Building Upon the PILLARS Learning the Essentials of What It Means to Be a Member of the Church

Building upon the PILLARS Learning the Essentials of What it Means to be a Member of the Church

By Patrick H. Wrisley, D. Min. Senior Pastor and Teaching Elder First Presbyterian Church 724 North Woodland Boulevard DeLand, FL 32720

Contents

Introduction – Called to be a Christ-Follower 2

Pillar One: Worship 4

Pillar Two: Spiritual Formation and Nurture 21

Pillar Three: Care 33

Pillar Four: Mission and Service 43

Pillar Five: Invitation and Evangelism 53

Pillar Six: Trusteeship 63

Don’t Know Much ‘Bout Theology 73

First Presbyterian Church is a congregation that commits itself to be a gathering of Christ-Followers who learn, live and share the Story of Jesus Christ. This is our vision and sole purpose. We invite you to be a part of this vision - to come and journey with sisters and brothers who seek to listen and share what Jesus Christ has done in their lives.

We believe we can best live out our vision by embracing and living-out what we call the Six Pillars of Christ-Followership. With Jesus as the cornerstone and foundation, these six pillars support ministry for, to, and with the world. There are many values we could focus upon but we have chosen these pillars as they are the foundational values of the Presbyterian Reformed Church called the Great Ends of the Church. The Great Ends of the Church are:

 The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;  The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;  The maintenance of divine worship;  The preservation of the truth;  The promotion of social righteousness; and  The exhibition of the Kingdom of God to the World (nFOG F.1.0304).

Using the Great End of the Church as our guide, we desire our members to build their spiritual life on theses pillars:

Worship – both personal and corporate Spiritual Formation through small groups, studies, and classes. Care for the needs of others. Service and Mission locally and around the world. Invitation and Evangelism. Trusteeship of our time, talent, and finances.

How do we fulfill our vision to live, learn and share the Story of Jesus? We build upon our core, strategic values that guide and steer how we live, what we learn, and how we share the wonderful salvation Story of Jesus. If a Christ-Follower is living out these six pillars in his or her life, he or she will be living the Story, learning the Story, and sharing the Story of our Lord.

This manual is a tool designed to help you learn and engage your faith in God. It does not contain all the answers to all your questions. Hopefully, it will generate more questions than it asks thereby pushing you to explore your faith journey. In the chapters that follow, you will learn how you can participate in growing and strengthening your Christ-Followership. You will learn about the traditions and history of First Presbyterian Church as well as some history of the Presbyterian faith. You will also learn about what your church is doing in each of the “pillar areas.” If you should feel called to become a member of FPC upon completion of Essentials, there are vows that you will take publicly before the congregation. Again, it is our hope that this Essentials process will give you the answers to these questions as they prepare you for what lies beyond. There are four basic questions for membership in the Church. The first two relate to our VERTICAL dimension of faith with God and the second two relate to the HORIZONTAL dimension of our Christian relationship with the Church today. The questions are:

2 1. Do you acknowledge yourself to be a sinner and have a broken relationship with God? 2. Do you acknowledge that Jesus Christ is both your Lord and your Savior? 3. Will you, to the best of your ability, seek to live a life that reflects the tone, tenor and type of discipleship we are called to live as Christ-followers? 4. Will you seek to serve the Church of Jesus Christ with your time, energy, imagination, and purity in love?

The Pastor will ask the congregation:

Will you promise to accept these members in love into our church and to come alongside them to encourage them and to integrate them into our fellowship?

Being a part of the Church is a big responsibility and a serious commitment to make between God and the Body – his Church. You come with your own hopes, dreams and expectations for membership here. As you grow in faith at FPC, we also have hopes and dreams and yes, even expectations for you as a new member of the family.

We want you to be (w)holy DISsatisfied with your faith.

We want you to grow your understanding of our Lord through the study of Scriptures and by focusing on the 30 Core Competencies. These 30 CC’s outline ten things you should know, then Christian practices we are encouraged to follow to grow our faith deep, and as a result of what we know and practice, we develop and begin demonstrating ten basic Christ-Following Virtues. Collectively, we call these 30 CC’s, Ad Fontem, Latin for “returning to the Source, the fountain, the spring.” FPC is a church committed to returning to the Source of our Faith, the wonderful Triune God!

We want you to be fully engaged in the life of your church family. We are only as strong as your involvement and investment.

We want you to give of your time, talents, and finances to the work of God’s Kingdom so that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in a broken and hurting world. As Senior Pastor and Teaching Elder of this church, I invite you to join in the journey. I am…

Teaching the Story, Patrick H. Wrisley Pastor

3 Pillar One: Worship

Worship. Someone once said the best way to remember what worship is about is to call it by its synonym, worth-ship. Worship is worth-ship. It means giving to God our undivided attention in an attitude of adoration, confession, celebration and praise. The Psalmist describes worship this way:

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O My Soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. (Psalm 146.1-2)

The Presbyterian Constitution Part II, defines worship as…

Christian worship joyfully ascribes all praise and honor, glory and power to the triune God. In worship the people of God acknowledge God present in the world and in their lives. As they respond to God’s claim and redemptive action in Jesus Christ, believers are transformed and renewed. In worship, the faithful offer themselves to God and are equipped for God’s service in the world.1

The task of worship stands in contrast to our Western worldview that tends to focus upon our individuality and our rugged utilitarian individualism. We get lulled into thinking that our life is all about ‘me’ and that in this world, “I am quite prepared to pioneer alone into the wilderness of a cultural mosh pit that will carry me to who knows where.” Worship is our reality check that we are not the centers of all that is or will be; it’s a reminder that we are not God. It points to the reassuring fact that life and its consequences are bigger than what we human beings can understand and control and that there is indeed a God who holds our world in the palm of his hand. So, let’s get to some specifics.

“WHAT ARE OUR WORSHIP SERVICES?”

We worship weekly at 8:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Our early service is an intimate classical service that meets in the chapel. Our 9:00 a.m., what we call Daybreak, is a more casual and contemporary worship setting in the Fellowship Hall. Our 11:00 a.m. service is our Classical service with choirs and special music offerings. We also have several special worship services depending on the time of the year.

1 Book of Order, W-1.1001 4 In a word, our primary duty in life is first and foremost to worship God. One of the church’s confessions, The Shorter Catechism, asks an inquiring Christian this first question:

Question 1: What is the chief end of man/woman? Answer: A person’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.2

Seasons of the Church year.

Our cultural calendar begins on January first. The church calendar begins on a different date; Christians understand that the church calendar begins on or near December 1, the first Sunday of the Season of Advent.

Advent is the beginning of the four-week preparation for Christmas. Whereas Lent is a preparation for Easter, Advent is preparation for the Lord’s birth. Typically, each of the four Sundays focuses on a different attribute Christ- Followers are to live out. These attributes are represented by the four candles on the Advent wreath: love; joy; peace; and hope. We believe that it is only after we thoughtfully prepare and meditate upon the Baby Jesus’ birth that we are able to fully appreciate Christmas Day and what it means for all creation.

As New Year’s approaches, the church moves into the Season of Epiphany. Epiphany is the time when Jesus comes into his own and begins his ministry. Epiphany literally means, “to be revealed.” During the Season of Epiphany, the Lord and his mission are revealed to the people of Israel and beyond.

Perhaps the most well known season of the church year is the Season of Lent. Lent is the forty-day period prior to Easter. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, a solemn service where people come to God and repent of the sin in their life. The pastor then takes the ashes and marks the worshipper’s foreheads with the sign of the Cross as they depart.

The last seven days of Lent are called Holy Week. It begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter. Palm Sunday commemorates the story in Luke 19.28 and following when Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem during Passover. For the Jews present, they remembered the songs from Psalm 118 that told how the Messiah would come and reclaim the city of Jerusalem as God’s Holy City.

Thursday of Holy Week is called Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday commemorates Jesus’ last Passover meal with his twelve disciples. It is the service where we commemorate Jesus’ final supper with his disciples the night he was betrayed. Maundy Thursday is a very solemn service where every Christ- Follower looks to God and does two things. On the one hand, we acknowledge to Him that we too could have betrayed Jesus like Judas. We too are capable of deserting our Lord. On the other hand, Maundy Thursday is a time to pause and think about the tremendous cost God through Christ paid for redeeming us from

2 Book of Confessions, 7.001. Please note I adapted the gender specific language to be inclusive. Also, think of a person’s ‘chief end’ as asking what is our purpose for being alive. 5 our separation from Him. The Maundy Thursday service also is known as a Tenebrae Service. This is when we read the scriptures telling the Story of Jesus’ last week. After a portion of scripture is read, a candle is extinguished. When the last reading is said and the final candle is put out, the congregation leaves in quiet and darkness.

FPC also holds a Good Friday Service which commemorates the day Jesus was declared guilty by the religious and Roman officials and was killed with the capital punishment method of choice for the Romans, crucifixion.

