Ministry Identification, Evaluation, Preparation and Participation Data

MINISTRY ANALYSIS.

MINISTRY IDENTIFICATION, EVALUATION, PREPARATION AND PARTICIPATION DATA

BAM. 1116

Dr. Cornelius (Neal) Hegeman Ph.D. in Christian Thought

MINTS International Seminary 14401 Old Cutler Rd. Miami, Florida, 33158, USA

[email protected] (home)

MINISTRY ANALYSIS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE…….…..CHURCH AND CONGREGATIONAL LEADERSHIP

CHAPTER TWO…….….EVANGELISM

CHAPTER THREE….….PREACHING

CHAPTER FOUR…….…PASTORAL WORK

CHAPTER FIVE…….…..TEACHING

CHAPTER SIX………….ADMINISTRATION

CHAPTER SEVEN……...COUNSELLING

CHAPTER EIGHT……...DIACONAL WORK

CHAPTER NINE…….….MUSIC

CHAPTER TEN…………COMMUNICATIONS

CHAPTER ELEVEN……CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH MINISTRY

CHAPTER TWELVE…...PERSONAL MINISTRIES

CHAPTER THIRTEEN…MISSIONS

CHAPTER FOURTEEN…WORSHIP

MINISTRY ANALYSIS

PERSONAL DATA (Optional)

Your name ______

Your address ______Zip______

Your phone number ______and e-mail address ______

Date of birth (month, day, year) ______

CHURCH DATA

Your relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ and the local church

__ non-believer

__ believer, but not baptized

__ believer, baptized, professing member and active in the local church

__ member but not active in the local church

How many years have you been member of a Christian Church? ____

Name(s) of church(es) you have attended and/or been members of?

How many years have you been member of congregation you are currently in? ______

MINISTRY DATA

Are you an ordained into the Christian ministry?

If you are ordained, where did you receive you formal training?

As a member of the church, what ministries are your involved in?

How have you received training for ministry?

INTRODUCTION

EXPLANATION ABOUT BENEFITING FROM CHURCH MINISTRY MAPPING 3 4

This survey is specifically dealing with the ministry of individuals in your local congregation. Other surveys could be given in specific areas of your ministry; the missions you are involved in as well as concerning your doctrinal, theological and church history knowledge. However, we limit ourselves to the ministries rendered through the local congregation.

The survey of your local Church ministry is sub-divided into 14 areas.

1. Church leadership. Church leadership graciously comes from God for the establishment and growth of the Church through evangelism, proclamation of the gospel, (redundant), in giving spiritual care and supervision for believers, in teaching of the whole counsel of God in order to personally and communally worship God in Spirit and in truth. This is accomplished by Church leaders equipping of the saints for ministry so that the church will grow in faith, unity, knowledge and fullness of Christ until the earth is filled with the knowledge and glory of God and Jesus will return to establish the new heavens and new earth (Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15, 16; Luke 24:36f, John 4:24; 17: 20- 23; 20: 21-23; Ephesians 4:11-12; Revelation 1: 4-8; 4:11; 7:9-10). 2. Evangelism. Evangelism is the communication of the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to non-believer so that they will repent of their sins, follow Jesus, become members of the Church and evangelize others (Mark 1:14-15; Acts 2:37-39). 3. Preaching. Preaching is the interpretation of God’s Word by God’s Word. The proclamation of the revealed Word of God and the gospel is based on the written Word that is the basis for evangelism, praise, prayer, preaching, prophecy and witnessing (Mark 16: 15-16; Romans 10: 14-18; II Tim. 3:16-17). 4. Pastoring. The pastoral ministry of the Church is to find and lead the sheep of the Shepherd into His fold in order that they may be nourished, corrected and rest safely in Him (Psalm 23, John 10; I Tim. 3). 5. Teaching. The teaching ministry of the Church is to instruct all that Christ has commanded and to train the future generation of Christian leaders and Church members to be faithful in teaching others (Mt. 28:20; II Tim. 2:2). 6. Administration. The Church ministry of administration is to establish personal and public accountability in the church, to be wise stewards of our communal resources and to be of assistance to the church leaders and members as they serve the Lord (I Cor. 12:28; 14: 40). 7. Counseling. The counseling ministry of the Church is to console the broken hearted, impart wisdom in face of challenges, bring reconciliation to those in conflict and work towards liberation of those held captive by sin, addictions, injustices and deception (John 20:23; John 21:17). 8. Diaconal work. The first task of diaconal work is to organize the church to meet social and spiritual needs of members of the church and those in society. In some church communities the deacons administrate the financial and property resources of the congregation (Acts 6; I Tim. 3). 9. Music. The music ministry of the Church is to lead the congregation in praising God through congregational singing and communal and personal music expressions (Ps. 150; Ephesians 5:19). 10. Communications. The communication ministry facilitates and enhance the proclamation of the gospel in the church and throughout the neighborhood and world utilizing a variety of mediums of communications (I Cor. 12:28; I Peter 4:10-11). 11. Children and Youth Ministry. Children and youth ministry facilitate parents, their children and the Church community in Christian education and discipleship so that the youth will profess their faith and learn to live accordance to their faith (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 5:1-4). 4 5

12. Personal ministries. Each church member has the personal responsibility to serve the Lord wherever they have been called and in all areas of life (Luke 4:18,19; Ephesians 2:10; 3:1, I Peter 2: 9-10). As part of the priesthood of all believers, the Christian is to prophetically proclaim the Word, to pastorally pray and serve others and as citizens of the kingdom to have victory over sin, evil, the world, the Devil and finally death. 13. Global and local missions: Missions is to glorify God by the extension of the kingdom of God in the world through evangelism and discipleship, the preaching and practice of the gospel, the planting of the church and bringing the witness of the risen Jesus Christ into all area of life (Mt. 28: 19, 20; Mk. 16:15,16; Luke 24: 36-49; John 20: 21-23; Acts 1:8). 14. Communal worship service. Communal worship of the triune God consists of an organized, orderly and enthusiastic meeting with God and His people that includes communally coming into His presence to praise Him, confess sins, read and hear the Bible, listen to preaching of the Gospel, learn from Biblical and doctrinal instruction, pray as a congregation, participate in the sacraments, give offerings, testify, fellowship with congregants, be challenged to serve the Lord, organize for ministry and depart with God’s blessing (Psalm 134, 150; Acts 2:37-42; I Cor. 11:23-32; 14:40; II Timothy 3:16-17) The sub-divisions listed above are a combination of Biblical-Theological considerations as well as practical concerns. The leadership structure is modeled after Ephesians 4:11 (apostolic mission, evangelist, preacher, pastor and teacher). The leadership offices are elder and deacon in which the ministerial office comes under the eldership in the church

The ministry activities and focus seek to reflect the inauguration statement made by Jesus at the beginning of His ministry recorded in Luke 4:18-19. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is for ministry. The ministry of the Christian Church is to preach to the poor. Who are the poor? They are the brokenhearted, the prisoners, the blind and the oppressed. The gospel message of salvation is for people who are sinners and who live in a sinful world. Only God can save them, heal them, free them, give them insight and deliver them. Does the ministry of our local congregation reflect such a combination of spirituality (anointing), gospel preaching and service to people in need?

The survey includes the following: 1. A section in which the person surveyed can rate his participation and preparation for such a ministry. 2. For those who are interested, there are also questions about the ministries. 3. Each area of ministry has space for local leaders to identify the areas in which they need help.

EXPLANATION OF MINISTRY IDENTIFICATION, EVALUATION, PREPARATION AND PARTICIPATION DATA MINISTRY MINISTRY MINISTRY MINISTRY IDENTIFICATIO EVALUATION PREPARATION PARTICIPAT- N PERSPECTIVE DIAGNOSTIC ION OBSERVAT- IONS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Column 1.Written identification of church ministry function Column 2. Written comments for evaluation of ministry as well as ratings Column 3. Rate your general involvement in this ministry or activity Column 4. Rate your desire to participate in this ministry or activity Column 5. Rate your willingness to be trained at least once a week for this ministry or activity Column 6. Add up columns 3-5 to give your ministry participation and preparation index Column 7. Identify in writing about your willingness to participate in this ministry in your local church or through your local church Column 8. Identify in writing how a new ministry may be organized, if so desired and needed Extra written observations can be made on different sheet of paper. Ratings. 0-10 0 Non existent To 5 Nominal To 10 High level CHAPTER ONE

CHURCH AND CONGREGATIONAL LEADERSHIP DEFINITION Church and congregational leadership graciously comes from God for the establishment and growth of the Church through evangelism, proclamation of the gospel, in giving spiritual care and supervision for believers, in teaching of the whole counsel of God in order to personally and communally worship God in Spirit and in truth. This is accomplished by Church leaders equipping of the saints for ministry so that the church will grow in faith, unity, knowledge and fullness of Christ until the earth is filled with the knowledge and glory of God and Jesus will return to establish 6 7 the new heavens and new earth (Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15, 16; Luke 24:36f, John 4:24; 17: 20- 23; 20: 21-23; Ephesians 4:11-12; Revelation 1: 4-8; 4:11; 7:9-10).

“Some churches may be compared to a golf match. Everyone goes ahead quietly, one stroke at a time. Our congregation is more like a football team, sometimes we work together in unison and other times we are tackling each other and not the opponents. But thankful, after a huddle with the team captain, we tend to get our instructions right and march on forward.”

Criticism is not a gift or fruit of the Holy Spirit, discernment with knowledge is. Our criticism needs to be replaced with the cry for mercy, “Woe is me” “I am ruined. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty…..Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6: 5,8). Salvation by grace leads to ministries of grace. SURVEY 1.CONGREGATION 1. Mention by name, 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 -AL LEADERSHIP if known 1.1. Ordained senior pastor(s) 1.2. Ordained administrative/e xecutive pastor 1.3. Ordained youth pastor 1.4. Ordained special ministry pastor 1.5. Ordained church planter 1.6. Ordained supervisor of pastors 1.7. Ordained trainer of pastors 1.8. Other type of ordained pastor 1.9. Ordained Church administration personnel 1.10. Ordained missionary 1.11. Ordained evangelist 1.12. Ordained chaplain 1.13. Ordained counselor 1.14. Ordained 7 8

teacher/ professor 1.15. Other ordained position 1.16. Elder(s)

1.17. Deacon (s)

1.18. Director of music (staff) 1.19. Youth worker (staff) 1.20. Church social worker (staff) 1.21.Communications leader (staff) 1.22. Women group leade (staff) 1.23. Discipling leader (staff) 1.24. Evangelism leader (staff) 1.25. Administration personnel (staff) 1.26. Other staff position 1.27. Other staff position 1.28. Other staff position 1.29 Other staff position 1.30. Other staff REFLECTION ABOUT CHURCH AND CONGREGATIONAL LEADERSHIP

ARE WE A PENTECOSTAL CHURCH?

INTRODUCTION

All Christians are related to the great event of Pentecost. In that way we are all Pentecostals, are we not? I agree with United Reformed Church pastor Mark Steward who said that a lot of great theological terms have been borrowed by one group or another but they misuse it. So, we should reform the use of the word Pentecostal. We can speak about being biblical Pentecostals, apostolic Pentecostals, prophetic Pentecostals as well as praying Pentecostals.

THEME. The Church is a Pentecostal movement that is continually needs the fullness of the Holy Spirit and return to and build onto its apostolic foundation.

All Christians are related to Pentecost. We shall look at Joel’s prophecy and Pentecost in Acts 2 and we will see: 1) The event of Pentecost fulfills Biblical prophecy; 2) The apostolic interpretation of Pentecost; 3) The prophetic message of Pentecost; 4) Prayer and Pentecost and 5) the Church foundation build by Pentecost.

1. THE EVENT OF PENTECOST FULFILLS BIBLICAL PROPHECY Pentecost is not an isolated event. The coming of the Holy Spirit in fullness on the day of Pentecost is part of the progressive revelation of God, the onward march toward fulfilling His plan. What is God’s plan? It starts in eternity and continues into eternity. Before the foundation of the world, God elected His people. He then proceeded to create the world and Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve fell into sin. Immediately, God announced His plan of redemption in Christ. All of the Old Testament is the preparation for the coming of Christ. He comes. He lives perfectly for 33 years. He died “to save his people from their sins.” He rises again, ascends into heaven and He and the Father send the Holy Spirit to the Church on the day of Pentecost. The ascension and coronation of Jesus precedes Pentecost. Pentecost would not have happened if Jesus had not ascended and the Father and Son had not sent the Holy Spirit. The ascension of Jesus signifies His glorification and coronation (Psalm 24). Jesus is able to reign through the Holy Spirit because Jesus is King and Lord. He is not crownless or a pretender to the throne, He is Lord! There is continuity between the Spirit of the Old Testament. The sound of the wind shows the continuity with the Rua Elohim (Gen. 1:2), the Spirit of God that hovered over the creation. The word rua means wind. The Spirit that created in the creation is the same Spirit bringing the new creation. He who brought order out of chaos in the Old Testament now brings spiritual order out of spiritual chaos in at Pentecost. He who had inspired the writing of the Old Testament would inspire the apostles and their helpers to write the New Testament. The Holy Spirit signifies that His central work is to communicate. The coming of the Holy Spirit is accompanied by the sign of the flaming tongues of fire on the head of the apostles. The tongue is the instrument of communication. Fire is an agency of both illumination and purification. The Holy Spirit will bring the light of the good news of salvation into a dark world. Only the light of God can drive away darkness. The message of the gospel will bring purification (sanctification) as people repent, believe and follow Jesus. The speaking in tongues was to communicate the gospel internationally. The speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost was to communicate the marvelous good news of salvation to the 19 9 10 ethnic groups that heard it. Each group heard about the good news of Jesus in their own tongue. The rest of the book of Acts is an account of how the apostles and the early Church followed up on these groups in order to evangelize, plant the Church and establish the witness of Jesus Christ in those groups. The Holy Spirit uses all means for communicating the gospel. All the means that were used. On the day of Pentecost one observes that God is going to use all the means of communication to announce the gospel. The sound of the wind, the flaming tongues of fire, speaking in unknown tongues, prophecies, visions, dreams, preaching and teaching of apostolic doctrine. All of these means of the communication have one message in common: the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. All means of communicating God’s will for our life will be measured by the singular gospel message. Finally, Peter stood up and preached. Preaching is the interpretation of God’s work through the interpretation of God’s Word. Peter goes directly to the prophecies of Joel 2:28-32 and he interprets the prophecies about the resurrection of Jesus from the Psalms. Is our understanding of the Pentecostal event biblical? Are we biblical Pentecostals?  Do we see Pentecost as part of the whole history of salvation?  Do we interpret Pentecost according to the coronation of Jesus?  Do we see the continuity between the Holy Spirit in OT and NT?  Do we believe that the Holy Spirit gave tongues to communicate the gospel?  Do we interpret Pentecost according to the preached Word? Let us take a close look at the preaching and interpretation that the apostle Peter gives.

2. THE APOSTOLIC INTEPRETATION OF PENTECOST The apostle Peter interprets the event of Pentecost. The apostle Peter, one of the twelve apostles commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ, interprets this great event in the unfolding of redemption history. The apostles are unique in that they are the last persons to receive special revelation to write Scripture as well as to interpret Scripture. Their teachings form the basis of the foundation of the Christian Church (Eph. 2:20). In verse 42 the early church followed the teachings of the apostles. The apostle interprets by the Word. Peter’s hermeneutic (principle of interpretation) is instructive: God acts and His revelation is interpreted through Scriptures (Joel and Psalms) and given a gospel application to the listeners so that their lives (over 3,000 people) are transformed by the promised Spirit and they become members of the church in order to live to the glory and service of God’s. Pentecost’s interpretation is based on special revelation through the apostles. Pentecost is not simply to be interpreted by certain religious traditions. It is part of the apostolic foundation of the church. The Roman Church says they are the continuation of the apostles. Yet, the Roman Church teach opposite to what the apostles taught about speaking with the dead saints and Mary, about forbidding marriage, about living by the commands of men over against the commands of God, about the mass being a continual sacrifice, when Hebrews teaches that it was accomplished once and for all. This is hardly being apostolic. Many liberal Protestant churches still repeat the Apostle’s Creed. They might as well stop. The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the apostle’s teachings, which the liberals reject whole 10 11 heartedly as being culturally bound and gender driven. The apostles teach us that those who reject apostolic teachings are apostate. This is a simple formula we need to remember today. This also applies to our diverse and often questionable teachings of Pentecost so let us be very careful with our opinions less in our zeal we become apostate. Our responsibility is to be apostolic Pentecostals. Peter does not give his own opinion. In fact, he dismisses the opinions of the onlookers who thought the apostles were in an emotional frenzy and that they were drunk. Peter is not interpreting Pentecost as an emotional experience. Peter’s interpretation of the acts of God is to go directly to the Bible. He begins by repeating verbatim the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32. His basis is the Word as it is fulfilled by Christ. This prophecy is divided in three sections. First, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the human family. Second, the prophecies about the signs of the times before Jesus second coming. Third, the offer to pray to God for salvation in Jesus Christ.

3. THE MANY MESSENGERS OF PENTECOST

The Holy Spirit can use any member of the human family. The Holy Spirit comes to the human family. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit comes to the “all people”, the believer, their sons and daughters, young and old, male and female servants. The inclusion of the male and female servants is normal for the first century family. The Holy Spirit expands the office of the anointed ones. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit anointed the patriarch, prophets, priests and kings. Now the believers and their believing family members will the prophets, visionaries, dreamers, prayers and servants of God. The special offices of leaders will continue (ie. apostles, elders, pastors, etc.) and the office of all believers is expanded. Both the office of Church leader and Church member lives by the anointing and the work of the Holy Spirit. The Church leader and member have their respective call, responsibilities and roles, but they live by the same Spirit. In that way the Church leaders and members are united and part of one organic institution, known as the Body of Christ. The promise of the Holy Spirit is also given to the family. Notice that Peter’s opening statement in his Day of Pentecost discourse begins by saying that God is going to use the human family. His closing statement in verse 39 also points to the family. “For the promise is to you and your children and all whom the Lord calls.” Peter’s discourse begins with the power of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the family and he ends with the promise of the Holy Spirit for the family (vs. 38, 39). There is a relationship between the human family and the family of God. Any church planter will tell you that the congregations are build on the back of a nucleus of families. The family of God is comprised of many human families, including families of single people. God always laid claim on the family. The sign of the covenant for the Israelites is circumcision. The sign is placed on the male organ of reproduction, showing God’s claim on the family. The sign of the covenant for the Christian Church is the circumcision of the heart. Luke observes in Acts 2:36 that those who were about to be baptized in water were “cut to the heart.” This is the language of circumcision that Paul refers to as the identification of the true Israelite (Romans 2:28, 29). Peter gives the promise to persons who were “cut to the heart” that they are their children and all who God calls will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 11 12

God lays claim on the New Testament family. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.” In the Great Commission all people are to be discipled, not just the adults. All disciples are to be baptized including the children of believers. Throughout the book of Acts, the believers and their families are baptized. Noe and his family passed through the waters of the flood, a type of baptism according to Peter. Do you think any young family members were part of the 3,000 that were baptized on the Day of Pentecost? Christians will differ in their answers. Some presuppose that children were baptized on the Day of Pentecost and others assume that children would have to wait until they made their own profession of faith before they were baptized. For the latter group, they can still claim to the promises of God for the Christian family, albeit symbolized in the presentation of their child. Presbyterians would call this a “dry baptism.” Baptist would respond saying that child baptism is a “wet dedication.” Neither group should hold the position that the mode of water baptism saves but rather that all the “saved” need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Let’s keep the Pentecost perspective on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is not about a discussion between children baptism or believers baptism of water. Pentecost is not about the water baptism of John but the Spirit baptism of Christ. John Calvin is instructive in his commentary on Acts 1:5 teaching that the external water baptism, such as administered by John points to the spiritual baptism that only Christ can give. Calvin goes on to add that man cannot give the Spirit baptism but it is only Christ, “who only gives force and efficacy to the signs.” Pentecost is about believers and their children receiving the promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and praying to God for their salvation, prophesying and confessing the Word of God, having visions for the Lord and being a living member of the Church, which is build on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, with Christ being the principle cornerstone. The Pentecostal promise is for the whole family. Pentecost is not meant to divide the family but to fulfill the godly purpose for the family. Each believing member of the family a prophet, a priest and a king. The office of the anointed ones, once part of the family of Israel, now has passed on to “all flesh” to the family of all believers. God uses families for missions. From May 18-22, 2009, I taught five missionary candidates, three with families and two singles, who are being trained by To Every Tribe mission to plant the church among unreached people groups. Several other families have received the training and are waiting for the candidates in order to go to Mexico and Papua New Guinea in January 2010. The singles and families will join to make a team. Even the little ones in the family will bear witness to Jesus. God will use all the members of the family. These missionaries and their families are a microscopic view of how the Spirit promised to work at Pentecost. He uses human families and joints them with singles and other families to do His work. Prophecy. Simple, to prophecy is to speak for and announce for God (pro phetes). Jesus said (Mt. 11:11) that the least in the kingdom would be greater than John the Baptist! A child who believes in Jesus, knows that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, lived 33 years, who prays the Lord’s Prayer and believes that Jesus died on the cross, rose again after three days, ascended into heaven, and that by faith we are saved, knows more than the prophets of the Old Testament. These children are not morally superior to the prophets but have access to a superior revelation of Christ. In Santa Martha, Columbia, there is an orphanage that has taken in Indian children who come from tribes where the guerrilla warfare has necessitated their departure. These children end up in the ghettos of the larger cities. The orphanage took in the children so they could live there for 5 days out 12 13 of the 7, go to school, receive medical attention and learn about Jesus Christ. In my April, 2009 visit, at the 6:30 am devotional, I shared the words of Peter that when the Spirit comes, that our sons and daughter will prophecy. The pastor responded and said that was certainly true. He asked the youngster share how they were evangelizing their parents when they visited them on weekends. They all said it was difficult. One of the youngster said that he left his Bible with his family because they were interested in reading it. A young girl stood up at the meeting and recited the whole chapter 28 of Matthew. A young man recited Colossians 3 from memory. These were young people who did not come from Christian homes. Some came from villages where the evangelical church had not been established yet. Now the gospel was coming into these homes through these young people. “Your sons and daughters shall prophecy.” Visions and dreams of the gospel. Whatever means of communication that God used needs to be interpreted according to the Word of God. Missionary Tat Steward, preaching at the Old Cutler Presbyterian Church missions conference in Feb. 2008, gave ample examples of Iranian Muslims who were receiving visions of Bible verses, even while they were praying in their mosques. Not knowing the meaning of these visions, the Muslims seek out the evangelical pastors and church members and ask them about the Bible verses. Many Christians in Iran affirm the use of visions. Why is that? One reason is that the normal channels of gospel communications are closed and so God uses extraordinary means. God shows His sovereignty over human obstacles. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not only associated with the human family and the many means of communication. The second time the phrase is used, “I will pour out my Spirit,” it refers to the signs of the times.

