Will your church be open this Sunday?

This question has become more and more common over the last couple of months. Each time I answer with “Most certainly and I hope you will be able to join us!” I have felt like my answer has been missing something. Meeting as a church is vitally important. The word “church” simply means assembly/gathering. We are not a broadcast we are a body. However, it takes more than gathering to be a church. Many groups meet together. Some even meet on a weekly basis.

If you join us for a service you will find that more than our doors are open. You will see open Bibles. It is not enough for us to just assemble we must assemble with a purpose.

We love the Word of God at Vision. Not because we think it makes us superior to anyone or any other church but because it is the way we can pursue a greater knowledge of God. This is the reason we provide so many opportunities to study the Bible.

• Sunday Mornings we have LifeGroups (adults) and Sunday school (kids) teachers who lead small groups in lessons and discussions in God’s Word.
• In the services our Pastor teachers verse-by-verse through the Bible. We are currently in the book of Luke on Sunday mornings and alternating between Psalms and Proverbs in the evening services.
• On Monday nights there will be a group of young men studying the Bible around the fire after consuming their weight in pancakes of some other great homemade meal.
• Tuesday nights the building is full with people learning the Bible in our Vision Bible Institute. Courses are available in English and Spanish.
• We meet on Thursday night. Why? There is so much available for us to learn we do not want to miss a chance. This is a big night for our kids to learn the Bible through AWANA.
• Throughout the week there is a wonderful group of young people studying the Bible in the Our Generation Training Center. These students will join the 50+ Bible teachers we have sent out around the world.
• In addition to the Bible teaching that takes place on our campus you will find our church through out the community studying in our one-one-one discipleship program called Foundations.

We could go on and on and list more places and ways families in our church are raising their children in the Bible. We firmly believe it takes more than opening doors for us to assemble as a church. We must also have OPEN BIBLES!

We encourage you to join us. Bring your Bible. If you do not have one we will gladly provide one for you.

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After the service this morning I attended the Vision Bible Institute Informative Luncheon. I had the opportunity to start the meeting with prayer and ended up with a front row seat to hear the teachers speak about their upcoming classes. A free lunch is always something that I get excited about but God brought a level a gratitude to my heart that far surpassed by gratitude for a sandwich. As I sat there I looked around the room and became overwhelmed by the realization my life has been greatly blessed by having so many friends who are committed Bible students.

My life and family is being shaped by the Word of God. There are decisions we make individually and as a family as a response to the sermons we hear on Sunday. Our lives are also being shaped by conversations with our friends. As I looked at my friends at the luncheon I quickly thought of 3 different recent conversations that had really helped me.

Story One

Several of us were sitting in the back of an empty movie theater in Roswell. We have ended another night of our Vision Chapel campaign. I was discouraged that more people hadn’t attended. I was in the battle of the mind and needed truth. My friend Wayne, who loves and studies the Bible, was used of God to give the truth of God’s Word I needed at that moment.

Story Two

I was ending a phone conversation with my mother when I walked into our church foyer. On the call, I learned that my mom needed a biopsy. My heart and mind was filled with fears and doubts. In the back of the auditorium a group of ladies met for the “Card Club.” I went into the back of the room and shared what I had learned with them. My friend Shannon, who loves and studies the Bible, was used of God to give the truth of God’s Word I needed to remember to share with my family and others.

Story Three

On Monday nights me and a friend sit together and talk about all kinds of randomness as our sons practice basketball. Whatever my friend is studying to teach in his LifeGroup is always on his heart and I am thankful when he shares it with me. He shared with me some things he had been learning from the Bible about prayer. My friend David, who loves and studies the Bible, was used of God to give the truth of God’s Word I needed for a later moment. A few days later I was dealing with some restlessness over something that is extremely important to Stephanie and I but is completely out of our hands. I remember what David had said about taking my petitions to the Lord and I did just that and rested knowing I had been heard by the One with ultimate authority in the matter.

All of our lives our greatly influenced by our conversations with our friends. When they love and study the Bible these conversations are used of God to be a great blessing to us. We live in a world that desperately needs more people who “love and study God’s Word” and will be willing to share it in casual conversations with their friends. Rather it was in the Vision Bible Institute or in their personal study I am so thankful my friends study the Bible and are willing to share it with me.

