๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ฃ
โข Do you like reading books? What have you enjoyed reading the most, and why?ย
โข Growing up, recall seasons and experiences of training. What were you trained to do, and how did you benefit from it?ย
โข What do you do on a regular basis that you consider to be profitable or valuable? Why?
๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐
๐๐ญ๐ญ ๐๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฑ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ง๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ง, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ข๐บ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ, ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ.ย ๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฒโ๐ญ๐ณ
Our Statement of Faith affirms the doctrine of Scripture: The Bible is Godโs word, inspired and ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ. In a world where everyone seems to believe their own truth, Scripture is unchanging and without error. It is truth that is founded on the Truth, Jesus Christ. It is our standard as believers for life and truth. Because it is profitable for us in many ways, we can trust and obey the Bible. Letโs look today at how Scripture shapes us.ย
๐ญ. ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ-๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด
๐๐ญ๐ญ ๐๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฑ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ง๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ . . .ย ๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฒ
We find truths about God, our doctrine, and biblical foundations in the Bible. It shows us who God is and how God made a way so that we could have a relationship with Him. It is also our guide to living and fulfilling Godโs purpose. It is Godโs word. This is why we can trust its teaching. As we are taught by His word, we can also teach it to others. Why do you think believers canโt have other standards for life and godliness? How have you learned to uphold Scripture and trust what it says?
๐ฎ. ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ-๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
๐๐ญ๐ญ ๐๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฑ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ง๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ง, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ . . . ๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฒ
Scripture provides both reproof and correction. First, it tells us what is wrong, how we should not live, and what would happen if we keep walking in the wrong path. Second, it speaks correction and allows us to see what life could be like. When we read, meditate on, and obey Godโs word, God restores us and makes us whole. Why do you think you feel convicted and inspired when you read Godโs word? How did you learn to yield to it?ย
๐ฏ. ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ-๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ๐๐.
๐๐ญ๐ญ ๐๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฑ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ง๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ง, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด . . .ย ๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฒ
Godโs word is profitable to teach us and correct us. In addition, Scripture trains us in righteousness. That means we practice obedience and grow in our application of Godโs word. We become more like God as we continue to know and obey God. How do you think Godโs word has helped you follow and love God more?ย
Scripture is Godโs word, and it greatly benefits us. However, it is not meant to be a personal benefit alone. When we trust and obey Godโs word, we will be complete and equipped to do Godโs work (2 Timothy 3:17). This means we are qualified to do what God has called us to do, which benefits our community and everyone around us.ย
๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก
โข Do you consider Scripture to be of prime importance in your life? How important should it be to you, and how will this be reflected in your life starting today?ย
โข In what area do you feel incomplete or unqualified? How can Godโs word guide and train you?ย
โข Why do you think Godโs word is so varied in terms of content, backgrounds, and styles? Why do you think it is so profitable to believers? How could the word in you benefit those around you?ย
๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฅ
โข Thank God for His word and for speaking to you through it every day. Pray that it would be your daily priority, and that you would learn to love it, read it, trust it, and obey it.ย
โข Pray that you would yield to the reproof and correction that Godโs word provides. Pray that your life would proclaim Christ.ย
โข At a time when everyone seems to have their own โtruth,โ ask God for courage to stand on and proclaim His word. Pray that you would love people and draw them closer to Him with your life and example.ย