The Holy Spirit and the signs of the times One can say that God’s right hand works through the human family and that his left hand destroys the barriers the enemies of God raise up. The hurricanes, earthquakes, wars, diseases and all what man calls disasters are used by God to remove the obstacles to the advancement of the gospel. Both hands point to our need to pray. When the tsunamis hit the shores of the far eastern countries in 2007, killing more than 250,000 people, Christians testified that the Muslim opposition to Christian emergency work and other Christian services practically stopped. The Lord took away the excuses and the gospel entered all over the place. In 2008, after two hurricanes drenched the city of Camaguey, Cuba, Old Cutler Presbyterian Church in Miami took a collection for 5,600 and we were able to send the money into Cuba and give over 400 students aid they would otherwise not have received. In 2007, Hurricane Felix hit the Nicaraguan and Honduras coast line. Rev. Eric Pennings and his MINTS leaders formed the leadership groups to work with Word and Deed in order to restore well water and rebuild homes. The younger generation today is not always receptive to the gospel. However, I find that young people in jail and the hospital are more willing to listen. Missionaries who study the history of the entrance of the gospel into different regions of the world and into unreached people groups know that the first contacts are often made by disaster relief efforts, medical missions, social help and concerns for justice. Jesus said at the beginning of His ministry, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). 13 14

This too is part of the work of the Holy Spirit. The holiness of God is not only manifest in communicating the gospel but also in the removal of the obstacles to the gospel and showing the compassion and grace of God in the midst of crisis. The conclusion of Joel’s prophecy points to the Spirit’s role in prayer.

4. PRAYER AND PENTECOST Pentecost begins with prayer. The apostles and friends were in the Upper Room in prayer. Then Peter reminds the readers of what the prophet Joel said about prayer. “And whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It does not say, “Everyone who speaks in tongues shows that they are saved.” True Pentecostals point to prayer and not to speaking in tongues, as the sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The “whosoever” are the elect of God. This may seem like a contradiction. “Whosoever” seems like such an open ended and inclusive term. But the “whosoever” is complemented by the condition that they “call on the name of the Lord for salvation.” This is also true for John 3:16, “Whosoever believes in Him.” The whosoever is complemented by truly believing in Jesus. Only the elect truly pray to God and truly believe in God. Try to get a Jehovah Witness to call on Jesus as Lord. Lord (Kurios) is the name of God in Old Testament and New Testament? I explained that on May 22, 2009 to Ray Powers, a Jehovah Witness who was traveling from Miami to London, England. He denied that Jesus is God. I said to him, “Was Thomas cursing Jesus when he called Him, “My Lord and my God?” Was Thomas breaking the third commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain?” Why did Jesus not rebuke Thomas? Why did Jesus accept the worship of the disciples when he gave the Great Commission as recorded in Matthew 28: 17? When Ray made his hasty departure, I said, “May you be able to say to Jesus one day, “My Lord and My God.” The elect of God are called by God and call out to God. When God calls, the elect call on God in prayer. When Saul was confronted on the road to Damascus, the Lord revealed to Ananias that the indication that Saul was the man the Lord had changed was, “Behold, he prays.” Prayer is the spiritual life force, the spiritual breath of a Christian. The Wind from heaven, the Rua Elohim, is converted into the life force of prayer in the soul of the elect. “Behold, they pray.” I was walking home from the mission office in Santo Domingo, when I passed the open window of a charismatic church that was having an evangelism service. I stopped to observe. A gentleman was on his knees in front of the evangelists and the evangelist had his hands, not just on his head, but around his head. He was shaking the man’s head and shouting, “Crea, crea crea” (believe!). And the man responded, “No puedo, no puedo, no puedo!” (I cann’t). Would it not be more accord to Pentecost to have the seeker pray to God the Savior for salvation rather than trying to believe through the exercise of his will and emotions? Pentecost is a display of what God will do and what God does. It is not a display of what man and religion can do! In fact, when the Israelites asked, “brethren, what shall we do?” The response of Peter is, “undo.” Peter instructed them to repent. “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” We need to hear that today. The call to repent and undo what our human will and works wants to do. This is essential for Pentecostal transformation. We are to believe in Jesus, “undo” our human works and return to the apostolic, biblical and Christ-centered teachings in the Church. 14 15

We also need to hear, “you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” God promises to work by His Spirit. What He promises He will keep. For the promise is unto you, to your children and as many as the Lord shall call. Pentecost is about the Spirit’s work, not ours. By prayer we participate in the finished work of Jesus through the operation of the Holy Spirit.

5. THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH AND PENTECOST The foundation of the Church, as shown on the day of Pentecost are the prophets and apostles, with Jesus Christ being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). Jesus as Head of the Church, send the Spirit. The Spirit came on the apostles and the 120 followers. The apostles, represented by Peter, preached the Word of God showing how the prophecies of Joel and David were fulfilled. The gospel invitation was given and 3,000 people repented from their sins, believed in Jesus Christ, were baptized and received the promise of the Holy Spirit. Upon entering the Church, they dedicated themselves to the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. The apostle’s preaching and teaching are part of the foundation of the church, not only for the day of Pentecost, but for the Church universal (Ephesians 2:20; II Peter 3:16). To go against the apostle’s teaching was a sign of apostasy, being separated from the true and only foundation of the Church. The apostolic foundation of the Church is not a person (e.g. Peter), nor a religious system. The apostolic foundation are the teachings of the apostles as recorded in the New Testament. May we be like the first Pentecostals: “They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teachings…”

CONCLUSION Has the Wind of heaven swept through your soul and causes you to believe, pray, undo, be baptized, receive the promises and follow in the apostolic teachings? Are you a Biblical Pentecostal in that you interpret the work of the Holy Spirit according to the Bible and not according to the traditions and manipulations of man? Are you an apostolic Pentecostal in that you are founded on the doctrines or teachings of the apostles? Are you a prophetic Pentecostal? Do your sons and daughters prophecy? Do they witness that Jesus Christ is Lord of their life? Do they interpret the signs of the times as God breaking down the walls of resistance. Do they pray? Do they serve in the kingdom of God? Are you a praying Pentecostal? Do you pray according to the promises of God? Do you have the faith to wait on the Lord for His answer? Do you pray with other believers? Being a Pentecostal Church is living in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, it is evident in our life through faith in Christ, through repentance from our sins, by living according to the promise of the presence of the Holy Spirit and being part of the one, holy and apostolic church.

QUESTIONS ABOUT LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH 1.31. What is your definition of the Church? What is the distinction between the Church and a church? 1.32. What is your definition of a leader? What is your view about congregational leadership? Why is congregational leadership necessary? 15 16

1.33. What are the official leadership positions (church offices) in your congregation? Where can a visitor go to identify them by office and leader’s name. 1.34. What are the staff positions in your congregation? Where can a visitor go to identify staff position and leader’s name. 1.35. What are the societies, church committee’s leadership positions in the congregation? How can a church member identify them by staff position and leader’s name. 1.36. Comment on stability of the congregation’s leadership. Is there a lot of turn over? 1.37. Make a list of all of the paid congregational leadership positions that need to be filled. Who makes the decision to fill these positions? 1.38. Make a list of all of the volunteer congregational leadership positions that need to be filled. Who makes the decision to fill these positions? 1.39. What is the name of the denomination (or regional and/or national associations) your congregation belongs to? How will a visitor know about your congregation’s denominational affiliation? 1.40. What are the official leadership positions in your denomination that members or leaders of your congregation have been chosen for? 1.41. How is the leadership in your congregation Name of leader______involved in the functioning of your Denominational leadership denomination? function______1.42. How is the membership of your congregation Name of member ______involved in leadership your denomination’s Denominational leadership activities? function______1.43. How is the leadership of your congregation Name of leader ______involved in leadership of para-church ministries Para church leadership function that are active in your immediate region (town, ______city)? 1.44. How is the membership of your congregation Name of member______involved in leadership of para-church ministries Para church ministry leadership function that are active in your immediate region? ______1.45. How is the leadership of your congregation Name of leader ______involved in global mission agencies leadership? Global mission leadership function How are members of your congregation ______involved in global missions leadership? Name of member(s)______Glob al mission leadership function______1.46. What is your estimation of how much the congregation financially supports the congregation in comparison how para-church and global missions are supported 16 17

1.47. How does your congregation financially support the leadership positions and activities of the denomination your congregation belongs to? Do you know how much is given? 1.48. Have you read or consulted the Church Order of your congregation during the past 12 month? What matters were you interested in? Was the Church Order helpful? 1.49. What is (are) the name(s) of the Creedal standards of your denomination and church? Have you read or consulted them during the past year? What doctrines were you interested in and were the Creeds helpful? 1.50. What are the paid leadership positions in the church? How does the local church determine salary levels? 1.51. How are the paid leadership positions financed? 1.52. Are the paid positions seen as hiring of trained professionals or the underwriting of the basic living costs for servants of the Church? Discuss these different perceptions. 1.53. What is the difference between the church government of your church and that of another denomination that you are familiar with? 1.54. By what means are the congregational church leaders held responsible for their ministry, their spending of church related funds, their doctrinal integrity and spiritual life? 1.55. Does the congregation have to comply with government and professional financial and administration standards? What are they? 1.56. What does a pastor do in relationship to the congregation? Does your congregation have various pastors? How are their roles distinguished? 1.57. Are there any evangelists working in relationship to your congregation? What are the evangelist’s names and what people group are they evangelizing? Do the people who are evangelized come to your congregation or go to another congregation? 1.58. Who has done the preaching in your congregation for the last 12 months? Who were the preachers and what were the main themes? What function have the preached sermons in your life? 1.59. Should preaching be a central part of the worship service? Why or why not? 1.60. Who are the teachers of denominational future pastors and leaders? Does your denomination 17 18

have seminary. What is it? Are there students from your church studying in that seminary or other seminaries? Are you aware and satisfied with the orthodoxy of the teachers of denominational pastoral candidates and leaders? Please name the denominational leader teacher’s publication of an article, book or other form of communication that you have read during last year. 1.61. Who are the teachers in the congregation? What have they been teaching during the past 12 months? 1.62. Name the missionaries who are supported or identified with your congregation. Which country and what task do these missionaries have? Do you receive correspondence from them? 1.63. What do the elders do in your congregation? 1.64. What do the deacons do in your congregation? 1.65. What is a church member? How many church members does your congregation have? 1.66. How many church members come to the worship service at least an average of three times a month? 1.67. How many members have joined your church during the past 12 months? How many members have left? 1.68. In what way are all Christian churches Pentecostal? 1.69. Why are the apostle’s teaching so important for the church today? 1.70. Why do Christians say that the Bible is the Word of God? 1.71. What is apostasy? What are the areas in which this danger may appear? 1.72. Is reformation needed in the congregation today? How will that happen? 1.73. Is revival needed in the congregation today? How will that come about? 1.74. How is the leadership of Jesus Christ evident in the congregation’s leaders? 1.75. How is the work of the Holy Spirit evident in the congregation’s leadership? 1.76. How is the glory of God evident in the congregation’s leadership? NEED REPORT Service needs 1. Volunteer for ministry requests a. ______18 19

2. A specific task or contribution requests a. ______3. Training at congregational level needs a. ______RECOMMENDED READING ABOUT CHURCH LEADERSHIP Roland Allan, The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 1963. Harry Boer. Pentecost and Missions. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1961. Edmund Clowney. The Church. Downers Grove: IVP, 1995. J. Oswald Sanders. Spiritual Leadership. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994. CHAPTER TWO

EVANGELISM DEFINITION Evangelism is the communication to non-believers of the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ that will lead to following Jesus Christ, to repent from sin, to become a member of the Church and to evangelize others (Mark 1:14-15; Acts 2:37-39)

John Calvin..."That there exists in the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, some sense of Deity, we hold to be beyond dispute, since God Himself, to prevent any man from pretending ignorance, has endued all men with some idea of his Godhead, the memory of which He constantly renews and occasionally enlarges, that all to a man, being aware that there is a God, and that He is their Maker, may be condemned by their own conscience when they neither worship Him nor consecrate their lives to His service" (Institutes, 1:3:1.)

"Someone asked Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved? It is more a question with me whether we -- who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not -- can be saved." -- Charles Spurgeon SURVEY 2. EVANGELIZATION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2.1. Evangelizing non- Christians 2.2. Personal evangelism 2.3. Public events evangelism through the congregation 2.4. Discipleship groups in congregation 2.5. Congregational evangelism of children 2.6. Congregational evangelism of youth 2.7. Congregational evangelism of adults 2.8. Congregational evangelism of elderly 2.9. Special group evangelism and congregation 2.10. Congregational literature for evangelism 2.10. Congregational training

Christians for evangelism 2.11. Special congregational evangelism projects 2.12. Para-church evangelism ministry leadership

REFLECTION ON THE EVANGELISM MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH

ARE WE AN EVANGELICAL CHURCH?

INTRODUCTION

The Evangelical Church, as the name suggests, centers around the gospel (evangel). The gospel the message of God’s salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. An Evangelical Church is a church that believes in the gospel, preaches the gospel, practices the gospel and prioritizes evangelism, the promotion of the gospel message to others.

THE COMMISSION TO EVANGELIZE

The Evangelism Mandate is recorded in the Great Commission. Five accounts of the Great Commission are given. They are located at the conclusion of each of the Gospels and summarized at the beginning of the book of Acts. Studying together they give an integral perspective as to the Christian’s responsibility in the world.

1. Matthew 28:16-20: emphasis on the Jesus as Lord over all who commands us to make disciples. Discipleship includes: a. The Master’s authority and command: the Lord Jesus Christ is given all authority, that in heaven and on earth, to mobilize His people to make disciples. b. The Mandate: make disciples among all peoples and continue to worship God through Jesus. Matthew 28:19-20 has two imperatives. The first imperative is to “make disciples.” The second imperative is to “behold,” to always look to the risen Lord. Both are important. c. The Means: evangelizing, baptizing, teaching and always looking to Jesus. d. The Medium: the disciples who are discipling others. e. The Maximum outreach: the whole world.

Historically speaking, the Evangelical Churches have generally understood that evangelism is the task of the disciples. The characteristic of the “Evangelical” is that he or she is evangelizing and training others. The task of evangelism should not be left to the institutional Church so that it becomes a denominational program, rather, the Commission requires disciples to make other disciples. Robert Coleman, “When Jesus’ plan is reflected upon, the basic philosophy is so different from that of the modern church that its implications are nothing less than revolutionary…His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes but with men whom the multitudes would follow…Men were to be His method of winning the world to God. The initial objective of Jesus plan was to enlist men 20 21 who would bear witness to His life and carry on His work after He returned to the Father” (The Master Plan of Evangelism).

The congregation does not need more evangelism programs but more church leaders and members who will do the work of evangelism. So, the church needs to pray for and affirm the evangelists in our congregation who can “equip the saints for ministry.” Such men or women are to organize the work of evangelism among specific people groups (ethnes). People groups such as children, youth, juvenile delinquents, families, single parents, handicapped, military, professional athletes, people who are institutionalize, prisoners, migrants, homeless, the sick, the elderly and other definable groups need to be evangelized.

1.2. Mark 15:14-20: emphasis on the gospel being preached to all people throughout the whole world: a. The message of Jesus is presented in preaching . Preaching is a special form of communication. It differs from public speaking in that preaching is speaking for God to the public. Preaching is proclaiming what is revealed in the Word of God. Preaching explains God’s will according to His Word. The special revelation of the Bible (II Timothy 3:16) needs to be proclaimed in preaching, explained in teaching and communicated to the unbeliever in evangelism. It is a form of communication that comes from God through His people into the world. The Church plays a central and instrumental role in evangelizing the world. b. The whole gospel is to be preached throughout the whole world. All creatures are to hear the preaching of the gospel. Jesus does not say, “Preach to the Church” but rather he commands His disciples to preach to the whole world, which includes the Church. The Church functions as the foundation from which the gospel is preached in the world. May non-ordained disciples preach the gospel? The answer is that such activity is not prohibited in Scripture. The disciples will be engaged in different kinds of preaching, each according to their calling. The elders and pastors of the congregation are called to do the pastoral preaching, whereby the church is taught, exhorted, corrected and led according to God’s Word. Evangelism preaching, however, usually occurs outside of the institutional church. Here the gospel is communicated and explained to unbelievers in their own setting and context. c. The preached Word is accompanied by signs for the world to see. Mark may have very well been reporting some of the miraculous events that occurred to Paul and the other apostles. Seen in that light, such signs are not normative for accompanying the preached Word but may occur according to God’s sovereign and providential ways.

1.3. Luke 24: 36-52 has an apologetical emphasis and gives historically and scripturally evidences: a. Evidence from Christ’s body. Jesus exhorted the disciples to look at him and touch him (vs. 39). The resurrection of Jesus is corporal or physical. The belief in the resurrection of the body sets authentic Christianity apart from sectarian groups who only believe in a spiritual resurrection, or only in the resurrection of the believers. When we evangelize it is important to find out what the other person believes about the resurrection of the body. The Jehovah Witness only believe in the spiritual resurrection. They need to read Luke 24:39 and hear Jesus say: “Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” The Hindu’s believe in the reincarnation. Jesus was not reincarnated but his own body was resurrected. The Jews claim that the body of Jesus was stolen and others think that the

21 22 body of Jesus was resuscitated. However, Jesus real death of Jesus is confirmed by the Pharisee and member of the ruling council, Nicodemus. Even the guards at the tomb had to be bribed to say that the dead body of Jesus was stolen (Mt. 28: 13). The bodily resurrection implies that both the faithful and the wicked will physically appear before the risen Lord Jesus Christ in the Day of Judgment. b. Evidence from God’s Word. Jesus “Opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” Prior to evangelizing others, we need to pray that our minds as well as the minds of those who we are evangelizing will be opened. In evangelism, the Word of God must be presented. People will come to Christ not because we have said something profound but people come to Christ because God speaks to them. God speaks through both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms about Me” Dr. Sidney Indgin, a Jewish seeker, had difficulties with the Christian teaching that Jesus is God. I shared with him a long series of Bible texts that showed how the prophecies of the Old Testament about the Messiah are fulfilled in Christ.1 Sidney came to true faith. Sidney and I sang in the Christian Messiah Choir that same year. What a joy for us to know that our Redeemer lives and that we know Him personally in Jesus Christ! c. Evidence from Christ’s presence. “Jesus himself stood among them.” When people have difficulties grasping the truth and reality about Jesus then they should talk to Jesus in prayer. Jesus is standing in the throne room of heaven and He is only a prayer away. I call this Prayer evangelism. First, we pray for people to come to Christ. Then, we ask people to pray to Christ in order that Christ will come to them. After Jesus died, rose again and ascended into heaven, He sent His Spirit. I have met people who decided to follow Jesus and they could not. I have never met a person who prayed for Christ to come into their life and He never came. As Evangelist John Glen reminded me one day, “The distance between knowing about Jesus (pointing to his head) and receiving Him (pointing to his heart) is not far. The distance between heaven and hell is about one foot.” Jesus is the difference between going to heaven or hell. People need to know such a Savior who can make such a difference. Why would anyone be against that unless you were hell bent on going to the wrong place?

1.4. John 20:19-23 emphasizes the divine means of grace given to accomplish the mission: a. Divine Blessing.”Peace be with you,” said Jesus. When Jesus came to the disciples he did not berate them for being cowards and non supportive. Rather, Jesus comes to His people bringing a Peace that they could not have without him. Only Jesus can be the peacemaker between a holy God and His unholy disciples. b. Divine Send off. “As the Father has sent Me, so I send You.” The evangelist is one link in a universal chain of succession. The Father sent the Son. The Son died and sends the disciples. The Son ascends into heaven and the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit. The disciples are sent into the world. The disciples make other disciples, until Jesus comes again. The evangelist should never feel alone. He is part of redemptive history that God is going to accomplish through His disciples. c. Divine Presence. “He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Now, wait a minute. Did the disciples receive the Holy Spirit before the ascension of Jesus or did they receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost! In my humble opinion I believe they received the promise of the Holy Spirit, accompanied by a the physical act of being breathed on, and then at 1 Cornelius Hegeman. Christology. Miami: MINTS, 2002. 22 23

Pentecost received the fullness of the Holy Spirit. I find it interesting that when Jesus breathed on the disciples they did not fall. They did not fall at Pentecost either. What fell, what came crashing to the ground, was their unbelief and sin! What good is it if you fall to the ground without your sins and misery falling in true repentance. d. Divine Pardon. “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Sin loves company. Usually when we sin, we involve others and it certainly hurts others. Pardon also loves company. The Lord taught His disciples to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” If we want to be forgiven then we must forgive others. In John 20: 23, the Lord teaches the disciples that they may declare pardon to those who repent. In evangelism you will encounter people who think that their sin is too great to be forgiven. Assure them that the Savior is far greater than any sin they can commit. God’s Word teaches us that Adam and Eve committed a sin that brought death and condemnation to the whole world. Jude was incestuous, Rahab was a whore, David a murderer and adulterer, Solomon had more than 1,000 women, Saul consented to the death of Christians and the people who crucified the Lord were offered pardon. Pardon is an act of pure grace because our guilty soul cannot undo what we have done.

1.5. Acts 1:8 emphasis is on the worldwide mission of witnessing to Christ and the promise of the Holy Spirit. One of the greatest barriers to evangelism is that our congregation does not accept people who are different than we are. It is one thing to have a missionary work with illegal immigrants, it is quite another matter to have an illegal immigrant preach in our church and form a worshipping community for illegal immigrants in our congregation. Just as heaven and hell, in the words of John Glen, are about a foot apart, so it is with cross-social evangelism and social isolationism.

A healthy exercise for the church is to honesty seek to identify why we do not do evangelism through our local church.

What would be your response to the following excuses for not doing evangelism?

