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Current
News at Rock Valley Bible Church This Sunday (July 6, 2008): After our service on Sunday we will travel to Olson Lake, where we will have a baptism service. At Rock Valley Bible Church, we are in "summer mode." Many of our Bible Studies and training opportunities have decreased. We will pick up our ministries in the fall. On Sunday, February 3, 2008, we
conducted our
annual business
meeting. In light of this, our pastor preached a message
entitled, "The Core Beliefs of
Rock
Valley Bible Church."
Here is a brief summary of my
message:
1.
We believe in the power of the word, so we preach expositionally.
2. We believe in the power of God, so we embrace the doctrines of grace. 3. We believe in the power of the gospel, so we will focus our attention upon the cross of Christ. This message provides a great summary for the heart and vision of Rock Valley Bible Church. You can listen to the message here. Soon, the written notes will be available.  Systematic Theology is an effort to take the Bible and systematize all of its doctrines by harmonizing everything that the Bible teaches on a particular topic. Down through the ages, many men have written systematic theologies. I believe that Grudem's work will continue for generations to come because of its quality. This book is a massive work (over 1,000 pages). In many ways, it is an encyclopedia for Christian Theology. With 57 chapters, it's impossible to even scratch the surface of what this book covers. However, to give you an idea, here are some of the chapter titles, "The Inerrancy of Scripture", "The Character of God", "Miracles", "Angels", "Sin", "The Offices of Christ", "Regeneration", "Glorification", "Church Government", "The Millennium". This is only a sampling. If you are interested in looking at this book, don't be intimidated by its size. Because of the topical nature of each chapter, it is really quite easy to read each chapter independently. In fact, this is what we will do in Men's Equippers. When learning about the Bible, we will read his chapters on the Bible. When learning about the Trinity, we will read Grudem's chapter on the Trinity. Each chapter is flooded with Scripture that prove his points. So, if you have any question about Christian Doctrine, this book is sure to begin to address the question that you have. One of the things that I really appreciate about his Systematic Theology is that it's not merely academic. At the end of each chapter, he includes a section of "Questions for Personal Application," which we will make use of in Men's Equippers. Quote-o-week. This past week, I had a conversation with a pastor, Glynn McKenzie, concerning the parent's work in shepherding their children as it relates to their choice of school. Too often parents send their children to school, thinking that they will decrease the amount of work in shepherding their children. Actually, you increase the amount of work, because it teenagers in school requires more effort to shepherd them. |