Easter is a tremendous morning – the time when Christ-Followers throughout the world celebrate the fact that Jesus is raised from the dead and has reconnected people and redeemed creation with and for God.

Following Easter is a period of five weeks that culminate on Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost helps us remember the Church of Jesus Christ’s birthday. The story is outlined in Acts 2. The disciples were in Jerusalem and people from all over the ancient world were gathered in Jerusalem to Celebrate the Jewish festival of Weeks, or Tabernacles. As the Jews were gathered, the Holy Spirit came and landed upon the new disciples. The Apostle Peter preached his first sermon and it was on this day, the Church was born. Pentecost is a long season of the church year, lasting all the way through November. The final Sunday of the church year is Christ the King Sunday. It’s a day we proclaim that Jesus is indeed our Lord and our Savior.

Various colors are associated with the church seasons and remind us of the emphasis for each season.

The Christian Church Year Explained

Advent Advent is a time of preparation, the coming of Emmanuel, during the four weeks (includes 4 Sundays) before Christmas. The word "Advent" means coming or arrival, and it is the arrival of the Christ child that we anticipate during this season. The first Sunday of Advent is the beginning of the church year.

Color: Purple

Christmas is the season that takes place during the twelve days between Christmas day and Epiphany. We celebrate the birth of Christ during Christmas. Christmas Color: Gold or White

Epiphany starts on January 6 and continues through to the beginning of Lent. January 6 is the day for remembering the visitation of the child Jesus by the scholars from a distant Epiphany land. Color: Green

Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and continues through to Easter. The word “Lent” means “to lengthen” referring to the lengthening of daylight. The 40 days of Lent remind us of Christ’s time in the wilderness when he fasted and was tempted. During Lent, we take Lent particular care to examine ourselves and repent. Some people add a spiritual discipline during the season of Lent, such as fasting.

Color: Purple

The days between Palm Sunday and Easter make up Holy Week. These days observe the events in the life of Jesus from the entry into Jerusalem through the crucifixion and burial. Palm Sunday is sometimes called Passion Sunday because of the tragic events of the week to come. The primary observances of Holy Week are: Maundy Thursday Holy Week (instruction of the Lord's Supper); Good Friday (the passion and death of Jesus); and Holy Saturday (the burial of Jesus).

Color: Red

The principal and most ancient festival of the Christian church year is Easter. At Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, the final conquering of death. The season of Easter Easter lasts 50 days until the Day of Pentecost. Color: Gold or White

Pentecost is a remembrance of the gift of the Holy Spirit to the ancient believers on the Day of Pentecost. During Pentecost we celebrate God’s continued presence in our lives in the form of his Spirit. Pentecost continues through to the Saturday before Trinity Pentecost Sunday.

Color: Red

Also known as “Kingdomtide,” Ordinary Time begins on Trinity Sunday and continues through until the Saturday before Advent. Various events are remembered during Ordinary Ordinary Time, including the Transfiguration of Jesus, World Communion Sunday, All Time Saints Day, and Christ the King Sunday (the Sunday before Advent begins).Color: Green

Engaging Worship

We believe the first core value a Christ-Follower should embrace is that of engaging worship. You can read this in one of two ways – either way is correct!

On the one hand, we believe in engaging worship, i.e. a time of corporate worship that engages and grabs hold of the congregation. On the other hand, we believe it is vital for individual Christ-Followers to be engaging in worship. In other words, worship has a personal dimension as well. It’s not just something “we do” on Sunday morning; rather, worshipping God is something we are called to every day. Let’s look at these two more closely. How do you define “church?”

CORPORATE WORSHIP

When Presbyterian Christ-Followers are asked, “what makes a church a church?” they reply, “The Church of Jesus Christ exists when the Word of God is faithfully preached and heard, where the Sacraments are faithfully administered, and where the people of God go out into the world serving others on Christ’s behalf.” Did you catch what this definition of church didn’t say?

It does not say, “The church is where we use the denomination’s hymnbook.”

It does not say, “The church is where the people gather for worship.”

What’s your earliest It does not say, “The church is where I go and get recollection of church? If you had to draw a spiritually fed.” picture describing it, what would you draw? It says, “The church is where the Word of God is faithfully preached/proclaimed/exclaimed and where the people of God listen/hear/act upon what they hear.” In a nutshell: the church is where the people of God and the searchers for God engage in the act worship of God.

FPC is a church that works hard at providing an engaging atmosphere that is not “Christotainment” but is authentic and meaningful in its glorification of Jesus Christ. The Worship Team strives to provide a balanced/blended/spiritually-breathed time of corporate What worship style are you praise. As such, we will utilize many forms of liturgy to most familiar with? What makes a service “traditional” assist us in God-praise. or “contemporary”?

Liturgy sounds like “old timey” church. It does not have to be. Liturgy literally means “work.” The liturgy of any given service is designed to help the congregation in its work of worship of God. As such, our liturgy changes. It is dynamic and fluid. There will be some Sundays the worship leadership may

8 wear the traditional robes. On other days, he or she may wear slacks or an open golf shirt. There will be some worship services where we will sing Handel and Bach. There will be others when we will sway and move to the rhythm of a bluesy/jazzy/gospel sound on the piano. Some worship services will have written prayers. Other worship times may utilize drama to get the Message across. The point is this: FPC utilizes various worship media (hymnbooks, choirs, bands, video, etc.) and styles (classical, contemporary).

For years, people in the pew have lambasted elements in the church that were “traditional” and praised the ones that were “contemporary” or vice-versa. The answer has been to offer two services for the people to attend -- one traditional and one contemporary. The result has been to split congregations, elements from both sides thinking their style of worship is more correct than the other. This is unfortunate. Not only that - the wrong issues are pitted against each other.

The argument should not be “traditional” worship versus What are some worship “contemporary” worship. The argument needs to be recast as practices your former church observed? traditional versus nostalgic. We need to forsake the notion that if Which did you like? something is old then it is bad or irrelevant. As we look at worship, Dislike? Why? we see many traditional elements that are needed and necessary for meaningful, relevant worship. There is a big difference between worship that embraces traditional elements and worship that is nostalgic.

Preaching is an old practice - dating back to the days of Moses as he told the Hebrews about the Ten Commandments. Is it irrelevant? Not at all! Hymns and praise choruses have been sung for three millennia (King David was an ancient singer/song composer noted for many of our Psalms. The Psalms were the Hebrews’ and first Christian church’s hymnbook!) Because singing is a traditional part of church, an old practice in the church, should we get rid of it? Of course not! Preaching, hymns, the Lord’s Supper – all of these are old, traditional elements of worship but they are vital parts of worship.

The challenge today is not to confuse meaningful, powerful When does traditions with personal nostalgic reminiscing over what it used to be like worship “start” for “when I grew up” or “when I was in my old church.” The key is to you? How do you spend your time appropriately and to authentically blend time-tested and time-honored getting ready for elements of the past with appropriate and authentic elements from our the service to present day. Preaching, singing, and communion are all traditional begin? elements. Asking which hymnbook we are to use or whether or not the preacher or choir wear robes is nostalgic.

What are the different parts of the service?

Each worship service includes a rhythm. Although the words may change each week, each service begins and ends at a certain place.

Before Worship…

9 People will start gathering within fifteen minutes of service times. This is a good time to connect with those sitting around you, especially our guests. Assume anyone you do not know is a guest; this will ensure you treat them with grace-full-ness and compassion and will share the warmth of the family. As we begin approaching five minutes before the time for worship to begin, it is very appropriate to begin focusing your attention on God and what God is about to do in the service. This is an excellent time to offer up some prayers in preparation for worship.

What are some things you might pray for? To begin with, you can ask the Holy Spirit to come and fill the room with his presence. Do you remember the climatic scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Nazis lifted the cover off the Ark of the Covenant? The Spirit of God came rushing forth like fire with the sound of a great wind. That was Hollywood. In Acts 2.1-4, we read,

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there Do you have gifts of came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled speaking, prayer or music that could be the entire house where they were sitting. Divided used in worship? tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

When we ask the Spirit to come and be with us in the sanctuary, we are asking the Spirit to come and be an active presence with the people in worship. We are reminded by the Apostle Paul that God has anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit for what God promises to bring us in the future (See 2 Corinthians 1.22). When we gather as a worshipping community, we are consciously, prayerfully and intentionally coaxing the Holy Spirit to lead us in mind, body, heart, and soul in the worship we are participating in at that moment.

Another item to lift up to God is for Him to anoint the Worship Team. Much goes on before the service and it is not always easy to focus on the task at hand. The Worship Team covets your prayers for pastors, liturgists, musicians, ushers, mixing crew and all others who are helping to lead the drama of worship each week.