You may never teach from behind a pulpit or lead a small group however do not think that your commitment to study the Bible couldn’t be greatly used to encourage all those around you. One of the greatest aspects of being a member of Vision Baptist Church is that me, my wife, and my kids have so many friends who want their lives shaped by the Word of God. This is evident in the way they teach, live, and even the small discussions they have at basketball practice.

If you would like more information about the upcoming Spring Semester at the Vision Bible Institute please go to VisionBaptist.com/VBI. We would love to help you get registered for the upcoming classes. Your friends, family, and church will greatly appreciate the time you spend studying the Bible.

The post 3 Short Stories: Concerning having friends that study the Bible appeared first on Vision Baptist Church of South Forsyth.

When Vision Baptist Church was officially started in March of 2006 we had all the dreams and desires of most church plants. We prayed that God would use our combined efforts to see people come to know Christ and become followers of Him. It was also our desire that God would use our new church plant to be a place that people could be equipped for missions service. Over the last 12 years God has been very gracious to us and allowed us to see this dream become a reality!

In the summer of 2005 a handful of use moved to Alpharetta. We started to learn the “lay of the land” and begin meeting people. One night a group of us decided to go to “Meetup” where people were learning spanish. Being that we spent time together in Peru, South America most of the group knew some spanish and thought it would be a great way to meet some people we could talk to about Jesus and let them know about the new church that would be started the following year. At that meeting we met a very, young Miguel Sanabria. I believe he was a sophomore in HIgh School at this time. Shortly after that night a Bible Study was started in the home of some of the family members of Miguel. He began to hear the Word of God taught. Miguel came to know Christ around this time!

Miguel was the first fruit we saw as a church family! As I look back on those days I think about all the decisions Miguel made. I also think about the time he wondered away from church for a short time and how an invitation to help translate our discipleship material (Foundations) helped bring him back into being an engaged member of the church. There is no doubt God used Vision Baptist Church to help mold his life into the servant he is today. As I reflect on this I can’t help but think about how much this first new disciple helped build and shape our church.

It was because of Miguel we first gathered and prayed for people of Alpharetta by name to come and know Christ. It was through this first convert that we discussed finding a place for our first baptism. It was in part because of our responsibilty to this new convert we worked to develop a discipleship curriculm in spanish. Through Miguel being involved then starting to drift away we began to consider how to help our young people who leave church after high school. In later years God used Miguel to help build the church as he serves our spanish pastor.

The story of any church is the story of God using people to help lead others into a growing relationship with Him. Tonight as Miguel will share testimony of the fact that God has used this church to mold his life we must also remember how God uses new beleivers to help build and shape the ministry of our church. The life of our church and the life of Miguel will forever be connected and that is how it should be.

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Our Student Pastor, Trent Cornwell, has started a series of blog article for our teenagers. The articles are written for teenagers but have strong applications to all of us. We would encourage you check out the website for our Student Ministry. You can subscribe to get articles and read this blog in its entirety.

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The phrase “What hath God wrought?” is first seen in history in the story told by Moses in Numbers 23. Here, at the close of their journey, we find the power of men and Satan combined to curse them. It was  the very thing they deserved, if dealt with according to their sins. But Balaam continues by affirming that no divination is effective against Israel. The point is not what Israel can do, but “what God has done!”

This short phrase from the Book of Numbers was the first words transmitted by the newly invented marvel of the electric.. (read more at StudentsofVision.com)

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Last night we saw an answer to the prayers of many people. It has been our desire for many years now to have the opportunity to serve in the local jail by leading Bible studies. Over the last year, especially, Joseph Reidy has kept this prayer requests before us. We are so thankful this door has been opened to us and we pray it remains open.

After Kason Bloom received word there would be an opportunity for us to send in teams of men and women on  a monthly basis he quickly began recruiting volunteers. Over a two week period nearly 35 people had filled out the information needed for the mandatory background check! God had not only provided an opportunity but He had provided the workers as well!

Last week our church received a visit from the officer who oversees this program at the Forsyth County Jail. She gave us a clear understanding of how to move forward. We are very thankful for her assistance in this matter.

