{"id":80631,"date":"2024-11-29T15:19:54","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T21:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=80631"},"modified":"2024-11-29T15:19:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T21:19:54","slug":"attending-bible-classes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/attending-bible-classes\/","title":{"rendered":"Attending Bible Classes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Barney Keith<\/p>\n

There is one fact that is undeniable about the life of every Christian – he is saying something to those around him by every action of his life. Without any vocal sounds, he speaks volumes by his conduct. In this way, many a godly wife has won her husband to the Lord (I Peter 3:1-2). In this way, the shining light of a good life has caused onlookers to glorify God (Matthew 5:16). And even after a righteous person has departed from this life, “he being dead yet speaketh<\/em>” (Hebrews 11:4). So it is concerning our attitudes and actions in the work and worship of the Lord in His church. When a person who loves to attend Bible classes in the local congregation does so faithfully, that Christian is saying something loud and clear. Think about it for a moment. What is he saying?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. He says to anyone who observes him, “I love the word of God to the extent that I will take the time to attend classes where my knowledge of it can increase.”<\/li>\n
  2. He says to others, “I realize my need for stronger faith as I strive to please the Lord. I know that it cannot be strengthened without the word of God (Romans l0:17). Being present for Bible study helps me build on the right foundation.”<\/li>\n
  3. By his regular attendance, he is saying, “I appreciate good and faithful Christians who spend hours studying so that they may teach me. I know that it takes much real dedication on their part to do this good work. I certainly want to be there to hold up their hands and to benefit from the study they have put into each lesson. If they devote so much effort to preparing lessons, I want to be present in the classes to listen to their instruction.”<\/li>\n
  4. He says, “I find great value and help from spending time with brothers and sisters in Christ searching God’s word together. I have all too little time as it is with my spiritual family in the local church. This extra hour means much to me in building stronger ties with them. I know that we all share a deep concern for our souls. And quite often, I am helped by the comments of others in the class.”<\/li>\n
  5. Through his consistent presence in the classes, he says, “I appreciate what the elders of the congregation are doing for my benefit as they plan and arrange classes for the edification of the church. I am cooperating with them to accomplish their objective-my <\/b>increased knowledge of the truth.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In nearly every place, attendance at Bible study needs some improvement. That improvement will come from Christians who have opened their eyes to the grave importance of doing all they can to ensure their soul’s salvation in the world to come. That improvement will be accomplished by good men and women who have their hearts set on things above more than on things of the earth (Colossians 3:1-2). Let me appeal to all <\/b>members to make a careful\u00b7 appraisal of your commitment to the Lord, His word, and His kingdom. Let all of us make sure <\/b>that we all “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness<\/em>” (Matthew 6:33). Without doubt, when this is done carefully and prayerfully, the attendance question will be properly answered, and all other questions as well.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    by Barney Keith There is one fact that is undeniable about the life of every Christian – he is saying something to those around him by every action of his life. Without any vocal sounds, he speaks volumes by his conduct. In this way, many a godly wife has won her husband to the Lord…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[356,358],"class_list":["post-80631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-attendance","tag-bible-class"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45163,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-christian-who-fell-into-sexual-sin-return-to-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":80631,"position":0},"title":"Can a Christian who fell into sexual sin return to God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to tell you about my friend. He is facing some confusion regarding his Christian life. He had committed adultery after baptism having had sexual relations with a lady older than him. He was baptized at the age of 16, but according to him the real evil thoughts\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2865,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-there-authority-for-bible-classes-segregated-by-ages\/","url_meta":{"origin":80631,"position":1},"title":"Is there authority for Bible classes segregated by ages?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 20, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I need the New Testament authority for classes. Where is the doctrine that authorizes classes to be segregated by different ages? Answer: It is common for people seeking to deny biblical authority for some practice to search for only one description and when they can't find it, sit back\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18062,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-young-man-wants-to-attend-church-but-his-father-is-interfering-how-do-you-handle-the-situation\/","url_meta":{"origin":80631,"position":2},"title":"A young man wants to attend church but his father is interfering. How do you handle the situation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In the youth Bible class, one of my students (an 18-year-old young woman) asked a question I wasn't sure how to respond to. She has a boyfriend, who's never been to the Church of Christ before and whom she's been with for a couple of years now, I believe.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28122,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-i-know-which-church-is-the-right-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":80631,"position":3},"title":"How can I know which church is the right one?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 17, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I have a high-functioning form of Autism. After living many years in a false religion, I have recently heard about Christianity a few years ago. I am still trying to get the hang of understanding how Jesus can love me when he died many years ago. There is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56087,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/employer-employee\/","url_meta":{"origin":80631,"position":4},"title":"Employer — Employee","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 24, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Homer Hailey in\u00a0The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 12, Oct. 1952. In this, the Christian dispensation, God does not set forth one form of civil government as being above another. 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