Everyone needs encouragement. Just as important, every believer is called to encourage others.

But what is encouragement? What does it accomplish? How does being encouraged affect us? How can we become better and more consistent at encouraging others?

These are the questions we’ll be exploring in this short course entitled, “Encouragement.” We begin by looking a two really great encouragers at work, and then briefly examining the work of the great Encourager.

Who, by the way, dwells in all who believe in Jesus.

Below, you will find the links to download the course materials.

It’s easy to get the idea that being a disciple of Jesus is a matter primarily of external commitments.

That is, if you want to follow Jesus, you have to find a church, plug into a group, join up for some ministry, or by some other external means let it be known that you are a disciple. Without invalidating that view, I want to insist that following Jesus is first of all a matter of the soul – heart, mind, and conscience. Unless we are inwardly devoted to Jesus, focused on Him, and committed to knowing and growing in Him, and doing His will, no amount of external involvements will make us true disciples. Not for very long, at any rate.

We begin this series, Disciples Making Disciples, where true discipleship must always begin – within, in the disposition and bent of our souls. Only as we focus on the calling which is ours in Christ Jesus will our discipleship have any staying power. Keep that focus, and press on in seeking Jesus, and you will be His follower all the days of your life. And you’ll help others follow Him as well.

Below, you will find the links to download the course materials.

Use the form below to sign up for this course. We will then send you instructions on how to access the course information.

David’s path to being king has taught him a lot. He understands that his anointing is a huge deal. Thus, he respects Saul to a surprising extent and puts to death an Amalekite who claims to have killed him.

David assumes the throne absent any bossy attitude. Mercy and reliance on the LORD will be his style.

The greatest story ever told begins in doubt, takes root in unlikelihood, and blossoms into praise and thanksgiving with the birth of an unexpected child.

Hannah is living the unbearable pain of a barren woman in Old Testament times. In her anguish she vows to give a son to the LORD if He will grant her one. Deal. Hannah delivers the young boy to Eli and then sings God’s praises.

The book of Judges is about failure, and the failures get off to a great start. The tribes of Israel repeatedly fail to finish the job of driving out all the Canaanites. Some failures are worse than others, but there are very few successes. This book will be one long downhill slide.

Besides being the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119 is distinct in other ways. Except for the first three verses, Psalm 119 is entirely a prayer. In it the anonymous psalmist pours out his heart in longing to know God’s Word and to gain the benefits it affords. Psalm 119 is an abecedarian psalm, as we will explain, and this makes it a long and beautiful poem as well.

Paul is upset that the Galatians have been led astray by a group of Judaizers into thinking they need to be circumcised to be Christians. He starts his apologetic case against them by establishing his authority and by pointing out the confirmation he received from Peter, James, and Paul. More logic to come.

Welcome to the website of The Fellowship of Ailbe.

Here you will find abundant resources to encourage and equip you for realizing more of the presence, promise, and power of God's Kingdom. We hope you will browse each section of our site, where you will find study materials, podcasts, teaching letters, and more—all free of charge—to help you in studying God's Word and living a Christian worldview.

The resources below explain the need for revival in our day—for renewing in God's people and a great awakening to faith throughout the earth. Only God can bring such a revival, but He commands us to seek Him for it through prayer and repentance. Give Him No Rest is a morning-and-evening reader, using excerpts from Scripture and the writings of Jonathan Edwards to encourage us in seeking the Lord for revival.

Our study called Revived! explains what revival is, why it's needed, and what your part is in seeking revival from the Lord. This study is set up for personal or group use. Download these resources by clicking below.

We hope you'll browse our website and register at the bottom of this page to receive one or more of our teaching letters. May the Lord bless you abundantly as you continue seeking Him.

Download Give Him No Rest

Download Revived!

A Live Online Course with Stan Gale

Wednesdays, April 20 – June 29, 3pm – 4pm

Preview

Summary
Christ’s shepherds are instructed to equip the saints toward “unity in the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph. 4:12-13). Elsewhere, Paul describes the mandate as rooting and building up in Christ, establishing in the faith (Col. 2:7). In both places, the goal is to protect Christ’s disciples from spiritual harm (Eph. 4:14; Col. 2:8) and foster their spiritual maturity. A syllabus for this basic instruction in the faith can be found in the Apostles’ Creed.

Registration
Please fill out the form at the bottom of this page if you are interested in joining the class.

Rationale
Children display a wonderful naivety to life – trusting, unassuming, authentic. Jesus held up childlike faith as the posture for entrance into the kingdom of God. Challenging worldly conceptions of greatness, Jesus beckoned a child to Himself and said: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3–4).

While a child’s naivety can be endearing, it can also be endangering. Children can be unguarded and easily led astray.

