Biddeford Church of Christ

Okay, if you are my age, that title sounds familiar.  It is a title of a song sung by the Bee Gees, and yes, I will admit that they were my favorite group in the day.  It does present a question of sorts that is the reason for our next Sunday morning bible class that is formatted from Willard Tate’s book, Learning to Love.

Everyone is brought up in an environment that established for them some understanding of what love is and is not, whether it be good or bad.  That understanding then becomes the foundation of reasoning that motivates him or her to love others. It also defines how we will express that love.  This thought may sound like a bunch of psychobabble, but I encourage you to hang in there a moment and consider the following.

We read over and over again in our bibles the call for us to love God, our enemies, our spouses, the church, and the list can go further.  We read that “the love of Christ” is what should “compel us” (2^nd Corinthians 5:14).  The bible assures us that “there is no fear in love” (1^st John 4:18), so why are so many held captive to the uncertainty of life?  If our perception of love: that is, what it means, how God loves us, how we are to in turn love others, is at the very core of our Christian walk, it begs the question, “How deep is your love?”  By deep, I am not asking about whether we love, but rather, what we understand about it and how that understanding impacts how I experience it and share it with others.

So, at the beginning of the year we will start our new class and here is what you to expect.  1^st – Every family will receive a book, and we will walk through the book in bible class each Sunday morning.  We will ask you to read the book, consider the questions at the end of each chapter, which we may or may not use in class.  It is important to note that we will not cover a section each week; but rather, allow the discussion (or lack thereof) to determine our pace.  As a suggestion, because the chapters are short, it may be worth sitting down as a family and reading it together.  2^nd – Each participant in the class will receive a study booklet.  I am in the process of developing the material, so when you first receive yours, it will not be complete.  You can begin to work through the content at home, enabling us to have a more enhanced discussion in class.

What is the objective of all this?  It is simple to help us grow in our understanding of God’s love.  The better we understand how we are loved and how we are to love, the better we can shine the light of Christ.  I encourage you to make time for this class.  May God bless it to the glory of His name.

Dennis