BY PASTOR SHARON ORTIZ, PASTOR OF EDUCATION
When my oldest son started middle school, his school schedule was different from his elementary-aged siblings for the first time. One day a week, he started at 9:30AM, over an hour later than his siblings. I immediately knew that I had to steward this time well. With him in the precarious developmental age of middle school and being one of three children, and me working from home at the time, I knew this weekly hour was an opportunity to seize and that we may never get again. So, after taking the little ones to school, we picked up McDonald’s breakfast, came back home, and read one chapter of the Bible together. Every week. For a year. We read through Galatians. Then John. Then Acts. We talked about it. We asked questions. We prayed together. And then I took him to school. To this day, it has been my favorite Bible study ever. Of course, there is nothing as inspiring as your love for your child, but this no-frills Bible study ignited something in my soul.
We live in a day where we are so inundated with information that even the good gets muddled in the noise of it all. Everywhere we turn, there’s a new version, an update, more functions, more apps, more marketing, endorsements, trends to keep up with thrown at us from every angle. Hasn’t this seeped into our spiritual lives as well? We read more books about the Bible than the Bible itself. We hear more sermons from more sources than ever before. The level of production of Christian music and content is the highest it’s ever been. And yet, is your soul that much more satisfied? My guess is that even though many of these things are good, much of it has gotten muddled in the noise of it all. We need to unplug.
With this in mind, I am deeply excited to announce that classes are coming back to ALCF! Let’s read our Bibles together, and let’s keep doing it. Let’s talk about it. Let’s ask questions. Let’s pray together. Then let’s do it again. Let this ordinary act, through ordinary people, by an inspired word and a living Holy Spirit transform our hearts and renew our minds. Our classes will roll out with three main objectives: Biblical literacy, discipleship, and community. We hope to equip you to “know Jesus and make Him known.” Please join us. It might become your favorite hour.
Welcome to Classes@ALCF. Our classes are offered with three main objectives:
Biblical Literacy. As followers of Christ, we need to learn how to read our Bibles. With our goal to "know Jesus and make Him known," there's no better place to start than with the very words He's given us. Let's learn to study the Word for ourselves, cross reference the text, compare translations, original language, cultural context, and the timeless riches of a living word. When the Holy Spirit illuminates our study, discovering God through his written word is an endless journey. Sermons and teachings are good and necessary, but there is no replacement for the nourishment of our daily bread.
Discipleship. Salvation happens once, but sanctification is for a lifetime--and life on this earth is hard. What does it really look like to live by faith when the going gets tough? How do we remain people of generosity without being pushovers, holy without being legalistic, hopeful without being naive, joyful even in deep grief? What does this look like in my workplace, in my school, in my home, and in my church? It takes intentional growth to fight the good fight. At ALCF, we want to equip you to run this race in such a way to receive the crown of glory.
Community. You never have to do it alone. God designed us to be in community with one another. It doesn't matter if you are an introvert or an extrovert; we are all part of God's body. Everyone brings unique gifts, talents, perspectives, functions that we all need interdependently. My growth depends on yours; your growth depends on mine. I know more of God because of you, and you know more of God because of me. This is the goal of our class settings, and we invite you to be part of this sacred journey as we work out our salvation together.