Pioneer Christian Monthly - September, 1979

The Bible and the Christian
Louis R. Harvey

Two weeks ago we had the joy of sharing with a young man who had just surrendered to the Holy Spirit's prompting and committed his life to Jesus Christ as his Saviour and Lord. He had come to tell a small group of us who were gathered together for Bible Study what had just happened to him. This nineteen year old new born babe in Christ literally floated down our steps with his friend who had shared with him her own testimony of what it means to belong to Jesus Christ in body and soul and in life and death. How rejoiced for him ana with him, and with all the angels of heaven because he had become the Lord's!

This young man is not a member of Christ Community because he lives in another city, but is a good friend in our family and visits and has worshipped with us often. But he serves us now as a good illustration and reminder first of the working of God's Word and Spirit upon people today. And secondly that because of another young person's willingness to share her own testimony and love of Jesus, one more person was brought into the Kin,,dom. Ninety-nine and nine-tenths percent of the time, God's Spirit uses His people to bring other people to a saving relationship in the Lord Jesus! God uses people to win people!

But what happens now? These new born Christians and older Christians too, must grow in their faith and be taught the Word of God! They must be able to put on the whole armour of God. They need to be taught and trained in the Word of God. This is one of the weaknesses in the Church today. New Christians and young Christians are not adequately nurtured in the faith. Covenant children? Yes, most of the time. But new Christians? No. We have always just assumed that now since they are in the Church, everything is all right. They are as strong as we are say much sometimes). They are a Christian" now. Don't worry(and that doesn't left on their own! And then, the Devil begins his work of trying to destroy their testimony and their faith! What are we to do? How can we help them to Overcome? The answer of course is teaching and training in the Word of God.

Here at Christ Community we are approaching this need by , strong emphasis on individual personal Bible study one to one, or one to a couple and on a long term basis. For brand new Christians who do not know the Word of God and need to learn their way in the Word of God we have been teaching on a weekly basis one couple at a time, and using Studies in Christian Living that are prepared and published by the Navigators. This is a very good study for two reasons. First, it covers practically all the aspects of Christian living subject by subject. One subject or area at a time. Second, it gives new Christians, in fact it forces new Christians to find their way around and in the Word of God. One of the best factors of these studies are that they put questions to the student and then give the scripture reference of where to find the answers. We have found that as they answer questions in their study books from the Word of God, that this brings out questions and discussion from which or through which real teaching and learning takes place.

This is time consuming work! But how important it is! And we have constantly found out by experience the smaller the group of students, the more personal the discussion and the learning that takes place. The beauty of it is that these are always people who are hungry for the Word of God!

For our Sunday night Bible Study, we have turned to a more difficult study book also produced by the Navigators, entitled Design for Discipleship. This is also a question and answer book with write-in answers that are squarely based on the Word of God.

Our goal is that as we complete about them any more. And then these study books with the people, these new Christians are so often they will then be ready to take these same books and teach someone else. We are beginning our studies with couples and individuals with this in mind and talked about it right from the very beginning. We are not that far into the program yet to give results. But this teaching-training in the Word of God is so important to us that we have engaged a staff member at Christ Community to help Pastor Harvey in this area and in other areas of outreach for this coming year.

"The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword..." and we, the Church, need to help all Christians new and old, to be those who are "...approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of Truth".

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