Becoming a people of the Book

 “Command and teach these things.” “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” “And the things you have heard me saying in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who also will be qualified to teach others.” “Preach the Word: be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction.”  All of these instructions were given by Paul, the apostle, to Timothy, who was working with the church in Ephesus.  It is good for us to think about these passages. [As] we focus with special interest on our efforts to educate our young with the Word of God, we’re reminded of the eternal significance of our efforts in our education program.  My desire is that we would continue to focus on how we’re doing spreading the message to our young ones as well as to the community around us.  Paul may have been writing to Timothy, but the instructions were not meant for him alone.  We want to be a church that specializes in the Word.  We want to be a church that dedicates itself to sharing the life-giving message with all around us.  In short, we want to be a people of the Book.

Grace and peace,

Ethan