Discipleship

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”  John 8:31-32

Making disciples is the essence of the Great Commission!

When a person is about to leave their loved ones the last few words they speak are the most significant and important.  In those last few moments they attempt to communicate that which is closest to their heart.  Among the last things Jesus spoke to His disciples were, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matt. 28:18 – 20. 

Making disciples was the mission that weighed heavily on the heart of Jesus. So exactly what is a disciple?  Christopher B. Adsit describes a disciple as “a person-in-process who is eager to learn and apply the truths that Jesus Christ teaches him, which will result in ever-deepening commitments to a Christlike lifestyle.”  Riverview Baptist Church takes seriously the biblical mandate to make disciples and offers many different training courses to help accomplish that mandate. 

Won’t you take advantage of the many opportunities available to become a disciple of Christ?  Click on the Tabs below for more information.

• How to Study Your Bible​​
• Women's Bible Study
• Men's Bible Study

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How to Study Your Bible  Developed from Messages by Ron Dunn

1. ​2 Tim 2:15 admonishes us to be those “…who correctly handles the word of truth.” “Correctly handles” comes from a word that means to cut along a straight line.  For us to correctly interpret God’s Word there are some terms we need to know and some ideas that we need to follow to keep us along that “straight line”:

• God’s Manifestation – The historical acts of God where God did things to reveal His character.
• Inspiration – The ability God gave men to interpret accurately the divine manifestations and record them.
• Illumination – The Spirit of God illuminating our hearts and minds so that we can understand the Scriptures so that they become to us a revelation. 

To keep us from falling into error and away from the Truth, there are six rules that we should follow when interpreting the Bible:

1.  The Bible as the Word of God is our sole guide and authority for faith and practice.  Is it in the Book?  The Bible is the complete revealed word of God, the only objective part of our faith.  The rest is subjective and easily misinterpreted. 

• J. I. Packer says “Experiences coming to imperfectly sanctified sinners cannot help but to have dross mixed in with the gold.  No experience, just by happening can authenticate itself as sent by God to further His work of grace.”
• Danger of Deductive Doctrines – Making a logical deduction from a Biblical truth then trusting the deduction as Biblical truth.  Remember that the Truth is in the Book, not our conclusions.
• Illumination is never infallible, that can only be claimed by inspiration!
• “Say no more than the Bible says…where the Bible is silent, let us also be silent.”  John Trapp

2.  T​he Primary theme of revelation is redemption: 2 Tim. 3:15-17 NIV “and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

• The purpose of Scripture is twofold: Salvation by faith in Jesus Christ and edification; that you might be equipped in the faith.
• Remember that the primary theme of the Bible is redemption.

3.  The revelation of God is a progressive revelation.  This means that God revealed to us only that which we were able to comprehend.  God progressively revealed more  and more of Himself as the human race was able to comprehend it.  What has changed is not God, but the extent to which He revealed Himself.

• This does not mean extra-biblical revelations!
• The Old Testament (O.T.)must be read and interpreted in light of the New Testament (N.T.).  The O.T. points to Christ in the N.T. and is brought to fulfillment in Him.
• The N.T. emphasis is upon spiritual and eternal blessing, whereas the O.T. emphasis is on the physical blessing.
• The moral, ethical, and religious teachings of the O.T. that are reiterated in the N.T. are still relevant and authoritative to us today. 

4.  We must distinguish between the “picture” and the “frame.” The picture is permanent, but the frame is temporary.

• The truth, the revelation of God is the picture – it is permanent.
• The historical, geographical, or cultural situation is the frame – it is temporary.
• What did it mean to the original hearers of the Word? 
• An example from the first century Christians: The Frame - Should you eat meat offered to idols? The Picture – Don’t cause another to stumble.

 5.      Scripture interprets Scripture in the light of its immediate context as well as the context of the whole Bible.

• The theological unity of the Bible means that the interpretation of a specific passage must not contradict the whole teaching of Scripture on a point.
• Obscure passages must give way to clear passages.

6.      We must take into account the literary character of a book.

• Remember that our doctrine comes not from what the apostles did or what they experienced, but from what they taught.
• We interpret the Gospels and Acts (historical) in light of the Epistles; the Epistles are where church doctrine is established. 

Tips for you quiet time 1 Peter 2:1-3 “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”  There is a moral qualification for reading the Word of God; you have to come clean – I need to make sure that my sins are confessed, that there is nothing between me and God.

1. You need to read the Bible regularly – every day!
2. Read the Bible alertly – a fresh mind is essential; pick whatever time is best for you. If your mind starts to wander, read out loud.
3. Read the Bible systematically – get a plan. Study a particular book, a group of epistles, read it chronologically, etc.
4. Read the Bible with variety – use different translations.
5. Read the Bible prayerfully – “Lord, as I read this, give me something to live by today.” Let the Spirit of God illuminate your mind so that you can understand it.  
6. Read the Bible expectantly – Read it out loud, with pen and paper handy; pray it back to God – it will work in your heart and life! Expect God to speak to you through His Word. “The colder my heart gets, the less anxious I am to read the Word”; have you noticed that?
7. Read the Bible obediently- this is probably the most important! Unless the Bible is obeyed, it becomes a “closed” book (think about that). If while reading, it condemns me, convicts me, or says something to me and I don’t do anything about it, this grieves the Holy Spirit and the illumination is gone. Come with this attitude: “Lord, whatever you’re going to say to me in this Word, I commit myself to obey, even before I know what it is.”  God directs us one step at a time, if you want additional revelation, the condition is obedience to present revelation.

Our Women's Bible Study Group meets Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm.  All women, age 18 and up, are invited and encouraged to attend.  We are currently studying "Even Better Than Eden:  Nine Ways the Bible's Story Changes Everything About Your Story", by Nancy Guthrie.  Sometimes the Bible’s story is summarized as creation, fall, redemption, restoration. But the future is not headed toward merely a restoration of Eden’s goodness. From the very beginning, the Bible’s story has always been headed toward consummation, toward glory. This book traces nine themes that run from Genesis to Revelation, revealing how God’s plan for the new creation will be far more glorious than the original. But this new creation glory isn’t just reserved for the future. The hope of God’s plan for his people transforms everything about our lives today. 

​The following is our schedule this semester.

Bible Study Schedule

Session 1 ​Sunday 8/20/2023 4:00 p.m.	Session 2 ​Sunday 8/27/2023 4:00 p.m.	Session 3 ​Sunday 9/3/2023 4:00 p.m.	Homecoming Service - no Bible Study ​Sunday 9/10/2023	​Session 4 ​Sunday 9/17/2023 4:00 p.m.
Session 5 ​Sunday 9/24/2023 4:00 p.m.  ​	​Session 6 ​Sunday 10/1/2023 4:00 p.m. ​	Session 7 ​Sunday 10/8/2023 4:00 p.m. ​​	Session 8 ​Sunday 10/15/2023 4:00 p.m. ​	Session 9 ​Sunday 10/22/2023 4:00 p.m. ​

Our Men's Bible Study Group currently meets Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m.  All men are invited and encouraged to attend as we dive into God's Word together.