Throughout the Old Testament, God is quite clear about His desire to have a relationship with mankind. We see it in the garden. We see it with Noah. We see it with Abraham. And we see it with the people of Israel. Over and over again we read something like “I will be your God and you will be my people.”

What a blessing! How amazing that not only is He our God, but He wants to be our God. The blessings that come with such a relationship are innumerable—the life, the safety, the hope, the love, the glory of being the people of the one, true God.

But such a relationship has some expectations. If God is perfect, holy, loving, just, merciful, and so many other things, we cannot be an imperfect, profane, hateful, unjust, and cruel people. An implication behind our phrase—He shall be our God and we shall be His people—is that we will grow to be more like Him.

This is the strategic vision for our church family over the next three years. We want to better understand our God and grow to be more like Him. We will spend 2023 focusing on God, the Father. We will spend 2024 focusing on God, the Son. And we will spend 2025 focusing on God, the Spirit.

We want to strive for an intimate relationship with our God—a relationship based on knowledge, submission, and emulation. This is not just an academic exercise in which we become better theologians. This is about the life we live everyday: how we think, how we act, how we worship, how we work, how we talk, etc.

Let’s spend the next three years growing closer to our God and becoming more faithful as His people.

Each quarter's workbook will be available by clicking on the specific quarter's title.

2023
We Shall Be Holy As God Is Holy

Key Scripture: “As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Key Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy

Our Bible classes for 2023 will drive our theme of better understanding and becoming more like our Heavenly Father.

First Quarter: Our Awesome God

   Sunday: Portraits of God in Scripture

   Wednesday: What the Bible Says about God

Second Quarter: Our Just God

   Knowing God through His Laws

Third Quarter: Our Holy God

   The Holy One of Israel – A Study of Isaiah

Fourth Quarter: Our Lord God

   Sunday: Putting Away Our Idols

   Wednesday: Being Holy Like God

2024
We Shall Take Up Our Cross and Follow Christ

Key Scripture: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Key Hymn: Servants Song

Our Bible classes for 2024 will drive our theme of growing more Christ-like in our daily lives.

First Quarter: Behold the Man

   The Christ of the Gospels

Second Quarter: The Superior Jesus

   The Superiority of Jesus – A Study of Hebrews

Third Quarter: The Prophesied Jesus

   Someone is Coming – Jesus in the Old Testament

Fourth Quarter: Taking Up Our Cross

   Sunday: Paul’s Teaching about the Christ

   Wednesday: Taking Up Our Cross…Daily!

2025
We Shall Be Filled with the Spirit

Key Scripture: “Be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)

Key Hymn: Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me

Our Bible classes for 2025 will drive our theme of being filled with the Spirit.
(Some of our classes will focus on scripture as the product of the Spirit.)

First Quarter: The Comfort of the Holy Spirit

I Will Send the Comforter – A Study of the Holy Spirit

Second Quarter: The Wisdom of the Holy Spirit

   A Survey of the Wisdom Literature

Third Quarter: The Reality of the Holy Spirit

   Evidence for God and His Word

Fourth Quarter: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

   Sunday: Filled with the Spirit Day by Day

   Wednesday: A Gift from the Holy Spirit – How We Got the Bible