One of my favorite things about doing home projects or repairing a car is when I have a good excuse to go buy a tool. There is great joy in procuring the tool, learning how to use it, and then having that tool and the acquired skills for the future – for your own projects and others’ projects!
The elders at Faith want you to have all the tools you need in your “tool belt” of the Christian life so that you can thrive and be fruitful in your following of Jesus and in helping others to follow Jesus. We are planning three “Equipping Nights” this year for just that purpose.
First, we want everyone at Faith to be continually growing in their ability to read, understand and apply God’s Word. Second, we want everyone to have a robust understanding of the systematic teaching of the Bible. Finally, we want everyone to know how to practically apply the Bible to all areas of life.
Think about the example of a puzzle. Being able to read and understand the Bible is like being able to look at each puzzle piece and figure out how to put it together with other pieces. Understanding systematic theology or Bible teaching is like being able to take the completed puzzle and see how all of the pieces relate to each other. Learning practical theology is like taking the completed puzzle and its message and share it with others.
Or, picture a pyramid: The bottom row is knowing how to read the Bible, the second row is knowing what the whole Bible teaches about different topics, and the top row is applying the Bible to all of life.
Every sermon, every Growth Group meeting, every counseling class, every Fundamentals of the Faith class, every marriage and parenting class, and many other channels at Faith Bible Church are helping us with these three areas. However, we want to have a focused workshop three times a year to sharpen your skills and to give you new tools in each of these areas.
This school year we will focus on how to read the Bible. In 2025-2026 we will focus on systematic theology. In 2026-2027, we will focus on practical theology. We plan to repeat the three-year cycle with new topics within those three areas. For example, this year, we will focus on equipping you with knowledge and practical questions to help you know how to read through the different sections of the Old Testament. In 2027-2028, we will work on how to read the New Testament.
What do you do with those sections describing how to build the tabernacle? What about all the things that are clean and unclean in Leviticus? Why are those genealogies in there? We want to try to answer these and many other questions and give you time with your Growth Group to practice using the tools we’re giving you.
Mark your calendars for the following Wednesday evenings: November 13, February 5 and May 7 from 6:30 until 8:00 at the church. Most Growth Groups will not meet during those weeks to hopefully free you up for the all-church Equipping Night.
We will need a few groups each time to help with childcare. The goal is that people approved for childcare will each help with one of the three nights of the year so that others can participate. We will also record it so those who are doing childcare or who cannot attend can watch it later.
I cannot wait for us to keep adding more tools to our Christian lives so that we can love God and love each other faithfully, through knowing and applying and sharing His glorious, powerful Word!
Nathan Thiry is the Growth Groups & Outreach Pastor at Faith Bible Church. He enjoys biking and outdoor activities, and has a passion to see the gospel spread throughout our community and the whole world!
View Resources by Nathan Thiry