1. Great Commission is not for us: 2. A Sovereign God does not need our help: 3. Evangelism is Arminian and not Calvinistic: 4. Our Church does not accept seekers: 5. New converts will change our traditions: 6. We pay a pastor to do evangelism: 7. We don’t have time for evangelism: 8. I don’t know what to say about Christ to a non-Christian: 9. All we have to do is pray, God does the rest: 10. Evangelism is not my gift: 11. Evangelism is only through preaching so all we can do is invite people to church 12. People don’t respond, so why try? 13. Evangelism brings people with all kinds of personal, family and social problems to church: 14. I am too busy with other kingdom activities 15. I don’t really care, to tell you the truth: 23 24

16. I do not think we should force our point of view on someone else: 17. People from non-Christian back grounds can be saved without evangelism: 18. Evangelism means befriending non-Christians and we don’t want our children to associate with non-Christians 19. Evangelism is up to you, if you like to do that, great, if not, just the same. 20. Evangelism: what is that anyway? You hardly hear about that in our church. 21. Pentecostals evangelize people and we educate people. 22. Why evangelize illegal immigrants, they should first return to their own country. 23. Homosexuals should become heterosexual before we evangelize them. 24. It’s not politically correct for a Democrat to evangelize a Republican. 25. We are not an evangelical church.

CONCLUSION

The Great Commission, explained in the conclusion to the four Gospels and at the beginning of the Acts of the Holy Spirit is opposite to our excuses. Your response indicates who you are serving. Is it yourself, your cultural, your religion or Jesus Christ?

LOOK AT THE RESULTS OF YOUR EVANGELIZING ACTIVITIES. DATA FOR LAST 12 MONTHS 2.13. Approx. how many people have you evangelized during past 12 months? 2.14. How many of the people you have evangelized have come to faith in Jesus Christ? 2.15. Of the people you evangelized and who came to faith how many are in a Bible study? 2.16. Of the people you evangelized, how many have become members of a local church? 2.17. Of the people you evangelized how many are evangelizing others? 2.18. Is the church evangelizing people who are in jail? 2.19. Does the church have an evangelism program for the children? 2.20. Does the church have an evangelism program for youth? 2.21. Does the church have an evangelism program for women? 2.22. Does the church have an evangelism program for other special groupings of people? 2.23. Is the church evangelizing people who are sick and handicapped? 2.24. How is evangelism and social justice related? 2.25. What is the evangelism message of your church? 2.26. What are the names of the evangelism leaders in your church? 2.27. Are leaders and members of your church 24 25

involved with special evangelism efforts through para-church organizations in your city? 2.28. Are leaders and members of your church involved with special evangelism efforts worldwide? 2.29. What groups from your society are missing in your congregation? Why? 2.30. What is it about your congregation that keeps people from enter the church doors? NEED REPORT Service needs Volunteer for ministry requests ______A specific task or contribution requests ______Training at congregational level needs ______RECOMMENDED READINGS Robert Coleman. The Master Plan for Evangelism. Old Tappan: Revel, 1985. Harvie Conn. Evangelism. Doing Justice and Preaching Grace. Phillipsburg: PR Publishing, 198 James Kennedy. Evangelism Explosion. Wheaton:Tyndale, 1996. Billy Graham. A Biblical Standard for Evangelists. Minneapolis: Word Wide Publications, 1984. J.I.Packer. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Downers Grove: IVP, 1976. David Wells. God the Evangelist. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 1987.

CHAPTER THREE

PREACHING DEFINITION Preaching is the interpretation of God’s Word by God’s Word. The proclamation of the revealed

Word of God and the gospel is based on the written Word and is the basis for evangelism, praise, prayer, preaching, prophecy and witnessing (Mark 16: 15-16; Romans 10: 14-18; II Tim. 3:16-17). SURVEY 2. PREACHING AND 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 PROCLAMATION MINISTRY 2.1. Witness to Christ within Christian community 2.2. Witness to Christ among non-Christians 2.3. Write devotionals or Christian messages for Christians 2.4. Write Christian messages for non- Christians 2.5. Oral presentation of Christian message 2.6. Studying in order to preach the Word of God 2.7. Preparing sermons 2.8. Preaching sermons 2.9. Regularly attend the preaching of the Word of God 2.10. Motivate others to attend the preaching of the Word of God 2.11. Give theological messages outside of regular sermon 2.12. Help organize theological conferences or similar venues 2.13. Promote Christian message through mass communications 2.14. Promote Christian message through tracts 2.15. Promote Christian message through literature 2.16. Promote Bible study group 2.17. Daily devotions using the Bible

2.18. Preaching for special groups such as the youth, the elderly, the institutionalized, the homeless and others. 2.19. Preaching in different language than one’s own language 2.20. Printing and distributing sermons 2.21. Train others to prepare sermons REFLECTION ON PREACHING MINISTRY

ARE WE A GOSPEL PREACHING CHURCH?

A 2001 New Years Sunday Meditation

INTRODUCTION

New Years, a time for beginnings. In coming to worship God today, you have come to the right place to find about beginnings. The God we worship is the God of beginnings. “In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.” God is eternal, and so he has been present at all beginnings. He was there when the universe was started. He was there when you were born. He was there when you took your first step. And you know, He is still here. We turn to Him to learn about making beginnings.

God is the creator and provider. God has the ability to make beginnings! He created the heavens and the earth. He did it by speaking His Word. “Let there be light, and there was light.” So in coming to God this morning in worship you have come to Him who is able to create new things and keep them going. In fact, you make ask anything according to His will for Him to do. He has the ability to do it.

God is our Saviour. He who has made is the only One who can save us from our sinful thoughts, words, actions, relationships and lifestyle. For that reason Jesus came into the world. He came, not because we were do good, but He came to save sinners like you and I. He knows every detail of your and my sins and he wants to be forgiven and begin anew. God renews us. The Spirit of the Lord has the ability to transform us, to put us back on the right path again. He causes us to live by the new nature which God has given us so that we may serve and worship him.

As we come to God asking him to be with us this new year, let us see what God’s principles are for our beginnings. We will see that be examining the beginning of Jesus ministry. We will look at the very first words of Jesus, in which He gives us a summary statement about His ministry to us.

“Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY BY PREACHING. “Jesus began to preach…”

Preaching. Why is preaching so important for Christianity? Why doesn’t God just give us the rules and regulations for true religion (legalism) and let us figure out the rest? Well, if that would actually work, maybe He would, but you and I know that our spiritual life just doesn’t work that way. We need continual strengthening, encouragement, correction, and direction from God (II Timothy 3:16,17). God has instituted preaching as a wonderful means to do that. God wants to speak with us, as a congregation, on a regular basis. Weekly communal worship has been instituted for that purpose.

In preaching God comes to us. Jesus preached during His earthly ministry. He proclaimed the Word and Will of the Lord. He could say, “Thus says the Lord,” “This is the will of the God, according to His Word.” We need to know God’s will for our lives and God uses preaching to tell us. Do you remember how Jesus gave seven messages to the seven churches and seven messengers in Asia Minor (Rev. 1-3)? In those messages, which were preached, Jesus shed light on the good, the bad and the ugly of the seven congregations. He encouraged the Christians but also called the wayward to repentance.

John Calvin, the 16th century church reformer writes:

“ It is the will of the Master that His gospel be preached. Let us obey His command, and follow whithersoever he calls. What the success will be is not ours to inquire.”

He continues, “If God designs to use His Word to create, sustain, and govern the universe, teeming with life, exploding with energy, infinite in beauty, why should He not with the same Word subdue the reckless willfulness of His fallen and wayward image-bearers to lay order upon the affairs of man?”

John Greever observed: “The pulpit is the heart beat of the gospel proclamation. As the pulpit goes so goes the churches…As the pulpit goes so goes the hearts of men in our generation…The pulpit is the front line of the spiritual battle that is waged in every generation and in every culture.”

Martin Lloyd Jones, the great English Protestant leader and writer states:

“What is it that always heralds the dawn of a Reformation or a Revival? It is renewed preaching…A revival of true preaching has always heralded these great movements in the history of the Church… As that is true in the beginning as described by the book of Acts, it was also after the Protestant Reformation. Luther, Calvin, Knox, Latimer, Ridley…all these men were great preachers. In the seventeenth century, you had exactly the same thing – great Puritan preachers and others. And in the eighteenth century, Jonathan Edwards, Whitefield, the Wesleys, Lowlands and Harris were all great preachers” (In Preachers and Preaching).

We thank God for great preachers today, such as Billy Graham, Chuck Swindoll, Tony Evans, Charles Stanley, James Kennedy, R.C. Sproul, Luis Palau and others. We thank God for congregational preachers, who practically every Sunday bring the preached Word to the congregations. It is a sign of God’s presence, His love and care for His people.

God uses human preachers living in human conditions. The only perfect preacher was Jesus and was

28 29 the first and last in that category. All the rest, including myself, are sinners saved by grace alone. Jesus was crucified as a preacher who stood by His word. All the apostles, except for John, were martyred for being preachers who stood by their preached word. And preachers preach in a fallen world. There are many challenges to face. But God gives us the courage to preach and practice the gospel despite our human condition and social context!

John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress was imprisoned during the 17th century in England for preaching. When the judge forbade him to preach he said: “ If you let me out today, I shall preach again tomorrow.”

My father was a preacher in the Netherlands, Canada and the United States for 45 years. He started his ministry as an evangelist in a Netherlands Reformed Church in the Dutch-German border city of Enschede. This was the beginning of the war. In 1940. He and another church worker were helping Jews hide from the Nazis. The Gestapo picked them up, and without an explanation, they shot my father’s co-worker and let my dad go. This was the method of terror the Nazis used. Dad went underground but he continued to preach. He preached until he died in 1981 of a heart attack in a church in the Netherlands.

God the Father sent Jesus to preach. Jesus commissioned us to preach (Mark 16:15). God messengers will continue to preach until the Jesus comes again.

When I came to Miami several years ago I was blessed to be able to travel and preach throughout North, Central, South America and the Caribbean. However, I did not receive many invitations to preach in the Miami region. One reason was that our denomination does not have any churches here. So, starting in January of 2000 I decided to join the homeless ministry in downtown Miami, and when I am home, I do some street preaching and encourage others to do the same. You see, we must preach, whether that be in church or outside of church. The gospel must go forth. As Richard Baxter said: “I preach as a dying man to dying people.” The message must get out! What is that message? Jesus summarizes His message of salvation in the beginning of His preaching ministry.

JESUS FIRST SERMON STARTED WITH A CALL TO REPENTANCE. “Repent…”

The very first matter which Jesus addresses is repentance (metanoia). Prior to anyone being able to understand the teachings of Jesus they need to be in a state of mind and heart to repent. Otherwise, the teachings of Jesus will be of no use. For this reason, the Magna Carta of the Christian faith, the Sermon on the Mount starts like this: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The Pharisees were not able to respond to the teaching of Jesus because they had no intentions of repenting. They did not think they were wrong, they thought that Jesus was wrong. By thinking that Jesus was wrong, they took the position that God was wrong, because Jesus is God! Opposing God is the task of fools. Yet we all do it in one way or another. By the Father’s grace, He calls His children to stop acting like fools and return to Him.

Repenting means to turn around. We are to turn from sin and turn towards God. THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN BEGINNING ANEW.

This is good news. When Jesus commands you to do something, then he will also give us the power to do it. Jesus makes it possible for sinners to return to God. Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sin and in the resurrection he arose to give you power over sin. If you ask Him to forgive you and give you the power to follow Him, He promises to do that. Christians do that every day, saying “no” to Satan, sin and self and saying “yes” to Jesus. Dying to sin and living in Jesus, in the power of His resurrection, is a normal Christian lifestyle.

Are you entering the new year with that change of address? Are you will to move out of the household of satan, self and sin and into the Kingdom mansion where Jesus reigns?

Moving is hard to do. During the first 50 years of my life I have lived in the USA, Canada, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Miami (yes, Miami is a country of its own!). With every move you leave something of yourself behind. However, with every move, it is not only what you leave behind but you must also know what you are moving toward. There is something to be gained in every move. In our case, it has been to continue to develop Christian missions, especially among the Spanish speaking populations. I thank God for every move towards His wonderful goal!

Jesus calls us to leave Sin behind and enter into the power of His kingdom. Let us see what that entails.

FIVE PROPHETIC PROMISES ABOUT THE KINGDOM. “For the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:15-16 mentions the prophecy of Isaiah 9 made some 700 prior to the ministry of Jesus. The beginning of the ministry of Jesus was a fulfillment of that Messianic prophecy. Let us see what these prophecy promises of this new kingdom consist of. Verses 1-5 of Isaiah 9 contain 5 prophecies about kingdom living.

Verse 1: FIRST Prophecy: He will turn distress into happiness.  Even though the gloom of a Babylonian invasion would be coming, a remnant would be delivered.  Even though the gloom of Roman oppression was on its way, Jesus would come, not only to save Jewish believers but also Roman and other Gentile believers.  Matthew 4:16 shows the literal fulfillment of this passage when Jesus appeared in Galilee of the Gentiles. Salvation is not only for the Jewish believers but also for most of us, the Gentiles!  Has you seen gloom be turned into happiness during the past year? Ursula Douglas, volunteer with the Old Cutler Presbyterian Church homeless ministry, was walking through Wal-mart and she was ready to walk passed the Salvation Army man who was collecting funds. The man stopped Ursula and asked her if she knew who he was? “No,” she said, “Help me to understand.” He said: “I know you. Several months ago I spoke with you when the Church came to feed us and speak with us on 11th street. After hearing the gospel I 30 31

decided it was time to get off the street and give back something of what I had received. I am off the street, working and helping out at the Salvation Army.” Human gloom had turned into the happiness of serving the Lord and others.

Verse 2. SECOND Prophecy. He beams light into darkness.  We are not people of light but we walk in darkness. The Bible does not have a bright view of mankind. Jesus was killed by people like you and me. Jesus died for people like you and me. Jesus did not die for the enlightened or bright ones. He died to deliver the people walking in darkness. If you were lost wouldn’t you want to follow the light?  During the Christmas holidays our family went to see the alligators in the Everglades. Sandy, my wife – who is also a school teacher at Westminster Christian – had been on a class trip where they had seen the alligators at night. If you shine your flashlight, the alligator eyes reflect a reddish orange color. Well, it was dark, and sure enough, when we shone our flashlight, we saw the orange eyeballs. Not only that, one set of eyeballs came right across the lake towards us. We were standing on an elevated sidewalk, so he would not “get us,” but it was so great to see the eyeballs coming towards us. Alligators are programmed to be able to come to the light. That is a natural thing for them to do. Have we come to the light of the gospel?

Verse 3. THIRD Prophecy. He brings us the joy of the harvest.  This child is going to “enlarge the nation.” The nation is the theocratic Israel, the Old Testament Church. With the coming of Jesus the Gentiles will join the church. The church would not be a national nation any more, but a universal organization. The Church outgrew its national borders. The seed bed of the Old Testament has flowered into the universal garden in the New Testament. Beginning with Pentecost, the church has been cultivating, planting, cleaning and rejoicing in the ingathering of God’s people.

Verse 4. FOURTH Prophecy. He liberates us from the instruments of oppression. o Several weeks ago, while I was in my office, a distraught lady came to speak with one of the pastors. It was after hours and so they sat in the reception area. My office is just around the corner so I could hear the conversation. She told her story. It was a tale of both physically and mental abuse. I was not only angry about the needless and cowardly violence of the abuser but I was pleased to hear the comforting and helpful words of the pastor. “How can we help you? How can we help you make it through this? So they made plans to get her a job, fix the car and put some food on the table. The lady had turned to the Lord and His people. You see, Jesus helps us to turn away from oppressors, the violent and abusers and live in the peace of God. o What a difference this Jesus makes in lifting yokes, staff and rods of oppression!

Verse 5. FIFTH Prophecy. He puts an end to violence.  In December of 2000, I received an e-mail to help a Cuban church in Cuba set up their leadership training program. Cuba. Who wants to go to Cuba? Cuba is a nation where Christians have been persecuted, where evangelism is restricted where religious freedoms are subject to the whims and wishes the communist government. Cuba is a country that should be overrun by the military. I agree, Cuba needs to be overrun by the Christian military, those who do not use machine guns but the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God; by ambassadors of good will, by servants willing to serve in all areas of need. True Christianity is the hope and future of Cuba. Therefore, I want to go, because the King has work to do in Cuba!  What a difference the King makes as he destroys of power houses of violence and replaces 31 32

them with his instruments of peace.

CONCLUSION

Today is a time for new beginnings. Jesus has come to us in preaching THE GOSPEL and He has called us to continually repent of sin and continually live in His kingdom.

This means that He is calling you to move on from where you are at and move toward where He wants you to be. The gospel grips us, transforms us and moves us. Are you ready to be moved? Some of us, who believe in Jesus’ message, will be promoted to His heavenly kingdom this year. For those who are left behind, we continue to strive to live in his spiritual kingdom on earth. But we are on the move, leaving sin behind and entering into His promises, until He comes again.

ALL QUESTIONS HAVE TO DO WITH ACTIVITY DURING LAST 12 MONTHS 2.22. How have you witnessed to Christ within the Christian community and to non-Christians? 2.23. Have you written letters, devotionals, articles, letters to the editor and/or training materials from a Christian perspective? 2.24. If you are a preacher, what have you preached on lately? What burden and message is God laying on your heart for the Church? 2.25. Describe what you look for in a preached sermon. 2.26. Is the Biblical and Christian message of salvation being preached in your local church? Does the response of the church leadership and membership live up to the gospel message? 2.27. How would you describe your church attendance? 2.28. Have you invited others to come to your congregation’s worship services? 2.29. Have you attended a theological conference during past 12 months? What kind? 2.30. Are you involved in the mass communication of the Christian gospel? 2.31. What materials do you use for your personal devotions? 2.32. Do you have devotions with other family members on a regular basis? When do you do that? 2.33. In what way is the Church promoting the Christian message to the city in which they exist? 2.34. What Biblical doctrines does the local church preaching emphasize? 2.35. What Biblical doctrines does the local church preaching ignore? What have you done about

that? 2.36. Are there doctrines to which your denomination holds that you consider to be non-biblical? What have you done about that? 2.37. Jesus said he was anointed to preach good news to the poor. How does your church do that? 2.38. How is the preached message in your church presented to people who are not in church? 2.39. Are preachers from your church preaching in places other than the church? Old Age homes, jails, institutions and in the streets? 2.40. Are preachers from your church preaching in other languages? Which languages and to which groups? 2.41. How is your church active in the preparation of future preachers? 2.42. How does your church support the work of preaching in missions? 2.43. Is preaching the main activity of the worship service or should it share equal time with praise and announcements? 2.44. What is prophecy? Does it exist today? 2.45. What is preaching? 2.46. What is witnessing? 2.47. Are the speaking in tongues for today? How do we know? 2.48. What is the relationship between prophecy and preaching? 2.49. Does Scripture teach that women are to preach in church? 2.50. Does Scripture teach that only ordained pastors are to preach? 2.51. Are there any testimonies you wish to share as it relates to the preaching in your congregation? 2.52. How many new preaching places has the church started during the past 12 months? 2.53. What does Scripture say about a preacher or Church leader who is living a sinful lifestyle? 2.54. Is the Bible the words of men about God or the Word of God for man. What is the difference? 2.55. Does you congregation practice church discipline? 2.56. How is church discipline carried out in your church? NEED REPORT Service needs 1. Volunteer for ministry requests ______

______2. A specific task or contribution requests ______3. Training at congregational level needs ______

RECOMMENDED READINGS ON PREACHING Bryan Chapell. Christ-Centered Preaching. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1995. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Preaching and Preachers. London: Zondervan, 1972. John Piper. The Supremacy of God in Preaching. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2002.

CHAPTER FOUR

PASTORAL WORK DEFINITION The pastoral ministry of the Church is to find and lead the sheep of the Shepherd into His fold in order that they may be nourished, corrected and rest safely in Him (Psalm 23, John 10; I Tim. 3). SURVEY 3. PASTORAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 WORK 3.1. Pastoral leadership in organizing and conducting worship service 3.2. Pastoral preaching 3.3. Pastoral leadership of congregation’s leaders 3.4. Administrate the sacraments of baptism and Lord Supper in the Church 3.5. Pastoral counseling 3.6. Ongoing training of 34 35

elders and deacons 3.7. Pastoral and Doctrinal training of the youth 3.8. Pastoral care of new believers in Bible and doctrine study 3.9. New membership pastor classes 3.10. Pastoral sick visitation 3.11. Pastoral visit of elderly 3.12. Pastoral care for family of deceased (funerals) 3.13. Pastoral marriage counseling 3.14. Pastoral crisis intervention counseling 3.15. Teaching of pastor candidates 3.16. Pastor’s office administration 3.17. Supervision of pastors in regional fellowships 3.18. Other pastoral duties for ordained pastor 3.19. Pastoral care given by the eldership of the church 3.20. Pastoral care delegated to the membership of the church 3.21. Elder or deacon involvement in worship service 3.22. Membership participation in worship service 3.23. Does your church keep a list of the pastoral visits made by the pastors, elders and deacons of the church? Are there patterns that are 35 36

noticeable in the visiting ministry of the church? 3.24. How are the church members held accountable as to their participating in the congregation andtheir Christian testimony? REFLECTION ABOUT PASTORAL MINISTRIES

ARE WE A CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD? Matthew 25:31-46 INTRODUCTION

John Newton, in the hymn, Day of Judgment, Day of Wonders, writes: Day of Judgment! Day of Wonders! Hark! The trumpet’s awful sound, Louder than a thousand thunders, Shakes the vast creation round. How the summons, Will the sinner’s heart confound!

If there ever was a sinner whose heart should have been “confounded” by the trumpet’s awful sound on the final Day of Judgment, it would have to be John Newton. In his biography, he describes his disgusting life as a slave trafficker. This vile trade of kidnapping people, condemned by both the Old Testament (Exodus 21:6) and the New Testament (I Timothy 1:10), captured Africans or bought African captives and sold them in the Americas. Then Newton converted to Christ and he changed. He became part of the abolition of slave movement in English. He was an inspiration to William Wilberforce, the English parliamentarian, who helped bring emancipation to England. After his conversion to Christ Newton wrote:

Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost and now am found Was blind but now I see.

And about the Final Day of Judgment he completes the Song, Day of Judgment, Day of Wonders with:

See the Judge, our nature wearing, Clothed in majesty divine; You who long for His appearing, Then shall say, This God is mine! Gracious Savior, Own me in that day as Thine.

But to those who have confessed,

Loved and served the Lord below, He will say, Come near, ye blessed, See the kingdom I bestow; You forever, shall me love and glory know. 2 Matthew 25:31-46 is about the Final Triumph of the Good Shepherd. The pastoral mission of Jesus Christ comes to its conclusion as Jesus reveals who his real servants are and how they have served Him.

1.1. THE SON OF MAN HAS A PASTORAL MISSION

Matthew 25:31 identifies Jesus as the Son of Man who will judge the sons of men. The whole gospel of Matthew is filled with statements about the sonship of Jesus. He is the Son of Adam, Son of Abraham, Son of David, Son of Man and among others, the Son of God. Let us learn from the inspired Matthew as to the Son of Man who will judge us as to how we participated in His pastoral mission to reach the least of His brethren.

