Tonight, we turn our attention to the history of the Bible – How did we get the Bible as we have it now?  As a pastor, this may be the one question I get the most.  There is a lot of sensationalism and poor scholarship out there that attempts to attack how the Bible came to be in its present form.  The truth, however, will grow your faith and give you even greater confidence that what we hold in our hands when we read the Bible today is indeed exactly what God inspired and preserved for His church.  Let’s talk about it tonight as we gather at 6:30 in the Worship Center.

You’ve probably heard these questions or asked them yourself: What happened after the end of the New Testament?  How did we get the Bible as we have it today?  Why is there an “Eastern” and a “Western” church?  Why are there “Catholics” and “Protestants?”  Why are there so many denominations in the United States?

Church history gives us answers to these questions and many more.  Contrary to popular belief, church history isn’t just a dry and boring list of “dates and dead people.”  As believers, church history is our family history and like every family, we’ve had some serious ups and downs over the centuries.  But ultimately, church history is a story – a story of God’s faithfulness to every generation, a story of the tension we live in between the “now and the not yet,” and a story of ordinary people that God has used in extraordinary ways.  This semester, we’ll cover church history in a devotional format – in other words, we will certainly discuss the big events, key moments, and people who have shaped church history.  But as we go, we’ll look carefully for the narratives of grace embedded in the story and we’ll end every week with a devotional from Scripture that ties it all together.  After all, those who don’t know the past are doomed to repeat it.  So, let’s learn from those who have gone before!

After a close look at the doctrine of the church (last week’s handout on missions and evangelism is attached), our last two weeks will be full as we focus on eschatology, or the doctrine of “last things.”  This week our lens will be on what the Bible says about future worldwide events, including the return of Christ.  This is a topic that has been subject to much speculation and fear, so tonight we’ll focus on what the Bible makes clear and how we live in confident hope as our response.

Tonight we wrap up this section of our study on the doctrine of the church with a focus on missions and evangelism.  Just as in the past two weeks with our staff presenting, who better to have you learn from than our own missions minister Leigh Ann Swords?  You’ll be encouraged by the passion and depth with which she leads our outreach into our community and world!

Tonight we continue our study of systematic theology and ecclesiology with the doctrine of spiritual gifts.  Just as we had our own worship minister Luke Roman share with us last week on worship (the notes are attached), this week we have “special guest” as well.  Brandon Abbott serves as our connection minister and one of the things we teach on in the membership process is spiritual gifts.  Tonight Brandon is going to take us on a deeper dive into this important topic for the church and you won’t want to miss it!

We continue our study of the doctrine of the church tonight by continuing to look at what the church does.  Our focus this evening will be on worship.  As we’ll see, most of us have defined worship too narrowly and its vital that we have a biblical and robust understanding of why and how the church worships.  Here to help us will be a special “guest,” our own worship minister Luke Roman.  I can’t wait for you to hear from Luke!

Tonight we continue the Theology of the Church by talking about what the church does – the ordinances such as the Lord’s Supper, baptism, and practices like worship, discipleship, giving, fellowship (everyone’s favorite!), and more.

Last week, we looked at the nature, mark, and purposes of the New Testament church.  Tonight we get into the biblical principles of how churches function, govern, select leaders, engage members, and more!  This is one of the most practical nights of the entire semester because it challenges us to consider our understanding and involvement in the local church  Remember, we don’t go to church, we are the church!

Tonight we launch into the theology of the church.  As we say often, we don’t go to church, we ARE the church.  But what does that mean?  What’s the nature of the church?  What are the distinguishing marks of a true church (and how can you spot a false one)?  What is the church’s place in the world and how does it relate to the state?  We’ll cover these important questions and more tonight.

Isn’t it amazing to consider all that God has done is saving us?!  Our topic for tonight is “What is Eternal Life?” as we examine the doctrines of the perseverance of the saints, death, and glorification.  We pray you will be encouraged and leave with even greater hope in our future as God’s people than when you came in the door!