DOCSLIB.ORG

Defining, Assessing, and Progressing Discipleship: Helping Church Leaders and Laity Become Confident and Equipped Disciple-Makers

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Defining, Assessing, and Progressing Discipleship: Helping Church Leaders and Laity Become Confident and Equipped Disciple-Makers Southeastern University FireScholars Doctor of Ministry (DMin) Barnett College of Ministry & Theology Spring 2021 DEFINING, ASSESSING, AND PROGRESSING DISCIPLESHIP: HELPING CHURCH LEADERS AND LAITY BECOME CONFIDENT AND EQUIPPED DISCIPLE-MAKERS Matthew R. Ulrich Southeastern University - Lakeland, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://firescholars.seu.edu/dmin Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Ulrich, Matthew R., "DEFINING, ASSESSING, AND PROGRESSING DISCIPLESHIP: HELPING CHURCH LEADERS AND LAITY BECOME CONFIDENT AND EQUIPPED DISCIPLE-MAKERS" (2021). Doctor of Ministry (DMin). 16. https://firescholars.seu.edu/dmin/16 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Barnett College of Ministry & Theology at FireScholars. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Ministry (DMin) by an authorized administrator of FireScholars. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DEFINING, ASSESSING, AND PROGRESSING DISCIPLESHIP: HELPING CHURCH LEADERS AND LAITY BECOME CONFIDENT AND EQUIPPED DISCIPLE-MAKERS PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF DIVINITY IN THE BARNETT COLLEGE OF MINISTRY AND THEOLOGY AT SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY MATT ULRICH SPRING 2021 Matthew Ulrich March 16, 2021 ii Copyright by Matt Ulrich © 2021 iii ABSTRACT Many pastors, lay leaders, and followers of Jesus have a desire to make disciples, but there seems to be a general lack of understanding at the local church level about what it means to make disciples and equip disciple-makers. The Chartis discipleship assessment (www.chartisassessment.com) was created as a discipleship assessment to assist disciple-makers in pragmatically defining, assessing, and progressing the spiritual growth of their disciples. Discipleship definitions, supplemental teaching resources, and a biblical theology of discipleship were also created to produce a robust discipleship toolkit for any potential disciple-maker to utiliZe. These tools were given to eleven disciple-makers to be utiliZed over a six-week period to disciple others in one-on-one, small discipleship groups of two to five, and in microchurch/small groups settings of fifteen to forty. The eleven disciple-makers and a sample of six of the thirty- two people discipled were then subsequently interviewed to gauge the qualitative effectiveness of the Chartis discipleship assessment and resources. Findings, implications, and future recommendations are provided. iv DEDICATION To my wife, Tracy, and my daughters Alethea and Adalie. You girls are and always will be my most loved and cherished band of disciples. I would not want to walk this Jesus-led journey out with anyone else more than you. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you, Dr. Jim Vigil, for pouring into our cohort and leading us well over this three-year journey. Your shepherd’s heart was so appreciated throughout this process. Thank you, Dr. Jim Thompson, for always being ready to cheer me on and encourage me in the direction of the finish line. I appreciate your friendship forged along the way. Thank you, Dr. Daniel McNaughton, for allowing me to regularly pick your brain on discipleship and your graciousness towards my constant inquisitiveness. I look forward to hopefully working with you in more discipleship pursuits in the future! Thank you, Mike PatZ, and the rest of the Greenhouse tribe for allowing me to pursue this endeavor. I am so grateful for all the willing disciples and disciple-makers who helped make this project possible. So excited to be a part of the revolution with you! Special thanks to Cohort 3 and particularly my accountability partner Mark Langner, whose tenacity and desire for excellence challenged me every step of the way. v TABLE OF CONTENTS I. CHAPTER ONE: THE PROJECT INTRODUCED a. Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 b. Research Question ........................................................................................ 5 c. Definition of Terms ....................................................................................... 5 d. Researcher’s Ministerial Context .................................................................. 5 e. Contextual Scope and Limitations ................................................................ 6 f. Theological and Biblical Dimensions .......................................................... 7 g. Project Goals and Objectives ........................................................................ 9 II. CHAPTER TWO: THE PROJECT IN PERSPECTIVE a. Introduction .................................................................................................. 11 b. Biblical and Theological Dimensions ........................................................... 12 i. Discipleship in the Garden ................................................................ 12 ii. Discipleship in the Torah .................................................................. 19 iii. Discipleship in the Nevi’im .............................................................. 31 iv. Discipleship in the Ketuvim ............................................................. 42 v. Discipleship in the Gospels .............................................................. 52 vi. Discipleship in Acts and the Epistles ................................................ 