Facts for Faithful Followers Basic truths (‘doctrines’) that every Christian should know! 1

Format Verse to learn Virtual video (!) Voice (you sing!) Visual reminder Vexacious questions Verbalisation (prayer time!) Verse reprise Veritable feast (take home!) 2

A verse to remember But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come”. John chapter 16, verse 13 3

Facts for Faithful Followers Investigation 1 INTRODUCTION 4

Christian Beliefs Wayne Grudem £7.50 5

Doctrine ….. uurgh!? Paul left Timothy to ‘command certain men not to teach false doctrines’ (1 Timothy 1:3), and the goal of this command was love, which comes from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith (v5) Or else you may become a “pervert”! (v10) 6

Why Study Bible Doctrine? …. because what we believe affect us! Bible doctrine helps us... Know what we believe. Know why we believe it. Believe what we know. Act on what we believe. Be whom we should be, and really want to be 7

Is doctrine biblical? Yes! The Bible is loaded with doctrinal statements = Truths e.g. 1 Timothy 2:5 Bible doctrine helps us to fulfill the requirement of 1 Peter 3:15. cut through confusion and give us a concrete foundation to our convictions John 8:31-32 In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus 8 Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Is systematic doctrine biblical? Jesus doesn’t seem to have taught his disciples in a systematic manner much e.g. 7 “I am” statements in John’s gospel [ch. 8-15] There are some (but only some) examples e.g. Romans 1-8 A systematic understanding is expected e.g. 2 Timothy 1:14; Mark 12:18-27 Doctrine learnt systematically helps us to remember and apply truth at critical times. concisely share our faith and hope with others. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us 9

But there are problems with systematic doctrine Systematized doctrine can make the Bible's teaching dry and academic. disconnect the Bible's teaching from real life. disconnect one truth from another that the Bible keeps together. be the focus for argument and disagreement rather than for worship and encouragement. Watch out! 10

SBC has a “Statement of faith” 11

Sometimes we read a statement of systematized doctrine I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth; I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The “Apostles Creed” ( AD) 12

But today we’re going to sing it! 13

These are the facts as we have received them, these are the truths that the Christian believes, this is the basis of all of our preaching: Christ died for sinners and rose from the tomb. 14

2 These are the facts as we have received them: Christ has fulfilled what the Scriptures foretold, Adam’s whole family in death had been sleeping, Christ through his rising restores us to life. 15

3 These are the facts as we have received them; we, with our Saviour, have died on the cross; now, having risen, our Jesus lives in us, gives us his Spirit and makes us his home. 16

4 These are the facts as we have received them: we shall be changed in the blink of an eye, trumpets shall sound as we face life immortal, this is the victory through Jesus our Lord. 17

5 These are the facts as we have received them, these are the truths that the Christian believes, this is the basis of all of our preaching; Christ died for sinners and rose from the tomb. Michael Saward, © Author/Jubilate Hymns. CCL No

over to Dave ….. 19

Question Time ! 1.What’s your first thought at the word “DOCTRINE”? 2.What helped you to understand why doctrine is important? 3.Which doctrine would you find easiest / hardest to talk about to someone for 2 minutes? 4.When did you wished you'd known a Bible truth better? 5.What Bible truths have you found most helpful? 20

Word cloud for Q1 21

Prayer Time ! 1.Read Psalm 119 verse 18, then pray for your group and yourself. 2.Pray for help in understanding and sharing the hope we have. 3.Pray for those who teach in Church. 4.Pray for any individual needs/concerns in the group. 5.Pray for anything else! 22

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come”. John chapter 16, verse 13 Memory Verse 23

Take Home! Identify one thing that will be different when you read your Bible this week, because of today’s study. ?Write it in the space in your file and use it to remind yourself throughout the week 24

Facts for Faithful Followers Next week …… ……The Bible 25