Immerse
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Definition of Immerse in dictionary form "to plunge into something that covers." God gave the prophet Ezekiel a vision of a man leading him through water that flowed from the temple. His vision reminds us that God's desire is for His people to be moving ever deeper with Him throughout our lives. Ezekiel said, "As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my ankles. Then he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my knees. He measured off another third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my waist. Again he measured off a third of a mile, and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot." (Ezekiel 47:3-5) ARE YOU MOVING EVER DEEPER WITH GOD? Session 1 Stepping Into the Deep Session 2 Roots That Go Deep Session 3 Everyday Life in the Deep Download Immerse Sermon Series (PDF) |
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Spring Immerse Classes Sunday Nights at 6:30 pm |
| By offering classes in history, apologetics, personal growth, and evangelism, we can help prepare you for the mission at hand: to "reach, teach, and minister" to others. |
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| Class Descriptions: |
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| Two of our (6 Sessions) Immerse Classes have been offered again beginning March 17. They include "Crucible: The Choices that Change Your Life Forever" and "The Reason for God." The 12 session classes (listed below) will continue on schedule and the semester for all classes will end on April 28. |
| Crucible: The Choices that Change Your Life Forever by Phil Tuttle (6 Sessions) |
| The Reason for God by Timothy Keller (6 Sessions) |
| Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days by Kay Arthur (12 Sessions) |
| Downpour: He Will Come to Us Like the Rain by James MacDonald (12 Sessions) |
| A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George (12 Sessions) |
| Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan (12 Sessions) |
| A Young Woman's Guide to Prayer by Elizabeth George (12 Sesssions) |
| You Were Made to Make a Difference by Max Lucado & Jenna Lucado Bishop |
| Theo: Foundations of Faith |
| The Dig for Kids: A Study on Luke |
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Crucible: The Choices that Change Your Life Forever by Phil Tuttle |
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Open Class led by: Bob Morris March 17 & 24, April 7, 14, 21 & 28 6 Sessions |
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Description: Moments of decision. Your life is full of them, and how you respond can have lifelong impact. Israel's shepherd king faced critical choices in the same areas we do, and we can learn a lot from how he handled them. The sessions in this series explore six areas of tension in our lives: Image vs. Character Fear vs. Faith Circumstances vs. Truth Deception vs. Integrity Arrogance vs. Humility Disappointment vs. Expectancy God will use the choices we make in these areas to transform us into people after His own heart - and shape our lives forever. |
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The Reason for God by Timothy Keller |
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Open Class led by: Keith Nobles March 17 & 24, April 7, 14, 21 & 28 6 Sessions |
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Description: The Reason for God will challenge Christians to wrestle with their friends and neighbors' hardest questions, and to engage those questions in ways that will spark an honest, enriching, and humbling dialogue. Session titles include: 1. Isn't the Bible a myth? 2. How can you say there is only one way to God? 3. What gives you the right to tell me how to live my life? 4. Why does God allow suffering? 5. Why is the church responsible for so much injustice? 6. How can God be full of love and wrath at the same time? |
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Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days by Kay Arthur |
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Women's Class led by: Stephanie Beers 12 Sessions |
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Description: Women of little or great prayer experience will discover practical insights to help them know how to pray, what to pray, and what to expect when they pray. Kay Arthur sheds light on the instructions Jesus gave to His disciples for the perfect pattern of meaningful prayer and demonstrates how the Lord's Prayer covers worship, praise, intercession, and petition and ushers an individual into the presence of God. |
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Downpour: He Will Come to Us Like the Rain by James MacDonald |
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Open Class led by: Don Woodall 12 Sessions |
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Description: Hosea 6 declares, "Come, let us return to the LORD ... let us press on to know the LORD ... And He will come to us like the rain." This Scripture captures the essence of Downpour, a clarion call by Pastor James MacDonald to personal revival. Using the examples of revival both in the Bible as well as in history, this book offers a clear and simple road map back to God. If you're unhappy with your spiritual life, if your love for God has grown cold, or if your desire to put Him first needs rekindling, Downpour can help you experience an absolute soaking of God's Spirit and bring about a biblical, joyful, and radical revival in your life! |
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A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George |
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Women's Class led by: Teresa Cripple 12 Sessions |
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Description: A Woman After God's Own Heart leads women into the blessing and purpose of living according to God's plan. Drawing on her knowledge of Scripture, Elizabeth looks at the priorities God sets for Christian women and shares how to successfully pursue them. |
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Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan |
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Open Class led by: Tod Beers 12 Sessions |
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Description: It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts - it's falling in love with God. |
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A Young Woman's Guide to Prayer by Elizabeth George |
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Youth Girls Class led by: Lesley DeVaughn 12 Sessions |
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Description: Step-by-step guidance for teenage girls who want to experience the joy of an active, enthusiastic devotional life! George reveals the explosive power of prayer and the impact it can have when we establish a regular time to talk with God and worship from the heart. |
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You Were Made to Make a Difference by Max Lucado & Jenna Lucado Bishop |
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Youth Guys Class led by: Dan Shaw 4 Sessions |
