Adult Bible Class Course Descriptions

These are the courses which will be offered in the next two cycles of Adult Bible Classes. There are three courses, and with only two cycles, each person will be able to take two of the three. Sign up in the Fellowship Hall for the two courses you would like to take. The next cycle begins March 28.

The Gospel According to Jesus

Why is today’s church so weak? Why are we able to claim so many conversions and enroll many church members but have less and less impact on our culture? Why are Christians indistinguishable from the world? Is it not that many are calling people Christians who are actually unregenerate? In this course we will answer those questions by learning from Christ:

· That there is no justification without regeneration (John 3:7)

· That faith without works is dead faith and no one will ever be saved by dead faith (James 2:20)

· That the mark of true justification is perseverance in righteousness to the very end (Matt. 10:22)

· That faith in a Jesus who is Savior but not Lord is faith in a Jesus of one’s own devising (Luke 6:46)

· That if one wants to serve Christ, “he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow [Him]” (Luke 9:23)

· That “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14)

Instructors: Mike Kijak & Rich Ives

This course is based on the book, The Gospel According to Jesus, by John F. MacArthur, Jr.

The Reason for God

We have come to a cultural moment in which both skeptics and believers feel their existence is threatened because both secular skepticism and religious faith are on the rise in significant, powerful ways. And because doubt and belief are each growing, our political and public discourse on matters of faith and morality has become deadlocked and deeply divided. In this course we will find a way forward by starting to look at doubt in a radically new way. Skeptics will be urged to wrestle with the unexamined “blind faith” on which skepticism is based, and to see how hard it is to justify those beliefs to those who do not share them. Believers will be urged to wrestle with their personal and culture’s objections to the faith. In the end, class members will be able to hold their own position with both greater clarity and greater humility as they meet the challenges of confronting post-modern skepticism with the claims of the Gospel.

Instructors: Pastor Mike Healan & Jojo Cuevo

This course is based on the book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, by Timothy Keller.

Isaiah

Abounding with Messianic allusions, the book of Isaiah is second only to Psalms in the number of times it is referred to by New Testament writers. Throughout its pages are found prophecies whose fulfillment is realized in Jesus Christ. Thus, Isaiah contains an important historical emphasis correlated with a mighty prophetic theme. Emphasizing the value of carefully reading Isaiah, this course will cover the high points and lay a firm foundation for future examination of this important section of Scripture.

Instructor: Al Aldrich

As a guide, this course will use the book, Isaiah: The Salvation of Jehovah, by Alfred Martin.