A third petition to lift up is for those people seated next to you. Ask God to be with them in a special way. Pray the Word of God would become known through its proclamation in and through music, prayer, and message. Other questions and petitions you might consider are drawn from the ancient practice of performing an Examen. This is when a Christ-Follower intentionally reflects and examines his or her life in God by asking such questions as:

 For what moment today am I most grateful?  For what moment am I least grateful?  When did I give and receive the most today?  When did I give and receive the least today?  When over the last few days did I have the greatest sense of belonging to myself, others and God? When did I have the least sense of belonging?  When over the past few days have I felt most alive? When did I feel the most life drained out of me?

Announcements…

FPC draws the worshippers together by announcing the news of Do you fill out the the family. Instead of placing these announcements in the midst friendship pads? Why or why not? How might a of the service, we believe placing them at the beginning does not guest respond if they notice intrude upon the worship itself. It is during this time we ask you you did not sign? to pass the friendship pad down the aisle so we know how to respond to those of you who come to worship. There may be guests who have questions about the church, or, as a member, you may need a pastoral contact. The Friendship Pad is a helpful low-tech tool through which you can communicate with your staff.

Reconnecting to God or Affirming our Faith…

Sin is a word our culture does Towards the start of the service, we pause and not like. Perhaps it’s because reconnect ourselves with God. This is called “Prayer of we have a poor understanding Confession” in many churches. Essentially, we believe it of it. How would you define is appropriate to come to worship with a “blank slate,” i.e., “sin” to someone who does not come to church? Look up we come to God acknowledging both our sin as well as scriptural references of sin in our need for Him. Psalm 51 is a biblical reminder that the concordance in the back of when we reconnect with our Lord, we are asking that He your study Bible and note “wash us clean.” It is similar to saying “I’m sorry” to some of the important someone when you have had a disagreement. If I, for passages. How does it affect your understanding of what sin example, have done something to hurt your feelings, our is? relationship may be strained. Yet, once I come to you and say, “You know, I really messed up. I didn’t mean to hurt you but I have. I’m sorry,” I ask for your forgiveness. The relationship can move forward. It gets unstuck.

This is how King David puts it in Psalm 51:

11 Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins! Wash Read 2 Samuel 11. Many feel Psalm 51 away all my evil and make me clean from my sin! I was written as a recognize my faults; I am always conscious of my sins. I response to what 2 have sinned against you—only against you— and done Samuel describes. Can you think of a what you consider evil. So you are right in judging me; time when you had to you are justified in condemning me. I have been evil approach God and from the day I was born; from the time I was conceived, I “let it all hang out” and confess your have been sinful. Sincerity and truth are what you sins? require; fill my mind with your wisdom. Remove my sin, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness; and though you have crushed me and broken me, I will be happy once again. Close your eyes to my sins and wipe out all my evil. Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me. (Good News Bible in Today's English Version)

There will be other times when we say a creed instead of a prayer of confession. With a creed, we are If you were asked to write a creed, what reconnecting to God through declaring what we believe would it be? Take a about Him. We use creeds such as the Apostles’ moment and write a Creed, the Nicene Creed, and many creedal statements personal statement of what you believe. What from scripture like Philippians 2.5-11 or Colossians do you include? What 1.15-21. A creed is a statement of belief. It outlines do you exclude? elements of the faith all Christ-Followers hold in common. Below are some confessional and scriptural creeds.

Philippians 2.5-11

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NRSV)

Colossians 1.15-21

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to 12 dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. (NRSV)

The Apostles’ Creed I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell: The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead: I believe in the Holy Ghost: I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints: The forgiveness of sins: The resurrection of the body: And the life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene Creed I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer…

One of the privileges Protestant Christ-Followers embrace is the reality we can approach God directly with our prayers and petitions. We do not believe there is a need for a priest to make direct intercession for us. It is during this time in worship we both corporately and individually lift to God our prayers of joy 13 and hope, as well as our sadness and anxiety. It is appropriate to pray not only for our own needs and the needs of the church, but also for the larger community and for the world.

We conclude our prayers for the people by saying together the Lord’s Prayer. In Matthew 6.9 and following, we find Jesus in the midst of the Sermon on the Mount. He is deriding the way some of the religious officials like to pray lofty and verbose prayers. “Don’t pray like those hypocrites do,” Jesus tells them. The disciples respond, “Well, Lord, then how should we pray?” The result is the Lord’s Prayer. It goes – Look up Leviticus 25. Who Our Father who is in heaven, do you wish would declare a Jubilee in your life? Who hallowed be your Name. might look at you and wish Thy Kingdom Come, you would declare Jubilee Thy will be done, with them? on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the glory this day and forever more!

The flow of the prayer begins with an address and recognition of God and who God is. It then moves to an ascription of God-praise (holy How much do you spend for a is Your name!). The disciples are then to pray that God’s weekend’s-worth of Kingdom will come and be present with them right now. It entertainment or a “night on reminds us that heaven is not to be thought of as being “way the town?” Respond or reflect upon this comment: out there;” on the contrary, we are to pray for the in breaking of God’s reign wherever we are. As we pray for the in breaking of A single member of a church the Kingdom, we beseech God’s will be done - not ours. We said he spent over $150.00 a weekend “hitting all the places then ask God to forgive our debts as well as those who our in town meeting my friends…I indebted to us. For the first century Jew, this verse hearkens need to give at least that the image of the Jubilee verses described in Leviticus 25. This much in the offering each chapter in Leviticus talks about how every fifty years, the week.” people of Israel were to completely forgive any debts others owed them. Consequently, everyone’s “credit record” was made clean and perfect. Finally, Christ-Followers ask God to keep them from falling into temptation, i.e. separation from Him. Finally, the prayer ends with a burst of doxology that was added by the later early church; sadly, in many situations, the doxology is said with rote tonality because we have become too familiar with the prayer.

The Offertory…

We believe that all we have is a result of God’s graciousness and generosity to us. Christ-Followers hold to the notion that all we have is really nothing more than “borrowed” from God. God made it and we are fortunate to be

14 able to enjoy what He has provided. Our offering is our way of giving back to God. We offer at least three things in our offering.

First, we offer ourselves. In other words, the Offertory is a time we commit our lives back to God and offer our lives, gifts, and passions to the service of Jesus Christ.

Second, we offer our gratitude for all God has done for us. Whether it’s the simple stuff like coffee in the morning or big-picture issues like gratitude for a place to live, for health or for a job, the Offertory is the place in worship we tell God, “Thank you.”

Thirdly, we offer our financial gifts for the work of the Kingdom of God through the Church. Jesus instituted the Church to be His Body in the world working out Heaven’s work of justice, peace, and reconciliation. Our financial giving is directly related to how grateful we are for all God has done for us.

No one is forced to give anything at all. Although giving is a spiritual issue, it is up to everyone to decide what he or she can give with joy.

The Message…

The Message is when the people of God come in contact with the spoken and written Word of God. Also known as “the sermon,” the Message is designed to inspire, comfort, teach and/or challenge the people to act upon their Christ- Followership or understanding of the Lord.

During the Message, the Preacher will make regular reference to the Bible. Members are expected to bring their Bibles. We also encourage you to take notes during the Message. These notes are reference points for you. Some people even take them to their Small Group or Sunday school class to discuss the Message.

The Invitation and Blessing…

One of the core values we embrace is invitation. FPC believes any time the people of God gather, it is most appropriate to give an invitation and opportunity to join the Church family. The invitation we oftentimes use comes from Revelation 3.20. The invitation goes something like this: Look up the Jacob and Esau stories in “Jesus told his friends, “Behold, I stand at the door and Genesis 25 – 27. knock. Anyone who hears my voice and opens the door, I Note how Jacob went out of his way will come in and have supper with them and they will have to get his brother’s supper with me.” Friends, this is the invitation of Jesus blessing, i.e., Christ. If anyone here would like to commit or recommit Isaac’s blessing intended for Esau. themselves to Jesus Christ by becoming a part of the family of faith here, please see me following the service.”

Following the invitation, we have the blessing, or what has traditionally been called the benediction. The benediction is when the Worship Leader gives

15 the blessing of God to the people of God. When you read the Hebrew Scriptures, you notice how the head of the family would lay hands on his children. This is an act of blessing the child, bestowing upon him or her certain rights and privileges. The Genesis accounts of the Jacob and Esau narratives outline the blessing motif in detail. For us, the Worship Leader lifts her or his hands as though they were placing their hands upon the foreheads of those gathered. The blessing is from God, bestowing the blessings of the Father, Son and Spirit upon the people. The blessing the pastor uses at FPC is a derivation of the blessing found in Numbers 6; it also is known as the great Aaronic blessing. It is:

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn His face to you, smile brightly, radiantly, and give you the very peace of Jesus Christ our Lord. Go and live in that peace! Amen!