The Son of Man comes in His glory

Many people say “Glory be to God” or “Glory be to Allah.” I feel like taping them on their shoulder and ask them. Do you know who God is? Do you know what glory is? Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, is God! He will come in his glory and sit on the throne of glory (Mt. 25:31). The glory of God is the ultimate goal of all of life. God’s glory is the manifestation of His excellence and perfections. God is glorified when the perfection of His being, His persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), His Word, His Work and His presence is made manifest. If God is perfectly glorious. What about us? The Bible says were are born destitute of the glory of God. None is righteous, no not one. Does this not present an irresolveable human dilema? From our side ‘yes.” From God’s side, “no.” In His grace He sent His Son to save us.

The Son of Man is the Son of God

Matthew 25:31-46 highlights how the Son of Man expresses God’s glory in reaching the least of His brethren.3 God’s poor pray to God and God answers their prayers. God is glorified when His people’s needs are met by His faithful servants. As the Son of God He REVEALS and REPRESENTS the TRUE GOD before the sons of men. In Matthew 3:17 the heavenly Father says during the baptism of Jesus: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” A similar revelation occurs in the Transfiguration (17:5). The triune God is also revealed at the end of Matthew’s account in the Great Commission. Jesus is fully identified as God! Matthew 8:29. Even though the religious leaders and many people did not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the demons recognize that Jesus is the Son of God. Sometimes the demons are smarter than unbelievers. Which God will we encounter on the throne of glory on the Day of Judgment?

2 John Newton, Day of Judgment! Day of Wonders.” 3 God’s glory is the expression of His excellence. Some Bible translators use the word “excellent” or “majestic” for the Hebrew “kabode” and the Greek “doxa.” 37 38

Will the Muslim have Allah as their judge and the Christians Jesus? Even though the USA Presidents Bush and Obama think Muslim and Christians are serving the same Lord, Jesus reveals a very different God.4 We believe in coram Deo and not Koran Deo. Jesus reveals a divine and eternal Father who has a divine and eternal Son! Allah is not the eternal Father who has an eternal Son. Muslims do not believe in Jesus as God’s son, nor do they believe that the Holy Spirit is God. The only sure revelation that we have about God is given by Jesus who commissioned us to go forth in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All claims to God must be measured by this revealed standard and the Allah of the Muslims, even according to their own admission, does not measure up to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. What will the Arians, the Jehovah Witnesses, who do not believe that Jesus is God, say to Jesus on the Day of Judgment? “Hey, Jesus, why don’t you let the Jehovah Father judge!” Or the New Agers and the Mormons who believe they become gods, will they ask Jesus to move over so they can judge themselves? With Jesus on the heavenly judgment seat, all Christological heresies come to an end. All will acknowledge that Jesus was LORD from eternity, is LORD and will be LORD forever.5 That is the way the universe is designed and it has been, is and will be forever. What about you and me? Are you ready to meet the real Jesus, the one who is the Son of God and the Son of Man?

Son of David and Son of Abraham

Matthew 1:1 begins this gospel as identifying Jesus as the SON OF DAVID and the SON OF ABRAHAM. As the Son of David, the king, Jesus reigns over the true Israelites (Mt. 5:3). Jesus is the Son of David. The King has a kingdom with subjects. The Son of David determines who will enter His kingdom. Jesus starts His ministry by giving his inaugural speech calling for His people to humble themselves: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (4:17). Jesus continues: “Blessed are the poor in spirit (the true Israelite) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus will reign through the humble who believe in Him, suffer with Him and serve Him. THE HUMBLE ARE SO POWERFUL BECAUSE GOD REIGNS THROUGH THEM. The most arrogant of president fears the 50 plus 1 majority! The kings of old feared the hungry masses! But God’s people are so powerful not because of numbers but because God is with them. They are able to stand up against the Romans, the dictators, the atheists and OVERCOME. Jesus said that “The meek shall inherit the earth.” And if you know anything about Church history, Jesus has conquered the nations through His persecuted people. The early Christians were persecuted, the missionaries were persecuted, the Reformers were persecuted, the Anabaptists were persecuted, the Puritans were persecuted, the Moravians were persecuted, the early Evangelical missionaries and

4 President Bush and his successor need to study Allen Vander Pol’s MINTS course on The Trinity and the Cults! 5 Cornelius Hegeman, Christology, lesson 8 on Christological heresies. 38 39 ministers were persecuted, the fastest growing church today, like in Africa and China, is persecuted!!!!!! Yet history tells us the persecuted have won. Jesus is the Son of Abraham. Abraham is the patriarch of not only the nation of Israel but all true believers. In fact, not all national Israel are true Israelites (Romans 9:6) that is, people who live by true faith. Jesus is the true Israelite and all those who believe in Him are part of the “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). The barrier between Jewish believers and Gentile believers has been broken down (Eph. 2:14-16). It is not up to us to erect these broken barriers. It is our task to extend Christian ministry and missions to all nations for the ingathering of God’s people into a mighty nation of God. THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY, IN ALL ITS BROKENESS AND POWERLESSNESS, IS THE MOST IMPORTANT NATION IN THE WORLD. It is international and gathers in people from all ethnic groups, languages and genders. When the Shepherds mission is complete, ALL the sheep and goats of all nations will gather before the throne of the Lord. They will be judged according to how they responded to the King and His people. .

The Son of Man is the sin substitute for His sheep

The Lamb of God died for His sheep.6 Such sheep include the elect among the Jews and Gentiles. Matthew 12, 17-18 further reveal the SUBSITUTIONARY SUFFERING mission of the Son of Man. He has come to suffer (17:12), He will be betrayed (17:27), He comes to save the lost sheep (18:11). Jesus prophecies that he will be buried for three days (12:40) and that is exactly what happened.

The Son of Man has solidarity with the needy sheep

Jesus identifies the response to the needy sheep as a response to Himself. “As you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” JESUS EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH THE NEEDY SHEEP. And He sends His messengers to respond.

The Son of Man is born to be man’s representative

Jesus is born as a human being and REPRESENTS MAN BEFORE GOD. According to Matthew 1:20. Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit, so maintaining His divinity and He is born as a SON OF MARY. He is 100% God and divine and 100% human. It is important that Jesus is 100% human. He is the REPRESENTATIVE OF GOD’S PEOPLE BEFORE GOD in many ways. He perfectly obeyed the law of God. He fulfills the ceremonial religious law. He is the sacrificial Lamb of God. He pays

6 Did Jesus die for the sins of everyone or just for His sheep? Matthew 1:21 says: you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” John 1:29, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” and John 3:16, “For God so loved the world.” It is not necessary to place Matthew against John. In John 6:37-40; 10:14-18; 17:9 it is clear that Jesus died and saved the persons who the Father has elected and given to Jesus to save. “The world” refers to Jews and Gentiles. 39 40 the price for the offense of sin with His own human blood. He is raised physically and reigns as the first fruit of the new creation. He is representative of the new humanity. In our passage we find Jesus REPRESENTING THE NEEDS of his people. He is concerned about every day needs such as eating, drinking, clothing, housing and justice. He sends His messengers to meet those needs and in the final day they will be rewarded. . The Son of Man is the Good Shepherd of all of His sheep

“ He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep without a Shepherd. THEN He said to His disciples, “the harvest truly is plentiful but the laborers are few….” (Mt. 9:37). It was the pastoral passion of the Shepherd for His lost sheep that compels Jesus to send out the disciples into the harvest. Compassion for the lost sheep means going outside of the fold on a search and rescue mission. Jesus does not just preach to the 99 but He seeks the lost outside of the church. He will use all means to reach and rescue the lost sheep. “He rejoices more over that sheep that over the ninety- nine that did not go astray” (18:13). What is the nature of the lost sheep or the sheep that went astray? It is usually the rebell, the stubborn one, who has been acting like a goat, upsetting the flock, and has gotten into all kinds of trouble. He is the prodigal son who took his family inheritance and wasted it on immoral living. Despicable. Without shame. Yet loved and searched for by the Good Shepherd because despite all his goat like behavior, he is a sheep. The Shepherd will reach the lost sheep. He will send messengers to prison, to your work place, to your neighborhood and even to your death bed. How many death bed conversions take place. In Canada we used to say, “A good Mounty always gets his man.” We can say, “The GOOD SHEPHERD ALWAYS GETS HIS SHEEP!”

1.2. THE REWARDS FOR TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE GROUPS ARE SURPRISING

Two groups There are two groups standing before the Pastor Judge.7 There are only two types of persons described as standing before the Son of Man. One group is called sheep, the blessed, the just and the “least of these My brethren.” The other group are the “cursed.” They are the group called the goats.

They are sheep

The identifying quality of the sheep is to hear the voice and follow the lead of the Good Shepherd. Are we preaching the Word of God for men or the words of men about God? Do the sheep hear the voice of the God shepherd through preaching? The only way to guarantee that the Word of God is being preached is to interpret the Word with the Word. For that reason, it is important for the sheep to be gathered into congregations where the Word is preached according to the Word. One task in missions is to gather in the followers of the Lord into faithful churches. In

7 The arrangements are being negotiated to see if the Baptists or the Presbyterians will be first in line. 40 41 evangelism the Word of God, the voice of the Good Shepherd, is preached and taught so that His sheep will hear, believe and follow Jesus. Christians seek to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd through devotional reading of the Scriptures. The Good Shepherd leads His sheep to good pastures where they can hear His voice. A central part of missions is to train local leaders who will evangelize, preach, teach and administrate the church around the Word of the Good Shepherd.

They are humble

Sport teams in America have names for their teams. We hear of the Georgia Bulldogs, the St. Louis Rams, the Clemson Tigers. But what if you called your team the Miami Lambs? Yet, Jesus calls us by that name. That is our right name. He knows who we are. The sheep are the “poor in spirit,” those who mourn over sin (including their own sins), who seek peace and reconciliation, who will suffer at the hand of the arrogant and proud enemies of God (Mt. 5). The humble sheep are vulnerable to the attacks of the enemies of God. For that reason they need spiritual supervision, teaching, pastoring and even discipline when they blindly and stubbornly go their own way. The sheep are also humbled by their life’s situation. They experience times of hunger, thirst, nakedness, sickness and imprisonment. And they trust that their Good Shepherd will be with them, as he promised. And they live to testify to it!

There are lost and needy sheep

The “least of the brethren” realize that they have spiritual as well as social needs.

They know they are spiritually needy. In fact, they confess they are spiritual dead and lost without the life giving gospel of Jesus. They realize Jesus did not come with a self-help program to inspire sheep with low self esteem. No, Jesus had to die for our sins and rose again in order to give new life and spiritual gifts to men. They are sometimes socially needy. They are also honest about their physical and social needs and recognize that their help comes from God. They thank the Lord in prayer for their food, drink, clothing, health, visits as well as the opportunities to serve the needy brethren. The Shepherd does not abandon the lost or needy sheep. This is where he keeps sending his messengers! A good parent does not abandoned their child, regardless how far they fall away. Jesus leaves the 99 and seeks the one lost sheep. God sends missionaries like Larry Buchman and his wife Faye, to train indigenous leaders in Brazil, Columbia and other Andean nations, in search of reaching unreached tribes. National governments, secular anthropologists, left wing political movements, environmentalists, tribalist and even the Roman Catholic church leaders try to stop Larry and other missionaries, but they eventually fail. It’s not Larry that they are trying to stop but the Good Shepherd. That makes for a different dynamic and a better outcome for the sheep.

They are blessed sheep

The sheep are called blessed by the Lord. This blessing was determined before the foundation of the world. It was expressed in Eden to Adam and Eve. If they faithfully obeyed God and His commandments, they would live. Otherwise they would die. It was repeated to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. “I will bless you and you will be a blessing.” The nations of the world would be blessed through the true Israelites, those who live by faith in Jesus Christ. The outworking of the blessing of God is seen as Christians attend to the needs of food,

42 43 water, housing, clothing, justice and friendship of the needy sheep. A cousin of mine adopted a baby with Dow Syndrome. The baby girl, Myra, came from a family of three healthy children, but the parents put this child, which appears will die soon, up for adoption. As my mother describes it, the adopting family accepts the child with love and joy! Someone else’s outcast becomes another’s new found treasure! Such is the love of the Son of Man for lost sinners. Such is the Christian blessing for those who are rejected by the world.

They are righteous sheep

The sheep are called by Jesus as the righteous ones, the just. They are born unjust, but have been justified through faith in Christ. They have received the purist form of justice, the justice of Christ. They continually repent of their own injustices, they do not self justify and they hate any injustice. THEY RESPOND TO THE INJUSTICES AGAINST THE SHEEP BY DOING WHAT IS RIGHT.

They are ministering sheep

Jesus identifies and responds the Christian’s service to the needy brothers. Having received by grace, they share in gratitude. They realize that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Like their Lord, they exist not in order to be served but to serve. The Prosperity Gospel salesmen do not grasp this. They believe that faith exists in order to receive. The listeners are challenged to give seed money in order to receive material benefits. This is crass religious capitalism.8 Their motto is: “it is more blessed to receive than to give.” Or “It is sinful to give and not receive.”

8 Even though economic capitalism, the wise investment of money into a working proposition in order to gain profit, works in the business world, religious capitalism is fraudulent. 43 44

They are surprised sheep

Grace, ministry and missions are surprising because it is God who is at work and it is not us working to please God. Living by faith in Jesus alone and not according to our works will yield surprising results because God’s work will always be superior to what we can do. Have you been surprised by the grace of God? Has He forgiven you the sins that you thought could never be forgiven? Has he brought reconciliation where you were thinking divorce? God’s work is far greater than our work and expectations.

They are His sheep

Jesus identifies the poor sheep as “His brethren.” This separates them from both the rich and poor goats. Not all the poor are poor sheep. There are lots of poor goats too. But Jesus speaks about His poor, or God’s poor.

They are grateful sheep

The sheep praise and glorify God and not themselves. The Christian does not credit himself for such workings, but lives in thankfulness and gratitude for being able to participate in the blessed works of God. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever.” The humanist’ doxology is: “Praise ME from whom all blessings flow” The political doxology is: “Praise the GOVERNMENT from whom all blessings flow.” The All American doxology is: “Praise AMERICA through whom God’s blessings flow.” The religious traditionalist doxology is: “Praise MY DENOMINATION from whom all blessings flow.”

On Sunday evening, after the visiting, preaching and feeding the homeless, we drive back to Old Cutler Presbyterian Church. We end the evening singing the doxology. “Praise GOD from whom all blessings flow. Just like in church. In fact, we are continually in the presence of God, Coram Deo, whether we work or gather together to worship and we may always sing the doxology. The sheep sing the doxology after church services and during times of family celebrations. They thank God for His gifts and share them with His people.

The Goats

The same standard of justice is applied to the sheep and the goats. They did NOT respond to the Lord and share in the needs of His people.

The goat’s surprise

The unjust think they deserve to go to heaven and they are surprised that it is not so. The reason they are not going to heaven is that they have NEVER MINISTERED TO THE SHEEP IN ORDER TO GLORIFY GOD. Jesus exposes the religious unjust (religious goats). Let us look at Mt. 7:21-23. The Lord presents a group of very religious people. They know about the Lord. They use His name. They eagerly await His second coming. They have ministered spiritual gifts in doing miracles, casting out demons and prophesying. Yet, they were neither elect by the Father, nor regenerated by the Spirit and in their heart they were workers of devious evil. Add to that Mt. 25, you will see that they did not minister to the needs of the least of the brethren of Christ but they deceive, mistreat, and fleece the poor sheep.

End times expert goat’s deception

There are goats who know the day and hour of Jesus coming! Even though 24:36-44 clearly says we do not know the day and hour, every generation has theological goats who misspend their time in trying to figure out the times and seasons of their fanciful futures INSTEAD OF MINISTERING TO THE LOST AND NEEDY SHEEP! A variety of denominations and Christian movements are organized around failed end time prophecies and fantasy end time schemes. The mission field is filled with end time goats who expose themselves as false teachers when they speak about the end times. Jesus’s perspective is very different. He wants us to meeting the real needs of real people! Its about watching, praying, and serving HIM.

Abusive goats

Matthew 24:48 identifies them as being abusive of the people of God as well as squandering away their time and resources with drunkards. During the African slave era, the Protestant abolitionists did not permit their church leaders and members to traffic slaves. [The movie, First Fruits] The abusive slave owner sought to silence the voice of prophetic denunciation. They were able to do that for many years. But abolition had to triumph because it was just. So it is with the anti-abortion movement, one day the defense for the right of the unborn to be born will be won. However, the decisive battles need to be won in the Christian congregations first of all. Redemption begins in the house of the Lord. There is no room in the church for racists, abortionists, murderous and other non-repent abusive goats. Social redemption starts in the household of God’s people.

Lazy goats

You have heard their philosophical questions, “If God exist why is there evil, why is there suffering,

46 47 why do some people never have the opportunity to hear the gospel? We is there hunger, thirst, nakedness, lack of housing, injustices, etc. ” Well, the Judge will judge us as to OUR RESPONSE to God’s goodness, our response to suffering among God’s poor, our response to bringing the gospel to every person! We are not going to judge God on the Day of Judgment and neither can we judge Him now. But rather, if we know of people who do not know Christ or are in need, then it is our moral and Christian duty to do something to fulfill that need!

Unprepared and unproductive goats

The goats are unprepared servants (Mt. 25:1) . WHEN THE MASTER COMES THEY ARE NOT WORKING IN SERVING THE LEAST OF THE BRETHERN. They are involved with all kinds of interesting and even impressive activities but one thing is for sure, they are not faithfully serving even ONE of the least of the brethren. This state of unpreparedness marks the ministry and mission of the goats.

The sheep need to be protected from the goats

Where do you find yourself today? With the sheep or the goats? The sheep are going to be busy ministering and the goats are standing on the sidelines of the flock bickering and complaining about the Shepherd and his sheep. The Shepherd protects His sheep from the goats.

CONCLUSION

Is there a lost sheep here today? Are you so tangled up in your own mess of sin that really your only option left, by faith, to come to the Savior now and with Newton say: This God is mine! Gracious Savior, Own me in that day as Thine.

Is there a needy sheep here today? Come to the Good Shepherd. Come and speak to the leaders of this church. From their knowledge of the Bible they know the will of the Good Shepherd and they will respond in His name. Are you sheepish about your identity? Paul said, “It is not I who lives but Christ in me.” The sheep’s identity is found in the Shepherd. Are you a sheep but feel you are a goat? You have spend so much time with the goats of this world, whether at work, in school, and sometimes at home, that you speak like a goat, act like a goat, think like a goat, and smell like a goat, but you are not a goat, you know that you belong to the Good Shepherd. Well, then get out of the goat’s pen and into the sheep’s fold. Recommit yourself to the Savior and to His flock. Are you a sheep but your are acting like a goat in church? All I can say is that you are acting according to a identity that you are not suppose to be. It may be time to say sorry to your family members, to the pastor, to people you have criticized….and you know who they are. It is time to get off the end time speculation kick and start meeting some real needs. It is time to stop talking about missions and actually do it. It is time, like it was for John Newton, to stop abusing people and repent and appeal to God’s AMAZING GRACE in the name of the triumphant Good Shepherd. In the words of Newton:

How Sweet the name of Jesus sounds, in a believer’s ear It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds and drives away his fear

Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend, my Prophet, Priest and King, My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, accept the praise I bring.

QUESTIONS 3.25. Names of the people who came to faith and are

attending the church during last 12 months 3.26. Approx. how many members were in church 12 months ago compared to now? 3.27. What are the names of the people who became members of your church during last 12 months 3.28. What are the names of the children or adults who were baptized in your church during the past 12 months? 3.29. Are there members in your church living common law? No names needed. 3.30. What are the names of the members who were married in the church (or from the church) during past 12 months? 3.31. What are the names of the members who were seriously ill and recovered during last 12 months? 3.32. What are the names of the members who were seriously ill and passed away during last 12 months. 3.33. What are the names of the members in your church who are receiving training to become pastors? 3.34. How many members of the church are going through separation, divorce and remarriage? (no names needed) 3.35. How many widows are there in the congregation? 3.36. How many widowers are there in church 3.37. What are the names of the members who became widows and widowers during the past 12 months?

3.38. Have you attended a social function last year where widows and widowers of your church participated? 3.39. What are the names of the people in your church who lost jobs last year and are still unemployed? 3.40. Do you know of people in church who may be described as “broken hearted?” Why are they that way? Do you have personal contact with them? 3.41. Have you visited people in jail and shared the gospel with them during last year? 3.42. Have you visited the sick in your church during past year? 3.43. Were you asked to help someone in your church with a need? What was the request and how did you respond? 3.44. Did you have contact with people who have strayed away from the Lord and who need to return to Him? How has the church helped you deal with such a relationship? 3.45. Are there members in your immediate family who are not Christian? How has the church influenced your relationship with your non- Christian family members? 3.46. Do the congregational prayers in your church remember the lost and needy? Does congregational prayer speak to your needs? 3.47. How has the church influenced your personal prayer life? 3.48. How is the local congregation involved in

reaching out to hurting people outside of its own membership? What is your role in that? 3.49. Does the church preach about parents leading their children to follow and serve the Lord? 3.50. Do children who are living at home accompany their parents to the worship service? 3.51. What message is preached to encouraged people to follow the Good Shepherd? 3.52. Are their messages and practices in the church that discourage people to follow the Lord? If so, what have you done about that?

NEEDS RECORD Service needs Volunteer for ministry requests ______A specific task or contribution requests ______

Other?______Training at congregational level needs ______

Recommended readings

Howard Clinebell. Basic Types of Pastoral Counseling. Nashville: Abington Press, 1966. Thomas Oden. Pastoral Theology, Essentials of Ministry. San Franscisco: Harper and Row, 1972. Alexander Straunch. Biblical Eldership. Littletown: Lewis and Roth Publishers, 1995. Rick Warren. The Purpose Driven Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervans, 1995.

CHAPTER FIVE

TEACHING MINISTRIES DEFINITION The teaching ministry of the Church is to teach all that Christ has commanded and to train the future generation to be faithful in teaching others (Mt. 28:20; II Tim. 2:2).

J.I. Packer. “the well-being of Christianity worldwide for this twenty-first century directly depends, I am convinced on the recovery of what has historically been called catechis-that is, the ministry of systematically teaching people in and coming into our churches the sinew-truths that Christians live by, and the faithful, practical, consistent way for Christians to live by them. During the past three centuries, catechesis as defined has shrunk, even in evangelical churches, from an all-age project to instruction for children and in some cases has vanished altogether. As one who for half a century has been attempting an essentially catechetical ministry by voice and pen, I long for the day when in all our churches systematic catechesis will came back into its own.” “Evangelicalism Now”, The Modern Reformation (Nov./Dec, 2008), p. 30.

