GRANT COUNTY CHURCH OF CHRIST
JUNE 28,2009


BIBLE CAMP

Snacks at the camp store about $10.00……Camp T-Shirt about $10.00... Camp registration $75.00…A camping experience where God, the Bible, and the church are honored and respected, Priceless!


We often look at things, even Bible camp, in terms of how much it will cost. But sometimes the price tag does not always tell us what we are paying for. There are many benefits that a Christian camp can provide that are not listed in the promotional pamphlets, such as: meeting new godly friends, mature Christians who we can learn from, to be encouraged daily to study God’s Word, opportunities to ask Bible questions and be taught one on one and in small groups, experiencing God's creation in the outdoors, and to be strengthened in all areas of one’s faith. There is no price tag on these and other priceless blessings one can receive by going to Bible camp.
Peter states in 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” How are we going to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord? Hopefully from the teaching and preaching by the church, parents, and personal study, but one can also grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord by participating in Bible camp. For example: If you calculate the time a child spends in Bible class on Sundays and Wednesdays and compared it to the Bible teaching and training at a week of Bible camp; one week of camp would almost equal 6 months of Bible classes! Many Christians do not realize the great opportunities Bible camp can provide for our youth and how Bible camp can be a mission field. In a book called, “The Gospel According to Generation X” the author surveyed teens and found that the most significant event for their faith development in the teen years was Bible camp. Bible camp is an effective tool in the spiritual development of young people. Very few places in our day and time are influenced with the Christ-centered teachings and influences as Bible camp.
Jesus reminds us in Luke 14:28 that if we are going to follow Him we must count the costs. When it comes to educating our children in the way of the Lord Bible Camp is a valuable tool to accomplish the task.
We all want our children to develop into godly and faithful Christians? We all want our children to be encouraged and influenced by godly people? All of us would sacrifice to have our children enriched in the way of God? We certainly all want our children to get to Heaven? Although Bible camp is not a guarantee that your child will go to Heaven, it does encourage the spiritual growth and well being of your child; where as other camps as good as they may be don’t. God’s word is clear that if parents pray for, teach, model, and provide opportunities where Christian faith is encouraged, then children have a better opportunity to be faithful to the Lord, than if they were left on their own to discover the Lord’s Way.


TEACHERS ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE PEOPLE

Teachers, (especially Bible class teachers) have made our world a better place! Teachers have molded entire generations for the better!
TEACHERS MUST HAVE A LOVE FOR GOD AND HIS WORD -
The word "teach" in its various forms appears 215 times in the Bible. A teacher is one having the ability and fitness to impart God's Word to willing and sometimes unwilling, students. Teachers possess a love for God, that motivates them to serve by instructing their students concerning God and His Word (2 Tim. 2:2).
In I Samuel 3:1 we read "And the word of the Lord was precious in those days". As teachers we must be aware of how precious the Word of God is. Those sitting in our classrooms must realize the beauty and majesty of hearing the Bible taught. The Ethiopian eunuch was disturbed in his reading of the prophet Isaiah, and invited Philip to join him making it possible to understand (Acts 8:30-31). There is only one book capable of solving the complex problems that our students face in life, that book is the Bible! The Bible is a book that came directly from the mind of God. The apostle Paul said, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect (complete), thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Peter says that the Bible gives to us "all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).
The Bible is a living book (Heb. 4:12), a light to guide our path (Psalm 119:105). The Bible is a continuous narrative with one single theme, the redemption of man, one chief character - Christ Jesus, without error, or mistake.
How could this happen? It is God's book! This is a marvelous masterpiece and cannot be duplicated, or improved upon! David said, "I love thy commandments above gold, yea very fine gold" (Psalms 119:127).
TEACHERS MUST HAVE A LOVE & COMPASSION FOR THOSE WHOM THEY TEACH.
If you didn’t love people you wouldn’t do this! Paul penned the following words, "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing” (I Cor. 13:3).
Love is the springboard from which all service flows. I cannot think of a task more important than teaching; and as teachers we must remember the loftiness of the Bible class and our role as teachers. The bible class teacher is the epitome of love for his/her students. They are prompt in getting to class on time waiting for students to arrive. They enjoy speaking to the class collectively and individually about things occurring in our lives. Their love is seen in the words they use, in their poise, demeanor, and is noticed by each class member. The Bible lessons are penetrating, instructive, and enduring (Mt. 24:35; Heb. 13:8).
The Word of God is taught with clarity and simplicity; We use daily examples in our lives making it easy for students to grasp what we are teaching. The Word of God must always be the last word in our teaching.
TEACHERS MUST DESIRE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THEIR STUDENTS..
"Professor Christie Davies at the University of Reading conducted a study that showed when Sunday School attendance was highest in England, crime was lowest. Conversely, when Sunday school attendance declined, the crime rate increased. One of the ways to stem the tide of drug use, crime and killing is to send young boys to Sunday school, so they can be taught the basics of Christian morality."
Teachers faithful to their duty are not motivated by personal accolades, tributes, and the praise of men. Rather, to see those whom we teach grow and develop into maturity brings great pride in seeing them take steps forward to a level of adulthood (Heb. 5:14). The premise of teaching is to instruct those in the way of righteousness; shining the light of God's Word to bring the hearer into fellowship with God through Christ (I John 1:7; 2 Cor. 5:17-18).
As teachers we leave a legacy enduring through eternity.
.The words and lessons of Bible class teachers go on long after we have left this world. Revelation 14:13 “…Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on, Yes says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors and their works follow them.”

TEACHERS MUST BE PATIENT: SOMETIMES CHANGE TAKES TIME: We solve the world’s sin problem, one person at a time. Sometimes it takes years to get through to one being taught