The Battle For Truth

Engage More People In God’s Word

Hello Precept Leaders,

This month instead of offering a leadership tip, I wanted to draw attention to the battle we are facing in North America. I don’t know about you, but I have concerns about what is happening in our country and North America at large. Hang in with me while I explain –

Covid restrictions have been removed, and as we begin to return to what we knew before the pandemic, there is something very different, isn’t there? I am in the midst of praying and planning for 2023. I am seeking the Lord for wisdom on how to engage more people in God’s Word next year. I am asking the Lord whether we should scale back on online events and classes and move back to a place that will fill local churches with people eager to learn how to study God’s Word using the Precept Inductive Method. Our 2022 training engagement is the lowest it has been in years, and I have so many questions like:

• Is it our training workshops? Do we not offer a wide enough variety of training to meet the different skills of the Precept Bible Study Method?
• Is it our culture? Are people less engaged with the Church? Why are churches experiencing even more significant volunteering problems than before the pandemic? Has the polarization of Covid and the battle over vaccines become a stumbling block to people wanting to be involved in or even attend church?
• Is the Church moving away from the inerrancy of Scripture and compromising truth because of the pressures from the world?

 

I could go on and on with questions, but I am constantly reminded of three things.

1.  God is in control – Nothing happens outside of God’s design. Satan needs permission from God to do anything in this world, and there are no surprises to Him. We may wonder, “What in the world is God doing?” or we can speculate if this is the end, but regardless, we must stay plugged into the source and remember the truth of God’s Word. 
2.  God’s Word has been under attack since the Garden of Eden and hasn’t been destroyed yet! We’ve seen in Scripture that God’s Word has been lost in the rubble but has never been permanently destroyed. Even as it is under attack today by those inside and outside the Church, it will last forever. The apostles were willing to die for God’s Word. Paul made enormous sacrifices for the Gospel because the Gospel is the power of God for salvation for all who believe
   
   
3.  God’s Word is the only answer to today’s problems! The Old and New Testaments are comprised of sixty-six books, and these books are the very voice of God. Some of the most significant battles waging today are because we are listening to the wrong voices when we should be listening to the ONE voice.

Leaders, let me once again remind you that we are in a battle for truth. We are not battling against man and man’s opinion. The battle we face is against a greater enemy – Satan himself.

Satan doesn’t want to see people engaged in God’s Word; he wants people to question it. “Did God really say that?” he suggests. We must be diligent to stand firm and keep leading those God has put in our classes. We must also be diligent in ensuring that we are inviting new people to engage in our classes and training.

 

Here are three practical tips for you this month.

1. Seek the Lord in prayer for Canada and North America. Ask the Lord to show you how He will use you to make an impact in your church and community through Precept Bible Study.

 2. If you are a leader who has not been active through the pandemic for various reasons, it is time to get back into leading groups. We need every leader across Canada engaging students in God’s Word. The only way to counteract what is happening in our culture is to saturate it with the truth.

 3. Pray and ask the Lord if there is an opportunity to host training at your church. Over the next few months, Precept will begin contacting leaders across Canada to host training workshops in their local churches. If the timing is unsuitable to host, please attend a workshop in your area. Our workshops have often been on the verge of being cancelled due to low registration numbers. Your support ensures these workshops move forward. All the workshops are free; the only possible expenses are travel and time. Invite someone new to participate with you. When you support the local training, even if you have taken the workshop thirty times, your attendance will encourage the host and the trainer and ensures that the new students attending receive the training and have the skills to observe, interpret and apply.

 

Blessings upon you as you serve the Lord!

Serving Him and You,

Mark Sheldrake