News from Community Bible Study

Great News! 

Community Bible Study is growing!

More women in Rutherford County are studying the Word.

Now is the time to register for the 2018 – 2019 Class so the Leadership Team has time to provide Core Leaders and Children’s Leaders. We will be studying the Book of Acts.

Registration Forms are available on the Registration Forms tab of this blog. Click on the one you need (Adult or Children) and print it out. Fill in the information and mail the form and your $35.00 registration fee to:

Pam Hutchins

207 Squirrel Den Rd.

Rutherfordton, NC  28139

Children’s Forms may be handled the same way; however, The Children/Youth Coordinator will determine if there is room in the class for your child. The registration fee for children is $10.00.

See you on September 12, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. 

at Second Baptist Church,

191 Green Street, Rutherfordton, NC 

Words and Water

A Refreshing Glass

of Ice Water

What a difference our words can make, for good or for bad, and that led me to think about how water can be an analogy to words. Words can be, like water, either a blessing or a curse. When you are hot, tired and thirsty, a cool glass of water can truly be a blessing that cools and refreshes. It’s essential to life and it can be harnessed for work to provide power for operating grist mills and hydroelectric power plants.

Too much water, too fast, can be destructive and contaminated water, deadly. We are in the middle of this historically bad Atlantic hurricane season and have seen hurricanes named Harvey, Irma and Maria. They have brought death, sorrow, destruction, and despair to many people. The storm surge is often as dangerous as the wind and pressure canges.

Like water, our words can be harnessed for good or they can be a

destructive force. A friend recently told me how a meaningful friendship had been torn apart with words. That relationship looks to be permanently broken. I could hear the heartache in my friend’s voice as she shared her pain.

This week’s Bible study is titled, “Warning and Judgement.”* Scripture is a resource God provides to warn us of various spiritual dangers and avoid common pitfalls. Like a good parent, God tries to prepare us ahead of time for what we can expect in life.

A warning verse from James 1:26 (ESV) says,

“those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”

Later in James 3:10 (NIV) we’re warned,

“Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”

I expect that we have all said things we shouldn’t and been convicted to seek repentance and forgiveness.

Our words reveal our inner selves, even when we don’t mean for them to. Jesus speaks in Matthew 12:34b (NIV),

“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

This is why we are encouraged to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, anything that is excellent or praiseworthy. When we choose to focus on growing closer to God and making his priorities our own, our attitudes and words will show it.

We have been talking about regular spoken words, regular language…but John1:1 (NIV) tells us, somewhat cryptically,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Here, he’s talking about Jesus. Jesus as the Word, who was also God, and who spoke creation into existence. Now that’s a powerful word! We can begin to see that as we are being transformed by scripture and the Holy Spirit at work in us, we can tap into that power. When we invite others to Bible study, or share words of the Gospel message, or we uplift and encourage others, when we speak words of confession and repentance, when we ask God to help us deal with our anger and selfishness in ways that are pleasing to Him, then we are using our words in ways that are a blessing to us and that bring glory to God.

May it be so in each of our lives this week.

Camille Wheeler

Originally presented to Leadership Council

9/27/17

CBS - Rutherfordton Day Class

* Return to Jerusalem, Lesson 3

Being Intentional

Our last blog, Next Steps, included a call to meet with God to focus on where He wants to take us next. Some have taken that step and as a result God is walking with them down a new and deeper path. In our study in Luke, we have seen already how God worked in the lives of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna, to move them along their faith journey to the next step He had for them.  

 

The letter that follows is from Judy Bond, Teaching Director for CBS-Rutherfordton Day Class, sharing her thoughts about being intentional with those Next Steps He has for us:

 

Hello Ladies, 

I thank you all for answering God's call to study His Word.  Over the past week God has brought the word "intentional" to me in various ways. I heard it at church and in a prayer Sharon Lorber from our Children’s Department prayed at Leadership Prayer on Wednesday morning and over and over it keeps popping up to grab my attention.  

I know God is calling me to be more intentional with the things he asks of me.  What is often hard is when He asks me to do things that I don't always deem to be important.  But He calls us to obedience, so I have included intentionality as a prayer focus for the week, not just for CBS but also for my personal life.  Some questions I’ve asked myself:

·       Am I intentionally setting aside time to shepherd, or just doing it when convenient?  (Remember Satan will keep you busy when you depend on convenience!)

·       Am I intentionally setting aside time to pray and do my lesson, or am I doing it when it’s convenient?  

·       Am I intentional about my prayer life, keeping a written record of needs or do I just wait until they pop into my head?  

·       Am I intentional in taking time to listen to my spouse/children/loved ones/friends, or again, do I just listen when it's convenient for me?  Do I give them my full attention or partial?  

·       Am I intentional in coveting time alone with God? Do I meet Him on His terms or do I squeeze in a few minutes here and there when it’s convenient for me? 

These are all thoughts that I have been thinking and have been challenging me. I wish it was all natural, but the natural man is not who we are in Christ.  Jesus was intentional with His Father, His followers, with us and His mission.  So, as I challenge myself to look at my own life, I pass the challenge along to you. ~ Judy

 

Spiritual growth can be a long slow journey but it starts with one intentional step followed by another. Will you take the challenge presented by Judy this week? Will you chose an area in your life and service to God and be intentional about drawing closer to Him in that one area?

Remember, the best is yet to come!

Welcome to CBS



CBS Logo

Welcome to Community Bible Study  

Rutherfordton Day Class for Women

        Registration is now open for the 30-week in-depth study of the Gospel of Luke (see study description on the Registration Forms tab above) which will begin on 9/3/14 and run through May, 2015. The Adult and Children's registration forms can be found on the Registration Forms tab above. 



Second Baptist Church

        Classes meet at Second Baptist Church, 191 Green
Street, Rutherfordton, NC, every Wednesday (except for breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Easter or inclement weather in the Winter that causes school to be closed).


Weekly Class Schedule:
09:30 - 09:45  Gathering, Announcements, Worship
09:45 - 10:35  Small Group Study
10:35 - 10:45  Short Break
10:45 - 11:30  Worship and Teaching Time

      Follow this blog (follow by e-mail, above) to receive weekly devotions written by CBS members and leaders. They will uplift and encourage you. Then share them with your friends through Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and other social media avenues. Don't forget to leave a comment on how the devotions have affected you personally.