About Us

• A 12-week study of Romans (a John MacArthur Bible Study)
• For men 18-108 who are hungry to better learn God's truth and to know him more intimately
• Weekly homework assignments enabling spiritual growth
• Discussions that are meant to be conversational in hopes of building God-focused relationships among men 

We are pleased to offer Couples Studies - please join us and be part of our neighborhood-focused Couples Study of God's Word!

Why not spend some of that time with your beloved in God's word?

Our Bible study has been running for the past 11 years.  This will be the fifth year of the couples' version.

The format is flexible.  Some groups consist of several couples. Others prefer going solo, doing the lesson on the Lake or at the cabin.  It doesn't matter. Whatever day/time works for you is your choice. Spending time in God's Word every day this summer will no doubt enhance your walk and your marriage - join us in this journey!  If you’ve been wanting to do a Bible study with your spouse, now is a perfect time to start.

  Number one, of course, is our dedication to learning and growing from God’s Word.  Our discussion time in small groups is designed to stay dialed in to the Word, what it’s teaching us, and how we are to apply it right now, in the moment.

Prayer has been a powerful aspect as well.  Women do this more naturally, so it’s an eye-opener for some guys to see how prayer is designed to work in our lives.  Having a group of men praying for one another is a cool thing to witness.  Seeing God answer those prayers is even more awesome.

Fellowship is one of the things we’ve been very intentional about.  These three ingredients (Scripture, Prayer, Fellowship) are crucial to growth in Christ.  Early on, we recognized that fellowship can be forgotten for men, not so much for women.  Often, we’ve to have a firm commitment to make this happen.  At Bro’ Time, we’ve tried to make it easy.  The funny thing about good, holy Christian fellowship is that once you experience it, soon you’ll be practicing it, more naturally, like the women do.  Fellowship is an awesome way to live out your faith.  It’s a chance to put your money where your mouth is (not sure if that analogy works, but you’ll figure it out).  We have groups that take trips together, like Boundary Waters canoeing or sailing on Lake Superior.  Others gather for outdoor BBQs in the summer, all on their own initiative.  So, the fellowship thing has caught on.  God has instructed the men well.

Devotionals is next on the list.  At about year 4 or 5, we started writing daily devotionals that would relate to the lesson for the week.  Rather than giving a lecture, we wanted to do two things:

• Bank more time for the discussion groups.  Allow those to gel.
• Provide encouragement to the men throughout the week; provide some additional context to the lesson and thoughts about how to apply God’s teaching.

• God’s Truth is at the top.  We want to understand it from a pure, Biblical perspective, even when it makes us uncomfortable.  If we’re uncomfortable with something in God’s Truth, we realize something in us needs to change, not something in His Word.  We also believe that all of the answers to this life can be found in the Bible.  We believe Jesus Christ is the Word of God (see John 1:1).  

• The Trinity of God.  I learned not too long ago that many modern Christian denominations do not recognize the Holy Spirit as a member of God’s Trinity.  Some have substituted the Bible as the third element.  We believe firmly in the Holy Spirit as another form of God Himself.  Just as God existed before time and before the universe, so too did Jesus exist and the Spirit of God exist.  Jesus is a form of God who came to earth in the flesh of a man, was born to Mary in Bethlehem, was raised by His earthly parents, and was revealed as the promised Messiah in his adult years.  His ministry lasted for 3 years, culminating with His sacrifice on the Cross.  He died, was buried, and rose from the dead 3 days later.  He spent time with His disciples before ascending to heaven where He remains until He comes again.  In the same way, the Holy Spirit of God existed before time and it has always been present.  At Pentacost, 50-days after Jesus’s death, the Holy Spirit did something He hadn’t done before:  He permanently took up residence in the souls of the apostles and others who believed. Today, the Holy Spirit’s involvement in the life of one who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the same.  He takes up residence in our hearts and remains there.  He is our seal for salvation.  The Holy Spirit acts as our Helper and Counselor.  He functions somewhat like a coach, guiding us through the sanctification process.  The Holy Spirit is God within us.  He’s not a cheap copy or watered-down version of God.  He is God and He lives in the heart of the believer.  That’s what we believe and we will reference often the Holy Spirit in all of His fullness, power and glory.  We’ve had a leader in Bro’ Time who would always ask at the beginning of the summer, “What’s the study about?”  Our answer was always the same:  “The Holy Spirit.”  He would pump his fist and say, “Yes!”  He gets it, and we want you to get it.

• Understanding the full nature and character of God, as best we can.  God is complex and multi-faceted.  Many Christians believe that God is love and that nothing more needs to be said.  In my view, that’s a feel-good theology.  It does not address other aspects of God such as His justice and wrath.  For God to exercise either one of these, I do not think He does so out of love.  God does not love sin.  If God is purely love, then sin cannot exist.  One important aspect of God’s being is that He is sovereign.  Many of us need to take a long walk in the woods and really ponder what the word sovereign means.  It means God is the highest power in all creation.  It means nothing can defeat Him, shake Him, knock Him off His stance, cause Him to change His mind, and the list goes on.  God’s sovereignty is built around His will.  If God wills for something to happen, it will happen because He is sovereign.  In fact, all things happen according to His will.  Ephesians 1:11-12 says, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”  If you are a Christ follower, you are one because of God’s will.

• Growth in Christ.  Christianity is a participation sport.  God requires you to grow in Christ.  His Holy Spirit is designed for that growth and for your sanctification.  However, the disciple that does not welcome the growth process will be one of two things:  a.  Not a true disciple; or b. One who will suffer under a very slow growth curve.  We find that steady growth in Christ is a normal and healthy thing for a Christ follower.  You might notice we prefer that term over Christian because there are many who falsely claim to follow Christ (see Matthew 7:21).  Yes, a faster growth curve likely means enduring more trials in a shorter span of time.  However, it’s a bit like ripping off a band aid.   You won’t reach a safe zone at some point in this life where you’re immune to trials, but what God pours into you, things of His nature like wisdom, self-control, patience, kindness, hope, etc., will all strengthen you when the next storm hits.  Those who struggle to embrace the Holy Spirit’s help often struggle to endure hardship.