PERSONAL WORSHIP

Engaging worship also entails our engaging God in worship throughout the week. Someone has commented that worship can also be translated worth- ship, i.e., when we offer God our worship, we give weight and worth to Him. How can we do that? We accomplish this through our personal worship throughout the week.

The Early Church Fathers and Mothers developed what they called “A Rule for Faith and Life.” One’s Rule for Faith and Life is the thought-full and disciplined way we grow as Christ-Followers. In essence, our personal rule for faith and life is comprised of those various spiritual disciplines or exercises that help us keep Christ at the center of our lives and our faith growing larger and more mature.

There are some people who say, “Spiritual disciplines? That’s what monks and nuns do! I’m not Catholic!” That is incorrect thinking. Spiritual disciplines or practices are tools which help us remain Christ-focused. The Apostle Paul had something to say about this in 1Timothy 4. He directed the young pastor, Timothy, by saying,

If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with What does a godly person “look” profane myths and old wives' tales. Train yourself in like? List four characteristics---if godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, you’re not sure, dig around in the book of Galatians. godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. These are the things you must insist on and teach.

16 Paul is encouraging Timothy to train for godliness. Godliness is not something that just happens. It requires effort and work. What are some of the “spiritual exercises” we can work out with? Following are some suggestions.

A Daily Appointment With God.

If you are like me, unless you put your silent time with God in your date book and make it a part of your everyday routine, you will let other items crowd it off your calendar. Your daily time with God is a value decision you choose to make; either you choose to make your time alone with God a value or you choose not to. Either way, it is a choice. It is helpful to set aside specific time each day to be alone and silent with the Lord. In your scheduling, you should make it: Has there ever been Consistent - if it’s a routine, it is a habit. a time when God got your attention? What Timely - God gave His life for us; is it really was that like? reasonable to only give God five minutes a day to intentionally establish and nourish a When would be the relationship with Him? It takes an investment best time for you? of time to build a meaningful relationship. As we make our appointment with God, we need to ask if we are spending the same amount of time in prayer and scripture reading as we do in watching television, hitting the nine-iron, or sweating at the gym.

Quiet - There is so much noise in the world, from the phone ringing or the hum of your computer, it helps to be in a place that is quiet. Some people call this time with God their devotional time or their quiet time. Both titles are good but I choose to use Silent Time. I take it from God’s encounter with Elijah on top of Mt. Horeb. Elijah has defeated the prophets Baal and has fled to the wilderness. He climbs the Mountain of the Lord and he climbs into a cave. The Lord comes to visit him there. We read,

At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"(1Kings 19.9-18)

17 We read in Mark 1.35 how Jesus made sure he got up early and “went off to a lonely place and there he prayed.” The more we read about Jesus’ story in the Gospels, the more we read how he consistently made quantity/quality time in quiet with God.

Daily Reading of Scripture.

Presbyterian Christ-Followers believe the Bible is the unique and authoritative witness heralding and pointing to God’s personification in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. On the shelf, the Bible is merely a book. Crack the spine and ask for the Spirit to open our understanding, the Bible becomes THE Book. We will discuss more of the nuts and bolts issues of reading the Bible when we discuss the next Pillar – The Pillar of Spiritual Formation and Nurture. Suffice it to say, daily scripture How much time do you reading is vital for a Christ-Follower’s growth. spend in prayer?

Daily Time in Prayer. How much prayer time is spent in simply listening? Imagine being married and not talking with your spouse. Imagine going to school and not having a teacher who spoke. Imagine going to a football game where the quarterback was not allowed to give audible calls from the line. It is the same way with God. God desires that we have a conversation together. In our daily appointments with God, we would call this prayer. Prayer is the intentional act of being with God. We oftentimes think of prayer as a time of unloading our needs on God. Telling God our needs and petitions is important, but we also need to take time to sit and listen. Communication occurs when someone speaks and one listens. What are some prayer-helps?

Begin your time of prayer in silence. This silence should not only incorporate your surroundings but the “noise” in your mind and head. Try to be still and not think of anything at all. Early monastics developed what has been called the “Jesus Prayer” to help them get centered on the Lord. They would begin their prayer time by praying, List five things you can praise Lord Jesus Christ, God for:

Son of God, 1 Have mercy upon me. 2 The worshippers would say each line as they took each 3 new breath. This has the affect of calming you down, 4 focusing your mind on Christ, and clearing your head. 5

A helpful way to organize your prayers is to use the time-worn “ACT method.” ACT is an acronym for adoration, confession, thanksgiving and intercession.

A - Adoration. Begin by ascribing God praise. Tell God how much you love him and need him. Psalm 150 is a good example of a psalm of adoration.

What do you specifically need to say C - Confession. Use this time to reconnect to “I’m sorry” to God for? Is there someone you need to God. As mentioned above, confession is our way of apologize 18 to? Forgive? wiping our slate clean in God’s eyes. It is a time we lift up to the Lord those thoughts, words, and actions, which have caused a separation between us and those around us as well as with God.

T - Thanksgiving and Intercession. In other List five things you’re thankful for. words, tell God thank you. Be as specific as you can 1. reflecting upon the graces God has showered you with.

You also want to lift up in prayer those who have 2. expressed a need for prayer. This moves you from praying about/for yourself to praying for/about others. It 3. is helpful to enter your appointment with God with the daily paper. What are the news events occurring in your town or throughout the world? A news article does not 4. talk about faceless events; news stories describe events that happen to real people. 5. Psalm 84.5 says, “How happy are those whose strength comes from you, who are eager to make the Read Luke 17.11-19. Who do you pilgrimage to Mount Zion.” We gain strength as we relate with? worship God, both corporately and personally. Making our daily appointments with God ensures that we are making a pilgrimage to Zion, to God’s Holy City!

The late Dr. Frank Harrington, former pastor of the Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, used to reiterate weekly, “Worship is at the heart of all we do here at the Peachtree Church!” Frank is right; worship is the nuclear core that gives energy and drive to the church of Jesus Christ. A worshipping church is a Spirit-driven church. A worshipping Christ-Follower is a Spirit-driven Christ-Follower. As you grow in your faith, remember to make corporate worship and personal worship a top priority in your spiritual journey.

What are the “Top 10” reasons why people don’t Notes: come to church and worship regularly? 1

Pillar Two: Spiritual Formation and Nurture

Building on the foundation of a solid worship life, a Christ-Follower is called to grow his or her faith from where it currently is. A person should never be satisfied with the depth and breadth of his or her Christian understanding. Our understanding of God should strive to be as big as He is! This chapter will look at how we can grow and nurture our faith. If worship is analogous to a tree’s branches and leaves reaching heavenward, then growing our spiritual depth and breadth is like putting our roots down deep into the soil.

One of the lessons I quickly learned living in Florida is why so many palm trees have wooden supports holding them up. A native gave me the explanation: Palm trees are infamous for their shallow root systems. They may grow very, very tall; however, because their roots are so shallow, they blow over at the slightest gust of wind. Our spiritual life can be like that. We may “do the church thing” and worship a couple of times a month, but what happens when life gets angry and mean? Oftentimes, people will get angry with God for not being there for them in a time of crisis. God replies, “I’ve been here all along. Yet, if you would’ve taken the time to get to know me, you would’ve seen where I was throughout this ordeal.” It’s like a couple thinking about getting married. You cannot have a relationship where neither person talks with the other; on the contrary, in order to know each other, the man and woman must talk with each other. A relationship where only one person does all the talking is a shallow relationship. Most couples I know tell me when only one spouse does all the talking, the “quiet one” thinks the other is nagging (Does God get that impression with our relationship with Him, i.e., are we doing all the talking and not allowing the Spirit time to speak with us? Hmmm.). When we nurture our faith, we grow our faith deeper, we have a richer understanding of who Jesus is. We also become more aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

There are two biblical passages that shed light on the issue of nurturing and growing our faith deeper. The first is from Mark and the other is from Acts.

20 Mark 10.32 is one of the key texts in Mark’s gospel. Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem for Passover celebrations. Jesus was headed there for another reason – he had to fulfill his mission. Verse 32 reads,

They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him (NIV).

This verse boils down a prominent theme of Mark’s gospel. Its theme is that of “being on the road” or on a journey. Mark’s gospel is a very fast-paced story. Jesus moves around quickly from one place to another. As you read Mark, transitional phrases like, “he immediately crossed over” and “resuming his journey” help make the central theme quite clear. Jesus was on a mission. He was headed somewhere. Much of the action in Mark takes place while Jesus and the others are on the way, on the road. The road begins to become a representative picture of people’s spiritual life.

Mark portrays our spiritual lives as though we are on a journey with Jesus. Our text says that Jesus was leading the way and a series of others are walking with him or are behind him. On one hand, we have the disciples walking along, astonished with all that was going on. On the other hand, we get the feeling there are others who are following from a more careful, fallback distance, who were afraid of what Jesus was doing. In Luke’s gospel, the religious officials are standing off to one side grumbling about Jesus as he came riding into town on a donkey on the Passover. So we have the followers, the astonished, and the grumblers. Each of them are situated somewhere along the road.

