SESSION 1

What Does the Bible Say?

Intentional Faith Development refers to the ministries congregations offer outside of weekly worship that help people grow in faith and in their understanding of and love for God. These ministries include Bible studies, Sunday school classes, spiritual retreats, youth programs, and other small-group experiences that help us learn the Christian life in community with others.

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42)

Learning in community replicates the way Jesus deliberately taught his disciples. His followers grew in their understanding of God and matured in their awareness of God's will for their lives as they listened to Jesus' stories, instructions, and lessons while gathering around dinner tables, on hillsides, and at the Temple. Jesus taught us to learn our faith this way, with others in community.

Following the formation of the church by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the earliest communities of Christians thrived as "they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42). Notice the dual reference to learning and community.

Paul sprinkles his instructions to the followers of Christ with encouragements to learn, grow, teach, and mature. He presents faith not as something static, a possession, or an all or nothing proposition, but rather as something we grow into and strive toward, a putting away of one's "former way of life, [the] old self" to clothe oneself "with the new self" (Ephesians 4:22, 24). We seek to have in us the mind that was in Christ Jesus, allowing God's Spirit to shape our thoughts, attitudes, values, and behaviors. Growing in Christ-likeness is the goal and end of the life of faith.

The change God works in us through the Spirit results in a deeper awareness of God's presence and will and an increasing desire to serve God and neighbor. By God's grace, we become new persons. "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

This growth in Christ spans a lifetime. Paul writes, "Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own ... Straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal" (Philippians 3:12-14). Faith moves, grows, changes, matures.

"Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own ... Straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal." (Philippians 3:12-14)

As we mature in Christ, God cultivates in us the fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol" (Galatians 5:22-23). These are the qualities to which the Christian aspires; these are the qualities God's Spirit forms in us as we deepen our relationship with God through Christ.

These interior spiritual qualities are all radically relational, and we only learn them in the presence of others through the practice of love. They are honed in community, and not just by reading books and studying Scripture. They become real in our lives in the love we give and receive from others and in the things we learn and teach with others. Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:20). Jesus taught in community so that we would learn to discover his presence in others.

"Since we cannot make the journey backward into innocence, help us go forward into wisdom."

— Edward Tyler Prayers in Celebration of the Turning Year (Abingdon, 1978)

The notion of growing in faith is central to the Christian faith. Faith is not static but dynamic. It requires cultivation. Founder of Methodism John Wesley was as passionate about Christians maturing toward the fullness of faith as he was about inviting Christians into the beginnings of faith. He called early Methodists to practices that fostered faith through learning in community, which results in the steady withering of the old nature while nurturing the fruit of the Spirit. This steady maturing, full of setbacks, distractions, and missteps for sure, is the perfecting of the soul in love, growing in the image of God, fostering of an inner holiness. The end toward which we strive is having the same mind in us that was in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5).

"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The song "Day by Day" from the musical Godspell expresses the Christian disciple's desire to grow in the grace of Christ and to advance daily in the knowledge and love of God. In the musical, the cast sings a beautiful prayer that asks God for three things: "To see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly day by day" (Godspell, Stephen Schwartz, 1973).

We learn the life of Christ and will of God by studying God's Word and through experience with other people of faith. By joining a Bible study or class, we place ourselves in the circumstances that are most advantageous for growth in faith. Bible study is not just about selfimprovement but about setting ourselves where God can shape us, intentionally opening ourselves to God's Word and call. God uses faith-to-faith relationships to change us.

Session 1

Planning Sheet

Take time before your first session to think about these questions, and take notes as you read to remind yourself of your responses for the group discussion.

Your Personal Story of Faith

Think back to the first places you heard about the Bible, faith, and God's love for you. Where did this happen? Who did you first learn from? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

Who helped you say your first prayers as a child? What effect did this have in your childhood? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

In what ways did your early experiences, like these, shape your life of faith? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

As an adult, what has been your most powerful, life-affecting setting for learning about faith? What was the group like? What made it special?

__________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

Joining a Faith Community of Learners

What was your first experience in this congregation for learning? Who invited you? __________________________________________________________________________...