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NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION TRAINING
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as much as our inner spirit longs to understand and know the
Bible’s teachings; our flesh will always find an excuse for not
beginning that life-changing journey through the Scriptures.
Never let excuses of “no time,” or “I don’t know where to begin,”
stop you from growing in the knowledge of God’s Word.
II Timothy 2:15
says “Study to show yourself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to
be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”
In this passage Paul instructs Timothy to not only read the Word
of God, but to STUDY the Word of God. If you have ever been a
student at any time in your life, you know that you retain more
knowledge of something by studying it than just reading it. To truly
understand what the Bible is saying to us, we must study it. This
may require reading a particular passage several times, taking
notes or even asking a friend or teacher to help you understand
something. Rarely does one learn without asking questions.
Studying God’s Word with diligence is pleasing to God. And
once you take the time to study God’s Word for yourself, you
become equipped to share the truth of God’s Word with
someone else. Please know that every Christian has the
responsibility of sharing God’s Word, not just the minister.
Psalm 119:1,
“Thy word have I hid in my heart
that I might not sin against thee.”
Knowing the Word of God keeps us out of the path of sin. I
am not suggesting that once you have God’s word hidden
in your heart that you will not sin, but knowing what God
expects of you from His word will enable you to avoid sinful
situations and circumstances that you know displease him.
Prayer: Communication With God
There are many different types of prayers, such as prayers
of thanksgiving, petition or repentance. But more important
than being able to distinguish the different types of prayers,
is knowing that prayer is communication with your Creator. .
God created you in His own image. He knows your thinking,
desires, regrets, hopes, and fears. When you pray, God wants
you to be honest and sincere with Him, not try to impress Him
with big words and concepts. God also wants to communicate
with you. Prayer is not a one-way conversation. God desires to
communicate with us just as we desire to communicate with Him,
Matthew 6:6-8,
“But thou, when thou prayest enter