In our spiritual lives, we are on a journey with Jesus. Jesus is at the head of the line and his followers are falling in behind him. Some of them have been on the journey with Jesus a little longer than others have; consequently, they are farther down the road, closer to the front than some of the others. Another group of people are Christ-Followers but they are new in their faith. They are following Jesus but are further back on the road than others. Are they less of a Christ- Follower because they are further from the front than others? Of course not! They just haven’t journeyed with Jesus as long as the others have. Both are on the road growing closer to Christ. A third group of people are those standing on the side of the road pointing and wondering what miracle Jesus is going to do next. Still others, the spiritually self righteous, are also standing on the side of the road pointing to Jesus and his followers but their pointing is not in admiration; indeed, they point to Jesus and his followers and grumble about him and what he is teaching.

Christian nurture is the way Christ-Followers See the stories of the Shekinah, the pillars of cloud and fire in Exodus. move themselves along the road of discipleship. In In your Bible’s concordance, look up order to keep up with Jesus, we are called to grow our “pillar” and see what you find. faith. Now note the dramatic passage from Acts 2.1-4,

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

This wonderful story relates the birthday of the church. Whereas God was seen as a God confined to the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Solomon, we now have in Acts 2 the description of how God breaks out and is now a God that’s moving about amongst the people. In a word, God is not a God of the status quo. Quite the opposite, God is a dynamic God who creates and recreates in dynamic, artistic fashion. God never settles for “things just as they are.” The Spirit of Life is active and seeks to create the way things should and could be.

The examples of the Christ-Follower on a DO: On a piece of paper, draw a line left journey as well as the dynamism of the Spirit are to right about eight inches long. Next, divide this line into thirds. You have drawn a reminders to us that God wants us to grow from timeline! Let’s say you’re 40 years old. You where we are in ways we have not experienced. would draw a line marking birth to roughly We are not to be self-satisfied with our faith but are 15. The second segment would be your life from age 15 to 25 or so. The last segment is to endeavor to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and from 25 until today. through us. The Spirit is able to do that when we Review your life and on the top of the grow closer to Him. Let’s cut through the fat. time line, mark those positive “crisis” in your life, e.g. Eagle Scout, winning state gymnastics championships, wedding day, Is your understanding of God the same as it etc. On the bottom, indicate those difficult was when you were a child? crises, e.g. a death, a divorce, a bad accident, etc. Remember: a crisis is any event that How have your life experiences forced you promotes emotional, spiritual, or social to rethink your relationship and understanding of growth. It can be “good” (like the birth of my daughters) or it can be “bad” (like the death God? of my cousin when I was seven). What you’re trying to do is identify those events in Who was Jesus to you when you were 12? your life that have significantly shaped you. When you’re through, look back and ask Who is Jesus to you today? Is your understanding yourself, “Where was God in the midst of the same or different? Why or why not? these events? What was my understanding of God then? What is it now? How has that view and understanding changed?” Our spiritual growth like our emotional Has your theology changed or remained growth matures over time. Hopefully you do not the same? Should it? have the same emotional maturity and wisdom today as you had when you were an adolescent. Hopefully, you have walked down the road some more. Christian spiritual formation and nurture ensures you will grow your roots down deep. There are two ways you can begin growing the roots deep. One way is through personal Bible study. The other is in community with other Christ-Followers.

22 PERSONAL BIBLE STUDY

One of the comments preachers hear all too often is, “I just don’t know very much about the Bible. I wish I did but I just don’t know what to do or where to begin.” Let’s face it: Americans profess to be Christian but we are illiterate when it comes to knowing what our faith means as it is related in the Scriptures.

What is the Bible anyway?

The Bible comes from the Greek word biblios that means book. The Bible is a compilation of sixty-six books that have been compiled over many centuries. We divide our Bible into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Old Testament, or Hebrew scriptures, contains the Torah (the first five books of the Bible, also called the Pentateuch), the Major and Minor Prophets, and books known as “The Writings” or Wisdom literature (Psalms and Proverbs, for example). The New Testament is composed of four gospels, Acts, Revelation, and several letters from the Apostle Paul, Peter and others. The letters were written to local congregations throughout the Mediterranean basin to strengthen, encourage, and teach young Christ-Followers the basics and essentials of the faith.

We believe the Bible is the authoritative witness of God highlighting the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It becomes our rule for faith and life. If a person wants to know who God is, specifically who Jesus is, then he or she needs to turn to the Bible and have their questions answered there.

The Apostle Paul tells the young minister Timothy,

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work (2Tim. 3.16ff.). (NRSV) Do you remember what the preacher does before he or she preaches? They say a prayer for illumination asking the Spirit’s guidance in hearing and responding to the text. It goes without saying, this is the first thing to do every time you crack the spine of the Bible whether in personal Bible study or in worship.

23 Where should I begin?

If you never have read the Bible before, it is good to take it in small sips instead of trying to drink it all in at one time. For example, there are many new Christ-Followers who are eager to read their Bible and begin in Genesis. They do well until they get to the book of 1 Chronicles and then things begin to become unraveled. A good place to begin is the Gospel stories in the New Testament. An order for reading them might be:

What type of Bible do you own? If you don’t have a good study Bible with notes, a concordance, and a good set of maps, you should get one in order to get the most out of your study. We use the NIV in worship. It is recommended to get the NIV Study Bible from Zondervan Publishers.

Mark. Mark is the shortest of the gospels and is believed to be the earliest. Mark is to be read as if one were reading a short story; i.e. you read it through in one sitting. When you do this, you will see how characters are developed, notice the places where the action takes place, and how the Message is proclaimed and received.

John. John is the most theological of the gospel stories. It highlights the close relationships between Jesus and his disciples. It also talks about Jesus’ “signs” which point people to God (John likes ‘signs’ instead of the word ‘miracle.’)

Luke and Acts. The same author writes these two books. In essence, they can be considered to be Volume 1 and Volume 2. Luke deals with Jesus ministry and the teaching of his disciples. It culminates with Jesus death and resurrection. Acts is the story of the Church’s birth and development. It begins with Jesus’ ascension to heaven and chronicles the travels of the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul.

Proverbs. There are 31 chapters of proverbs. A helpful practice is to read one chapter a day, corresponding to the date. So, if today is November 2, I will read Proverbs 2. If it is November 3, I will read Proverbs 3. Proverbs has solid, practical advice on how to live as a Christ-Follower.

Psalms. The Book of Psalms is the Jewish and first century Christ- Follower’s hymnbook. They express a full range of feeling in prayers to God. The Psalms are a wonderful aide in prayer. Reading one Psalm and one Proverb a day keeps you in touch with the heart and soul of what it means to be on a faith journey with God.

Once you have completed this reading regimen, set yourself a reading plan for the rest of the Bible. Prayerfully consider using available resources such as www.lectionary.org to help you with a daily regimen.

24 How should I read the Bible?

The best advice for reading the Bible is to have some good basic tools. We do not have to have elaborate computer programs and fancy Greek and Hebrew Lexicons (dictionaries). Essentially, in order “to do” effective Bible study you only need three things: A Bible you can understand; a pen or pencil; and a notebook.

One of the hurdles many people face is they often own a Bible they don’t like or understand. Some are reading translations that are difficult to understand. The King James Bible is pleasant to listen to but trying to read and study the old King James English is tough! You may own a Bible that was a gift from someone but you are not a guy who likes lavender bonded leather. If you are going to spend significant time reading and handling a book as much as you will your Bible, it needs to be a book you want to read and handle!

There are a number of excellent translations on the market today. There are three that I recommend: The New International Version (NIV); the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV); or the New Living Translation (NLT). A very good paraphrase of the New Testament is from Presbyterian minister, Eugene Peterson. His Do you understand the Bible you have? What do you like or dislike about your version is called, The Message. When choosing personal Bible? your scripture, choose one that provides cross- references in the center or bottom of the page as well a Bible that has a concordance of some sort in the back.

When reading scripture, it is always wise to have something to write with. Typically I will use a red or purple pencil in order to highlight meaningful or important texts (I shy away from ballpoint pens, rollerballs, magic markers or felt- tips - they bleed through your Bible’s pages). The two different colors help me identify the type of note I am marking. For example, if I am underlining a large portion of generic text I may use red pencil. If I am underlining some key point or concept, I may use purple. Use whatever system works for you. Some people have a reticence in writing in their Bible—after all, it is a holy book! I again go back to the argument there is a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible. Hopefully your Bible will be used a lot. Mark it up and make it your own!

