons Why the Church Gathers 

As Christians, we should all desire to gather with one another as often as possible. As motivation, here are ten reasons why gathering regularly with the church is essential:

1. To obey God’s command (Heb. 10:23-25).
2. To be equipped for ministry work (Eph. 4:11-14).
3. To have our minds renewed through preaching the Word (Rom. 12:1-2).
4. To employ our spiritual gifts to benefit the church (1 Cor. 12).
5. To evangelize the watching world through our love for one another (John 13:35).
6. To be held accountable by other mature brothers and sisters in the Lord (Acts 18:24-26).
7. To be discipled by older, godly men and women (Titus 2:2-6).
8. To ease the mind of your shepherd so he is not worrying about your soul (Heb. 13:17).
9. To grow in our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as we are taught His Word (1 Pet. 2:2).
10. To be encouraged to persevere in the faith by other believers (Heb. 3:12-14)

Discipline & the Church WATC

This title could seem scary if you have an incorrect view of discipline.

That is discipline = punishment. 

Biblical church discipline is not focused on punishment.

It is meant for spiritual growth and restoration.  

It involves building relationships with your church family, overlooking what can be forgotten, calling out sin, calling people to repentance, and glorifying our Holy God.

There should be discipleship and relationship before what is often thought of as church discipline.

Suppose you think about some of the lessons we have covered. In that case, they are connected to this truth:  meaningful membership, intentional relationship, prayer for one another, thinking Biblically, and the importance of leadership (congregational and elders).

The misconception of church discipline is that the goal is to kick people out, and it begins by calling out sin before the entire church body.ck people out

The reality of church discipline is a desire for holy, sanctified living, godly relationships, and restoration.  Matthew 18 discipline needs to be done with care, caution, wisdom, love, and a DESIRE TO GLORIFY GOD.

We need the whole church to be brought into the discipline process because the entire church brought the individual into the membership. 

Remember the keywords we have used in the previous lessons: submission, unity, and harmony.

Is church discipline biblical?  HERE is a list of passages that share the reason for and importance of church discipline.

• 2 Corinthians 2:6
• Galatians 6:1
• Ephesians 5:11
• 1 Thessalonians 5:14
• 2 Thessalonians 3:6 – 15
• 1 Timothy 5:19 – 20
•  2 Timothy 3:2 – 5
• Titus 3:10
• Hebrews 12:11
• Matthew 18:15 -17
• 1 Corinthians 5

 What is the difference between discipline in Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5

Here are some thoughts from Is It Loving to Practice Church Discipline? by Jonathan Leeman

Question:  What does removing a person from membership mean?

Answer:  A church is no longer willing to affirm that a person is a Christian.

“Removal is not an absolute ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in response to someone’s profession of faith. It is a removal of the ‘yes.”

 Question:  What sin leads to public discipline?

 Answer:  Outward, Significant, and Unrepentant

 A resource to check out is www.9marks.org/article/church-discipline-primer

The last class is the Gathering of the Church next week (11/19).

For every We Are the Church lesson, click HERE.

Leadership & the Church WATC

Who leads the church?

 

There are two different, yet complementary, answers to this question.

 

The first answer is the SIMPLE and ULTIMATE ANSWER.

 

It is simple and ultimate. At the same time, it may seem like a Sunday School answer.

Jesus leads the church.

 

In Matthew 28:18 – 20, Jesus tells the disciples what they and those after them must do. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations.”

 

Jesus tells the disciples in John 13:34-35 that if they love one another as he loved them, people will know they are His disciples. Their love will show that they follow Jesus.

The Lord outlines the requirements of a church leader in First Timothy 2:12 and 3:2 through Paul's inspired writings.

 

In Second Timothy 4:1 – 2, Paul exhorts Timothy and others to preach the Word. He says this preaching must correct, rebuke, and exhort.

 

In each of these verses, there is either an authoritative claim of Jesus or direction from God on how the church should work.

