The Minneapolis/St.Paul Church of Christ enjoyed a weekend filled with inspirational teaching from Dr. Douglas Jacoby. The weekend saw extra encouragement as the brothers and sisters from Madison, WI joined together to celebrate this occasion. Last year many Christians desired to learn more about the Holy Spirit, so the weekend's theme was centered upon the Spirit. This was the first time the Minneapolis/St. Paul Church had ever brought Douglas Jacoby to address the needs of the church since the early 1990s.
Saturday's classes covered "Spiritual Confusion," "Baptism in the Spirit," and "Feeling the Spirit: What Should We Expect?" Saturday concluded with a Q&A session. Sunday morning Doug taught on "'Fitted By The Spirit: Finding and Using our Gifts" (Sunday School) and then preached on "The Spirit's Fire."
This event was timely because the church needed questions answered regarding the Holy Spirit. But just as important was the charge for all Christians to feed their faith by feasting on God's word. Reading different English versions of the Bible to prevent us from becoming stale, and reading other books that challenge our thinking were helpful challenges for all of us as we continue to move forward in our walk with God.
Some of the responses from those that attended the workshop:
* "Several Christians were inspired enough to purchase other English Bible versions to rejuvenate their personal Bible study."
* "I was inspired to going back to the truth vs. going by my feelings."
* "Having a conversation with Doug, I was convicted about how I should know the Bible as a whole'being able to tell someone the story of the Bible and knowing why each book of the Bible is written."
The Q&A session was very helpful. Questions involving topics such as "falling away" and the use of 'gifts and talents' helped us understand Scripture in a more insightful manner. Utilizing gifts and talents in our small groups was a great suggestion.
The Minneapolis/St. Paul Church of Christ and the Madison Church of Christ thanked Doug for an extraordinary weekend. His example of scriptural knowledge and answering many questions with scripture shows the competence of a highly qualified teacher in God's church. We look forward to future opportunities for Doug to share his gifts by teaching the Bible to us.
