June-July 2012 (.pdf) - Bethesda Baptist Church

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other. None of us is supposed to
live the Christian life alone. We
gain strength and help from others.
• Nurturing one another. The rule
for developing Christian nurturing
is: give encouragement as often
as possible; advice, once in a great
while; reproof, only when absolutely
necessary; and judgment, never.
• Intentional about spiritual growth.
Our purpose is to become better
disciples of Jesus Christ. Everything
we do is oriented around this
single goal.
• Experiencing loving accountability.
Being accountable helps develop
my prayer experiences, overcome
and resist my temptations, find
strength to handle my struggles,
and assist in developing my plans
for spiritual growth.
• Having a balanced vision. To be
baptized into the great streams of
Christian Faith and Practice helps
free me from my many narrowminded
attitudes.
• Developing practical strategies. I
want and need realistic handles
that actually move me forward into
Christlikeness.
• Fellowshipping leads to freedom.
Spiritual formation groups will encourage
discipline without rigidity,
accountability without manipulation
and having fun together as
we grow.
Bethesda continues in her commitment
to helping every covenant disciple experience
the depths and heights of a genuine
relationship with God. Spiritual Formation
Groups will provide three necessary ingredients
for helping us become disciples of Jesus
Christ. The first is balance. To be spiritually
healthy, we need balance in our spiritual
lives, just as physical health needs balance
in diet and exercise. The second ingredient
is knowledge. Many of us do not become
a disciple of Jesus for one reason: we lack
information about how to do the spiritual
disciplines. We dream about being true followers,
imagine ourselves being committed
disciples, but what do we actually do? What
steps do we take? What activities do we
Can We Blast Off?
We are determined to create The New
Rochelle Theological Center!
Let me share with you the reasons why?
First, we know the importance of creating
an atmosphere where studying the Word
of God is the norm and not the exception.
Second, we are aware of the hunger and
thirst in the hearts of ordinary Christians
to become more knowledgeable about the
Bible and God. Third, theological education
is the missing piece that must be supplied
to the local church. Fourth, we here at
Bethesda value the spiritual disciplines and
one of them emphasizes the importance of
spiritual growth.
Having said all of this, what then is our
plan? For the past year we have stressed the
fact that we are working in cooperation with
New York Theological Seminary to open up
a theological center here in Westchester. But
to date, we have not been able to successfully
launch our new Theological Center.
All of this is about to change. I understand
that there are concerns about cost.
Unfortunately we don’t set the prices, but
if you are interested, we will work with you
in developing an affordable payment plan.
We do not want money to be an issue
and we will do all within our power to see
that you can have this theological training
that will equip you for doing a greater work
for the kingdom.
In the lobbies of the Family Life Center
and the Church there are applications for
enrollment in the New Rochelle Theological
Center.
Tell your friends in other churches
about the New Rochelle Theological Center
being housed here at Bethesda. We need
twenty people to sign up in order to conduct
classes here.
Who should consider signing up? I believe
all officers of the church ought to be the
first ones to sign up. Their involvement will
encourage others to sign up. Also, I believe
those who serve as leaders of each ministry
should sign up. Additionally, I believe any
covenant-disciple out to sign up so as to
increase their knowledge of the Bible.
engage in that will help us grow closer to
God? We are like travelers looking across
a great chasm, longing for the other side,
discontent with where we are, yet unable
to cross the bridge because we do not know
how to start. The third ingredient is mutual
encouragement and accountability. Once we
find a balanced plan and gain knowledge of
how to use it, the only thing left for us is to
do it. Unfortunately, for most of us this is
the hardest part. Ingrained habits hamper
us from changing the way we are. The secret
to breaking these ingrained habits is the
strength found in joining forces with others
who have a similar mission. They provide
the encouragement we need to start across
the chasm and the accountability we need
to keep us on the bridge.
(Taken from: A Spiritual Formation Workbook
by James Bryan Smith and Richard J. Foster)
Sign up today and begin taking this
journey with us. Pray about your involvement.
Call and set up an appointment and
talk it over with Pastor so that you will have
a good understanding of what Spiritual Formation
Groups are. Then take the plunge
and avail yourself for intense training so
that this Fall you will be able to start your
own Spiritual Formation Group.