 

Ultimately, the church is under Jesus Christ’s authority. 

 

Now, the COMPLICATED ANSWER.

 

God has given specific people roles in the church: the congregation, elders, and deacons.

 

At Trinity Baptist Church, we believe in meaningful membership. Because of this, the congregation is responsible for the spiritual health of the whole church.

 

This responsibility makes itself known in several ways.  

As discussed in last week’s preaching and the Church lesson, there is a mutual ministry of the Word each of us, not just the preacher, needs to be involved in. We disciple others and seek to be discipled by others. If we are a gathered body of Gospel believers and Jesus followers, we must live out and guard the Gospel.

 

As we will discuss in next week’s Discipline and the Church lesson, we want to encourage each other to live godly lives. It needs to happen when there is a serious, unrepentant, loving, restorative, God-glorifying process of church discipline (Matthew 18). As a congregation, we bring in church members through a vote, and this vote is so much more than an election. It is a commitment to one another.

 

 As a congregation, we are also responsible for the physical care of one another through the benevolent fund, the election of deacons, and the personal looking out for one another.  

 

Trinity Baptist Church also believes in the two Biblical church offices of elders and deacons.

 

Elders are godly men “commissioned by God and appointed by the congregation.” The deacons and the elders have very similar qualifications in the Bible. However, one difference is teaching the Bible (1 Timothy 3:2). This teaching can but does not always present itself as preaching to the whole body. It includes teaching smaller groups, children, and individual mentoring relationships. As the whole church is responsible for guarding the Gospel, the elders have a special gift and responsibility to do the same. This shows itself in how elders care for God’s sheep’s spiritual well-being and model obedience before the congregation. (1 Timothy 3)

First Peter 5:1-3 provides clear directions for the elders.

Therefore, I urge elders among you, as your fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and one who is also a fellow partaker of the glory that is to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not with greed but with eagerness; nor yet as domineering over those assigned to your care, but by proving to be examples to the flock.

Deacons

 

In Acts 6, we see the use of the Word deacon as the disciples appoint seven men to serve tables so they can focus on the Word and prayer. The deacons will serve the church and the elders while the elders lead the church through prayer and the Word.

 

The Deacon Ministry Handbook by Alan Witham lists several ways deacons serve the church (remember, the church is people, not a building or meeting time).

• Deacons serve by helping the church navigate conflict healthily – Acts 6:1 (Deacon Ministry Handbook).
• Deacons serve by engaging in shared ministry with the pastor – Acts 6:2, 4 (DMC).
• Deacons serve by meeting physical needs within the church and community – Acts 6:3 (DMC).
• Deacons serve by helping the church maintain a healthy balance between in-reach and outreach – Acts .6:7 (DMC)

Three key words that describe deacons and deacon assistants are mercy, servicing, and mobilizers.

 

H.B. Charles Jr. provides a basic explanation of the difference between elders and deacons.

 “If elders serve by leading, deacons lead by serving.” H.B. Charles Jr.

For every We Are the Church, click HERE

Preaching & the Church WATC

Explanation of expository preaching

What isn’t expository preaching? 

Expository preaching is not theme-oriented. The preacher's ideas or the pressure of contemporary ideas are not the driving force of the message, which is not focused on the now. 

While expository preaching focuses on the Bible, it is not merely informational, such as a verse-by-verse commentary.  It is also not merely inspirational, encouraging people to do good for the sake of good or humanity.

What is expository preaching?

One of the most basic explanations of expository preaching is the meaning of the text, which is the sermon's point.  In Preach, Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert write, “Expositional preaching is preaching in which the main point of the Biblical text being considered becomes the main point of the sermon being preached. 

In expository preaching, the Bible provides direction, whether the message is one stand-alone message or a series of messages through a specific book. A verse-by-verse study through a book, like Pastor Brett's current series, provides a Bible-based framework for a preaching schedule. The preacher does not decide what the topic is from week to week. The text does.

