Now that it is May, the warmer weather that we are starting to see reminds us that we are nearing the end of another school year. Soon we will be seeing off the seventh graduating class since I began serving at Bethlehem. I enjoy watching how much the students grow in their faith over their years at Bethlehem, and on occasion, we even get the joy of welcoming these students into God’s family, like earlier this spring, when three of our eighth-grade students were baptized.
It’s important to remember that even though we may graduate from school or various degree programs, we never graduate from learning about our God and our faith. In fact, as we grow in our faith, we should not be keeping what we learn to ourselves. We should be sharing it! That’s what we read in Hebrews 5:12, when the author says, “by this time you ought to be teachers.” But some of the people he is writing to “have become dull of hearing.” (v. 11) They need to be taught “again the basic principles of the oracles of God.” (v. 12)
By talking to others about our faith and simply sharing even the basics of what we believe and how God has made a difference in our lives, we move from being immature learners to maturity. And it’s okay if we don’t know all the answers. To be honest, nobody does, and we should be especially wary of those who think and say they do. We need to learn how to feed ourselves with solid food that helps us grow in our faith. “Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity.” (Heb. 5:15-6:1)
Thankfully, we have some incredibly helpful tools that help us to grow in our faith so that we can share what we believe and teach others. We live in an age and a place where the Bible is freely available and we can use it whenever we want! One resource we have been using in our Sunday morning Bible Study is the Lutheran Study Bible. I’m a bit of a stickler for insisting on the use of this particular Bible, and the reason I do that is that if you can become familiar with the Lutheran Study Bible like you would with any other tool, you will be much better equipped for sharing what you believe and teaching the faith to others. Here’s what this book offers:
This Bible is the first in English to be developed from the ground up with notes that are distinctively Lutheran, prepared by Lutheran theologians and pastors from more than twenty Lutheran church bodies. Current Lutheran scholarship, insights from the Church Fathers, and rich devotional commentary provide meaningful perspectives for both young and mature Christians.
The Lutheran Study Bible features:
- 26,500-plus uniquely Lutheran study notes.
- Over 2,000 application notes and prayers for every part of the Bible.
- 80,000 center column cross-references.
- Over 900 cross-references to 120 full or half-page maps, charts, and diagrams.
- 220-plus articles and introductions to biblical books and topics.
- 31,000 concordance entries.
- Insights from early church, medieval and Reformation era church fathers.
- The English Standard Version translation, one of the most precise English translations available.
If you would like to know more about the Bible, what we believe as Lutherans and how to use this gift that is the Lutheran Study Bible, come and join us on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. for Bible Study. We will continue to meet all summer long! You’re never too old to learn!