LAST LESSONS #109 – REVIVAL – PART 2

 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!” Psalm 119:11-12

In this second blog regarding the importance of Bible study as we pray for REVIVAL, I want to encourage you with one person’s experience that came last week. She wrote:

“I think of you often and give thanks to our great God for the Rafiki studies. Today we began our third year of study. There are 10 of us and the women love the studies. There was joy and enthusiasm in returning for the study of Colossians. We had a new woman in attendance who expressed her gratitude in being there. Another is a young woman who is a recovering drug addict and also has other health issues. She has attended 2 years, but sporadically. The group has come alongside her with love and encouragement. She is coming along with good questions after weeks of silence. She had PT today and had to miss but texted me saying to please save her spot and that she will be there all remaining weeks. She is making the study of God's Word a priority, and her growth has been a blessing to the group. God has answered many prayers. Another young woman who came from a Catholic background and now is saved, was an avid golfer on the Country Club women's team. We meet on Thursday which is Women's Day at the CC. She gave that up for the study and adamantly would not hear of us changing the day of meeting. She has attended 2 years, today beginning her third.”

Isn’t it wonderful to see how the RBS has impacted people who have been coming for several years?

How about those of you beginning a Group? I promised that I would suggest an order of Bible books to be studied so I suggest you start with the Book of JAMES for the following reasons:

1. It has only 8 lessons—members are usually willing to commit to 8 weeks.
2. It is not hard—I have categorized all books according to difficulty as Beginner, Average, or Advanced. JAMES is a beginner category.
3. It speaks to personal issues we face today—such as becoming wise, where arguments start, and taming our tongues.

Once you have finished JAMES, I suggest the following:

1. GENESIS—because you cannot understand the Bible if you don’t know GENESIS.
2. MATTHEW—because you cannot know Jesus if you don’t study MATTHEW.
3. ACTS—because you need to know how the gospel was spread and how the church began.

Next week I will continue the list.

But this week, I want to encourage you to start a RBS Group or help someone else start one. You will never regret it. Why?

• It will increase your own knowledge of the Bible.
• It will make lasting friendships.
• It will be the way God brings some of your members to faith in him.
• It will give you opportunities to minister to those in need.
• It will give you great joy as you come to know the Lord better.

And especially, it will be the way you can be a part of the revival that our country so desperately needs.

To find out about RBS Groups, check out www.rafikifoundation.org