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Description: Can you really change the world? Deep down, everyone wants to make a difference. But it is difficult for students to get past their own issues, problems, and distractions to see that their lives can count right now. Max Lucado offers Biblical insight into how God has uniquely created students with certain passions, talents, and interests to impact the world for Christ. |
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| Theo: Foundations of Faith |
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4 to 5 Year Olds led by: Abby Land 1st through 3rd Grade led by: Kristy Shaw |
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Description: THEO Church Edition: Foundations of Faith makes understanding theology easy and fun for children with Theo the Animated Theologian who offers a rare combination — rich theological content and high entertainment value. Join Theo and his mischievous little friends as they explore theological lessons like faith, obeying God's Word, forgiveness, the armor of God, sin and the plan of salvation. Biblical content comes alive through fun, age-appropriate Bible curriculum that revolves around the Bible stories imbedded in each episode of Theo. Each entertaining, animated episode corresponds with a printable lesson plan that digs deep into God's Word. |
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| The Dig: A Study on Luke |
| 4th through 6th Grade led by: Harry Burgamy |
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Description: The Dig for KIds is a simple and easy way for parents to study through books of the Bible with their children. The Dig takes the guesswork out of teaching for parents. Each lesson is just one page that contains four main parts: The Map - The Map is the overview of each lesson. It will tell you as a parent and your child what you will be studying. The Dig - The Dig is the main passage of the Bible you will be reading. There are typically three or four review questions that will help with discussion and review. The Treasure - The Treasure is the big idea of the passage you have just studied. Simply put, it is what you want your child to remember in one sentence. The Display - Archaeologists go on a dig, find a treasure, and then put it on display for all to see. This is the basic idea behind the Display. It helps your child live out what he or she has just learned. |
| Back to "Class Descriptions" |
The Mission
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen”
(Matthew 28: 19-20)
Christ Himself made it clear that our purpose as believers, while here on earth, is to make disciples.This leads us to ask the question, what is a disciple? A disciple is defined as one who learns from a teacher in order to become a follower in both doctrine and conduct of life. Using Jesus’ words, a disciple is one who is taught the things of God and observes what is taught. The mission for discipleship then is to immerse them in the Word of God and help them to apply the truth in their everyday life, eventually culminating in the one being discipled beginning to disciple others.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny Himself and
take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for My sake will find it.’”
(Matthew 16:24-25)
The model Jesus gave for discipleship was based on the interaction He had with His disciples. Although Jesus addressed the crowds, He chose to personally invest in the lives of twelve individuals. It is in this small group setting that Jesus intentionally addressed both the belief and practice of these men. Likewise, the Immerse strategy is designed to impact the lives of individuals through small groups that focus specifically on helping people move ever deeper in their faith and model that faith in their daily lives.
The Motivation
“That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ.”
(Ephesians 4:14-15)
The motivation for discipleship is a heart of obedience to Christ and a heart of love to see others grounded in the faith. In this age of “information overload”, Christians who do not have a thoroughly biblical worldview find themselves in a precarious position and susceptible to being “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,” (Ephesians 4:14). Whether it is through a conversation at work, a class at school, surfing the Internet, or watching the nightly news, Christians who do not filter information through the lens of Scripture are heading down the track to a spiritual train wreck. The purpose of the Immerse strategy is to help people establish a firm foundation through a worldview based solely on the Word of God.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
(John 14:6)
Jesus’ reply in this verse provides us with what Merrill Tenney said “is the ultimate foundation for a satisfactory philosophy of life.” John Calvin adds that the way, truth, and life represents a progression in Christian maturity. Just as a baby progresses from infancy to adulthood, so one who is born again should progress from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity. The Immerse strategy is designed to help facilitate this growth by addressing issues faced by believers at each stage along the Christian journey. Whether it is the basics of the faith (the Way), doctrines of the faith (the Truth), or application of the faith (the Life), the goal of the Immerse strategy is to meet people where they are in their walk with Christ and help them move ever deeper with God becoming fully devoted disciples of Christ.
In an attempt to address the needs of believers as they mature in their walk with Christ, the format of the Immerse strategy is as follows:
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The Material
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
If a disciple is one who learns from a teacher in order to become a follower in both doctrine and conduct of life, and our purpose is to make disciples of Christ, then the material we use in teaching must be firmly based in Scripture and focused on Christ. This material can consist of the Scripture itself or other study material that is biblically based.
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
(Acts 4:13)
As this verse shows, during the first century and into today it has been a presumption that true knowledge of God through His Word, to a large extent, was left to scholars and religious leaders. The problem with this philosophy is that God tells us in Scripture “divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him,” (2 Peter 1:3). This power is given to every believer through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The key, however, is the knowledge of Him, which only comes through His Word.
In the world’s eyes, Christians may be perceived as “uneducated and untrained” but God forbid that we validate that perception. On the contrary, as believers we should be moving ever deeper with God and in turn teach others what we have learned. The Scripture tells us to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15) Only then will the world begin to “marvel” as they see true disciples who model a doctrine and conduct of life that says, “they have been with Jesus!”
"So join us on this journey of moving ever deeper with God. Dive deep, taste the Living Water, and never thirst again."