61 vii. Discipleship in Revelation ................................................................. 70 c. Literature Review ......................................................................................... 78 i. Definitions and Outcomes ................................................................. 78 ii. Measuring and Assessing Through Discipleship Assessments ......... 90 III. CHAPTER THREE: THE PROJECT NARRATIVE AND FIELD WORK a. Introduction .................................................................................................. 97 b. Research Methodology ................................................................................. 97 c. Narrative Description of Project Execution .................................................. 102 IV. CHAPTER FOUR: THE PROJECT EVALUATED a. Introduction .................................................................................................. 110 b. Analysis of Data ........................................................................................... 111 c. Evaluative Summary ..................................................................................... 131 V. CHAPTER FIVE: THE PROJECT CONCLUSIONS a. Goals Assessed ............................................................................................. 133 b. Practical Implications of the Project ............................................................. 134 c. Limitations of the Project ............................................................................. 139 d. Recommendation for Future Study .............................................................. 140 e. Conclusions .................................................................................................. 141 VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY: THE PROJECT RESOURCES .......................................... 142 vi VII. APPENDICES: THE PROJECT DATA a. Appendix A: Thirty-Seven Elements of Discipleship Being Assessed ......... 151 b. Appendix B: Chartis Discipleship Assessment Questions ............................ 152 c. Appendix C: Sample Chartis Discipleship Assessment Results ................... 167 d. Appendix D: Supplemental Teaching Resources .......................................... 192 vii CHAPTER ONE THE PROJECT INTRODUCED Introduction Making disciples has become less of a primary focus in today’s church.1 Disciple-making is one of the principal calls for followers of Jesus, yet for many North American churches, making disciples is not a part of their church culture. Furthermore, some churches that espouse a discipleship or disciple-making culture are not actually practicing discipleship.2 The lack of disciple-making is creating a radical void in church culture in which some Christians who are looking to experience spiritual growth are now beginning to look outside of their local churches for this type of fulfillment.3 There seems to be a general lack of understanding at the local church level about what it means to make disciples and equip disciple-makers, and it is affecting the church’s efficacy in fulfilling the Great Commission. Why is disciple-making so challenging for the American Church? While Jesus’ imperative in Matthew 28:19-20 to make disciples is clear, the pragmatic undertaking of this task seems to regularly confound churches. Jesus commissioned the Church to make disciples, yet He did not give specific step-by-step instructions. Without some type of disciple-making parameters, 1 Andrew Burggraff, “Developing Discipleship Curriculum: Applying the Systems Approach Model for Designing Instruction by Dick, Carey, and Carey to the Construction of Church Discipleship Courses,” Christian Education Journal 12, no. 2 (2015): 397–398, https://doi.org/10.1177/073989131501200211. 2 Robby Gallaty, Growing Up: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples (Bloomington, IN: B & H Publishing Group, 2015), 60. 3 Chris Shirley, “It Takes a Church to Make a Disciple: An Integrative Model of Discipleship for the Local Church,” Southwestern Journal of Theology 50, no. 2 (2008): 207, http://swbts.edu/sites/default/files/images/content/docs/journal/50_2/50.2_Shirley.pdf.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Toward Transcultural Training in Phonological Processes for Bantu Language Mother Tongue Translators
    DigitalResources SIL eBook 38 ® Toward Transcultural Training in Phonological Processes for Bantu Language Mother Tongue Translators William Lorin Gardner Toward Transcultural Training in Phonological Processes for Bantu Language Mother Tongue Translators William Lorin Gardner SIL International ® 2012 SIL e-Books 38 2012 SIL International ® ISBN: 978-1-55671-306-4 ISSN: 1934-2470 Fair-Use Policy: Books published in the SIL e-Books (SILEB) series are intended for scholarly research and educational use. You may make copies of these publications for research or instructional purposes free of charge (within fair-use guidelines) and without further permission. Republication or commercial use of SILEB or the documents contained therein is expressly prohibited without the written consent of the copyright holder(s). Series Editor Mike Cahill Managing Editor Bonnie Brown TOWARD TRANSCULTURAL TRAINING IN PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES FOR BANTU LANGUAGE MOTHER TONGUE TRANSLATORS By William Lorin Gardner A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the School of Intercultural Studies FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy April 28, 2010 ABSTRACT Gardner, William Lorin 2010 ―Toward Transcultural Training in Phonological Processes for Bantu Language Mother Tongue Translators.‖ Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Intercultural Studies. Ph.D. 300 pp. Hundreds of languages in Africa are still unwritten or do not yet have Biblical literature translated into them. Many of these belong to the linguistically similar family of Bantu languages which covers most of central, eastern and southern Africa. To help meet this need, translation degree programs for training Africans in linguistics have been developed in several countries across Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • ANNUAL REPORT | 2017 | ANNUAL REPORT Imagine Imagine
