More On Our First Training Day
Pastor Oliver shares with us about the upcoming Training Day! He explains what it is, why it is good for us to gather, and what we can expect from the sessions.
What is a “Training Day”? I am sure some of us are asking. Why gather many of us as church members on a Saturday morning to study God’s Word together? We wonder? I shall answer this in two parts in this article.
Why study God’s Word?
Firstly, why study God’s Word together? God tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (ESV, emphasis mine)
The Bible is inspired (literally, “breathed out”) by God, so it is authoritative and sufficient for the people of God. It is valuable and beneficial for us. How so? By reading and studying Scripture, we put ourselves under God’s means to teach us the gospel and how to live godly lives. The Bible also reproves us by exposing our sin — it is like a mirror that we hold up to ourselves to examine our lives and our hearts. God’s Word then corrects us — it guides us back to godly living by teaching us to love, think, and do what is right. In essence, it trains us in righteousness, i.e., to live Christ-like lives, so that we will be complete (or the sense of being fitted), and equipped for every good work. Did you get that? The Bible not only commands us to live godly lives, but God’s Spirit, through His Word, equips and fits us for godly living!
I do combat sports. In both boxing and Brazilian Jiujitsu, you do not immediately go into sessions and do live sparring — you will be wholly inadequate and risk hurting yourself or others. You first receive instructions, then train and practice the moves and techniques so you can be ready for live sparring (and real-life self-defence situations). Likewise, the Bible instructs us through God’s Word, training us for godly living that pleases God. So, we should sit under the instruction and teaching of the Bible so that we will grow to be fit for every good work in every life situation we face.
To this end, we designed Grace Baptist Church’s Training Day on 31 January to help teach and train us to grow in Christ-like maturity in the following areas: telling non-believers the gospel (Evangelism), handling God’s Word better (The Bible’s Big Story), reaching out to friends and family who have left church or the Christian faith (When People Walk Away), helping us and others not just cope but thrive in different seasons of life (Coping with Life). In addition, we will also conduct our Church Matters class especially for prospective members. I pray that through these classes we would grow in the Word and be built up for godly living.
Why gather?
Secondly, why gather together for the training day? Besides, being trained to be complete and fitted for every good work, we gather as a community that encourages one another and grows together. God tells us in Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (ESV, emphasis mine)” and also in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (ESV, emphasis mine)”
In ancient times, because of the scarcity of the printed word, learning together in a community was the norm. Learners do, on occasion, spend time alone in reflection, but learning is essentially a communal activity. In our modern times, while there are opportunities for learning communities, many of us are accustomed to learning alone, using books or online resources such as videos or other content.
Scripture urges us to encourage and build one another up — we are to speak the Bible to one another in a manner that brings courage, hope, and confidence in Christ. We are to talk about the truth of God’s Word in love so that we build one another up to Christ-like maturity. And as the word of Christ (i.e., the Scripture) dwells in us and fills our hearts and affections, we continue to teach one another of God’s righteousness and warn each other of the sinfulness of sin. We do all these in person within the church community, as members who covenant to love and be responsible for one another.
Beloved, I know many of us are already meeting regularly to talk about the Bible and to remind each other of the gospel hope we have in Jesus Christ, but let us do so more and more. Let us remind one another that Jesus Christ died on the cross in our place for our sins, and was raised to life so that we who trust in Him have the hope of new life. Keep reminding one another of the gospel and spur each other to live lives worthy of the gospel. One way you can do this is to gather to learn together for our “Training Day”. We have designed portions of the programme to allow us to learn and interact together, both in our respective classes and as a large group. This is an opportunity for us to gather as a church to learn and receive training together, and to remind each other of the gospel.
Let us gather for our “Training Day” so that we can be fit and equipped for every good work as we grow in Christ-likeness, and we build and encourage one another as we learn together. In 2026, we will gather over four Saturdays to do this. If you have not signed up, you can do so here:
P.S. Thank you all for praying and asking. The gall bladder removal surgery went well, and I am home on hospitalisation leave for the rest of January. Do pray and give thanks for God’s keeping and sustaining grace, and pray for recovery and rest!