SURVEY 4. TEACHING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 4.1. Teaching of the members of the church. 4.2. Teaching of the local leadership of the church.

4.3. Teaching of children in church 4.4. Teaching of children who are not attendees of the church 4.5. Teaching of the youth of the church 4.6. Teaching of the youth who are not attendees of the church 4.7. Teaching of young adults who are in the church 4.8. Teaching of young adults who are not attendees of the church 4.9. Teaching of adults of the church 4.10. Teaching of adults who are not attendees of the church 4.11. Teaching of special people groups within the church 4.12. Teaching of special people groups outside of the church

4.13. Teaching of teachers of the congregation 4.14. Development of teaching curriculum for the church 4.15. Opening up new areas for teaching to take place 4.16. Teaching theology and ministry beyond the local church

REFLEXIONS ABOUT THE TEACHING MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH

ARE WE A CHURCH OF THE DOCTRINE OF GRACE?

SCRIPTURE: II Timothy 1:1-2:2. TEXT: II Tim. 2:1-2

You then, my son, be STRONG in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to FAITHFUL men who will also be qualified to teach others. THEME. The disciples of grace follow Jesus by faith realizing that grace is founded on God’s promises and workings . The disciples continually prepare other disciples to take the doctrines of grace into the future.

INTRODUCTION

Who are you following? Who are you following on earth and into eternity? These are questions that a disciple, which literally means “follower,” needs to ask. Jesus calls us to not only follow him but in the Great Commission, his last command before his ascension, he calls us to make disciples. We have five accounts of this last and Great Commission. GREAT COMMISSION COMMANDS AND PROMISES FOR THE DISCIPLES 1. Matthew 28:19-20: Jesus commands us to “make disciples” by going to all nations, baptizing in name of triune God and teaching all that Christ commanded. He promises to be with us. 2. Mark 16:15-16: Jesus instructs us to “preach the gospel,” not just in the church, but in all the world and not just to Christians but to all creatures. He promises to send signs to accompany such preaching. 3. Luke 24:39. The risen Jesus said: “Look” at my hands and feet, “Touch me” and see. We are following a real Savior and Lord. He is not a myth. 4. John 20:22. “As the Father send me, so I send you, “Receive” the Holy Spirit. We not only have a model to follow but promised the power by which to do it. 5. Acts 1:8. All disciples are promised two things: ”You will receive power and you will be my witnesses (throughout world).”

Discipleship in all areas of life is God’s incredible global strategy for personal and communal transformation: it’s for every person, both genders, all age groups, every people group, all cultures, all languages, all nations and for all times. The back ground of the discipleship relationship between Paul and Timothy, according to Luke’s writing in Acts 16, there it is described that they met in Lystra. Timothy was already a disciple and Paul mentors him as a young leader. Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, and mother, Eunice, were believers. Apparently, his dad was not. The women had discipled Timothy as a believer and church member while Paul disciples Timothy as a Christian leader. From today’s text, II Tim. 2:1-2 we learn about strong and faithful disciples: DISCIPLES STRENGTHED BY GRACE (II Tim. 2:1-2)

I. THE FOUNTIAN OF GOD’S STRONG GRACE FOR DISCIPLES

Paul writes: “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” This is not a grace that we produce; it comes from a gracious God: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and it is found by following the Lord Jesus Christ. 1. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG BECAUSE IT’S THE WILL OF GOD. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…(II Tim. 1:1a). During the spring of 2006 I was preaching to the homeless on 2 nd street in downtown Miami as they stood in line to receive their lunch bag. I asked them not to raise their hand, but inquired of them how many had killed a Christian. One of the fellows in the front of row said: “I plead the fifth amendment!” Another started to raise his hand. “Don’t raise your hand,” I said, “I just want to make a point. Paul, whose name used to be Saul, persecuted the early Christians, he consented to the wrongful death of Stephen, and had many Christians put in jail. God is able to save us even if our past is a horrible or worse than Paul’s.” By God’s will and grace, this arch enemy of the Christian Church was encountered by Christ, and he became not only a Christian but a leader among the Chritians. Saul did not decided to follow Jesus on his own will, he clearly confesses here that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ because of God’s will. Jesus teaches us to pray; “Your will be done” rather than “my will be done.” Our wills are conformed to the will of the Father through faith in Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. 2. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG BECAUSE IT IS GUARANTEED BY JESUS. “According to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus” (II Tim. 1:1b) How do we know if God is going to be gracious? How do we know God’s will? The guarantee does not lie with us but WITH THE PROMISE OF LIFE IN JESUS. And what makes us so sure that the promises are real? The empty cross and the empty tomb affirm that Jesus ascended to reign from the throne room of the Father and

57 58 by His Spirit he has given us FAITH which connects us to Him. 3. THE GRACE IS STRONG BECAUSE OF THE SPIRITUAL ATTRIBUTES APPLIED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT “Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (II Tim. 1:2b). As he commonly does in his other letters, Paul brings salutation (greetings) of grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This gifts are applied in the life of the disciple by the Holy Spirit. GOD’S THREE FOLD ATTRIBUTES THAT STRENGTHEN THE DISCIPLE a. Grace is the undeserved favor of God in which we receive a salvation that we do not deserve; b. Mercy is not to receive the judgment we deserve; c. Peace is the promise of the Father for all those who surrender to the grace and peace in Christ. The salutation is not only a greeting but it is also Paul’s death warrant. THE DISCIPLE’S ASSOCIATION WITH THE TRUE GOD OF GRACE LED TO REJECTION a. Paul associated the Father and Lord Jesus as God for which the Jews wanted to kill him. b. Disciple, do you associate with and follow the Eternal Father? Do you think radical feminist believe in the eternal Father? Madeline L’Engle, whose books our daughters had to read in an elementary Christian school in Canada as “Christian literature” writes in “The Irrational Season” about God the Father as, “The paternalistic male chauvinist pig Old Testament God” (p. 156). Do you think L’Engle believes in the Father? Do you think she believes that Jesus is both male and divine at the same time and follows him? Who is she following? Who are the teachers using this book in a Christian school following?

II. THE FOUNDATION STONES OF GOD’S STRONG GRACE

1. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG FOR IT HAS AN HISTORICAL AND PROVEN TRACK RECORD. “I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did” (II Tim. 1:3). The grace that the apostle Paul is speaking about is not something new. It’s the same grace and gratitude by which

Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets and the remnant of God who waited for the coming of the Messiah throughout the Old Testament lived by, There is a continuity between the disciples of the Messiah yet to be revealed in the Old Testament and the disciples of the revealed Messiah in the New Testament. 2. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG AS IT OPERATES IN FAMILY COMMUNITIES. Vs. 1:5 “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (II Tim. 1:5). The family is the first covenant community. The church is the wider covenant community. Paul identifies those with true faith with all the forefathers and important women in the life of Timothy such as Lois, his grandmother and Eunice, his mother. They were important for they had taught him Scripture, through which he came to genuine faith (II Tim. 3:15). Acts 16 tells us that when Paul met Timothy for the first time he was already a disciple of Jesus. His believing relatives had discipled him. Paul would disciple him as a leader in the Christian church. Even though regeneration is not passed on through natural birth, Christian parents have a lot to do with the evangelization and teaching and discipling of their children which leads to spiritual rebirth. Let us not forget how God has worked with our spiritual forefathers. In leadership discipleship we are not starting from scratch but continue what has been started in the Christian home and church. 3. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG AND OVERCOMES SUFFERING. “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God” (1:8). Suffering for the cause of Jesus will cause two reactions: one, we are ashamed of those who suffer for the gospel and the other, we are strengthened by suffering. The incredible power of God will be made manifest right in the midst of suffering for the gospel. Frank Mead in “The march of eleven men” notes that James, the brother of Jesus and James the son of Zebedee were killed by the mobs in Jerusalem. Matthew was run through with a sword in Ethiopia. Phillip was hanged in Greece. Bartholomew was flayed alive in Armenia; Andrew was

59 60 crucified in Achaia, and Thomas was killed with a lance in East India. Thaddeus was shot with an arrow, Simon the Zealot was crucified by the Persians, and Peter was crucified upside down by the Romans. Only John the author of the fourth Gospel and the book of Revelation, escaped the martyr’s grave. Jesus Himself was beaten, humiliated, spat upon and crucified between thieves. The Middle East has a record! But it’s not only then and there, it’s happening in our century. We see it through MINTS as well. MINTS entered Columbia in the midst of the civil war. During our first visit in May 2002, our hosts met us at the airport and said it was too unsafe to venture out! I returned to Miami, promising to be back when the situation cleared up a bit. And it did. Several months later I returned and the leadership training program started. It has now spread throughout the major cities, urban ghettos, and rural areas with more than 500 students. Certainly, the doctrines of grace have found fertile soil among people who suffer for the gospel. In ministry and missions, we are asked to share in the suffering for the gospel. Through an internet contact we were invited to go to Cuba. We visited and taught there for about 5 years before we were deported by the Cuban government. Today there are more than 555 part time students studying MINTS courses, 400 just in one city! In Turkey, one of the female students wrote on the back of her photo. “I send you this photo so that you will know what I look like if they kill me!” In Iran, our missionary teacher was exiled, but continues to reach his people and Christian community through the Internet. In January I received a letter from Tom Faichney, a chaplain with the US Army stationed in Iraq. He was encouraged with how MINTS was working throughout the world, as well as the Middle East. He pledged his monthly financial support. I wrote him back and asked him how we could get more involved in Iraq. Larry Buchman, upon hearing that many Indian tribes in Brazil had not been reached, returned to Brazil, where he was born, to set up a program to teach Christian Indian leaders.

If you want to be involved in world missions today it means being involved with the persecuted church, perhaps the largest block of Christians today. 4. GRACE IS STRONG AS IT IS FROM ETERNITY TO ETERNITY. “Who has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (1:9). This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. So it’s not about you or me choosing God in time and history, it’s all about God’s eternal purpose and plan, which will be accomplished through His grace and will cause holy living, a plan that was decided on before the creation was made. Paul knew that he was still alive for the sake of the elect. He says, “Therefore, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2:2:10). 5. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG AS IT IS BETTER THAN LIFE. “but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (1:10). 1. Jesus abolished death 2. Jesus gives new life 3. Jesus gives immortality, eternal life

My sister, Nella was told about her cancer in September and by November 15, 2006 she was gone. The cancer destroyed her body and when she died she left her sins, addictions, death and all her enemies behind. What she continued on with into eternity was the promise of grace in Jesus Christ and that was her conviction and hope through the valley of death. Grace is better and bigger than life.

III. THE FUTURE OF GOD’S STRONG GRACE FOR DISCIPLES. The disciple’s future is in passing on what he has received to other disciples.

1. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG AS LEADERS ARE GIVEN TO THE CHURCH. “And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher” (1:11). a. Preachers are heralds and proclaimers of the message of grace b. Apostles and missionaries are sent out to established churches who preach grace. c. Teachers are given to instruct the Church and Christians how to life out the grace of God in all areas of life. Our ministry specializes in the preparation of Christian teachers. Even though we were deported out of Cuba in 2006, they celebrated our first graduation without us. 42 Master of Theological Studies and 21 Bachelor of Theological Studies. We have now opened up the doctoral program. 30 master graduates from our program and other programs have enrolled. Our lone Doctor of Ministry graduate is in charge and we communicate through a variety of internet addresses. Each student has the assignment to write 5 theological courses. Like Paul, were sitting here in “jail”, that is, we have been deported and both governments are frustrating our efforts, but God just keeps going like He is Lord of lords and King of kings. 2. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG AS IT GIVES US KNOWLEDGE OF OUR ETERNAL SECURITY. “Because I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to Him for that day.” At the end of the day, in the day of Judgment, how will you stand before the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit? Well, that will be determined on WHO YOU FOLLOWED WHILE ON THIS EARTH. (John 14:6) Who were you chasing after while living here? What was your bottom line? Were you a disciple of yourself, your business, your addictions, your fears, your nation, your cultural or ethnic group, your religion….or did you believe in and follow Jesus to the Father? Now, how do we know who you really are following? We will see evidence of that in your disciples. Are your disciples following the true God? Are they making other disciples? 3. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG AS YOU ARE GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you, guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us”

(1:14). Disciple, you are not alone. The Holy Spirit guards and guides you. Depend on Him. Pray continually, live by faith, flee from sin and be fully assured that He is able! d. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG AS FALSE LEADERS ARE EXPOSED. It is not easy to expose falsehood in leaders and as well as false leaders. Falsehood, by the nature of its demonic source and the extend of its warped thinking, will respond with all the venom and hatred that it represents. That is to be expected. Jesus warned His disciples that they would be persecuted by their own family members and former friends. The apostle Paul was willing to go to jail in order to stand up for what is right. What about us? Is the strength of God’s grace sufficient for you to stand up to the enemies of the gospel that are in the church and society? e. GOD’S GRACE IS STRONG AS FAITHFUL LEADERS ARE TRAINED.“…And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to FAITHFUL men who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Tim. 2:2) In this school of discipleship you need straight F’s. You have to be faithful person, faithful listener, faithful witness, faithful trainer and faithful finisher. 1. He is a faithful person. Robert Coleman, “When Jesus’ plan is reflected upon, the basic philosophy is so different from that of the modern church that its implications are nothing less than revolutionary…His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes but with men whom the multitudes would follow…Men were to be His method of winning the world to God. The initial objective of Jesus plan was to enlist men who would bear witness to His life and carry on His work after He returned to the Father” (The Master Plan of Evangelism) 2. He is a faithful listener. “And the things you have heard me say” Paul had to learn to be a listener the hard way. He was confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus. He was blinded and set down. He was totally confused, he did not know the Lord, he was persecuting God’s people. He had to relearn to become a listener to the true God and His Word. Tradition says he spent three years in the dessert studying the Word and learning to listen to God’s message in the Bible. He was a man of prayer, he would wait upon the Lord. Now he instructs Timothy and reminds him of the things Timothy has heard. But listening is not enough 3. He is a faithful witness. “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many

63 64 witnesses.” The truth about God taught by Jesus and passed on to the apostolic church needs to be tested in the Christian community. Going to Sunday School, taking courses, reading theological literature is all important. You have to learn to debate, argue, test, prove…among many witnesses. You have to be sure of your faith is based on the way Jesus interpreted the Bible and passed it on to the apostles. But witnessing is not enough 2. He is a faithful trainer. “entrust to FAITHFUL men who will also be qualified to teach others.” A disciple needs to make other disciples who are faithful in making other disciples. 3. He is a faithful finisher. “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2:10). So it was with Paul at the end of his career and so it is with all the great trainers of Christian leaders. John Knox, the Scottish reformer’s and founder of Presbyterian Church dying words were: “Come, Lord Jesus, sweet Jesus: into Thy hands I commend my spirit: be merciful, oh Lord, to Thy Church, which Thou hast redeemed; raise up faithful pastors.” After this, calling his friends to his bedside, he broke out in these rapturous expressions: “I have been meditating on the troubled state of the Church, the spouse of Christ; I have called on God, and committed her to her Head, Christ. I have fought against spiritual wickedness in high places, and have prevailed; I have tasted of the heavenly joys, where presently I shall be. Now, for the last time, I commit soul, body, and spirit into His hands.” Uttering a deep sigh, he said, “Now it is come!” (Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, March, 1995). Jesus, Paul, Timothy, Augustine, Aquinas, Wycliff, Tyndale, Luther, Knox, Von Zinzendorp, the Wesley brothers, Jonathan Edwards, Diego Thompson, Benito Juarez, ….and countless others, have this in common…..discipling until their last breath. Martin Luther said this on his death bed: “We are all beggars, this is true.” The gospel is one beggar telling another beggar where to find the next meal of grace.” That’s a disciple strengthened by grace who is faithfully discipling others.

CONCLUSION “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will also be qualified to teach

64 65 others.”

You are strong because of God’s grace. God grace is strong because:  Strong grace comes from the true God  Strong grace is according to God’s will and not your own  Strong grace is guaranteed by promises of Jesus  Strong grace is a gift of God given by the Holy Spirit  Strong grace has an historical and proven track record  Strong grace operates through the family  Strong grace overcomes suffering  Strong grace is from eternity to eternity  God affirms His strong grace through gifted leaders  Strong grace gives you eternal security, it makes you sing for heaven with longing.  The Holy Spirit guides you to live strong grace.  And you are in the school of discipleship where you are to get straight F’s: you must be faithful listener, faithful witness, faithful trainer and faithful finisher. Your are to be a faithful discipler until your last breath.  How are your disciples doing? May the strong grace of God be with us. May we be disciples of grace. May we be a church of grace. QUESTIONS 4.17. Are the church leaders and members taught Biblical truths through pulpit preaching and teaching? Summarize these truths. 4.18. Are the church leaders and members taught Reformed doctrine through pulpit preaching and teaching? Summarize these teachings. 4.19. Does you congregation have doctrinal

standards? What are they and have you read them? 4.20. What does the church teach about God? 4.21. What does the Church teach about the relationship between God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit? 4.22. Is Jesus God? 4.23. Are the gods of the Jews, Christians and Muslims the same? 4.24. What does the church teach about God’s role in creation? 4.25. What does it mean that we are made in the image of God? 4.26. What does the church teach about the sacredness of life? 4.27. What does the church teach about Adam and Eve’s fall into sin? 4.28. What does the church teach about the covenant between God and His people? 4.29. Do you believe that the Ten Commandment are for today? 4.30. Write down the Ten Commandments without looking in the Bible (or elsewhere) 4.31. What is the gospel?

4.32. Without looking, how many Bible books are there? 4.33. What does it mean that the Bible is inspired?

4.34. Is the Holy Spirit a divine person? Explain. 4.35. Who can receive the baptism of water? 4.36. Can you decide to be saved or are you saved by faith? What is the difference? 4.37. What does total depravity mean? 4.38. What does limited atonement refer to? 4.39. Can a born again Christian lose their salvation? 4.40. Does God elect His people or are we saved by electing God? 4.41. Who can partake of the Lord’s Supper? 4.42. Does Scripture teach that infants may partake of the Lord Supper? 4.43. Do you believe there is a place called heaven? 4.44. Do you believe you can communicate with a deceased family member? 4.45. Do you believe there is a place for eternal punishment called hell? 4.46. Do you believe that Jesus is visibly returning to earth again? 4.47. What Biblical doctrines do you have questions about? 4.48. Are all doctrines of equal importance? 4.49. If you are a member in the church and you do not understand or agree with the doctrine that the church teachers, what should you do? 4.50. If you are a leader in the church and you do not agree with the doctrines that the church teaches, what should you do?

NEEDS RECORD Service needs Volunteer for ministry requests ______

A specific task or contribution requests ______Training at congregational level needs ______Recommended readings Louis Berkhof. Manual of Christian Doctrine. Grand Rapids: W.B.Eerdmans, 1999. Perry Downs. Teaching for Spiritual Growth. Grand Rapids: Zondervans, 1994. Thomas Groome. Christian Religious Education. New York: Harper and Row, 1980. Howard Henricks. Teaching to Change Lives. R.C.Sproul. Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1982. 67 68

Lawrence Richards. A Theology of Christian Education. Grand Rapids: Zondervans, 1975

CHAPTER SIX

ADMINISTRATION DEFINITION The Church ministry of administration is to establish personal and public accountability in the church, to be wise stewards of our communal resources and to be of assistance to the church leaders and members as they serve the Lord (I Cor. 12:28; 14: 40). SURVEY 5. CHURCH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ADMINISTATION 5.1. Coordinator of volunteers 5.2. Coordinator of special Christian events 5.3. Secretary of the church or a related ministry 5.4. Church facility maintenance and security 5.5. Church building services 5.6. Church financial record keeping 5.7. Denominational 68 69

employee 5.8. Ministry administration personnel 5.9. Mission administration personnel 5.10. Church ministry financial accountability service 5.11. Fund raiser for ministry REFLECTIONS ON ADMINISTRATION

ARE WE AN ACCOUNTABLE CHURCH?

David Stites, a prison inmate in Michigan wrote me a story about a preacher who received a call to take a church in Louisiana. When he went to check out the city he took a public bus around town. At one stop the bus drive gave him his change. As the preacher sat down he noticed he was given .25 cents extra. What should he do? Should he get up and return it to the bus driver or just forget the matter, it was only .25 cents. As he left the bus, he gave the quarter to the bus driver and said, “You gave me too much change.” The bus driver said, “Thank you, preacher. I did it on purpose. I heard you were coming to preach on my church and just wanted to know if you were an honest man.”

ACTIVITIES REFER TO THE LAST 12 MONTHS 5.12. What percentage of your earned income do you tithe to the church? 5.13. What percentage of your earned income do you give to Christian ministry

beyond your tithe? 5.14. Does your church use paid administrators? Why? 5.15. Are you involved in an administration activity in the church? Which one? 5.16. How is financial accountability exercised in the ministries you are involved with? 5.17. How has the internet helped you with ministry administration? 5.18. What is your opinion about the administration of your local congregation? 5.19. Do you have concerns about the administration of ministries and missions associate with the local congregation? 5.20. Are the resources of the denomination properly administrated? 5.21. What does the government require of your church to be registered as a church? 5.22. What are the government rules as to receiving tax benefits for donations to the church? 5.23. Do members of the clergy receive extra tax benefits from the government? 6.22. Does your congregation have Articles of Incorporation? Have you read them? 5.24. What regulations does the government

have for the church in order to use your donations? 5.25. Does your congregation have a Church Order? Have you read it? 5.26. What regulations does the Church Order have for the use of donations, financial reporting and registration of church property and resources? 5.27. Do you receive your tax recipient for your church tithe and offerings on time? 5.28. Do the church administrators help members in the congregation who need help in order to organize their church donations and funds they use for ministry? NEEDS REPORT Service needs Volunteer for ministry requests ______A specific task or contribution requests ______

Training at congregational level needs ______

______RECOMMENDED READINGS

CHAPTER SEVEN

COUNSELING DEFINITION The counseling ministry of the Church is to console the broken hearted, impart wisdom in face of challenges, bring reconciliation to those in conflict and work towards liberation of those held captive by sin, addictions, injustices and deception (John 20:23; John 21:17).

"I'll never forgive," General James Oglethorpe said to John Wesley, "Then I hope, sir," replied Wesley, "you never sin."