Why expository preaching?

In ACE class, Pastor Brett shared several reasons for expository preaching

• Clarity. God’s word is more precise and better than the ideas of man.
• Protects the truth, God’s authority against the preacher, crowd, and our own comfort.
• Demands a choice, spiritual growth, or rebellion.
• Promotes biblical literacy 

Here are Bible examples of expositional preaching (https://www.9marks.org/answer/do-we-see-examples-expositional-preaching-bible/)

1. Levitical priests taught the law. (Deut. 33:10).
2. Ezra and the Levites gave the sense. (Neh. 8:8).
3. Prophets were to speak God’s Word, not their thoughts. (Jer. 14:14).
4. Jesus interpreted the law and prophets, and more is needed 24:27, 44).
5. On Pentecost, Peter expounded the Psalms. Joel 2:28-32, Psalm 16:8-11, and Psalm 110:1
6. Hebrews is an expositional sermon. Hebrews 3:7-4:13 is an extended exposition on portions of Psalm 95.

Expository Listening - Mutual Ministry of the Word

In class, we discussed what expository preaching listeners need to do. Here is the list.

• Be here
• Be honest. Remember, expository exposes the word. It also reveals the human heart.
• Pray for the pastor.
• Remember the Bible. Before the sermon, read the passage. On the day of the sermon, bring a Bible.
• Prepare your heart, mind, and body.
• Live out the sermon.

If the expectation is that the pastor preaches an expository sermon (and at Trinity Baptist Church, that is the case), then the congregation has specific responsibilities and expectations. All Christians have the privilege and responsibility to prayerfully speak the word of God to each other and non-Christians about how God gives this growth.

 There is a chapter in “The Trellis and the Vine” entitled “Why Sunday Morning Sermons are Necessary but not Sufficient.” The basic idea of the chapter is summarized in this statement: “It is the word of the gospel that is sufficient, rather than any particular form of its delivery.” Each of us is responsible for encouraging one another with God’s word to one another because it is the Spirit of God that changes and grows people. There is not one specific delivery method of God’s word.

The church and the sermon are so much more than an information download.
The church and the sermon are not for our entertainment.

“The church is a community of saved people who listen to, obey, and speak the truth of God’s Word into the lives of others for the glory of God. The sermon is one method used to educate and excite the community to live for the good of others and the glory of God.” (unknown)

Some practical listening helps from Listen Up! A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons

Basic Reminders:

1. Expect God to speak.
2. Admit God knows better than you.
3. Check that the preacher says what the passage says.
4. Hear the sermon in church.
5. Be there week by week.
6. Do what the Bible says.
7. Do what the Bible says today – and rejoice!

How to listen to Bad Sermons

Ash explains different types of bad sermons and gives some help for listening to each type:

Dull sermons “leave much to be desired in its style or presentation.”

Above all, we must search our hearts and come to the sermon praying for God's help to listen attentively as our bodies will let us...  My advice is not to worry that quite a bit of the sermon may go over our heads or bypass our consciousness but to ask God that some part of it may stick and be turned to repentance and faith.

Try taking notes or at least having paper and pen with you, with the aim of jotting down a verse or truth that you can take home and respond to.  Try going with a friend and agreeing not to spend lunch lamenting the preacher's inadequacies but rather sharing positive Bible truths that you have learned or been reminded of and praying together for God's help in putting them into practice.

Biblically inadequate sermons “import all sorts of things not in the passage, or to screen out important things in the passage that do not feature in the preacher’s understanding of biblical truth.” When responding to these sermons, Ash offers dangers to avoid.

1. “Avoid developing a critical spirit.”  
2. “Avoid being gullible and credulous, believing whatever any preacher says, so long as they say it plausibly and well.”

