2 Timothy 4:1-5 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
Paul, while alone in a Roman prison, passed on these incredible words of wisdom, instruction and encouragement to the young minister of the church at Ephesus,Timothy. Although this was written a couple thousand years ago, its wisdom still holds true today in our modern world filled with so much religion based on feelings and traditions, and not on sound, biblical doctrine! If we are not careful, we can easily fall into the trap of man-made Christianity and its unsound teachings.
Like Timothy, it is important for us to be able and ready to preach the word in season and out of season. In order to preach sound doctrine to this lost world, it is crucial that we know our Bibles. Every member of the ATCC can be ready to teach the scriptures to others, especially the biblical principles of salvation (how a person goes from the darkness to the light).
Starting this Sunday, September 23rd, and ending before Thanksgiving, we will be studying "The First Principles of Christianity," covering the basics of how a person gets saved. Each week we will look at a lesson from our study series and learn to use scripture effectively to help someone become a Christian! We will also have weekly scripture memorization and quizzes to help us be prepared.
Please give your heart to going through this class so that you can pass sound biblical doctrine on to others who are searching for biblical truth and a real relationship with Jesus!
-Mike
First Principles of Christianity schedule:
Sunday, September 23: Seeking God
Sunday, September 30: The Word of God
Sunday, October 7: Financial Workshop with Mike Johnson*
Sunday, October 14: Grace and Truth
Sunday, October 21: The Lord's Supper with Travis and other ATL singles*
Sunday, October 28: The Sin of Man
Wednesday, October 31: The Cross
Sunday, November 4: Discipleship
Sunday, November 11: New Testament Plan of Salvation
Sunday, November 18: The Church.
Good News: Bible Talks
Pray for our Bible talks, that are evangelizing a wide area this fall!!
The Tuskegee University Bible Talk takes place on Tuesday evenings. Some of the campus members bake cookies beforehand, and hand them out with an invitation. "The discussions have been great," said Bryce Outten. "People are coming regularly and new faces are too."
Auburn's Bible Talk happens at 5:30 PM on Tuesdays. The group has been successful at attracting visitors, and hopes the numbers will increase. Ethan Mobley says that one big strength is that the meeting appeals to a wide range of students, "We have a really diverse group of people at the talk."
Our two Tuskegee women, Timira Taylor and Kristina Jones, have been holding a women's Bible talk on Thursday evenings. They have had a good response and are excited about the people who are coming.
In Columbus, Misha Aldridge and Christina Valeary make their Tuesday night house church an evangelistic Bible Talk/Midweek They have had as many as 7 visitors at a time, some of whom are regulars. This past Tuesday they were encouraged to have Nanyamka Foreman and Carol Harden come out to help.
Our house church groups can serve as evangelistic tools as well. Let's be asking our friends and neighbors to join us. We can have more great stories to share in a newsletter to come!
Invitation to Tuskegee Women's Bible Talk:
Upcoming Events
Sun. Oct. 7 - Invite friends to attend our Financial Workshop, entitled “Let My People Go: Imagine, Plan and Achieve Financial Security." The event will be led by Mike Johnson, financial planner from the North River Church of Christ.
Oct 6 - Married members are going to have a special class taught by Mike and Dianne Johnson. The event will start at 4 PM at the Hames House, and will include dinner! Accomodations are available for Gumpers who would like to spend the night in Auburn, instead of going back to Mongtomery. Oct 19-21 -- EDGE ministry, plan to have a great weekend with a group of Atlanta singles who will come to Auburn with Travis Hawkins.
Oct. 21 - We are planning to have an epic International Meal at our next Lord's Supper fellowship. This is a great opportunity to invite friends. Be thinking of what international dish you can make or buy to bring. Maybe you would even like to wear an outfit from a country.
Photos
Above: Bryce Outten sharing at Sunday Gathering. Tuskegee guys hanging at the Watsons'. Campus Friday devotional.
Calendar
Sun. Sept. 23 -- Gathering, at Auburn VFW Building, 10 AM. NEW SERMON SERIES BEGINS! Sat. Oct. 6 -- Married Event and Dinner with Mike and Dianne Johnson, 4 PM at Bill and Alicia Hames. Sun, Oct. 7 -- Financial Workshop for everyone in the ATCC!! (Be prepared to stay late.) Oct. 19-21 - Travis Hawkins brings Atlanta singles to visit Sun. Oct. 21 - International Meal for Lord's Supper Gathering Dec. 29-Jan. 1 - Singles Conference: "JOURNEY ON" at the North River Church of Christ.