SUVEY 6. COUNSELING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 6.1. Personal, one on one counseling 6.2. Formal, one on one counseling 6.3. Counseling of children 6.4. Youth counseling 6.5. Parental counseling 6.6. Pre-marital counseling 6.7. Marriage counseling 6.8. Family counseling 6.9. Bereavement counseling 7.10 Emergency counseling 6.10. Addiction counseling

7.11 Employment counseling 7.12. Judicial counseling 7.13. Immigration counseling 7.14. Health Care counseling 7.15. Social welfare counseling 7.16. Pastoral counseling 7.17. Training of counselors

REFLECTION ON CHRISTIAN COUNSELING

ARE WE A COMPASSIONATE CHURCH? ACTIVITIES DURING LAST 12 MONTHS 7.18. What type of counseling are you involved in? 7.19. What are some of the root causes for the counselees distress? 7.20. What are the counseling ministries your local congregation is involved in? 7.21. How are Christian counselors active outside of your congregation and within your community?

7.22. Does the church contribute to the distress of the counselees? 7.23. How can the local congregation best serve those in distress? 7.24. Have you benefited from being counseled lately? 7.25. What are some of the stigmas associated to being counseled through the church? 7.26. Is the local congregation able to respond to more counseling needs? How? 7.27. Are their certain doctrines that are preached and taught in the church that negatively influence people and families? 7.28. What are the teachings of the church that are most helpful to people and families deal with their stress and life’s conflicts? 7.29. How can the Church help people and families be a Christian and stabilizing influence in society? 7.30. What new or renewed ministries are needed in the church to help stabilize Christians and their families? 7.31. What can the congregation do to be more sensitive and serve victims of abuse? NEEDS REPORT Service needs Volunteer for ministry requests ______

A specific task or contribution requests ______Training at congregational level needs ______RECOMMENDED READING Jay Adams, Competent to Counsel. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976. Lawrence Crab, James Dobson, John MacArthur CHAPTER EIGHT

DIACONAL MINISTRY DEFINITION The first task of diaconal work is to organize the church to meet social and spiritual needs of members of the church and those in society. In some church communities the deacons administrate the financial and property resources of the congregation (Acts 6; I Tim. 3).

Charles Spurgeon…”A church which does not exist to do good in the slums of the city is a church that does not exist to reclaim heathenism, to fight with evil, to destroy error, to put down falsehood, a church that does not exist to take the side of the poor, to denounce injustices and to hold up righteousness, is a church that has no right to be. Not for yourself, O church, do you exist, any more than Christ existed for Himself. His glory was that He laid aside His glory, and the glory of the church is when she lays aside her respectability and her dignity, and counts it to be her glory to gather together the outcasts, and her highest is to seek amid the fullest mire the priceless jewels for which Jesus shed His blood. To rescue souls from hell and lead them to God, to hope, to heaven, this is her heavenly occupation. O that the church would always feel this! Let her have her preachers, and let them be supported, and let everything be done for Christ’s sake decently and in order, but let the goal be, the conversion of the wandering, the teaching of the ignorant, the helping of the poor, the maintenance of the right, the

putting down of the wrong, and the upholding at all hazards of the crown and kingdom of Jesus Christ.” (Doug Nichols, 125 Quotes and Illustrations, Christian Growth Ministries, Quezon City, 2004, pp. 49-50). William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army: "'Not called!' did you say? Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face -- whose mercy you have professed to obey -- and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.”

C.T. Studd. "Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell." SURVEY 8. DIACONAL WORK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8.12. Personally respond to needs within the congregation 8.13. Emergency help 8.14. Help for single parents 8.15. Help for unborn children 8.16. Help for orphans and needy children 8.17. Ministry to the

separated and divorced 8.18. Help for the sick 8.19. Help for the handicapped 8.20. Helped for the mentally ill 8.21. Volunteer work 8.22. Help for youth in need 8.23. Help for students in need 8.24. Help for the homeless 8.25. Justice and reconciliation 8.26. Help for unemployed 8.27. Help for illegal immigrants 8.28. Help for prisoners and prisoner’s family 8.29. Financial counseling 8.30. Stewardship of resources 8.31. Hospitality concerns 8.32. Help for the widows and widowers 8.33. Help for the elderly 8.34. Training volunteers for service

8.35. Training deacons 8.36. Community development work 8.37. Financial administration of the resources of the congregation 8.38. Diaconal mission work 8.39. Work crews

REFLECTION ON DIACONAL WORK

IS LAZARUS IN OUR CHURCH?

Luke 16:13-31

INTRODUCTION

Some interpret the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 as a struggle between the have and have nots, the rich and the poor, the oppressed and the oppressors. For many, this is cast in terms of financial, social and political power.9

The “have and have nots” in this parable are not those who have money or not, they are those who have faith and those who do not have faith. Those who live by faith are Jesus, Lazarus and Abraham. Those who do not live by faith are the Pharisees, the Rich Man and his five brothers. The relationship of this parable to riches and poverty has to do with faithful usage and non-usage of resources given by God.

9 T.W. Manson, Sayings, p. 301, as cited in Joseph Fitzmyer,, “The Gospel according to Luke X-XXIC,” Anchor Commentary. London: Doubleday, 1983 sees this as a struggle between rich and poor. John Calvin considers this story as historical. {Harmony of the Gospels]. Matthew Henry, Simon Kistenmaker and others consider this a parable. 79 80

The parable makes us ask the question whether or not we are real believers in Jesus or true children of Abraham and real believers in Jesus. The parables forces us to ask if there are Lazarus types lying at our gate? Are we like the Rich Man and his brothers?

The parable can be explained according the characters identified in it, namely, Jesus, the Rich Man, Lazarus, the five brothers and we ourselves.

Jesus is the one who is speaking and interpreting the events. He is the most important character in this parable. Let us listen to Him. He is the authority on the matters that are being presented.

The parable addresses the issues of eternity, morality, heaven, earth, the intermediate state and consequently, hell. Jesus is the highest authority on eternity having lived in heaven as the Son of God, being incarnate as a human being and living on earth, and knowing all about the intermediate state of people who die and the consequent new heavens, new earth and eternal hell.

The Jews, who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God, Son of Man, would reject the claims of Jesus to be eternal and to be an authority on early matters as well as eternal matters (vs. 14). The rejection of the eternity of Jesus Christ is still common today. However, if you reject the eternity of Jesus you reject a lot.

You reject the eternal Father. The eternal Father without an eternal Son is not an eternal Father.

You reject eternal salvation. Unless the Savior is eternal, that is, he possesses eternity because he is eternal, he cannot save us for eternity.

You reject any security for eternity. Let’s be clear. Only Jesus knows what he is talking about! In this parable he is teaching us about heaven and earth. This is not a myth or a fable. He is speaking the truth and He knows what he is speaking about.

Jesus teaches us that there is a place called heaven, that there is an intermediate state where

80 81 the wicked await their final punishment of hell.

Jesus teaches that one cannot escape the intermediate state once they are in it. There is no purgatory.

Jesus teaches that there are consequences in eternity as to our actions on earth.

Jesus teaches morality. You are to love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself. You cannot love God and money at the same time. The parable shows that the command to love has eternal consequences.

Jesus is the one that will rise from the dead! The conclusion of the parable points to the historical reality that is yet to come. Jesus will die and rise again! And he will be rejected by the Jewish religious establishment.

So, the eternal God is concerned about our heart and our earthly lifestyle. His eye is on Lazarus as well as the rich man. Jesus teaches that what happens on earth has consequences for eternity.

LAZARUS

He was a beggar. He did not work; he was unemployed and asked people for money and help.

He was sick. He was covered with sores.

He was invalid. He lay at the gate

He was powerless. He could not get his own food; he had to wait for the crumbs off the table.

He was unclean. Due to his sores as well as handicapped, he could not go to the temple or even the synagogue. He did not participate in acts of public worship.

He did not have advocacy. There was no one to help him, the dogs attended to his wounds.

YET HE WAS A MAN OF FAITH. He did not curse God for the portion of life given to him. He blessed God despite being the victim of human and religious neglect. Immediately upon dying, the angels transported him to be with Abraham. He was a man of faith who went to be with father Abraham, the father of all the faithful

He was not saved by works. He could not do any. He was not saved by participating in the religious rites of the community of faith. He could only be saved by grace through faith.

We can say that Lazarus lived on the outside of a family, health center, employment place and even the church community. Yet, he was an elect person, a man of faith.

The Lazarus types are not in our church today. We are healthy, we have friends and family that help us, and we have food and clothing. Yet, Jesus recognizes the existence of those who are not in church today. “I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me drink, naked and you clothed me, in prison and you visited me….” “As you did it to the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”

The Lazarus types today are still at our gates and obviously, Jesus wants us to attend to them. It may be easier for us to give an offering to a missionary to attend to the needs of Lazarus types in distance places then it is to recognize the Lazarus types in our families, communities, hospitals, old age homes, prisons, welfare offices, etc. The work of missionaries is to instruct and help the Christians find the Lazarus types in their community.

In Miami we have a ministry to the homeless on Sunday afternoons. The families of the church prepare sandwiches and other food stuffs. Every week a different group of people or church brings the fruit. A local bagel shops gives us lots of bagels to give out. It takes us about 40 -45 minutes to pack up and we head downtown. After a brief gospel presentation both in English and Spanish, the often times more than 100 men and women (and sometimes children) receive their bag of food. Are their men and women of faith in that long line? It is difficult for us to know. To be sure, there are

82 83 people who know how to talk religiously, but like in the parable about Lazarus, the final perspective God only knows.

Are there people here who are suffering? Like Lazarus, are we bringing all of our cares to the Lord in prayer? Are we grateful for God’s response or even non-response? Do we demand that God feed us? Do we demand that God heal us? Do we think that we can order God around? Or are we poor in spirit?

Do we see Lazarus us a model of faith? Liberal and liberation theology theologians say, “Yes, the poor and oppressed are the true children of God.” Some even take voluntary vows of poverty to be more like Jesus and Lazarus. But they miss the point. Lazarus is not a model because he is poor; he is a model because he lives by faith despite his poverty. There are many poor people who do not live by faith, they hate God and they hate the name of Jesus.

Richard, an elderly homeless man, would literally shake in anger when we spoke about Jesus to him. Yet, just before he died, Mildred, one of our volunteers, came up to me and said, “Neal, you must speak to Richard again about Jesus.” So, I went up to Richard who was sitting on the curb of the sidewalk. I said something like, “Richard, I know you get upset we speak to you about Jesus, but can I ask you a question?” “Go ahead” he said. “Since you are Jewish, you believe in the Old Testament, right?” He nodded. “Does the Old Testament speak about the Messiah?” “Yes.” “The Messiah would want people to repent from their sins, right?” “Yes” “The next time you pray to God, would you ask God to make it clear to you who the Messiah is?” “I pray every day, you know,” said Richard. We did not see Richard anymore, he died shortly after that. Now he knows that Jesus is the Messiah

83 84 and the Savior from his sins. God sent Richard messengers to tell him. Richard suffered his whole life. He resisted right until the end. I do not know if he repented and believed before he died. I do know that after you die, you continue in the same mind frame, the same faith response or rebellion. That is one of the teachings of this parable.

THE RICH MAN

The rich man had resources. He had money, a house, food and fine clothing. He was dressed like a king but Jesus considered him the worst of servants. Since Luke mentions the Pharisees in verse 14, the rich man may be in reference to the religious leaders. They dressed in purple while Lazarus only had rags. They used their resources for themselves rather than attending to Lazarus lying at their gate.

The rich man lived in luxury every day. It is one thing to have wealth and resources; it is another thing to live in luxury every day.

The rich’s man’s compassion was worse than the dogs. The rich man did not give food to Lazarus; Lazarus had to compete with the dogs to get the crumbs. The rich man did not find medicine for the sores of Lazarus. Jesus observed that the dogs attended to the sores of this sick man.

The rich man’s character did not change after he went to Hades.

He treated Lazarus as a servant not worthy to be addressed. He still thought himself to be a master.

He wanted Lazarus or someone to visit his brothers in earth even though Abraham explained that no one could cross the great chasm.

He did not express any regret for his gross sins

He did not want his brothers to repent but to escape their punishment.

The rich man had religious knowledge.

He considered Abraham his father and Abraham called him son. This may have been a biological and ethnic tie.

He had knowledge of the Law and prophets.

He now knew there was a heaven and hell

So, how does that apply to us?

Do we think that because God has given us riches, that we are his favorite children?

Are we using the resources God has given us just for ourselves? Or are we true to Mt. 25:41?

ABRAHAM

Abraham is the father of the faithful. Let us not forget the importance of the role of Abraham. Genesis 15:6, “Abram believed the Lord and He credited it to him as righteousness.”

Abraham, the father of many (Gen. 17:5), has a large universal family and it included Lazarus but it does not include the rich man.

The rich man thought he belonged to the spiritual family of Abraham, but he did not. The former rich man called Abraham father and Abraham called him son. However, this refers to their biological and ethnic ties. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 9: 6-8, “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”

Undoubtedly, the rich man was circumcised. But Paul writes in Romans 2:28, 29: “A man is not a

Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such man’s praise is not from men, but from God.”

Interestingly enough, since we are not a Lazarus type and hopefully not a rich man type, are we part of the spiritual family of Abraham?

On the day of Pentecost, the believers and their children received the promise: “Repent and by baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off- for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

We receive this promise from the Bible and it has been sealed to us in water baptism. Only if we live by faith will these promises come true. Such a faith will have the fruit of service, compassion, mercy and all that God requires of us.

Obviously such a faith was missing in the life of the religious rich man. By God’s grace, such a faith was present in the life of Lazarus. Lazarus exercised his faith despite his terrible sufferings and poverty. Such a faith, based on the righteousness of Christ and not the righteousness of man, overcomes all obstacles.

THE FIVE BROTHERS OF THE RICH MAN

Jesus foretells about his rejection by the Covenant people. In the context of the parable, the five brothers are still alive on earth. They have the Law and the Prophets. They do not obey them. Abraham says that they will not believe in the one who will be raised from the dead. Jesus arose from the dead and he was rejected by many of the religious rulers. Jesus message to those who sneered at him is pointedly clear. They will reject the Messiah, they are rejecting God, their own words and work will condemn them. The risen Jesus, who they will reject, will have the last word.

CONCLUSION

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is really about six people and groups of people: Jesus, the Rich Man, Lazarus, Abraham, the brothers of the Rich Man, and us. We have spoken about the first five characters, but then, what about us and our salvation?

Christian, child of Abraham. Thank God the Father that you are saved by grace and not your own works. Lazarus did not have any personal, vocational, family or religious works by which to save Himself.

Thank God the eternal Father for His eternal Son and our Saviour for eternity.

That God and the Holy Spirit for giving us a faith that will overcome the worst conditions of human living.

That God for a faith that will bear the fruit of love, mercy, compassion and justice.

Thank God that you know whats coming: Mt. 25:41

Go, therefore, child of God, and with a grateful and thankful heart, filled with faith, repent from your sin of rejecting God, believe in Jesus as your Savior and go, find Lazarus who is lying at our gate.

QUESTIONS 8.40. What is the Biblical basis for diaconal work? 8.41. Why was the office of deacon instituted? 8.42. How can deacons facilitate the emergency response of the congregation? 8.43. How can the deacons communicate to the congregation about the needs within the congregation? 8.44. How can the deacons facilitate assistance to the

needs members, ministers and missionaries encounter outside of the congregation? 8.45. What is the relationship between social help and spiritual help? 8.46. In the Presbyterian, Reformed and some other churches the deacon is also in charge of the financial administration in the church. What type of activities does that include? 8.47. What does the apostle Paul teach in I Timothy 3 about the character of the deacon? 8.48. Does the New Testament prescribe that women be deaconesses? 8.49. Should a restored bank robber be allowed to be a deacon? 8.50. Do the deacons keep a record of the people who have been helped and how they have been helped? If so, please give a summary 8.51. What needs do you see that the deacons of the church need to pay more attention to? NEEDS REPORT Service needs Volunteer for ministry requests ______A specific task or contribution requests ______Training at congregational level needs ______RECOMMENDED READINGS Timothy Keller. Resources for Deacons. Atlanta: PCA Committee for Christian Education and Publications, 1985.

Timothy Keller. Ministries of Mercy. Phillipsburg: PR Publications, 1977. Cornelius Hegeman. Reaching the Least of These My Brethren.” Miami: MINTS, 2009.

CHAPTER NINE

MUSIC MINISTRY DEFINITION The music ministry of the Church is to lead the congregation in worshipping God through congregational singing, a variety of music venues and praise expressions (Ps. 150; Ephesians 5:19). SURVEY 9. MUSIC MINISTRY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9.1. Congregational singing 9.2. Children’s choir 9.3. Youth music 9.4. Youth band 9.5. Musical groups in church 9.6. Vocalists 9.10. Musical performers 9.11. Music leaders 9.12. Church choir 9.13. Music lessons 9.15. Musical concerts 9.16. Organist 9.17. Pianist 9.18 Other QUESTIONS 9.19. What is worship? 9.20. What role does music have in worshipping God? 9.21. Are the musicians in church meant to perform or to lead the congregation in praising God? 9.22. What is the difference between a Christian music concert and Christian music in worship service? 9.23. Are all genre of music conducive to worship? 9.24. Is “praise the Lord” in the Psalms a request or a command? 9.25. What role do the Psalms have in congregational singing? 9.26. Who is responsible for what is sung in the service?

9.27. What is your view of the use of traditional and contemporary music in the church? 9.28. Are the musicians that lead in worship praise to be Christian?

NEEDS REPORT Service needs Volunteer for ministry requests ______A specific task or contribution requests ______Training at congregational level needs ______RECOMMENDED READING

CHAPTER TEN

COMMUNICATION MINISTRIES DEFINITION The communication ministry facilitates and enhance the proclamation of the gospel in the church and throughout the neighborhood and world utilizing a variety of mediums of communications (I Cor. 12:28; I Peter 4:10-11). SURVEY 10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 COMMUNICATIONS 10.1. Bulletin for worship

service 10.2. Sound system in the church 10.3. Church web page 10.4. Church internet communications 10.5. Radio programs and advertisement spots 10.6. Neighborhood community advertisements 10.7. Television programs and spots 10.8. Church sign and posters 10.9. Community calendar, advertisements 10.10. Church brochures 10.11. Church tract distribution 10.12. Christian literature distribution 10.13. Book store 10.14. Literature tables 10.15. Publications 10.16. Visual presentations 10:17. Art displays 10:18. Public relations events 10:19. Receptionist and phone usage 10:20 Other

communications QUESTIONS 10:21. What do your communication efforts say about your message and church community? 10:22. What percentage of your church budget is spend on communications? 10:23. What are the advantages of having volunteers or professionals to do your communications? 10:24. How has the churches communication efforts impacted the congregation? 10:25. How has the churches communication efforts impacted the church’s neighborhood? 10:26. Is the congregation effectively communicating their spiritual, personal and social needs to the leadership of the church? How can the communications department help in that? 10:27. Is the church aware of the active ministries going on in the church? 10:28. Are special needs people and groups being communicated with? 10:29. Are the shut-ins able to listen to the sermon and worship services? 10:30. Does the communication department communicate to audiences outside of the church? 10:31. In what way can the communication department facilitate the communication needs of leaders and members of the church involved in ministries and missions? 10:32. Is the communication department willing and able to equip the church leaders and members in better use of communication mediums for their service to the Lord?

NEEDS RECORD Service needs Volunteer for ministry requests ______A specific task or contribution requests ______Training at congregational level needs ______RECOMMENDED READING

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHILDREN AND YOUTH MINISTRY DEFINITION Children and youth ministry facilitates parents and their children in Christian education and discipleship so that the youth will profess their faith and learn to live accordance to their faith (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 5:1-4). SURVEY CHILDREN AND YOUTH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MINISTRY 11.1. Church role in pregnancy counseling 11.2. Adoption and foster care services 11.3. Church nursery 11.4. Children’s Sunday School 11.5. Pre-kinder care 11.6. Vacation Bible School 11.7. Summer camps 11.8. After school tutoring programs 11.9. Youth programs 11.10. Christian education programs for youth 11.11. Assistance for students and Christian education 11.12. Youth clubs 11.13. Youth athletic programs

11.14. Youth program in the schools 11.15. Youth worship services 11.16. Youth conferences 11.17. Youth ministry programs 11.18. Youth missions programs 11.19. Training of teachers for children’s and youth Sunday School and Christian education programs 11.20. Training of youth counselors 11.21. University students fellowship program 11.22. University students Ministries opportunities 11.23. University students mission programs

REFLECTIONS ON CHILD AND YOUTH EDUCATION

ARE WE A NEW GENERATION CHURCH?

The youth leaders at Old Cutler Presbyterian Church (OCPC) in Miami, Florida took it one step further. The youth were encouraged to participate in the weekly youth activities, go to summer camp, and participate in mission trips, but “what about doing mission work at home?” For three

years now, the middle school youth have participated in a mission week camp for their city. The youth stay overnight at the church, sleeping on the couches and floor and dedicate 5 days to serving in ministries to the downtown homeless: participating in a local church day program for children; plant flowers and garden for downtown renewal projects as well as around the local church; help out church widows with cleaning and gardening projects; park clean up project and a special youth evening. The counselors were kept busy counseling the middle schoolers, answering questions ranging from divorce to music lyrics. The kids paid to go on this trip to be involved in missions in their own church. Youth groups from outside of Miami have also come and done likewise. The training of the future leaders for church and mission starts right at home.

INTRODUCTION

“ The least of these my brethren” are also found among the youth of the world. There are many children with the spiritual, physical and social needs as described by the Lord on the Day of Judgment. Our youth program needs to go beyond, “me, my family and my friends.” Our youth ministry needs to reach out to include the “least of these my brethren.”

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.” Jesus healed sick children, he cleansed youth tormented by demons and he called young and old to follow Him. Therefore, the Christian mandate is to lead children to Jesus Christ in order to be ministered to by Him and so that they may believe in Him, serve Him and worship Him

One of the largest unreached people group in the world are the generation under 18 years of age! Every day many children are being born into the world who do not have parents and a church to bring them to Jesus. If a child’s parents do not bring their children to the Lord then we pray to God and work towards reaching the children.

The new generation needs to come to Christ. That is because there is no salvation outside of Jesus. The new generation is not saved just because they are born. They must be spiritually born again through faith in Jesus Christ. The new born need a spiritual home. If the youth’s family does not

99 100 provide an entrance into the church family, then other conduits of discipleship need to be developed.

This chapter looks at a variety of youth ministry with the singular purpose of discipling the youth and helping them to disciple others in the context of the church community. The future condition of the church is related to the discipleship of the younger generation.