    Ø Zer ANNUAL REPORT | 2017 | ANNUAL REPORT imagine SEED COMPANY ANNUAL REPORT | 2017 GREETINGS IN JESUS’ NAME SAMUEL E. CHIANG | President and CEO 2 3 _ _ We praise God for Fiscal Year 2017. With the unaudited numbers in, I’m humbled and happy to report that FY17 contribution income totaled $35.5 million — a $1.1 million increase over FY16, God provided. God increased our ministry reach. God paved the way for truly despite the immense loss of the illumiNations 2016 gathering. unprecedented partnership. And God steered us through difficulty where there seemed to be no good way through. A New Day in Nigeria During all of FY17, we watched God shepherd Seed Company through innovation, In the first and second quarter of FY17, a series of unfortunate events led Seed Company to dissolve its partnership with a long-term partner in Africa. However, acceleration and generosity. We invite you to celebrate with us and focus upon God. from a grievous and very trying situation, God brought redemption that only He could provide. FROM THE PRESIDENT When the dissolution of the partnership was completed, we naturally assumed Seed Company continues our relentless pursuit of Vision 2025. I am reminded we would have to curb our involvement in Africa’s most populous nation, home that the founding board prayerfully and intentionally recorded the very first to more than 500 living languages. God had other plans. board policy: The board directs management to operate Seed Company in an The Lord surprised us. We watched the Lord stir new things into motion for the outcomes-oriented manner.
    [Show full text]
  • Citations in Classics and Ancient History
    Citations in Classics and Ancient History The most common style in use in the field of Classical Studies is the author-date style, also known as Chicago 2, but MLA is also quite common and perfectly acceptable. Quick guides for each of MLA and Chicago 2 are readily available as PDF downloads. The Chicago Manual of Style Online offers a guide on their web-page: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html The Modern Language Association (MLA) does not, but many educational institutions post an MLA guide for free access. While a specific citation style should be followed carefully, none take into account the specific practices of Classical Studies. They are all (Chicago, MLA and others) perfectly suitable for citing most resources, but should not be followed for citing ancient Greek and Latin primary source material, including primary sources in translation. Citing Primary Sources: Every ancient text has its own unique system for locating content by numbers. For example, Homer's Iliad is divided into 24 Books (what we might now call chapters) and the lines of each Book are numbered from line 1. Herodotus' Histories is divided into nine Books and each of these Books is divided into Chapters and each chapter into line numbers. The purpose of such a system is that the Iliad, or any primary source, can be cited in any language and from any publication and always refer to the same passage. That is why we do not cite Herodotus page 66. Page 66 in what publication, in what edition? Very early in your textbook, Apodexis Historia, a passage from Herodotus is reproduced.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tragedy of Spiritual Decline # 30 Nehemiah 13
    The Tragedy of Spiritual Decline # 30 Nehemiah 13: 1-14 I trust that you have been encouraged and even challenged by our study in the book of Nehemiah. Tonight we begin to consider the concluding chapter in this wonderful book. As we look back over the events and people recorded in Nehemiah, we find a solid example from which we can gain valuable insight into serving the Lord and being prosperous in our efforts. With the exception of the grievance over greed in Chapter 5 and the doubt from Judah in Chapter 6, we have studied a people who faced overwhelming odds and overcame, by the help of the Lord, for His glory. We see a people that were committed to the task at hand, a people who confessed their sins and sought restoration. We find a people who followed the leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra, offering worship unto the Lord. This has been a great study of triumph in the face of adversity and worship offered to the worthy Lord. However, in this closing chapter we find a particular danger that we all must avoid. After all the people had experienced, and the victories they had enjoyed, sadly it didn’t take long for the people to revert back to the old ways, seeking to please and satisfy the flesh. As we come to Chapter 13 we find that Nehemiah had returned for a time to Persia, fulfilling his obligation to King Artaxerxes. Neh.13:6 – But in all this time was not I at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the king: Apparently the set time that Nehemiah had been granted to restore the city walls had expired and he had to return to Persia.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecclesiastes Core Group Study
