Several weeks ago I was asked if I could help cover a Sunday school class at our church called Pure Bible. (You can read about the class in the link provided- please note, I am not a member of the Pastoral Staff though.)
I broke out in a sweat, to be honest, but not because I was nervous. As you know I have taught Bible Study Fellowship Classes in the past so speaking in front of a group thankfully does not make me nervous. I learned long ago from my then mentor that nervousness puts the emphasis on yourself and not on God. My goal is to always honor the Lord and I fully recognize the responsibility and honor of teaching God's word.
I broke out in a sweat because the thought (at that particular moment in household chaos) of adding one more thing to my plate made me break out in a sweat. For those of you who don't know or haven't gleaned from this site we have a quiver full of arrows in our home. I mean children and four of them! We homeschool them and they range in age from 6 months to 8 years old.
So, instead of panicking and saying no, I did a wise thing and was prompted (by the Holy Spirit I believe) to call my husband and talk it over with him before saying no or agreeing to help out. He gave me the go ahead but said I should require several weeks notice to give me time to prepare. That made sense and I calmed down. I also agreed to help out!
It has been a privilege to prepare for the class (albeit very, very slowly with my current quiver full) over the past several weeks. And so, this post is really for the members of that Pure Bible Class. As promised- my outline for Sunday's class and also a list of resources to help you on your journey of being a disciple of Jesus Christ are given below.
If you are looking for a church to attend and a place where you too can grow in your own relationship with Jesus Christ, be a part of a body of believers who are doing the same and make a difference for the Kingdom of God- come to church with me! Here is your official invitation- Please come! Check out my church First Presbyterian of Orlando, a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, at www.fpco.org and for the Pure Bible members- your info is below. It was an honor to teach your class and I hope you learned something to help you grow closer to God through pure bible study!
My outline can be found here!
List of Resources:
A timeline of the passion week
NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible
Bible Dictionary (Strongs, Holman, etc.)
www.gotquestions.org (sign up for emails and use as resource)
950 WTLN (can also listen on AM radio 950)
www.oneplace.com
Dr. J. Vernon McGee- Thru the Bible Commentaries and online
R.C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries
James Montgomery Boice
The Expositors Bible Commentary (Frank E. Gaebelein version)
Chronological Bible
Christian Research Institute
Atlas of Bible Lands
Bright Light Books- Casselberry/Fern Park
One Year Book of Christian History
There is more and I will update my list over time. The key is to remember your goal- not to fill bible file folders in your brain but to grow closer to God by applying his Word to your life and as James says in his Epistle (Js 1:22) to not just listen to the word but to do what it says! Jesus himself in John 14:23 said that those who love him will obey his teachings. That is the key, we learn, we apply, we obey because of our love for Christ and his grace given to us.
Please feel free to contact me or friend me on Facebook if you have any questions!
With you on the journey, Jaime