IDENTIFICATION OF THE NEW GENERATION

Every day thousands of children are born. The new generation that is not born in Christian families constitutes one of the largest unreached people group in the world today. According to the US Census of the World the population in 2006 was 6,525,521,471 (6.5 billion). The age groups 0-19 made up 2,410,132, 768 or 37% of the world’s population.10

Besides the immense presence of youth in the world, the youth are also influenced by destructive influences of AIDS, broken homes, bullying, child slavery, drugs, family abandonment, pedophilia, pornography and a variety of other manifestations of the sinfulness of the human race.

How does the local congregation and their youth program relate to the street children of the major urban centers in the world?

REACHING THE NEW GENERATION THAT IS WITHOUT CHRIST

The new generation can be encountered in one’s neighborhood, in public institutions and in times of special needs. This section will explore ways in which the new generation can be reached. The approach will be to begin with one’s family and then consider how to work through the church and in society.

1. Christian family

This section poses a strategy for the Christian family to reach other families, including their children.

Christian parents. Christian parents are called to evangelize their own children. The children are to

10 www.census.gov, "Table 094. Midyear Population, by Age and Sex".

100 101 learn the message of the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. It is in the home that the children learn Christian and family values. Family conversation around the dinner and supper table provides for a good avenue to read the Bible, encourage each other to memorize and speak about the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and Apostles Creed. The church also plays an important role in the training of Christian parent’s children, as they offer teaching, discipleship, fellowship, and worship as well as service opportunities.

The stepping stones for reaching non-Christian youth outside is for Christians to disciple their own children first and then disciple, together with their children, youth outside of their own family.

Christian families reaching out to non-Christian families. In order to reach the children of the world it is important to consider the importance of the family unit. Families relating with families create a natural and social bridge by which the gospel is able to cross over into other family’s lives.

Being good neighbors is a meaningful way to meet neighbors who are not Christian. When a Christian family shares its time, home and cultural events, good relationships are established that may lead to evangelism opportunities.

Being a helpful worker, student or participant at work, school or in public also presents opportunities to make contacts.

However, the most neighborly act is to lead people to the knowledge of Christ and into a living commitment to the Lord.

Christian families support the local churches who in turn are reaching out to the new generation. The Christian family can reach out to non-Christian families through the ministries of the church. This may be in volunteer counseling, Vacation Bible School, youth program, crisis and emergency help or through neighborhood evangelism. If non-Christian families come to church it is important to show hospitality, invite them over for a social or even a meal and establish community relationships.

Christian families supporting specialized ministries and world missions. It is important for the Christian family to develop ties with missionaries as well as mission projects that are involved in youth outreach missions to the non-Christian children as well as children in distress. There are an

101 102 amazing number of Christians involved with reaching out to street children in the urban centers of the world. Contact, communications and support of such ministries are always needed.

Christian families need to send and support family members to go on mission trips. When a member of the family goes on a work team, then the whole family becomes aware of that and can become involved. Cross cultural missions brings the extra dimension of learning new languages and trying to communicate from a distance. However, such challenges can help families go beyond their traditional and social set boundaries and help them see the gospel from the perspective of a street child, an orphan and an adopted person. It will give new meaning to what Jesus said when he said: “let the children come to me.”

The Christian family and the family of God. Some may ask at this point whether or not there is such an entity as a Christian family. The Christian family consists of believing parent(s) who disciple their children in the ways of the Lord. Even though the Christian family is not perfectly Christian, it is a family unit under the authority and guidance of the triune God. Children are not automatically saved because they are born into a Christian family. There are children born into Christian homes who reject Jesus Christ and who manifest that they are not born again. Yet, it is well known that many believers first believed in Christ as children and followed the Lord under the discipleship of their believing parents.

The Christian family is not complete unless it is part of the Church, the family of God. The Church is the “greater family” although it is not designed to replace the human family. Nevertheless, families are called to regularly assemble in the Church in order to receive instruction, encouragement, admonishment, strength and direction as a family.

2. Church ministries

This section includes all that was discussed in the previous section but it also concerns the outreach that goes beyond the Christian family. This involves Christian ministry through church programs. a. Church evangelism of children and youth

It is important to identify your new generation existence, location and accessibility. Then different

102 103 means need to be developed to reach them. The following programs are applicable to both short term and long term ministries among the non-Christian children and youth.

1. Vacation Bible School 2. Camp ministries 3. Street ministries 4. Sunday School materials 5. Children’s literature 6. Children’s mass media programs 7. Correspondence courses 8. Literacy training 9. Vocational training 10. Mentoring 11. After school tutoring 12. Sports programs 13. Recreational activities 14. Art, drama, music and reading clubs 15. Children cultural activities clubs 16. Children neighborhood clubs 17. Child sponsorship programs 18. Adopt a refugee family 19. Adoption 20. Fostering 21. Orphanages 22. Special family programs 23. Special needs programs 24. Other children ministries

3. The youth and a new church

One does not plant a church in order to start a youth society; rather, youth ministry is one of the results of a church plant or an existing church. The church develops programs and invitations or promotion activities are carried out. The youth become involved in:

a) Sunday school

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b) Youth programs c) Attend weekly services d) Discipleship groups e) Membership classes and baptism f) Become involved in the leadership of the church, usually starting with the youth. g) Eventually become a church leader at the diaconal or eldership level h) Through the local church, the youth are exposed to a variety of youth activities, including Christian education, ministry and missions. i) The youth are encouraged to be a contributing member of the Christian community. This can be done as singles or through families. The worshipping community is supported by the working community. The church members become involved as light and leaven in all areas of the community. j) When the opportunity presents itself, church members become involved in Christian ministries that reach out to others who are not Christian.

4. Denominational programs

There are denominational youth programs worthy of note. For example, the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) provides both the Cadet and Calvinette program. These are like the Boy and Girl Scouts program but from a distinct Christian perspective. The CRC has also developed an extensive Youth League programs that include inter-church youth meetings and youth conferences. The SERVE and SWIM summer programs involve the youth in national service projects. Other historical Protestant churches have their own programs as well.

5. Para-church ministries

This section describes a variety of ministries working along side (para) the church that Christians are involved in that help to reach out to the unevangelized youth.

4. Christian schools

Not all Christian schools are the same. Each Christian school has a target population they are seeking

104 105 to educate. The following are some of the different visions for Christian day school education a. Confessional school. The administration, teachers, parents and students who belong or avow conformity to a certain creedal confession. b. Ecumenical school. The school allows its leaders and students to adhere to a variety of Christian confessions and provision is made for non-Christians as well. c. Evangelical school. The main purpose of the school is to evangelize and provide the students with a Bible based education d. Home school. Home school usually is restricted to the children of the parents who are the teachers of the home school. However, home school programs can also include students from outside the home.

7. Secular education

The Christian is involved in a school that does not have a distinctive Christian curriculum.

Christian schools that allow for non-Christians students to be involved are good bridges for evangelism. The danger exist that the Christian school board and teachers will be taken over by non- Christians but that can be prevented by articulating a clear vision and mission statement that requires Christian teachers, staff and board members who adhere to a clearly stated Christian articles of incorporation.

Christians need to be forerunners in integrating students into the educational program, in offering scholarships for needy families and in creating an educational system that exemplifies Christian values.

5. Christian Bible ministries

Some international ministries that have lasted several generations and can serve as a model for developing youth ministries. a. Scripture Union

Scripture Union started in England in 1867 in order to reach the children with portion of Scriptures.

105 106

By 1983, over 13 million leaflets had been translated into fifty languages. A system of daily Bible readings was developed. Camps and other group activities are used.11

The existence of Scripture Union and other ministries that emphasize Bible reading should encourage the youth program of local congregations to use the reading of Scripture in their youth ministry. b. Local Bible clubs

Para church ministries as well as local churches have organized Bible studies for students in secular schools. This can take the form of correspondence courses, conferences, youth meetings, camps, reading clubs and other activities that have as their primary purpose to engage the youth in the study of the Bible.

8. Inter-denominational mission organizations a. Children ministries

1. Awana ministries

The Awana ministry for children is developed under the auspices of the Christian Missionary Alliance church. Its web page describes Awana as follows:

“ Awana blends Bible teaching, Scripture memorization and tons of fun. Your church’s Awana ministry will impact kid’s ages 2 to 18 along with their families and entire communities while helping your church instruct parents, train volunteers and make your children's ministry and youth ministry all that God intends them to be!

Nearly 12,000 U.S. churches and more than 4,000 churches overseas run the Awana program, and the list is growing. Get on board! Regional missionaries will kick-start your children’s and youth ministry today.”12

2. Child Evangelism Fellowship

“ Child Evangelism Fellowship, also known as CEF, is a Bible-centered, worldwide organization composed of born-again believers whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to establish (disciple) them in the local church for Christian living. CEF has over 1,200 missionaries overseas, approximately 1,000 of whom are nationals. In the USA and Canada 700 full-time workers and an estimated 40,000 volunteers serve the ministry. CEF was

11 www.scriptureunion.org

12 www.awana.org 106 107 founded by Jesse Irvin Overholtzer in 1937.” 13

Jesse was inspired by reading one of Charles Spurgeon's sermons which stated, "A child of five, if properly instructed can as truly believe and be regenerated as an adult." The workers and volunteers use neighbor clubs and camp experiences in order to teach the children.14

“Along with the clubs, CEF also has fair, camping, open-air, telephone and correspondence outreach programs for children. Last year through these combined ministries over 6.1 million children worldwide heard the good news with over one million making professions of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. CEF provides classes to train their workers and other Christians who are burdened for evangelizing children. The Children’s Ministries Institute, a modular 3-month course located at CEF's International Headquarters in Warrenton, Missouri, is dedicated to providing quality, practical training for those called of God to take the Gospel message to children. Similar training is offered in various locations around the world.”15

The local congregation and Christian community at large needs to take note as to the low key and contextualized methodology that the CEF uses to reach many children. However, what is connection of the CEF to the local congregation? How will the children who are called to believe and follow Jesus continue to be discipled? How does the “child’s decision to follow Jesus” relate to church membership and authentic spirituality?

3. Compassion International

Compassion International works with school age children. Formerly, CI supported children enrolled in Christian education. For the last two decades CI is concentrating on poorer children outside of the Christian school system, helping with tutoring, uniforms and Bible clubs. The web site states:

“Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, physical, economic and social poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. Founded by Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training. Today, Compassion helps more than 800,000 children in 24 countries.” 16

Compassion International has extended its social program to many children. To what extend are the

13 www.cefonline.com 14 The question about child conversions requires more than a footnote. The concern has to do with whether or not the child who decides to follow Jesus is regenerated by the Holy Spirit. 15 Ibid. 16 www.compassion.com 107 108 children being taught in the gospel of Jesus Christ? What is the relationship of the local Compassion program to the local congregations of Biblically faithful churches? How are the Compassion workers and corresponding children receiving spiritual supervision? b. Youth ministries

1. Youth For Christ

Youth For Christ (YFC) has a variety of youth programs that target a variety of youth cultures throughout the world.

“For sixty years, Youth for Christ (YFC) has been communicating the life-changing message of Jesus Christ to young people. YFC was born in the mid-1940s through an impulse from the heart of God that simultaneously touched dozens of leaders in different places with a concern to reach out to the young people where normal church channels were missing. This led to dynamic young evangelists, using revolutionary methods, to conduct lively mass rallies in more than a dozen cities under the name of Youth for Christ. It soon became an organization and Chicago pastor Torrey Johnson was elected its first president, with Billy Graham as YFC's first full-time worker.”

“By the 1950s, YFC had become an international movement and in 1968 delegates from 16 nations formed what we now call Youth for Christ International. The number of chartered nations has since grown from 16 to 79. Throughout this half century, YFC's earliest and most enduring motto has been "Geared to the times, but anchored to the Rock." Under the leadership of its newest president, David Wraight, Youth for Christ has remained "anchored to the Rock," remaining rooted in a strong, Biblical faith, while very much "geared to the times." Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in its over 4,500 full and part-time staff and over 26,000 volunteers and using contemporary methods to remain on the cutting edge of youth evangelism, YFC is aggressively extending the frontiers of the Gospel into the 21st century youth cultures of over 100 countries.”17 How does YFC’s ministry to youth relate to church membership and eventually leadership training? How are the youth reached by YFC working in the churches? c. Student ministries

Christians are involved in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, universities and other centers of education.

1. Campus Crusade

“Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) is an interdenominational ministry committed to helping take the gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations. CCCI cooperate with millions of Christians from churches of many denominations and hundreds of other Christian organizations around the world to help Christians grow in their faith and share the Gospel message with their fellow countrymen.

17 www/yfci.org 108 109

Working together with these fellow believers, CCCI’s goal for this decade is to help give every man, woman, and child in the entire world an opportunity to find new life in Jesus Christ. Their commitment is based on our Lord's command (Matthew 28:19-20).”18

CCCI trains their leaders in their own challenging program. CCCI produces their training and reading materials. Study groups are formed on campus as well as off campus.

The local congregation has a difficult time “competing” with the well trained, highly organized and well equipped Campus Crusade program. Should the student outreach program of the local congregation simply delegate their responsibility to reach out the students in their community to the CCCI? Or, should the CCCI train the local churches to reach out to the students in their community? Does the local church exist to support the para church ministries or is it the other way around?

2. Campus Outreach

Campus Outreach is a rather new ministry for college and university students. It originates from a local congregation, the Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama and has become an interdenominational ministry reaching onto the campus and beyond.

“Campus Outreach is a ministry built on relationships. It is through these life-on-life relationships that college students come to know Christ, mature in their relationships with Him, and share their lives and faith with others through evangelism and discipleship.”

“ The ministry of Campus Outreach doesn't end at graduation either. The success of our vision is measured best by the students who carry the vision of reaching the lost world with them after college. Our prayer is that alumni will continue to grow in their relationships with God, share their faith with the lost and continue the process of discipling others.”19

One of the ministries is for the students to spend their summers in certain targeted areas where they are employed in regular jobs and where they build relationships with workers, employees and customers and seek to evangelize.

3. Intervarsity Christian Fellowship

Intervarsity Christian Fellowship is one of the grandfathers of the evangelical student movements. They have excelled in organizing student groups, producing literature and developing contacts with international students. Their web site identifies itself as:

“Intervarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is an evangelical campus mission serving more than 35,000 students and faculty on more than 560 college and university campuses nationwide. Incorporated in 1941, Intervarsity has a rich tradition of campus witness, thoughtful discipleship, and a concern for world missions.”20

18 www.ccci.org 19 www.campusoutreach.com 20 www.intervarsity.org 109 110

4. Reformed University Fellowship

The Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) is present on 110 campuses, sponsored by the PCA and other Reformed churches. The following is a summary of their philosophy.

“RUF has developed a philosophy of ministry which is biblically informed and pastorally sensitive. It is consistent with the God-given role of the Church on campus to reach and equip students to love and serve Jesus Christ and his Church.”

The goals of RUF are to grow in grace, evangelism and missions, fellowship and service and to develop a Christian world and life view.21 Besides the philosophy of ministry RUF also presents some distinctive which can be read as correctives needed for student para church ministries. These include a commitments to the visible church, in-depth Bible study, the student’s vocation, an emphasis on being rather than doing and finally, to teach the student to think.22

5. Young Life

In 1938, Jim Rayburn, a Presbyterian youth leader in Texas, began a weekly club for students in a local high school. By 1941, he and four other seminary graduates formed Young Life. By 2007, the work included more than 16,000 volunteers.

“Prior to the 1960s, Young Life had directed its ministry almost completely too suburban high school students. By 1972 it had begun ministries in approximately 25 multi-ethnic and urban areas. Today, Young Life is in more than 175 urban communities meeting the unique needs of inner-city, racially underrepresented and poor young people. In the 1980s the mission developed two new cutting-edge ministries — WildLife for middle school students and the Capernaum Project for kids with disabilities. Young Life has also developed the Small Town Initiative, which aims to bring Young Life to rural areas around the country. The most recent new outreach ministries to be formed are Young Lives, which focuses on pregnant teens and young mothers, and Young Life College, which targets students on college campuses… A mix of American and national staff and volunteers are reaching kids with the Gospel through more than 450 ministries in more than 50 countries.”23

What can be learned from Young Life is that ministry is needed among school students. Para church ministries often specialize in working on campus and with after school clubs for students. What prevents the local church from doing that as well when that is needed?

6. Internet Resources

The Internet can be a helpful tool for youth leaders are they seek to develop their programs. There are a variety of links for children’s ministry, youth ministry, as well as student ministry. Some Christian education institutions offer youth ministry training on line (see Appendix 3).

Reflections about the para church youth programs

21 www.ruf.org (philosophy) 22 Ibid., (distinctives) 23 www.younglife.org 110 111

The following are observations about the fruitful international para church youth programs: 1. All of the para church ministries cited above have a pioneer person who imparted his vision to other Christian leaders. In other words, the discipling and training of leaders for youth ministry was part of the original vision. 2. Volunteers and professionals cooperate in order to accomplish a ministry. The ministries are overwhelmingly carried out by volunteers. Usually, the paid staff has to raise their own funds. 3. The ministries are intergenerational. The most difficult phase is to transition the ministry from the original founder to non-family members. 4. The ministries are international and bilingual. The ministry is able to translate basic leadership materials into other languages. 5. The ministries have a central focus but they expand into other ministries. The long term ministries maintain their original focus. 6. The ministries have an in-house training component for their leaders. The ministry does not expect the Bible Colleges, seminaries and universities to prepare their leadership. Leaders are trained within the program 7. Finances are usually through donations sought by those who minister. It is not fee based (that is, expenses are not covered by the fee of the “clients”) 8. The statement of faith is often conservative and evangelical. Many para-church agencies recognize the Lausanne Covenant (1974) as indicative of their mission statement. Most will have their own statement of faith.

The points of controversy relating to youth para-church ministries can be addressed by asking the following questions. 1. What gospel message is being brought to the youth? Is the gospel presented to the youth group on a regular basis? Who oversees the presentation of the gospel to the youth? What is the content of the message of the gospel presented to the youth? Do the youth activities correspond to the gospel message? 2. What is the relationship between the local church and para-church ministries? What role does the leadership of the local church have with the para-church ministry serving in the neighborhood or in the church? How can the church and para church ministry support each other’s ministry? How should the new disciples of Christ in the para church ministry relate to the local church? 3. What is the role of contextualization in youth ministry? Are the mediums of culture, such as rap dancing and contact football, for example, antithetical to the mission of God? If not, how are Christians to deal with the questionable issues associated with such activities? 4. Is there an over-emphasis on youth culture? Is the emphasis on youth in our culture antithetical to the Biblical view of personality, family, authority and Christian community? 5. What is the role of reading and learning Scripture in youth ministry? What role does the reading and studying of the Bible, the learning of Biblical doctrine and the practice of Biblical ethics have in the youth ministry? 6. How does the youth ministry deal with the different emphasis of the charismatics and non- charismatics? What role does the charismatic emphasis on healing, exorcism, speaking in tongues, spontaneous prophecy have in youth ministry? Are youth unfair targets of religious manipulation? What measures are taken to prevent religious imposition? 7. What is the ecumenical nature of para church ministry? What relationship do the youth leaders have with a Biblical church? Can the youth program have interchanges with Roman Catholic and Mormon youth programs? On what basis are such decisions made? 8. What is the nature of child and youth conversions? What role does leader and peer pressure play in the youth’s religious decisions? How do you measure whether a young person genuinely believing and follows Christ? The Bible teaches that a person must be born again in order to

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enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Except through rebirth, one cannot enter the kingdom. Within evangelicalism there is a stress on “making a decision for Christ.” This is equated with new birth. Although the regenerated will decide to follow Jesus, this does not mean that everyone who decides to follow Jesus is actually reborn. Rebirth is spiritually observable by the manifestation of spiritual fruit such as confessing Jesus as Lord, Savior and God and repenting daily of one’s sins. How should the youth ministry respond to young people who come to faith in Christ? Should the youth leaders be involved in the reconciliation with family members and other significant peoples in the life of the youth? 9. What relationship do the youth converts have with the covenant of God? God relates to His people in a covenantal way. For the young convert this implies being discipled into the Body of Christ, receiving water baptism, participating in the Lord Supper, regularly attending worship services, volunteering to participate in the ministries of the church and praying to see how to give leadership in the church. How are para-church youth ministries related to the covenant? 10. What is the role of Bible, theology and ministry training of youth workers? Are the youth leaders trained in areas of Bible interpretation, doctrine, church polity, church history, ministry skills, counseling and missions in order to give leadership to the youth? 11. Who is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the youth ministries associated with the church? Does the church have an overall plan for youth ministry? Is there an overall Bible learning curriculum. Are their activities to teach the basic doctrines of the Church. Does the youth program have representation in the local government of the congregation? 12. What is the responsibility of the local congregation to the youth outside of the church family? Is the church, like the disciples of Jesus in Mark 10, resistant to bringing the children of the community to Jesus? Does the local church have a sense of responsibility to the youth outside of the church? Have the leaders of the church identified the youth needs outside of the church community and have a plan to address them? 13. Do the youth and youth leaders of the church have an outreach to the “least of these my young brethren?” The standard that the Lord presents to us on the Day of Judgment is whether or not our faith reached out to “the least of these My brethren.” How are the local church, the youth leaders, the youth program and the youth doing according to that standard?

TRAINING FOR YOUTH LEADERS

Youth ministry involves training youth but also to train youth leaders.

1. Informal training a. Leadership training youth ministries. Local Christian leadership has to be identified and trained in order to continue the local ministries. It is best to start on a volunteer level. If outside sources begin to pay for ministry services then the intention of the leader will get side tracked from ministry to employment considerations.

Youth leaders need to be trained to evangelize, mentor and disciple youth who are not Christian. This can be done in conjunction with existing Christian youth groups or in working through cultural groups that are not necessarily Christian. b. Curriculum for the above ministries. The new leaders need to have access to curriculum and resources they can use for children and youth ministries.

1) Children and youth Bibles 2) Bible study materials 112 113

3) Materials dealing with youth issues 4) Community concerns materials 5) Group activity materials 6) Internet resources 7) Music resources 8) CD and mass communication resources c. Ministry workshops and conference. Youth leaders need to get together and encourage and train together. When a youth leader is constantly giving to the youth he or she is working with, then one has to learn how to receive as well. Youth leader’s conferences are a great way to exchange ideas and learn from each other. d. Youth ministers training courses. Courses in a variety of languages and contextualized to different cultures are needed in the following areas:

1) Introduction to youth ministry 2) Evangelism of youth 3) Developmental Psychology 4) Tools for youth ministry 5) Curriculum for youth ministry 6) History and biographies of youth ministry 7) Youth ministry advertisement and administration 8) Youth ministry in a community of needs 9) Youth ministry and world missions e. Special mission projects. It is good to take a group of youth and take them out of their cultural environment in order to have time for reflection and recreation. This can be done in the following ways:

1) Summer camps 2) Weekend retreats 3) Mission teams away from one’s own community 4) Mission team in one’s community 5) Youth conferences

As the local church, youth leaders and the youth of the church need to reach out to “the least of these my ‘little’ brethren’ it is good for the youth program to target working with orphanages, street children ministries, day care centers, children neighborhood Bible clubs and other ministries that target needy children.