The same is true of God’s children. Disciples are to be trained to be discerning, to watch their step and guard their ways. They are to be taught not to follow strangers but to listen to the voice of their Shepherd and follow Him. They are not to believe everything that sounds pious but to test the teaching to see if it is of God. With the milk and meat of God’s Word they become skilled in righteousness through constant practice.

That God’s children may not be deceived with “persuasive words” (Col. 2:4), they are to be rooted and built up in Christ and established in the faith (Col. 2:6). Paul describes the goal of such teaching as mature manhood, defined as the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-14; cf. Eph. 2:20-22).

The faith of which Paul speaks is the body of teaching that promotes knowledge of the Son of God. The reference is not faith but the faith, the good deposit entrusted to the church. The apostle assigns this training responsibility to those Christ raises up to shepherd the flock under their care (Acts 20:28).

A syllabus for introduction to the rudiments of the Christian faith can be found in the Apostles’ Creed. The Creed outlines the Bible’s teaching. The subject is the faith and the centerpiece is the Christ.

The Apostles’ Creed divides into three sections, addressing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit respectively. But its emphasis is not so much the Trinity as it is that salvation is Trinitarian – grounded in the saving purpose of God the Father, gained through Christ His Son, and granted by the Spirit of the risen Christ. The Creed lays all the glory of salvation at the feet of God alone.

The core of the Creed is unfurled in the center section that addresses the person and work of Jesus Christ, commanding more lines than the other two sections combined. The Creed begins by holding up the true and eternal God. Jesus is the Son given by the Father. The Spirit is the conveyor of Christ’s accomplished work for the church. But the beating heart, the engine of salvation is Jesus Christ, God incarnate to save. The Creed serves as a primer to the gospel of the Kingdom.

Course Description

This course is intended for pastors and ministry leaders to introduce them to the design and declarations of the Apostles’ Creed as basic to the faith, with an eye to establishing others on its firm biblical foundation.

Format
This course will be limited to 12 participants and held over Zoom for a period of six biweekly, one hour sessions (April 20, May 4 & 18, June 1, 15 & 29). Each session will include guided discussion from reading assignments and workbook preparation.

Materials
Required for the course will be The Christian’s Creed: Embracing the Apostolic Faith (Reformation Heritage Books, 2018) and The Christian’s Creed Workbook (Waxed Tablet Publications, 2020). Both books are by Stanley D. Gale and can be purchased through Amazon.

Outline

Session One: Confessing the Faith (April 20
This session explores the structure and flow of the Apostles’ Creed as an expression of basic Christian faith

• Read The Christian’s Creed Introduction and Chapter One (pages 1-22)
• Complete the Workbook pages 6-12

Session Two: I Believe in God (May 4)
This session examines the biblical God confessed in the Creed.

• Read The Christian’s Creed Chapter Two and Chapter Three (pages 23-52)
• Complete the Workbook pages 18-28

Session Three: Who Do You Say I Am? (May 18)
This session examines the person and humiliation of Christ.

• Read The Christian’s Creed Chapter Four and Chapter Five (pages 53-86)
• Complete the Workbook pages 29-40

Session Four: The Spirit of the Risen Christ (June 1)
This session examines the resurrection, reign, and return of Christ, as well as the role of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s mission.

• Read The Christian’s Creed pages Chapter Six and Chapter Seven (87-122)
• Complete the Workbook pages 41-51

Session Five: Forgive One Another as I Have Forgiven You (June 15)
The session examines Christ’s church as an incubator and outpost of His Kingdom for making disciples.

• Read The Christian’s Creed Chapter Eight and Chapter Nine (pages 123-157)
• Complete the Workbook pages 52-61 

Session Six: The Christian Hope (June 29)
This Session examines the crescendo of the Creed and practical implications for daily living as we await the Blessed Hope.

• Read The Christian’s Creed Chapter Ten and Conclusion (pages 158-177)
• Complete the Workbook pages 62-68

Missed Class Policy. For the session you miss, read the assigned pages in The Christian’s Creed and complete the respective sections in the Workbook on your own. If you have any questions, you’re welcome to connect with me to discuss them. Come prepared by doing the assignments for the next session.

Outcomes

• Each participant will become acquainted with the biblical underpinnings for the declarations of the Apostles’ Creed.
• Each participant will become familiar with the Apostles’ Creed as a template for rooting and building up others in Christ and establishing them in the faith.
• Each participant will be equipped to use the course materials with the intention of taking others through them.

Stan Gale is a member of the Board of Overseers for the Fellowship of Ailbe, writer of “Rooted in Christ,” a weekly column on the Ailbe website, a pastor for over 30 years, and author of several books on the Christian faith.

Sign up here

With the death of Moses, the task of leading Israel into the promised land is dumped on Joshua. The LORD promises to be with him and tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. So, when the people say the same words to Joshua, even though they couldn’t have heard the LORD say them, it’s a powerful moment.