The third tool is a notebook of some sorts. The notebook is used to record your thoughts and questions. It records your observations and cross-references. A notebook helps you dissect the scripture. Here are some suggested steps in outlining your text:

25  Pause and ask God to open your heart, ears, and mind.  Read the text a minimum of three times. Twice to yourself - once aloud.  Title your page as though you were a journalist. What title or headline would you give your scripture reading?  Explore your passage. Ask the “five W’s” – who, what, why, when, and where. Dissect the piece of scripture!  Key verse. What is the central point of the piece of scripture you have chosen? If you had to summarize the meaning of your verse in one sentence, what would it be?  Difficult verses. What are the tough verses, the ones that make you ask yourself, “say what!? What does this mean!?” Write them down to pursue at a later time or with a pastor or small group leader.  What is the passage’s structure? The Psalms, for example, are poetry and song. Is it a parable or narrative? Look up Exodus 3, God’s encounter with Moses, and Is it a riddle? John 8.12-59. Compare and  Cross-References. Using the reference notes in the contrast these two. margins of your Bible, what are other verses that relate to your text. Let’s say you are studying Jesus’ parables on the Kingdom of Heaven. Look up all the references where Jesus is discussing the Kingdom of God. You will discover he sometimes talks about mustard seeds, lost coins, and little children - how do these relate to one another? If you are studying the Tower of Bable in Genesis, what other stories about language are there (Hint: see Acts 1!). When you cross-reference a verse, you will begin weaving a pattern of God’s work and interaction.  Connecting Questions. From NavPress’s great small group publications to Roberta Hesteness’s classic work, Building Small Groups, it is suggested you develop a set of questions you can meditate upon and reflect over from your Bible study. These questions are connecting questions - connecting the biblical story with your every day life. In essence, you are asking, “How does this parable relate to me? Are there lost sheep in my life? Do I know of any prodigal son or daughters? If I were writing this story, would I write it any differently? In my times of deep sadness, what would a psalm of despair look like for me? How would I write a psalm of praise?

Let’s use the above method and “do” a study. Turn in your Bible to Mark 1.21-38. Read the text three times, at least one time aloud. Now with your tools, let’s make some observations.

If you had to title this piece of scripture, i.e. give it a headline, what would it be?

In the margin on the right, list all the characters. In other words, what specific people or groups or people are mentioned?

Now, make a list of those specific places that are mentioned. What you are doing is looking for the places where the action takes place, i.e. a house, the desert, etc. Note these locations in the margin.

26 A good writer will make use of time references. What are the time references noted in the scripture passage? As you note the time references, do you notice a pattern to them?

This passage has a lot of action going on. What are the main characters doing in each of the locations?

This passage has always been a good one for new students of the Bible to study because it clearly shows you how much you can learn from the scripture itself. If I were to give this passage a headline, I would call it, “A day in the life of Jesus.” The passage begins one Sabbath (Saturday) morning and continues through a twenty-four hour period where Jesus is found alone in the pre-dawn hours on Sunday praying to his Father. In between, Jesus has healed, blessed, taught, and made time for personal devotion and worship. As we look at the time references and the scene changes, we note how they slow our reading down: “On the Sabbath…as he left the synagogue…that evening, at sundown…. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark...” Mark is a fast paced book. He likes to use the words, “immediately Jesus went/left/began, etc.” In the midst of the fast paced action, Mark slows us down.

On the Sabbath.

As he left the synagogue.

That evening, at sundown.

Next morning, while it was still dark.

The way the story is written slows us, the readers, down. In effect, Mark is “freeze framing” the action. It’s like when we used watch a video and then hit the slow motion button on the VCR. The action slows down and we can notice more detail. That’s what Mark is doing with his narrative. Why would Mark want to slow our reading down? What is he trying to make us see? In this instance, Mark provides this passage in the same vein a symphonic composer writes an overture. He is setting up all the “themes” that will be introduced in greater detail throughout the rest of the Gospel. As we continue to read Mark’s story, we begin to have those “Aha!” experiences. In effect, we say to ourselves, “Where have I read this before?”

Ask yourself: Do I spend as much time in studying the Handbook of Life in Scripture as much as I Lastly, as we look at a text, we want to devote in learning about, say, my golf game or apply it to our life. At the conclusion of our aerobics class? study, after all our digging, thinking, and questioning, we apply it to our life. You might ask yourself:

 Has there ever been a time when I heard someone preach or give a talk about God that truly blew me away, left me amazed? What about them, their delivery, or their content got my attention?

 What do I think about people getting healed today like they were healed in biblical times? Is there anyone I know that has been “healed”?

 What’s the busiest day I have ever had? Was it easy to keep my cool and stay focused? How did Jesus react to the stress and interruptions?

 Have you heard someone say, “I’m just too busy to take time to be quiet with God during the day. My life is too busy”? Based on this scripture story, how do you think Jesus would respond to this statement? Why?

There’s no getting around it. Bible study does take time. Yet, as we see how Jesus made his time with God a priority at the beginning of the day, so too must we. Americans have made Christianity a convenient faith. Reality is, there’s nothing convenient about it. A convenient faith is a catatonic faith. Bible study is the cornerstone in developing healthy spiritual, Christ-like muscles.

The scriptures teach us about God, holy living, how to relate with one another – you name it. There’s no issue that I have found which is not covered in deep detail in the Scripture’s pages. It also provides accountability on the way we live. It is the barometer by which we compare our life. When our life is out of sync with the scriptures and the way God dreams for us to live, then the Bible is the light that brings us back to the path. The Bible is also the way God speaks to us. If you want to know someone, you spend time getting to know that person. If we want to know God, we spend time getting to know the Lord of Life through the pages of scripture. But getting to know God doesn’t just happen through the reading of the Bible. The Holy Spirit also speaks to us when we are gathered together with others in groups.

Sunday School

Some people find it hard to meet with other Christ-Followers Can you think during the week. For them, Sunday morning educational and of a nurture opportunities are found in our Sunday school. meaningful way to use technology in Did you know that Sunday school began What’s your earliest memory the classroom over one hundred fifty years ago when the of Sunday School? Can you at church? churches began filling the need of teaching the remember your teacher? What about them makes youth of our young country? Sunday schools them memorable? was originally an outreach arm of the church and was designed to train pre-churched children in the community about God. Over time, this emphasis changed and its primary purpose was to coordinate the religious training of the church members.

There are many myths surrounding Sunday school. First, it is often thought of as nothing more than “scissors and paste.” It is true that our young people might use Crayons and construction paper. Add a little Elmer’s Glue and you have a masterpiece! Yet, FPC also feels that as we grow as a congregation and in our ability to provide the right tools, we should incorporate the best of scissors and paste with the best in cut and paste. In other words, let the church provide its disciples with the best technology along with the old tried and true methods we grew up with.

A second myth about Sunday school is that it’s only for kids. Not true! Sunday morning provides people of all ages the chance to learn and grow and share one’s faith and understanding of God. Americans own an abundance of Bibles but our knowledge of what’s in it is poor. We are a nation of illiterates, biblical illiterates, that is. Sunday school is a way for adults to come and learn or re-learn the stories of our faith.

Thirdly, some feel Sunday school isn’t really necessary for growth in one’s understanding of Jesus. I love what Paul writes in 2 Timothy 1. We read,

3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 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. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self- discipline.

Paul is reminding young Timothy to remember his “schooling” that he was taught by his mom and grandmother. Those moments when they recounted the biblical stories made a lasting impression. We note in Luke’s Gospel how Jesus

29 was quite at home in the “church.” We note how he grew up learning from youth the stories of his Jewish faith and history (Note Luke 2.41ff.).

Sunday school is a great way to begin your day of Sabbath. It’s a way to exercise your faith muscles, meet nice people, drink some good Joe, and have fun. At Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, there is a class called The Martha Wilson Class. This class is for newlyweds and couples; that is, it was for newlyweds and couples who began meeting over sixty years ago! This class learned about love together, learned about commitment in marriage together, have been to over fifty years of Christmas parties together, and today, are now burying one another. Any one of those in Martha Wilson would say their Sunday School has made the difference in their Christian walk and life.

FPC has classes for every age varying from pre-K to adult. They meet on Sunday mornings between 10 and 11. The church office can tell you where.

Small Groups

An initiative FPC is exploring to initiate is a small group ministry designed to break the large church into small communities where people practice the faith together. The dream: We dream FPC will become a church of small groups as opposed to a church with small groups.

What makes a small group a small group? Essentially, Small Groups (or S-Groups) are Christ-Focused Groups of 8 to 12 people where community is built through fellowship and encouragement, where the scriptures are studied and explored, where acts of Christian service are extended to those who are less fortunate, and where the group gathers for prayer and fellowship. These four primary components are necessary in order to be considered a small group in the life of FPC.

Wednesday Night Fellowship Throughout the year, we will have targeted studies and seminars on Wednesday evenings.

Weekly Bible Studies There are ministries for Men, Women, and Youth that gather each week to discuss scripture and what it means to live a Christ-honoring life in the midst of our world today. FPC has a very active Presbyterian Women ministry that has studies during several of days or evenings throughout the week.