2. Formal Training

The traditional route for training youth pastors is to take a youth ministry major at Bible College or the youth ministry tract in seminary. Youth leaders who have the opportunity to receive such training need to be encouraged to do so.

Large ministries such as Youth With a Mission (YWAM) and Campus Crusade have opened their 113 114 own Bible Colleges, seminary and even university programs.

Most of the world’s youth leaders will depend on local ministry training as well as distance education training.

Perhaps the best training in reaching out to “the least of these my ‘little’ brethren” is to become involved in children ministries that reach out to needy children while one is receiving Christian education. Since institutionalized Christian education centers maybe slow to respond to the special needs of children, the youth leader needs to be creative and investigative in locating ministries who are serving needy children and then work with Christian education centers in order to combine both training and ministry.

WORLD WIDE OUTREACH

The overall vision for reaching the world’s youth is that these mission efforts will lead to membership in local biblical and worshipping church and in turn lead to fruitful and multiplying ministries that will glorify God in every area of life.

1. Mission training of youth leaders and establishment of local training centers

There are three major concentrations in global centers for the training of youth leaders: the local church; through para-church mission programs and in institutional Christian schools. a. Church training of youth leaders for missions

Church leaders need to review the training materials and education programs their particular or similar denominations and ministries have for youth ministry. Often times there are well developed programs and materials but the local leaders are not aware of them. Or, the church may find out that their denomination and associated ministries do not provide any or enough adequate support or materials for such ministries.

The local church needs to consider the well tried option of “setting apart’ youth workers and youth leader trainers in order to develop this important part of Christ’s mission. b. Short term mission training by para church ministries

The author and his wife were beneficiaries of being trained in mission through attending Reformed Bible College (RBC, now called Kuyper College) and Summer Training Session (STS). Dr. Dick Van Halsema and his wife, Thea, were exemplary role models for missions and ministry. Our group of college students spend 10 weeks in Mexico and Central American in training in language, cultural and missions. The students were eventually placed in Presbyterian churches and became involved in VBS and mostly children ministries. Our language skills were much more on the children’s level! Sandra and I did this for two summers in a row. Our mutual call to enter into full time service in missions was largely influenced by the STS summer experiences. Even though the original leadership of STS have retired, the program still continues.

There are many programs like STS sponsored by local churches, denominations and para church

114 115 ministries. Also, some mission agencies have specialized in training mission youth workers.

Youth With a Mission (YWAM) probably has the most intensive training and mission program for their young missionaries who minister on a short term basis in a variety of countries. Training is given on board their ships, in national centers as well as in regional meetings. Youth activities such as drama, music, athletics and education are promoted. Operation Mobilization is also mobile and effective in training their staff and making quick entries into a variety of countries. Other global youth movements exist and provide training grounds for longer term missions.

The drawback to involving parachurch ministry in training is the limitation as to the theological direction of the leadership and the course materials. Christian and Church leaders need to be aware of the theological emphasis of the para church ministries and missions before they become involved with them. The theological emphasis of a ministry is usually identified in their Statement of Faith. It would be worthwhile to speak to representatives of the ministry and ask specific doctrinal and practical questions as to how they handle the ‘hot topics.’ c. Christian schools, Bible College, Christian Universities and Seminary youth training

Any youth training program that will take a longer period of study may outgrow the youth leader student! Youth leaders tend to be younger and if becoming a youth pastor requires four years of Liberal Arts and three years of Seminary, then by the time the youth pastor graduates he will be ready to be senior pastor. This is another reason that leaders need to be trained while in ministry and that the emphasis be on the youth program and not just the individual youth leader. Both the youth being ministered to as well as the youth leaders continually change. They naturally grow out of the program but the program needs to continue.

In order to preserve a full fledge training program, which can be conducted in the context of ministry, local church need to develop their own distance education youth program. Available youth ministry courses need to be identified and studied while ministry is taking place.

CONCLUSION

This chapter raises many questions and provides few answers! The overall question posed in the introduction is whether or not the youth and youth program of the church and church families are reaching out to “the least of these My ‘little’ brethren.”

We have presented an abbreviated mission vision for reaching the new generation of Christian and non-Christian youth. Such a vision is carried out on a personal basis; through the Christian family as well as in conjunction with the world wide family of God. At the end of the day, the youth need to be incorporated into the membership, the ongoing ministry and mission of the local church, and be able to answer the question that Jesus has prophetically presented to us concerned “the least of these My brethren.”

The new generation is growing daily and waiting for the response of the Christian community. The Christians need to go to the New Generation rather than wait for the New Generation to come to them. The New Generation needs to know that Jesus said: “Let the children come to me.” Are you leading the youth to Christ and His Church? Is the Church reaching out to the youth, as well as the 115 116 adults, who are among the “least of these My brethren.”

QUESTIONS 11.24. How is the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20 related to youth work? 11.25. If children are born innocent, why do they have to learn to follow their Savior? 11.26. What curriculum is available for the children’s Sunday School teachers? 11.27. What is the main goal for the church’s youth ministry? 11.28. What kind of youth ministry exist in the local high schools and other churches? 11.29. What is the purpose of sending the youth to summer camps? 11.30. Is your church willing to host a youth mission camp? 11.31. What are some recommendable Christian literature, magazines, movies for the church youth to read and see? 11.32. Who has the main responsibility for discipling the youth? 11.33. Does the church offer education for parents to parent their children in a Christian way? 11.34. Does the youth ministry include non-church going youth, street kids and others who are not usually church goers? How does that change the dynamics of the youth group? 11.35. Does the church provide training for the youth leaders and volunteers? 11.36. Does the church promote mission trips for the youth to participate in? What purpose would that serve? 11.37. What training does the Church give for the leaders of the university student’s fellowship? 11.38. Does the youth program of the church record the names of the children and the youth who they serve? What can you report as to attendance and testimonies of the children, the youth and their parents? NEEDS REPORT Service needs Volunteer for ministry requests ______A specific task or contribution requests ______

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Training at congregational level needs ______RECOMMENDED READINGS Robert Choun and Michael Lawson. The Compete Handbook for Children’s Ministry. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1993. Jaime Morales. Introduction to Youth Ministry. Miami: MINTS, 2010. Lawrence Richards. Children’s Ministry. Grand Rapids: Zondervans, 1983.

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHRISTIAN PERSONAL MINISTRIES DEFINITION Each church member has the personal responsibility to serve the Lord wherever they have been called and in all areas of life (Luke 4:18,19; Ephesians 2:10; 3:1, I Peter 2: 9-10). As part of the priesthood of all believers, the Christian is to prophetically proclaim the Word, to pastorally pray and serve others and as citizens of the kingdom to have victory over sin, evil, the world, the Devil and finally death.

Hudson Taylor. "God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him."

John Mott. "It is possible for the most obscure person in a church, with a heart right toward God, to exercise as much power for the evangelization of the world, as it is for those who stand in the most prominent positions." SURVEY PERSONAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MINISTRIES 12.1. Personal profession of faith in Christ and repentance from sin 12.2. Personal life 12.3. Parenting, family life 12.4. Employment 12.5. Christian education 12.6. Health services 12.7. Social services 12.8. Judicial responsibilities 12.9. Civic duties 12.10 Political responsibilities 12.11. Recreation 12.12. Mass media, 117 118

communications 12.13. The arts REFLECTIONS ON CHRISTIAN’S PERSONAL MINISTRIES

ARE WE A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD CHURCH?

Scripture: I Peter 2:9b; text: I Peter 2:4-10

The largest priesthood in the Christian Church is the priesthood of all believer. The larger priesthood was rediscovered in 16th century Protestantism. Not only were the clergy to pray and seek reconciliation among the people but all believers are priests, as well as prophets and kings through being anointed with the Spirit of Christ. This is taught in the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s 12.

Q. But why are you called a Christian?

A. Because I am a member of Christ by faith, and thus a partaker of His anointing, that I may confess His Name, present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to Him, and with a free and good conscience fight against sin and the devil in this life, and hereafter reign with Him eternally over all creatures

Let us turn to Scripture where we see in the first part of I Peter 2:9 that the elect are the priests of God.

1. THE ELECT ARE A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood…”

1.1. The priesthood has a history that goes from eternity to eternity. a. [Eternity] The priest hood has its origins with the gracious provisions of the Triune God. God has made an eternal covenant with His people. “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus…(Hebrews 13:20). And God, who is omniscience (all knowing) also knew that man would sin, provided Jesus to be our mediator, our covenant surety, our high priest. b. [Creation] The mediator was not the policeman who would try to stop man from sinning. Rather, he would be a priest who would seek reconciliation between the sinner and the sinned against, God. c. [Fall] With the fall, the intercession is based on the spilling of blood that is the necessity for a living SUBSTITUTE to stand between a holy and offended Father and the sinning believer. The Old Testament priesthood system is set up for: INTERCESSORY SACRIFICE, PRAYER, RECONCILIATION AND PREPARING GOD’S PEOPLE TO WORSHIP. d. [Universal] There is a universal priesthood as well as local priests. Whereas the Aaronic and Levitical priesthood was centered around the covenant meeting place and people, the order of Melchizedek is universal.

118 119 e. [OT history] At the end of the OT, the priesthood had dwindled down to a faithful few “lower” priests. The system had become corrupted. It could only be restored by the supreme High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. f. [Jesus] Jesus fulfills the office of priest. Jesus comes and fulfills all the functions of the High Priest. He is the ultimate sacrifice, He intercedes and only He brings reconciliation. He is the universal priest after the order of Melchizedek. g. [After the resurrection, Jesus is the High Priest in heaven]. He intercedes for the prayer of God’s people. They will come to the Father in Jesus name. h. [Us?] And Jesus commissions ALL believers to be priests [you are…a royal priesthood]. Christ will reign using the prayers, intercession and sacrifice of His people.

1.2. Christians are anointed as the royal priests on earth.

The word “royal” in Greek comes from basilea…to reign. We are a reigning priesthood through prayer to the Father in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the High Priest and believers are the lower priests.

John Calvin notes in his commentary that “royal priest” combines both the office of king and priest. God will reign through the prayers of His priests, WHO PRAY ACCORDING TO THE INTERCESSION AND PRAYERS OF JESUS, OUR HIGH PRIEST.

That is why, in the Reformed and Presbyterian churches, as well as many other Protestant and Evangelical churches, we do not have a special priesthood amongst our leaders. ALL BELIEVERS ARE PRIESTS. This is called the “priesthood of all believers.”

That is why, all believers are called to pray, intercede, sacrifice themselves, seek reconciliation, invite people to prepare themselves for worship, by together appealing to Jesus.

1.3. The royal priesthood is active among Christians. a. The Puritan Sidlow Baxter reminds us..."Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers." b. The mission churches that are growing worldwide are marked by extensive prayer. The Moravians, who God used to evangelize among slaves and servants and reform the church starting at the end of the 18th century, prayed 24 hours a day, for over 100 years! c. Jorge Pasible, was an elderly pastor, with a very feeble voice yet a ferverant spirit, who lived in a small village close to where we lived in the country side in the Dominican Republic. He was close to dying and he knew it. Just before he died he said to me, “Cornelio, the fact that you and the missionaries are here and that the church has been revived and grown is an answer to many years of prayer. We prayed for revival and the Lord sent you.” I do not consider myself a revivalist but when you reflect on the church groups of 40 or so souls that today, 26 years latter number 16,600, then you know God is at work and that He answered the prayers of Jorge, of the missionaries and of the supporting churches.

2 THE ELECT PRIESTS RESPOND TO THE CALL, PRAY, SACRIFICE, INTERCEDE, SEEK RECONCILIATION AND PREPARE GOD’S PEOPLE FOR WORSHIP

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2.1. The functions of the priest. So what do the priests do? In the OT the priest responded to the call of God to be priest, offered sacrifices, brought gifts before the Lord, they prayed, they sought reconciliation between God and His people and in general they prepared God’s people for worship. a. ELECTED PRIEST. First of all, the priests must recognize his or her election by God as priest!

“But you are…a chosen generation”

1. Peter is not only talking about the ordained pastors! He does not say, “we, the apostles, are a chosen generation. No, he includes all. Yes, the pastors and elders have a special role among fellow priests, they train the priesthood of believers for the work of ministry and the upbuilding of the church (Eph. 4:12) but the larger office is the office of all believers.

2. Peter points out that the royal priests are elected by God (and therefore not chosen by men). This is not an office controlled by the denomination, the state of religion, the affairs of politics…..it is a divine office on earth, directly chosen, model and controlled by God! Yes, we have accountability to the church, but the church does not determine your calling or spiritual vocation, God does. The church spiritually recognizes and discerns the call of God upon His people.

3. The elect can never say….there is no room for my gift, my ministry in the kingdom of God! If God gives you a call and gift for ministry he will provide a place to minister. [Because of my traveling ministry, I do not receive many invitations to preach in Miami….so on Sunday evenings, when I am home, I give a short homily to the homeless….[if you’re a preacher you better preach, whether that be in the church building or in the parking lot!]

4. The priesthood is not for everybody. It’s only for the Christians who are elected by the true God and who truly function as priests. They profess the true God, the pray to the Father through Jesus, they intercede, they seek the reconciliation between God and man.

One way to identify the elect priest is by their confession of the true God. He not the god of the Mormons, who believe that the Father was born on another planet. He is not the god of the JWs, who deny the eternity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is not the god of the New Agers who think God the Father is mother and who also think, by the way, that you, your cats and dogs and the tree in your back yard are gods. Obviously, there is selectivity in the priesthood of all believers.

Then there are Christians who loudly proclaim that they do not believe in the election of God. Either they will come to a change of heart and belief or they show themselves to be non- elect!

Conclusion. The only royal priests are those of the chosen generation, those who are elected by God to such a task. And they are called to know who elected them and for what purpose. b. SACRIFICING PRIESTS. Priests are to present acceptable sacrifice. The people in the OT

120 121 would confess their sins by offering a substitutionary sacrifice. The priest would accept the sacrifices and present them to the Lord. After Pentecost, the believers would come to Jesus by faith, confess their sins based on His sacrifice and live a life of gratitude and praise. THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE SACRIFICE IS TO POINT TO THE NECESSARY CONDITION OF THE SINFULHEART. WE MUST BE CONTRITE, REPENT AND CONFESS OUR SINS BEFORE GOD! The sacrifice that the Lord requires is a broken, contrite and believing heart and spirit. “Blessed are the poor in Spirit for there IS the kingdom of God.” The king reigns through broken hearts, through mourning hearts, through hearts of mercy, kindness, peacemaking and hearts that depend on the grace of God, that pray and beg of God and thank Him for His grace! For like Luther said: “We are one beggar telling another beggar where to find the next meal of grace.” c. ADMINISTRATIVE PRIESTS. The priests receive the gifts that are brought for the Lord. The priest would make sure these were first fruits and not the rotten fruit.

1. Are we receiving gifts for the work of the Lord? The work of the priest is not just to give from his own goods but also encourage others to give. 2. As leaders in the church we have a great responsibility to properly use the gifts given for the Lord’s work. The first step to asking is to ask God…then ask others. d. PRAYING PRIESTS. The priest would pray and intercede for the needy. The priest would pray for the people. They would present the sacrifices and speak to the Lord, on the basis of the sacrifice.

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1).

1. Prayer identifies our entrance into the priesthood. (i.e. Saul, “behold, he prayeth)

2. Even children are in the priesthood!

I visited an Indian orphanage in Santa Marta, Colombia. The children were there because of the violence their tribes were experiencing. The tribes were very much closed to the gospel. However, these children had be taught and led to pray. It was incredible to hear their prayers. God certainly had opened the doors to the family and the tribe through these children.

3. Obviously, we need to begin to pray. [We don’t always feel like it!]

The 19th century English Baptist “prince of preachers,” C. H. Spurgeon observed: "I believe that when we cannot pray, it is time that we pray more than ever. And if you answer, "but how can that be?" I would say, pray to pray. Pray for prayer. Pray for the spirit of supplication. Do not be content to say, "I would pray if I could. No, but if you say I cannot pray, pray till you can."

"The more we pray the more we shall want to pray...and he who prays more, will desire to pray more abundantly." e. MEDIATING PRIESTS. The priest would seek reconciliation for those in conflict. The priests were mediators. Sometimes the only thing a troubled persons needs is: can I pray with you?

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What a joy it is to lead people to the Father through the Son. If all of our troubles lead us to the throne of grace then it’s all worth it.

However, the prayers for reconciliation need to be followed up with actions that are reconciliatory. Confession of sins, asking for forgiveness, restitution and other forms of reconciliation need to be sought.

1. We pray for reconciliation: “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”

Christians do not pray just to have a nice intimate talk with God. Prayer goes beyond talking to actually pleading for reconciliation, that is, the restoration between estranged parties. a. Christian parents pray for their children every day. If there is a member of the family that is not following the Lord Jesus by faith, be assured that you are being prayer for until there is reconciliation with God or until the prayer ceases! b. Christian partners pray for each other every day. And if one partner is not faithful to the Lord, be assured, you are being prayer for until there is reconciliation with God or until the prayers cease! c. Christian pastors pray for their flock. The consistory prays for the members who are ill, those who do not see the need to attend the worship services, and those who are having struggles. Be assured, congregation, you are being prayed for until there is reconciliation with God or until the prayers cease! d. Christians pray for their government leaders. You may by pro president or anti-president, but it is still your Christian duty to pray for him that he may, willingly or unwillingly, reward that which is good and punish that which is evil. f. FINALLY, WE ARE WORSHIPPING PRIESTS. The priest would prepare the people to worship in Spirit and in Truth. They were in charge of the tabernacle and the temple. They made sure the people understood and properly came into God’s presence through the mediating priest.

1. Do we invite people to join you in worshipping the true God? Do we invite people to come to the Father through Jesus Christ, the only High Priest?

I remember a lady in Fort Lauderdale who for more than a year picked up another lady to come to church before that person came herself and became a Christian. The lady lived right across the street of the church but she needed a priestess to come and prepare her for worship.

2. Is our congregation involved in sending and supporting missionaries who train national Christians to plant churches where the priesthood of all believers can be strengthened, encouraged and grow in their ministry?

3. THE ELECT PRIESTS ARE PART OF THE GLOBAL TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

3.1. The old temple is obsolete. The temple of the OT would soon be destroyed or it was already destroyed. That happened in 70 AD. God would not need the OT temple any more.

3.2. Christ had come and said that He is the living temple. There would no need for an earthly 122 123 shadow of the real temple when the real temple was revealed. We do not look forward to the restoration of the old temple but the growth of the new temple. In the new heavens and new earth, there will be no temple; John writes: “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Rev. 21:22).

3.3. And now the Christians, those in whom Christ dwells, are called the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Since Christians are the temple, we can pray, intercede, spiritually sacrifice, praise, sing, and do all and more than what took place in the OT temple.

3.4. The temple is being build worldwide. a. This living temple is now sent to every corner of the world! What an extensive temple! It is far greater than the old temple. The Mormons, Roman Catholics and Shuller can build their temples of bricks and stones, but only Christ builds the true temple and he does so worldwide. b. One of the largest concentration of Christians in one nation is probably China. When the Western missionaries were deported at the beginning of the 20th century there were about a million believers. Today, the conservative estimates are 60,000,000 million and many speak of 100,000,000 Christians, most of them in illegal house churches. This was accomplished by God without Reformed denominations, without synodical meetings, without ecumenical meetings, without seminaries, without mission boards, without Western money, without Western missionaries etc. etc. So what is the secret? They are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation….they pray and they reign with Christ.

Thankfully, we can have a small part in this incredible growth of the church worldwide, but it sure does not depend on us. This is God’s sovereign work.

CONCLUSION As royal priest in the global temple of the Holy Spirit we are chosen to:

Respond to the call to be royal priests-to glorify God by participating in His reign through prayer and reconciliation. Pray to the Father through Jesus our High Priest and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Sacrifice our broken heart- Intercede for the needy- Seek reconciliation to conflict- Prepare God’s people for worship When Jesus comes again will He find us being faithful priests in His global temple? Before we can do anything for the Lord, we must pray and ask Him to lead.

QUESTIONS 12.14. Would you agree that those who are transformed by the Gospel become instruments for the transformation of others. 12.15. Are members of your immediate family Christian? Do you see growth in that area? 12.16. How do you respond to your single daughter who has an unwanted pregnancy and is seeking an abortion? 12.17. Do you find opportunities to witness to non- Christian workers in the place where you work? 12.18. How are you able to witness to Christ in the areas of public education that you are involved in? 12.19. What is your response to people who do not have medical insurance or cannot afford the

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medicine they need? 12.20. Do you consider some of your jokes to be racist? Why is that? 12.21. Can you describe a social injustice that still needs to be corrected? What is your response? 12.22. Which of the laws in your society do you break? Why is that? 12.23. Would you give a day’s work to an illegal immigrant and pay him cash? Would you hire him, send in his paper work in let the government respond or not respond to his illegality? 12.24. Would you assist a foreign visitor to enter your country in order to take advantage of emergency health care offered which is not offered in their own country? 12.25. Would you vote for a pro-abortion presidential or other political candidate? 12.26. Do you believe in retiring from church responsibilities? 12.27. Do you watch x-rated movies? If not, how do you keep away from such materials? 12.28. Should the problem of obesity and over indulgence be addressed from the American pulpits? 12.29. Should the plight of abused children and family members, prisoner neglect, the loneliness of the elderly, care for the sick and other social issues in your community be addressed from the Christian pulpit? 12.30. Are Christians anointed by the same Spirit as Christ was anointed in Luke 4:18-19? 12.31. In what way are Christians priests? Explain the priesthood of all believers. 12.32. In what way are all Christians to be prophets? 12.33. In what way are all Christians kings? 12.34. If Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit, is it necessary to construct block and stone temples? 12.35. Is there such an entity as the City of God in the midst of the cities of men? 12.36. It has been said that secularization is increasing in our world. In what way can you sanctify culture? 12.37. What part of the culture you live in will translate into the afterlife? 12:38. In what way are you a light on a hill and salt of the earth?

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NEEDS REPORT Service needs Volunteer for ministry requests ______

A specific task or contribution requests ______

Training at congregational level needs ______