PAGE THREE
MULTICULTURAL
     As the multi-cultural representative in the
Women's Ministry to reach women for whom
English is a second language, I use two
approaches to share the love of Christ. The
first Reading Group involves holding discussions
that relate to skills and tips for successful
parenting. The second Bible Study Group
involves studying and discussing Biblical
teachings for effective devotion.
     I was particularly touched by the testimony of one business woman who was recently
baptized at our church. She shares her
enthusiasm by spreading the gospel in China.
Since the people there are educated with
atheistic principles, she believes they are
curious to know why she, a business woman,
has converted to Christianity. This opens up
opportunities for her to share her beliefs with
relatives, friends, and colleagues. It is truly an
amazing feeling to know that the seeds planted
here will eventually bear fruit thousands of
miles away!
- Josephine Chiou

The Bible and You
    Why is reading your Bible daily so important?
Because, God speaks to us through the Bible -
His Word! I'll never forget the little lesson Carol
B. once gave the children during children's
moment. She asked what happens when we
receive a letter in the mail? Well, the first thing
we do is look to see who it is from. We may be
able to tell if we recognize the handwriting, or
by looking at the return address. But then
what? Once you know who sent it, do you
place it on a shelf? No, of course not. You
want to open the envelope right away and
read that letter! Because that is the only way
you will know what the author has to say to
you. The Bible is God's letter to us. Therefore,
in order to know what He has to say to us, we
must open it and read it.
     God tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Every
part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another-showing us truth,
exposing our rebellion, correcting our
mistakes, training us to live God's way.
Through the Word we are put together and
shaped up for the tasks God has for us (The
Message).
     God wants us to know and understand his
Word. Each time, before you begin to read,
pray and ask Him to give you wisdom to
understand what He has to say to you
today. I once read the following which I think
is worth sharing with you: "The Bible is God's
intentional, exact, and inerrant revelation of
Himself to us, telling of His best plan for us to
enjoy the abundant life, now and eternally."
   "When reading God's Word, take special care    To find the rich treasures hidden there;
   Give thought to each line, each precept
        clear,
   Then practice it well with godly fear. -Anon.
The Bible's treasures are found by those who dig for them. So, dig in! And find out what God has to say to you!
- Margaret Kehoe

Precept Upon Precept
    In October 2005 a small group of women began to gather each week to begin our study of Spiritual
Gifts using the Precept Upon Precept method of
inductive Bible study. The object of our meeting
together was primarily to get to know God and
each other better; secondarily to identify the area
of our giftedness and to learn our place in the
body.
    The focus of this twelve week course was to
search out what the Word of God has to say about
the subject in 1 Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians
and 1 Peter. Early in the process we discovered
that the Holy Spirit gifts each and every believer
to serve the body of Christ, His church. A spiritual
gift is an expression of the Holy Spirit through the
believer and is given for the common good of the
body. The Spirit distributes gifts to individuals as
He chooses and places members in the body as He
desires. The body of Christ is a unit, an organism
with many members, all of whom are necessary,
and is designed to function harmoniously as we all
work together for the glory of our Lord.
    This learning came about through much digging
into the Scriptures each week. To quote Proverbs
2, we "made our ears attentive and inclined our
hearts to understanding", we "sought wisdom as
silver and searched for her as hidden treasures".
This we did for several hours each week but the
rewards were rich as we feasted on the Word,
shared our insights, fellowshipped together and
prayed for one another.
    May I share some feedback from two of the
women?

"I found our Bible study group provided me with an
in-depth understanding of the Bible in a safe
environment where we can openly express our
queries to deepen our perspective of what we
were studying. I treasured getting to know other
Christian women believers and Adina provided
excellent leadership and a lovely environment to
study in. I look forward to further studies of Precept Upon Precept in the future." - VL

"The Precept Upon Precept Bible study provides a
framework for intentional, thoughtful Bible study. It
is a Bible study where questions are not only
encouraged, but necessary, in order to deeper
understand God's word. His relationship to us and
our response to Him becomes clearer. The group
time is always a blessing. We share our insights and
practical applications of what we have studied
on our own during the week. Our leader, Adina
Hartin loves the Word of God. Her knowledge and
memory of scripture makes her a wonderful
shepherdess of her sometimes overzealous sheep."
- LP

    The foregoing supports the idea that studying
God's Word together and faithfully applying it to
our lives is a solid foundation for Women's
Ministries. It is through this process that we build
into one another's lives as the Lord binds us
together into a loving community where women's
needs are met!