Essentials Essentials is a five week seminar/small group that helps those who are looking to affiliate with FPC as members. Furthermore, it guides guests in the process of how to become more involved in the faith community of FPC.

30 Pillar Three: Care

When my daughters were in high school, their friends knew better than to call the house after ten o’clock. When the phone rings after ten, I would always answer it thinking that something has happened to a parishioner. If the call is from one of their friends, I kindly reminded them, “Well Melissa, you know what I do for a living?”

“Uh, yeah. You’re a minister.”

“That’s right. And when ministers receive phone calls after ten o’clock at night, they typically think someone has been in an accident or there is some type of crisis. Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Great, then I’ll pass your message on. We’ll call you tomorrow. Night!”

The kids have learned this simple lesson. Yet, there are times when things happen that require me to respond late in the evening. One example follows.

I just walked in about 9:45 one night and the phone rang. A member called to say that I needed to come over immediately. I pressed her to find out what the problem was and she hastily replied, “I’ll tell you when you get here.”

I drove up and saw two police cars parked out front. I knocked on the member’s door and was let in. She immediately introduced me to a woman I had never seen before. She was visibly upset and looked very tired. The member introduced me to the disheveled woman and said, “Patrick, this is Maria. I saw her outside and brought her inside to help settle her down.”

Maria then began to tell me her story. Her estranged husband had taken their one-year-old baby from its grandparents who were babysitting the child the night before. The man was reportedly holed up in a garage apartment with the baby. The police were there staking out the apartment waiting for a chance to get the baby back. The member had seen Maria crying outside while a curious crowd began to gather from all the police cars. She brought her into the house, got her some water, let her cry, and prayed with her. She helped Maria get in touch with her family and waited with her until some course of action was decided upon. Although the standoff lasted some twelve hours, the baby was recovered safely.

The church member who called me demonstrated tremendous Christ- Following care in several ways. First, she was observant. Next, she acted upon what she saw. Third, her actions were appropriate in relation to her ability to respond. Finally, she realized the situation was bigger than her ability to help and called for help.

Christ-Followers are called to be caregivers on Jesus’ behalf. Christ- Followership holds to the “water principle.” On the one hand, we proclaim the Story of Jesus, telling others about the Living Water of Christ. On the other hand, we are called to be Christ-like Care givers whereby we are actively, intentionally reaching out with the cold cup of water of Jesus’ love and care. The first half of the water principle deals with invitation and evangelism. The second half of the water principle concerns itself with cold water distribution. This is the Care giving ministry.

Growing up in Georgia, I will never forget the hot August days when we had football practices. At the beginning of the season, we would have “two-a- days” where we practiced in the morning and then again in the afternoon. To this day, I cannot smell fresh cut grass without thinking about those hot practices. One of the hallmarks of those two-a-days was the water break. There were several large, bright orange Igloo coolers full of either ice water or Gatorade. The water boy, unlike the Adam Sandler movie of the same name, was held in high regard on our team. “Stokes” may have been the water boy/trainer/assistant but he was beloved by the players. He was there handing out dozens of cups of cold, life-refreshing/giving/regenerating liquid to everyone. The cold cup of water he gave was absolutely necessary for the team to do well. Yet, no one in the stands at Friday night’s games ever saw or thought about Stokes. They were focused on the team winning football games. They were caught up in the cheerleaders, the band, or the drill team. The modern-day teenage gladiators playing ball overshadowed the water boy, but the team knew better. We knew that without Stokes, we would be in trouble. He may have been behind the scenes, but he was enabling us to do our part.

Christ-Following Care giving is like being the oft behind the scenes, overshadowed, rarely noticed water boy or water girl pouring cold cups of life giving water to those who are dying inside. Care giving is usually very subtle but it’s oh-so-visible when it’s not provided. Let’s note the biblical mandate for care and then look at how all Christ-Followers can live out the call to be caregivers.

We begin with what may be the most well known parable: The parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10.25ff:

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered: ”‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all

your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; Who are the and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Samaritans” in our 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this world today? In other and you will live.” words, who are the 29 people who are disliked, But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, despised, discarded by “And who is my neighbor?” our culture? 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of How do you think Christ- robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and Followers should treat them? 32 went away, leaving him half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” 3

Jesus has gone “from preachin’ to meddling” with this story. A Jewish religion scholar, akin to our Ph.D.’s in Theology, comes and asks in what our vernacular would be, “How do I get saved?” We can see how he asks this question with a bit of swelling pride. To begin with, in antiquity if you were “an expert” in the Law, you were considered blessed by God. You were seen to be pretty pious and tight with Jehovah. Furthermore, the Expert was priding himself on the fact that he was a good student of Torah, the Law. He knew how to quote the Bible. He knew he was supposed to love God and others. The Expert knew how to do religion. How do you know if your Jesus was not impressed. parents, spouses, or those you love and know are angry? Can you tell Listening to the Expert, Jesus hooks into the story in a place even if they don’t talk? the religious official could understand—he quoted scripture back. How?

The Expert, wanting to one-up our Lord, tried to toss out a trick question to Jesus. Like President Clinton in his impeachment testimony meekly asking, “Define ‘is’,” the Expert squints his eyes How do you show you’re upset without using and says, “define neighbor.” words? In a few short paragraphs, Jesus highlights that those people who are into “doing” religion, i.e. the priest and the Levite (a priest that tends to the Temple’s needs and maintenance) were so wrapped up in their piety they missed the person on the side of the road. In a word, they were so heavenly minded they were no earthly good. Instead, the one who was perceived, as the outsider, the one who was an antagonist to God, the Samaritan layperson, was the one who is used as the foil for holiness. What did this foreign layperson do that catapulted him into Divine greatness? He showed and demonstrated mercy and care. The Samaritan layman demonstrates that not only is Care giving the quality in a Christ-Follower'’ life that brings a smile to God’s face, but he also loudly shows us that Care giving is something the laity is about. The professional “churchmen” didn’t get it. The layman did.

The church member reaching out to a crying woman. The water boy.

3 The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. 33 The Good Samaritan.

These three people highlight Christ-following care. In each of the above stories, there are three distinct elements occurring. First, they listened. Next they loved. Third, they led.

DID YOU KNOW THAT… They listened.

 A whopping 55% of what we How do you listen? Is it only with your ears? communicate is non-verbal. Of course not! You listen with all your senses!  Another 38% is communicated Ears let us hear but the ears may not pick up all the by the tone of our communication. “sounds” that need to be “heard.” For example, a  A mere 7% of what we parent picks up his or her child from school and communicate is “heard” by asks, “Hey honey, how was your day today?” The words. child, sitting in the back seat replies, “Fine.” But the day was not fine. In fact, the little boy has a black eye and his gaze is looking out the window. The from Stephen Ministry Training on Listening. “ears” communicate that all is well. However, if the parent were to look in the rear view mirror, he or she would see the sadness in the child’s face and the blackened eye. In this case, “listening” with his or her eyes would have revealed so much more than listening with the ears.

Another example: A boyfriend has just picked up his girlfriend and they are taking a walk together. They walk along rather quietly but soon the boyfriend realizes his girlfriend’s hands are not as warm as they usually are. In fact, as he holds her hand, he notices that her hand is cold, sweaty and a little clammy. “You okay?” he asks. With his question, the girlfriend stops and begins to cry and tells her beau that she has just been fired from her job. In this instance, the boyfriend was “listening” with his sense of touch. Can you begin to see that listening is more than physical auditory ability? Listening is better defined as a total awareness to your surroundings and to those people in those surroundings.

The church member was “listening” when she saw a crying woman outside her home. She saw the woman being glared at by other neighbors. The water boy was “listening” with the football team because he too felt the heat of the August two-a-day practices and knew the players would be worn out. He felt the heat, heard how the coach was pushing the team and as a result, had scores of cups of cold water to give when the break occurred. The Good Samaritan Layman was “listening” by seeing a person in a ditch dying and saw the need to help.

When we begin to see listening as more than hearing with our ears, we will be well on our way towards becoming Christ-Following Caregivers. The key is our becoming more aware of people around us and with contexts we are in. How do we do this?

