Current News at Rock Valley Bible Church
(updated Tuesday, April 22, 2008)


This Sunday (May 11, 2008):  1 Peter 3:13-17, "Suffering for the Sake of Righteousness"

Here is an upcoming schedule for our Flock (home Bible studies)       
        May 11, 2008 - Flocks will meet at the Dierks' home and the Herman's home.
        May 18, 2008 - Flocks will meet at the Brandon's home.
        May 25, 2008 - Flocks will meet at the Dierks' home and the Herman's home.
        June 1, 2008 - Flocks will meet at the Brandon's home.


We are currently studying the book of Ephesians.

Here is an upcoming schedule for our Ladies Bible Study: (2nd and 4th Tuesday evenings)
        Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - Location TBD
        Tuesday, June 3, 2008 - Location TBD

The ladies are working through a workbook written by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Grissom entitled, "Seeking Him." 



A portion of the time will be spent watching a DVD of Nancy Leigh DeMoss teaching through the subject material and a portion of the time will be spent in small groups discussing the material.

Here is the current schedule for the youth meetings:
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - Man to Man (fathers and sons only)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - Girl Talk (mothers and daughters only)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - Boys and girls Bible Study (topic:  Don't Waste Your Life)

On Sunday, February 3, 2008, we conducted our annual business meeting.  In light of this, our pastor preached a message entitled, "The Core Beliefs of Rock Valley Bible Church."  Here is a brief summary of my message:
1. We believe in the power of the word, so we preach expositionally.
2. We believe in the power of God, so we embrace the doctrines of grace.
3. We believe in the power of the gospel, so we will focus our attention upon the cross of Christ.

This message provides a great summary for the heart and vision of Rock Valley Bible Church.  You can listen to the message here.  Soon, the written notes will be available.

We are going to begin another session of Men's Equippers this Spring.  This is an opportunity for all of the men of the church to be equipped to be spiritual leaders, both in their homes as well as in the church.  We will be looking at the great doctrines of the faith.  This is also an opportunity to unite the men in vision and purpose of the church as well.
 
We will meet on Saturday mornings from 7:30am-9:00am at Rockford Christian High School.  We will begin the second Saturday morning after Easter (April 5).  Our first session will be 10 weeks long and will cover the following topics:

     1 - God Communicates To Man
     2 - The Bible is Complete
     3 - Jesus Christ and the Bible
     4 - The Truine God of the Bible
     5 - The Being and Nature of God
     6 - The Virgin Birth and Dual Nature of God The Son
     7 - The Death of Jesus
     8 - The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
     9 - The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
     10 - The Holy Spirit and the Believer

In all, we have 40 sessions scheduled over the next year (in four 10-week blocks). 


Book review from our library:  Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem


Systematic Theology is an effort to take the Bible and systematize all of its doctrines by harmonizing everything that the Bible teaches on a particular topic.  Down through the ages, many men have written systematic theologies.  I believe that Grudem's work will continue for generations to come because of its quality.
 
This book is a massive work (over 1,000 pages).  In many ways, it is an encyclopedia for Christian Theology. With 57 chapters, it's impossible to even scratch the surface of what this book covers.  However, to give you an idea, here are some of the chapter titles, "The Inerrancy of Scripture", "The Character of God", "Miracles", "Angels", "Sin", "The Offices of Christ", "Regeneration", "Glorification", "Church Government", "The Millennium".  This is only a sampling.
 
If you are interested in looking at this book, don't be intimidated by its size.  Because of the topical nature of each chapter, it is really quite easy to read each chapter independently.  In fact, this is what we will do in Men's Equippers.  When learning about the Bible, we will read his chapters on the Bible.  When learning about the Trinity, we will read Grudem's chapter on the Trinity.  Each chapter is flooded with Scripture that prove his points.  So, if you have any question about Christian Doctrine, this book is sure to begin to address the question that you have.
 
One of the things that I really appreciate about his Systematic Theology is that it's not merely academic.  At the end of each chapter, he includes a section of "Questions for Personal Application," which we will make use of in Men's Equippers.
Quote-o-week.  This past week, I had a conversation with a pastor, Glynn McKenzie, concerning the parent's work in shepherding their children as it relates to their choice of school. 

Too often parents send their children to school, thinking that they will decrease the amount of work in shepherding their children.  Actually, you increase the amount of work, because it teenagers in school requires more effort to shepherd them.