Baroque Time Period             Spiritual Emphasis for the Year

As we enter the Baroque Time Period, we will be working on one particular verse, Deut. 6:5, throughout the year as we are “adding line upon line and precept upon precept” Isaiah 28:10. 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength.”  Deut. 6:5

The heart aspect includes meditation and requires a more intimate knowledge of God which we will encourage our students to attain.  The mind aspect requires learning the law and knowing the facts.  Finally, the strength aspect denotes obedience and requires an application of knowing what to do.

With each precept that we focus on each month, we will look at the heart, mind, and strength in each week’s lesson.  With the heart section, we will find aspects on which the students can meditate, worship/glorify God, and pray about.  In the mind section, there are scripture verses each month for the students to learn and digest.  The strength section will challenge the students to apply these precepts in their daily lives.

There are seven precepts that we will be focusing on this year from II Peter 1:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him (the heart) who called us by His own glory and goodness.  Through these, He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance, and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• September: Isaiah 28:10  “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little.”

• October:  Precept:  Faith  Romans 1: 17  “The righteous will live by faith”

• November: Precept:  Goodness  Hebrews 13:16  “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifice God is pleased.”

• December: Precept:  Knowledge  2 Peter 3:18  “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

• January: Precept:  Self-Control  1 Peter 5:8  “Be self-controlled and alert.”

• February: Precept:  Perseverance  James 1:12  “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”    

• March: Precept:  Godliness  1 Timothy 6:11  “But you, man of God, flee from all this,  and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.”

• April/May: Precept: Brotherly Kindness & Love  1 Corinthians 13: 4-7  “Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”