Heretical sermons contain “an error in something central to Christian faith and not something peripheral” (not a difference in church government but a denial of Jesus as Messiah). They are not merely mistakes or weaknesses that are put right when corrected or taught to the church.

Here is Ash’s counsel for heretical sermons.

The way to listen to these sermons is to stop listening to them!  That is to say, we ought to move away from that kind of church and find a church where they believe and teach the Bible faithfully.  We will not look for an exciting church where the preaching entertains; we will look for a faithful, Bible-teaching church (p. 28).

SCHEDULE

11/05      Leadership & the Church
11/12      Discipline & the Church

11/19      The Gathering of the Church 

RESOURCES

Pastor Brett on Preaching and Leadership

 

For every We Are the Church, click HERE.

 

The Bible & the Church WATC

God’s word provides what we need for spiritual growth and salvation

Why do we use the Bible?

The straightforward answer is - God spoke.
If we want to know him better, we should study what he said about himself, us, and this world.  It is the Word of God, and we are the People of God.

We need to remember that what we believe is grounded in the Bible, not the traditions of men, the ever-changing ideas of men.

Some of the central, essential BIG ideas found throughout scripture are:

• God is the Sovereign Creator – Examples:  Romans 8:28; Isaiah 45:7-9; Job 42:2; Ephesians 1:11.  Link: www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-gods-sovereignty/
• Man is so very sinful – Examples:  Genesis 3:6; Colossians 3:5-6; Romans 3:23, 5:12-15.  Link:  www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-sin/ 
• We need a Savior, and Jesus is that Savior – Examples:  Romans 1:16, 6:23; John 1:12-13; Titus 2:11-14.  Link:  www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-salvation/ 

In his book, Bobby Jamieson says, "The Bible is a story that preaches a message.  From beginning to end, the Bible tells a single story of salvation."

He says that reading and teaching Scripture aims to love God and our neighbors better.  We don't do these things for mere knowledge but for growth in godliness.

What do we use the Bible for?

Explicit, True Evangelism.  The truth of the Gospel was written down in the Bible.  The truth of the Gospel in the Bible must be shared with those who need salvation by those who have been saved.

Personal, Spiritual Growth.  The Bible helps us individually examine our lives with God as the one who is the most important.  We do personal Bible reading and study because it will shape our head, heart, and hand.

Corporate, Spiritual Growth. As we grow individually, we should grow together as a church. As believers, we should want to do what the Bible commands, not what the Bible forbids. In everything else (discernible issues), we want to be marked by grace and governed by the truth of the Bible. 

Scripture shows its importance (Ephesians 4:14; 1 Timothy 1:3; and Titus 2:1).  Most of Paul’s epistles and others were written to clarify or correct doctrine and inform people about living the Christian life.

The importance of scripture is also seen in Church History.  Real-life examples can be seen throughout church history, so we offer an Adult Christian Education class on Church History.   Consider these two specific things about the Bible from Church History as shared in the “Men Who Rocked the World” podcast by Steven Lawson, specifically, the episode entitled The Puritan Commitment to Sola Scriptura.

• One of Martin Luther’s 3 marks of a Biblical church is Preaching the Bible
• A significant aspect of the Reformation was the clarity of the Scriptures taught in German, not Latin. Quotes like this one from Martin Luther the importance of scripture in the Reformers' lives.  "Evidenced in this quote, “A simple layman armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it.” 

If the church is a community of believers encouraging and helping one another, how should that impact our Bible reading? We should prioritize the private reading of and meditation on the Bible. We should look for more ways to encourage one another with God's Word. We need to share the truth of the Gospel with those who desperately need to be saved.

Resources

• Verse of the Day Images - wiki.logos.com/Biblia_Verse_of_the_Day_images
• Scripture Type - scripturetype.com/

Schedule

10/29      Preaching & the Church

11/05      Leadership & the Church
11/12      Discipline & the Church
11/19      The Gathering of the Church 

For every We Are the Church post, click HERE.