Twenty one of us entered the jail last night around 8 pm and spent approximately an hour teaching God’s Word, praying, and having conversations with inmates. It was an incredibly great night of ministry. We had teams enter into 4 men’s pods and 4 women’s pods. We were able to minister to about 45 men and 40 women!

We were well received and treat with great respect and appreciation. It is our desire to not only teach the Word but to help the inmates realize they to can study God’s Word. We plan to teach the Bible verse by verse, teach discipleship lessons, sing together, pray together, and help answer life’s questions from the Bible.

We have created some guiding principles to help us in this ministry. We want God to be glorified in every moment of time we are given with these men and women.

• Principle One: We will show respect to the dignity of life believing that we all are created in God’s image and deal with the struggles of living in a fallen world.
• Principle Two: We will make it evident that we are not morally superior people who can tell them how to work their way out of their mess. We will show them that God has answers and His Word contains the truth they need in their lives.
• Principle Three: We will avoid profane and vain babbling while being willing and able to give everyman an answer to their sincere questions.
• Principle Four: We will take their prayer requests to God in prayer.
• Principle Five: We will work as a team working together to teach the truth of God’s word in a clear and systematic manner.
• Principle Six: We will emphasize the importance of the local church and give clear Biblical teaching of her role in the life of a believer.
• Principle Seven: We will be full aware that this ministry is a privilege and our relationship with the supervisors is of the utmost importance in regards to see this door remain open to us.

Please pray for this ministry. We are seeking new ways to engage the men and women in the jail in the study of God’s Word. We pray more opportunities open to us in the community like this. We will return next month and will have new volunteers helping lead the Bible studies.

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On occasion, we have been questioned on why we preach  through the Bible verse by verse and book by book. We know many good churches and Pastors do not preach the Book in a sequential order as we have chosen to do. We know and believe that our lessons and sermons must come from the truth of God’s Word but it is not necessary to preach in a sequential, expository manner.

We, however, believe this is the best method for our church. We have found there are many wonderful benefits to our church knowing where we are headed each week when the Pastor asks us to “open our Bibles.”

Kevin White, Staff Missionary to Bolivia, recently compiled this *list. As we have taught through over 25 books of the Bible we have also been allowed of God to send out over 25 families around the world to teach the Bible in this same manner! Here is a list of 8 reasons we preach through the Bible book by book!

1. Because that is the way the Bible was written.
   He didn’t give individual verses.
   He didn’t give us a topical index..
   He gave us 66 individual books and that it what we should preach.
2. It will maximize your time.
   Everyone will know what you are going to preach.
   Everything that you study at the beginning will build as you study the rest of the book.
3. It guarantees a necessary balance.
   This balance can be seen in each book between doctrine and application.
   Ephesians 1-3 doctrina 4-6 application
   Romans 1-11 doctrine 12-16 application.
4. It guarantees that you preach on controversial passages.
   You don’t just jump around or skip.
   There are difficult sections that the Bible include and different subjects that need to be dealt with.
   Topic likes divorce and remarriage.
   Topics like God’s sovereignty and mans responsibility.
5. You will be modeling proper Bible study methods in the Pulpit.
   Your church will study their Bible the way you preach it.
   Context is very important when you are preaching and studying the Bible.
   You are showing them how to rightly interpret the Bible.
6. It promotes long Pastorates
   After a few years most pastors have preached all the messages they have.
   They have touched on every topic they know how to preach.
7. It will prevent you from riding a hobby horse.
   We all have our pet peeves and things that we like to focus on.
   We need to preach the whole council of God.
   It prevents you from camping out on your pet doctrine.
8. It deepens the pastors understanding of the Bible and his own devotional life.
   You don’t just hydroplane over the Bible but you have to dig deeper to understand.
   It helps you to understand the Bible as a whole and it’s individual parts.

*Compiled and adapted from a podcast by Steve Lawson

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We gladly welcomed Brian and Joy Raaens into our church membership yesterday morning during our service. They also celebrated their 6th Wedding Anniversary yesterday! While attending Vision they have become involved in the Conn3ct Adult Bible Fellowship. Joy has also enjoyed fellowship and encouragement from other Home School Moms. They have already attended the Come and See Luncheon are looking to get involved in serving!

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