    Ecclesiastes Core Group Study “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless!” The book of Ecclesiastes begins with this bleak exclamation of futility. Scholars generally attribute the authorship of Ecclesiastes to King Solomon, son of David, who was once one of the wealthiest men on the earth. Jewish tradition holds that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes towards the end of his life. While Solomon’s authorship is not commonly disputed, it is possible that a third party gathered together this collection of his philosophical musings into a single work. But why might someone so successful by human standards write something so full of despair? King Solomon began his career as the wisest man in existence. His kingdom grew and flourished under God’s blessing. However, Solomon’s weakness for foreign women caused him to fall deep into idolatry, and had devastating effects on the kingdom of Israel for generations far into the future. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon provides a discourse on the futility of earthly pursuits, and the inevitable end all creatures will face: death and judgment before God. He exhorts younger generations to take joy in honest work and simple pleasures, to enjoy their youth, and to ultimately fear God and keep his commandments. This study will provide an overview of Ecclesiastes. Each week will examine a different passage and a main theme based on that passage. In addition, each week of the study will include one or more passages from the New Testament to show the hope, purpose, and meaning that are redeemed through Jesus. Contents Week One: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 2 Week Two: Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 4 Week Three: Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 6 Week Four: Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 8 Week Five: Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 10 Week Six: Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 12 Week Seven: Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 14 Week Eight: Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 16 Week Nine: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 18 Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship Page 1 of 19 Week One: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 Worship Idea: Open in prayer, then sing some worship songs Opening Questions: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes on Zechariah 202 1 Edition Dr
    Notes on Zechariah 202 1 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable TITLE AND WRITER The title of this book comes from its traditional writer, as is true of all the prophetical books of the Old Testament. The name "Zechariah" (lit. "Yahweh Remembers") was a common one among the Israelites, which identified at least 27 different individuals in the Old Testament, perhaps 30.1 It was an appropriate name for the writer of this book, because it explains that Yahweh remembers His chosen people, and His promises, and will be faithful to them. This Zechariah was the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo (1:1, 7; cf. Ezra 5:1; 6:14; Neh. 12:4, 16). Zechariah, like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, was both a prophet and a priest. He was obviously familiar with priestly things (cf. ch. 3; 6:9-15; 9:8, 15; 14:16, 20, 21). Since he was a young man (Heb. na'ar) when he began prophesying (2:4), he was probably born in Babylonian captivity and returned to Palestine very early in life, in 536 B.C. with Zerubbabel and Joshua. Zechariah apparently survived Joshua, the high priest, since he became the head of his own division of priests in the days of Joiakim, the son of Joshua (Neh. 12:12, 16). Zechariah became a leading priest in the restoration community succeeding his grandfather (or ancestor), Iddo, who also returned from captivity in 536 B.C., as the leader of his priestly family (Neh. 12:4, 16). Zechariah's father, Berechiah (1:1, 7), evidently never became prominent.
    [Show full text]
  • Euripides” Johanna Hanink
    The Life of the Author in the Letters of “Euripides” Johanna Hanink N 1694, Joshua Barnes, the eccentric British scholar (and poet) of Greek who the next year would become Regius Professor at the University of Cambridge, published his I 1 long-awaited Euripidis quae extant omnia. This was an enormous edition of Euripides’ works which contained every scrap of Euripidean material—dramatic, fragmentary, and biographical —that Barnes had managed to unearth.2 In the course of pre- paring the volume, Barnes had got wind that Richard Bentley believed that the epistles attributed by many ancient manu- scripts to Euripides were spurious; he therefore wrote to Bentley asking him to elucidate the grounds of his doubt. On 22 February 1693, Bentley returned a letter to Barnes in which he firmly declared that, with regard to the ancient epistles, “tis not Euripides himself that here discourseth, but a puny sophist that acts him.” Bentley did, however, recognize that convincing others of this would be a difficult task: “as for arguments to prove [the letters] spurious, perhaps there are none that will convince any person that doth not discover it by himself.”3 1 On the printing of the book and its early distribution see D. McKitterick, A History of Cambridge University Press I Printing and the Book Trade in Cambridge, 1534–1698 (Cambridge 1992) 380–392; on Joshua Barnes see K. L. Haugen, ODNB 3 (2004) 998–1001. 2 C. Collard, Tragedy, Euripides and Euripideans (Bristol 2007) 199–204, re- hearses a number of criticisms of Barnes’ methods, especially concerning his presentation of Euripidean fragments (for which he often gave no source, and which occasionally consisted of lines from the extant plays).
