Why Are We Committed to Training?
We aim to magnify the glory of God in all we do. But it's clear from Scripture that human actions do not in themselves magnify God's glory, unless they spring from a certain kind of heart. Therefore the aims of our church cannot be stated merely in terms of activities (like increasing attendance, singing, giving money, etc.). Since human activity may or may not magnify God's glory depending on the heart from which it comes, we must first of all aim in all we do to be and to beget a certain kind of people -- a certain kind of heart.
The essential qualities of a heart that magnifies God's glory are faith in God and love for our neighbor grounded in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Love springs from faith (Galatians 5:6), and faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17).
Therefore, the aim of training at Bethlehem is to facilitate encounters between individuals and the Word of Christ with all its power to produce faith and love. It is meant to support and supplement the pastoral preaching and teaching which takes place every week with a two fold role:
- to present each individual with the opportunity to be directly influenced by the Word in such a way that he or she can ask questions and share insights; and
- to develop relationships with others around the Word of God for the mutual building up of faith and stimulation to love.
Jesus' Great Commission to the church is to make disciples of all nations. An essential element of making disciples is teaching them to observe all that he has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). Thus to be obedient to Jesus' commission, we seek to be a church that places utmost importance on the ministry of teaching through a variety of ways, such as numerous conferences & seminars, Sunday School classes, The Bethlehem Institute (TBI), and Bible studies, to name a few.