After talking with Pastor, Brother Ken was given the go ahead to start an Apologetics class for anyone who was interested. The first class was Thursday night and I'm so glad I went. I, as well as many other adults in our church, thought it was just for the youth, but I was pleasantly surprised it was for everyone when I took Hannah. And several adults have mentioned they are interested. So I'm looking forward to seeing this class grow.
Brother Johnathan taught this first class and did an excellent job on the importance of Doctrine, and the duty we have to know our doctrine and share our doctrine with others.
Brother Ken had an assignment ready, explained what the classes would be about, and encouraged us to ask questions.
One question asked was from, I think, Exodus 32:14, "And the LORD repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people." The question was if the LORD is Holy and perfect, why would He have to repent?
Brother Ken then asked what the word repent meant. The majority of the class, including myself, thought it meant to ask for forgiveness. I mean I'm thirty-nine years old and I've thought it meant to ask for forgiveness all of my life.
It actually means to change your mind. To turn yourself away from what you were going to do. The person that asked that question thought it was a stupid question, but I'm so glad they asked because I walked away feeling I had learned something new. And I did!!
Needless to say, I am ready for the next opportunity to sit in on this class and I'm so glad our church is doing it. I'm even more glad that we had some teenagers interested in the who, what, when, where, and why of what we are and why.
Here are some notes from Brother Johnathan's lesson:
I Timothy 3:16-17 *Every word of the Bible is inspired and given to us by God. If we don't believe the Bible is God's inspired Word, there's no point in trying to be who and what we are. We must believe God's Word is true!
Baptist Doctrine did not come from the Catholics and it did not come from the Protestants. And we have a duty to share that doctrine with others.
1~We have a duty to ourselves to teach Bible doctrine. To know our doctrine and teach our doctrine, stands us apart from everyone else.
2~We have a duty to other Christians to teach our doctrine. It's good for people to get saved under Baptist doctrine, however, it is not about other's decisions, it is about our discipleship. When someone gets saved, they need to know how to serve, grow, and why we're set apart. Winning souls is a great thing, but we must disciple new converts.
3~We have a duty to an unbelieving world to know and teach our doctrine. If we don't believe our doctrine is important, there's no point in sharing it with others. When unbelievers are going through heartaches and trials, it is our duty to share the Word of God with them. They need to know there is something more than just the world. That the world can not help them through their trials. But there is a God that can.
3~It is our duty to Christ to teach others. We should live our lives as missionaries, telling the doctrine everywhere we go! Matthew 28:19-20.
*The more we invest in learning about our doctrine, the more we'll love our doctrine and desire to share it with others.
Some verses given to us on the doctrine of the Bible:
*Psalm 12:6-7
*Isaiah 40:8
*Matthew 5:18
*II Peter 1:20-21
*Revelation 1:3
