September 20, 2021

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

 Growing in the Lord

Our church has finished a twelve week Discipleship Study from the Word of God.  I am reminded of the necessary need of importance of the study of the Bible, and how to rightly divide it's many doctrinal truths that will direct the unsaved to Christ for salvation and the Christian to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and for ever.  Amen."  (II Peter 3:14-18)

Subjects that were studied from "Basic Bible Principles" by Dr. Marc Elledge included:

1.   Salvation - Bible salvation refers to the saving of a person from the physical and eternal consequences of sin.  (St. John 3:17)

2.   Assurance of Salvation - Know from the Bible that you are saved for eternity.  (Romans 8:1)

3.   Believer's Baptism - What is believer's baptism and what is it all about?  (Acts 2:41)

4.   God's Word, the Bible - Know the Bible is God's Word and how we got it.  (II Timothy 3:16)

5.   Prayer - How and why we need to pray?  (Luke 11:1)

6.   The New Testament Church - What is the New Testament Church?  (I Timothy 3:15)

7.   Tithes and Offerings - New Testament believers are to give of tithes and offerings to their local church.  (Malachi 3:8-10)

8.   The Christian Home - What God says about the Christian home.  (Mark 3:25)

9.   Dealing with Temptations - God's warning and help with temptations.  (I Corinthians 10:13)

10. Holy, Acceptable unto God - Giving of oneself to God.  (II Corinthians 6:17, Romans 12:1)

11. Interpersonal Relationships - Learning how to walk before God and man.  (Ephesians 4:32)

12. Soul Winning - The importance of being a verbal, visual Christian desiring to win the lost to Christ and to help other Christians grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Note:  Know you are saved, grow in the Lord.

 Pastor Fred Birch,

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."  (Galatians 6:9)