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Zechariah, Volume 2
    EXPLORING ZECHARIAH, VOLUME 2 VOLUME ZECHARIAH, EXPLORING is second volume of Mark J. Boda’s two-volume set on Zechariah showcases a series of studies tracing the impact of earlier Hebrew Bible traditions on various passages and sections of the book of Zechariah, including 1:7–6:15; 1:1–6 and 7:1–8:23; and 9:1–14:21. e collection of these slightly revised previously published essays leads readers along the argument that Boda has been developing over the past decade. EXPLORING MARK J. BODA is Professor of Old Testament at McMaster Divinity College. He is the author of ten books, including e Book of Zechariah ZECHARIAH, (Eerdmans) and Haggai and Zechariah Research: A Bibliographic Survey (Deo), and editor of seventeen volumes. VOLUME 2 The Development and Role of Biblical Traditions in Zechariah Ancient Near East Monographs Monografías sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente Society of Biblical Literature Boda Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente (UCA) Electronic open access edition (ISBN 978-0-88414-201-0) available at http://www.sbl-site.org/publications/Books_ANEmonographs.aspx Cover photo: Zev Radovan/BibleLandPictures.com Mark J. Boda Ancient Near East Monographs Monografías sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente Society of Biblical Literature Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente (UCA) EXPLORING ZECHARIAH, VOLUME 2 ANCIENT NEAR EAST MONOGRAPHS Editors Alan Lenzi Juan Manuel Tebes Editorial Board Reinhard Achenbach C. L. Crouch Esther J. Hamori Chistopher B. Hays René Krüger Graciela Gestoso Singer Bruce Wells Number 17 EXPLORING ZECHARIAH, VOLUME 2 The Development and Role of Biblical Traditions in Zechariah by Mark J.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Arrangement of the Platonic Dialogues
    Ryan C. Fowler 25th Hour On the Arrangement of the Platonic Dialogues I. Thrasyllus a. Diogenes Laertius (D.L.), Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers 3.56: “But, just as long ago in tragedy the chorus was the only actor, and afterwards, in order to give the chorus breathing space, Thespis devised a single actor, Aeschylus a second, Sophocles a third, and thus tragedy was completed, so too with philosophy: in early times it discoursed on one subject only, namely physics, then Socrates added the second subject, ethics, and Plato the third, dialectics, and so brought philosophy to perfection. Thrasyllus says that he [Plato] published his dialogues in tetralogies, like those of the tragic poets. Thus they contended with four plays at the Dionysia, the Lenaea, the Panathenaea and the festival of Chytri. Of the four plays the last was a satiric drama; and the four together were called a tetralogy.” b. Characters or types of dialogues (D.L. 3.49): 1. instructive (ὑφηγητικός) A. theoretical (θεωρηµατικόν) a. physical (φυσικόν) b. logical (λογικόν) B. practical (πρακτικόν) a. ethical (ἠθικόν) b. political (πολιτικόν) 2. investigative (ζητητικός) A. training the mind (γυµναστικός) a. obstetrical (µαιευτικός) b. tentative (πειραστικός) B. victory in controversy (ἀγωνιστικός) a. critical (ἐνδεικτικός) b. subversive (ἀνατρεπτικός) c. Thrasyllan categories of the dialogues (D.L. 3.50-1): Physics: Timaeus Logic: Statesman, Cratylus, Parmenides, and Sophist Ethics: Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Phaedrus, Symposium, Menexenus, Clitophon, the Letters, Philebus, Hipparchus, Rivals Politics: Republic, the Laws, Minos, Epinomis, Atlantis Obstetrics: Alcibiades 1 and 2, Theages, Lysis, Laches Tentative: Euthyphro, Meno, Io, Charmides and Theaetetus Critical: Protagoras Subversive: Euthydemus, Gorgias, and Hippias 1 and 2 :1 d.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecclesiastes “Life Under the Sun”
