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I have been wanting to speak to you about studying the Bible and the benefits
that can be ours by giving ourselves to the careful study of God’s Word. I believe that
God has charged me to equip you “for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of
Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to mature manhood/womanhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about
by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the
head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint
with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so
that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:12-16 ESV)
So, I have carefully ordered my teachings here to challenge and equip you to
grasp who God is calling you to be. Having covered many of the basic topics, I am now
trying to finish up well by continuing to encourage you to add to your faith through
studying the Bible and encouraging you to get into a small group that will help you grow
and share your faith with others.
While I love to preach and know that it is a necessary form of communication of
the truth of Scripture, I am convinced that a 20 minute sermon, once a week is not
enough to fully equip you to fulfill the calling of God for you. If you are trying to stay
spiritually alive on that, you will wither and your faith will not grow. That is why we’re
offering the men’s coffee on Wednesday mornings, The Women’s’ Bible Study on
Wednesday evenings, as well as the “Chosen” group meeting every Thursday night.
And if you would like to start a new small group, you are welcome to come and talk with
me about your idea.
It’s in these venues, where we can ask questions and discuss our
understandings with our sisters and brothers in Christ that real life happens. So I’m
making a plea for you to take care of your spiritual life by making yourself available to
participate in one or more of these groups so you can grow into the fullness of Christ.
And while we are on the subject of spiritual growth, don’t forget that you not only
need to be part of a group, you also need to give attention to personal times of study
and prayer that you may grow in personal intimacy with God. I promise you that if you
will give yourself to the study of God’s Word, he will take the opportunity to grow you up
into a life in Christ that you have only dreamed about. It takes time and it is work, but it
is time and work that will lead you into a greater intimacy with our Heavenly Father and
build you into the kind of believer that you have always wanted to be.