    Ecclesiastes “Life Under the Sun” I. Introduction to Ecclesiastes A. Ecclesiastes is the 21st book of the Old Testament. It contains 12 chapters, 222 verses, and 5,584 words. B. Ecclesiastes gets its title from the opening verse where the author calls himself ‘the Preacher”. 1. The Septuagint (the translation of the Hebrew into the common language of the day, Greek) translated this word, Preacher, as Ecclesiastes and thus e titled the book. a. Ecclesiastes means Preacher; the Hebrew word “Koheleth” carries the menaing of preacher, teacher, or debater. b. The idea is that the message of Ecclesiastes is to be heralded throughout the world today. C. Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon. 1. Jewish tradition states Solomon wrote three books of the Bible: a. Song of Solomon, in his youth b. Proverbs, in his middle age years c. Ecclesiastes, when he was old 2. Solomon’s authorship had been accepted as authentic, until, in the past few hundred years, the “higher critics” have attempted to place the book much later and attribute it to someone pretending to be Solomon. a. Their reasoning has to do with a few words they believe to be of a much later usage than Solomon’s time. b. The internal evidence, however, strongly supports Solomon as the author. i. Ecc. 1:1 He calls himself the son of David and King of Jerusalem ii. Ecc. 1:12 Claims to be King over Israel in Jerusalem” iii. Only Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem; after his reign, civil war split the nation. Those in Jerusalem ruled over Judah.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecclesiastes 1
    International King James Version Old Testament 1 Ecclesiastes 1 ECCLESIASTES Chapter 1 before us. All is Vanity 11 There is kno remembrance of 1 ¶ The words of the Teacher, the former things, neither will there be son of David, aking in Jerusalem. any remembrance of things that are 2 bVanity of vanities, says the Teacher, to come with those that will come vanity of vanities. cAll is vanity. after. 3 dWhat profit does a man have in all his work that he does under the Wisdom is Vanity sun? 12 ¶ I the Teacher was king over Is- 4 One generation passes away and rael in Jerusalem. another generation comes, but ethe 13 And I gave my heart to seek and earth abides forever. lsearch out by wisdom concerning all 5 fThe sun also rises and the sun goes things that are done under heaven. down, and hastens to its place where This mburdensome task God has it rose. given to the sons of men by which to 6 gThe wind goes toward the south be busy. and turns around to the north. It 14 I have seen all the works that are whirls around continually, and the done under the sun. And behold, all wind returns again according to its is vanity and vexation of spirit. circuits. 15 nThat which is crooked cannot 7 hAll the rivers run into the sea, yet be made straight. And that which is the sea is not full. To the place from lacking cannot be counted. where the rivers come, there they re- 16 ¶ I communed with my own heart, turn again.
    [Show full text]
  • Gospel Herald
    Gospel Herald and The Sunday School Times Summer Quarter 2014 Minute Meditations Priorities for the People of God BY JOHN LINEBERRY , M.S. June 1, 2014— Read Haggai 1:3-4. Haggai was God’s the worst in us. God tests us to bring out the best in us. messenger with the Lord’s message (vs. 13). He called When tested, we have the assurance that God will be with upon Israel to refocus on finishing the temple, which was us. central to Israel’s life. With the Babylonian Captivity over, July 27, 2014— Read I Corinthians 14:19. The local Israel had started to rebuild sixteen years earlier. But when church affords an opportunity for growth and service. they became more interested in caring for their own When we go outside ourselves to minister to others, our dwellings, they became neglectful about finishing the lives are enriched. Paul spoke to the use of words in the house of the Lord. Are we focusing on God or ourselves? church, saying that fewer words with understanding are June 8, 2014— Read Haggai 2:9. The postexilic temple better than many words without understanding. would be a special honor to God as Israel gathered for August 3, 2014— Read II Corinthians 1:7. Consolation worship, trusting in the Lord for direction and guidance. is comfort. Prayer is an uplifting spiritual exercise. In Those who could remember the previous temple mourned prayer, it is good to focus on encouraging others in the because of the inferiority of the new in comparison; but ways of the Lord.
    [Show full text]