One of the many tyrants of our culture is the disposability of the moment. Americans are always in a hurry. We are a fast food, fast lane, and frenetic society. We strive for faster computers, cars, and commutes. We buy books like “The One Minute Manager” or “Ten Days to a Better Self-Esteem” (hello!). Our 34 lives have become to look and feel like we are on the deck of the Starship Enterprise and Captain Kirk has commanded Sulu, “Go to warp speed!” Our world is rushing by and we fail to notice. One way to develop a better sense of awareness is to recapture and daily pray Psalm 90.12:

Teach us to make the most of our time, So that we may grow in wisdom.4

This verse came home to me while I was working at the largest Presbyterian Church in the United States. My colleagues and I were charged with growing the church by one thousand new members each year (the church itself was nearly 12,000). In the midst of this, my wife developed her second illness with cancer. My world was rocked. In the midst of my prayers one September morning, this Psalm came to me. “Teach me to make the most of my time that I may grow in wisdom.” It became my psalm. I dusted off the old Hebrew lexicon and sought to see what the Hebrew really said. What I discovered changed the way I look at time and made me more aware. The literal translation is, “Teach me Lord to make the most of every day, that I may cultivate a harvest from each one.” It dawned on me that I was running through life and in the process, running over people and priorities. What God was calling me to do was to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n and harvest the most of each day, each hour, each moment. Days aren’t disposable. They are a rich, non-renewable resource.

To become aware is to be in the spirit of mindfulness that sees each day as a pasture full of opportunity to encounter God and to help others encounter God. But…unless we become more aware, in other words, better listeners, we will continue running through life, and like the priest and the Levite, fail to see the wounded one on the side of the road. Christ-Following Care givers listen well when they listen with their whole being – with ears, eyes, touch, smell, and even intuition. What else do the church member, the water boy and the Good Samaritan layman have in common?

They loved. LIST five ways of saying “I love or care for you” DO: without using words: Think of two people Our society tends to equate love with either 1. you know who could some warm, sleepless-in-Seattle-message-in-a-bottle use some genuine, 2. sentimentality in a couple or with sex. The Bible talks thoughtful caring 3. from you. First, who about the love a man has for a woman as well as the are they? power of the sexual expression of love in intimate 4. ways; however, love is so much richer than starry-eyed 1. infatuation and sexual fulfillment. Christ-followers look 5. to Jesus to see what love really means. 2. First, we note that love is more than a feeling— Next, write down one thing you can do it’s an action. It moves from a feeling of the heart to an action of the for each one to show hands and feet. Love must express itself; if it doesn’t, it’s not love. someone is thinking It may be a form of narcissism showered on oneself, but in order for of them: it to be Christ-like love, it must be expressed outward. Jesus condescending to become a human being is an act of love (see

4 Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996. 35 Philippians 2.1-11). God didn’t sit on His haunches in the Heavenly realm and talk about how much He cares for us; He came and joined the human parade. Jesus living like you and me, holding a job like you and me, having best friends like you and me, is an active expression of his love for us. The fact that he would have metal stakes nailed through the ligaments and metacarpals and bones in his hands and feet was a divine action that demonstrated his love for us. His breaking through the tomb door in his resurrection demonstrates that holy love is always more powerful, more brilliant than earthly do-nothingness. He could have preached a great sermon on the new life but instead he lived it out in his birth, life, death and resurrection. God’s love in Emmanuel, God-with-us, is active. It is the type and character of love Christ-followers are to emulate.

Next, love is intentional. Love takes the initiative. Like the Bumble-ball my daughters played with as a child, love is always in motion, moving about. It does not wait for an invitation; it always anticipates and moves first. The Samaritan layman didn’t wait for an invitation to go over and help the left-for- dead victim; he took the initiative to go over and help. Oftentimes, those people in need of care, like the man on the side of the road, are not in a position to ask for help. Third, love is observant. A person who expresses agape, God-like/Jesus manifested love, is always looking for ways to express that love to others. Arising from our in the moment awareness is our ability to smell the flowers of need around us. The lonely woman on the bus every afternoon has a faraway look in her eyes—why? The couples you sit next to at church haven’t been seen in a few weeks—why? Your children haven’t called this week from college—why? Your assistant has made some sophomoric mistakes at the office lately—why? Your usually calm and relaxed teacher explodes at the class – why?

What types of expressions of love are we talking about? We are not talking about “big ticket” things like paying off someone’s college tuition or paying off their house note! Instead, the type of action love produces is really simple, thought-full expressions of grace.

o A well-timed card. o A phone call. o The touch of a hand or pat on the shoulder. o A hug.

A thoughtfully expressed query like, “I haven’t seen you lately. Is everything going well?” or “You look sad. You okay?”

The point is, love is observant. Bubbling forth from our awareness of those people and situations around us are the wellsprings of Christ-like love—a love that is active, intentional, and observant. The final characteristic the church member, the water boy and the Good Samaritan layman have in common is that…

They lead.

Christ-Following Caregivers are not Supermen or Wonder Women. They are everyday, run-of-the-mill church folk who are trying to make a difference in the portion of the Kingdom of God they call home. They are not in the position to 36 be the all-encompassing problem solvers. They step forward to offer the cup of cold refreshing/regenerating water to those who are hot, tired, and worn out. The member of the church with the distraught mother called the pastor to come and help. The water boy gleaned from the school and coaches the needed resources to help the players stay healthy. The Good Samaritan layman took the wounded man to a hotel and provided the means for the man’s recovery and then moved on. They demonstrated healthy Care giving in that they led others to the people and/or resources that would help them get the help they needed but help they were not appropriately able to provide themselves.

It’s at this point the distinction should be made between Care giving and caretaking. Care giving is healthy. Caretaking is not.

 Care giving is providing someone the necessary tools to help himself or herself get better. Caretaking is using the tools for the care receiver once we have given the tools away.  Care giving provides multiple solutions and choices for the care receiver to choose from. Caretaking is telling the care receiver what to do.  Care giving promotes independence in the care receiver. Caretaking promotes interdependence between the Caregiver and the care receiver.  Care giving Christ-Followers know they don’t have all the answers or solutions to the problems. Caretakers consider themselves a failure if they can’t solve someone’s problems and needs.  A great text on the difference between healthy care giving and care taking is found in John 5.1-10:

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. 5

Jesus encounters a man who had been sitting by the miracle spa in Jerusalem. Legend had it that an angel came and swirled the water and if you were the first one in, then you would be made well. Jerusalem was small enough to notice the same locals at their similar places. There is an African American man who stands near the baggage claim in Atlanta airport who wears a red jacket and proclaims the Gospel to people arriving. If Atlantans can remember a gospel-proclaiming man at the airport, a city of millions, then Jesus’ companions no doubt had seen this man sitting by the pool in Jerusalem, a city of thousands.

5 The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. 37 Jesus asks about the man. He begins to gather the facts. He’s been an invalid for 38 years. He is never able to get into the water in time. One wonders how the man got to the pool to begin with. One also wonders why whoever brought him couldn’t have placed him closer to the water. Did the man really want to be healed or was he comfortable in his discomfort and find it easier to beg than to get well? It’s at this point Jesus asks the penetrating question: Do you want to get well? He could’ve picked him up and placed him in or by the water but he didn’t. He confronted the invalid with the no-nonsense question that probed to the heart of the problem: Did the man want to walk? If so, do something about it yourself, “get up off your bed and walk!”

The church member did not try to solve the upset mother’s problem. She called for help. Instead of putting her up in her home, she arranged a way for the mother to get back to her home. She led the mother in prayer and lifted her to God. The Samaritan layman didn’t try to stay with the wounded man until he got better. He led the man to a place where he could receive adequate and necessary attention.

Christ-Following care giving is care planted in careful listening, grown in love, and harvested when we lead others to the means where they can help themselves.

All Christ-Followers are called to extend the cold cup of water of refreshing/regenerating caring. What avenues are available in our church for that? How can the church help you in your care of others?

We have a Deaconate. Deacons are women and men who are chosen from among the church family and are tasked with the care ministry of the congregation. The Deacons, a group from 15 – 22 people, actively visit members and friends of the church in hospitals, in homes, nursing homes or retirement centers. They take home communion to those members who are unable to physically attend church services on the first Sunday of the month. Furthermore, our Deacons are involved with the church’s hospitality ministry on Sunday mornings as well as at memorial services for those who have died. The Deacons are oftentimes the first members to respond to a pastoral crisis or need because of their close proximity to the people in the congregation and community.

A second vital care ministry we are looking to add is the Stephen Ministry. The Stephen Ministry is a lay pastoral care ministry. Stephen Ministers are given over fifty hours of intensive training in care giving. A male Stephen Minister is assigned to a male care receiver and a female meets with a female Stephen Ministry. It is a confidential care-giving ministry that is to reflect the Incarnational presence of Jesus to people who are going through a hard time. Stephen Ministers are not therapists but are instead people who are trained in listening, loving, and leading.

A third component is to have the Small Groups be a first-responder for those members of their particular group in times of crisis and need. The Small Groups are the larger Church in microcosm and for those who are members of that small group, the group is ‘church’ to them. If there is a need the

38 church or pastoral staff should be aware of, the Minister of Care can help the church respond appropriately.

A fourth tier of care is available from professionally licensed and trained marriage and family therapists who work as trained Counselors. The Care Department and pastors have an extensive list of care professionals who meet clients based on their particular need or financial circumstance.

The fifth tier of care and concern are the pastors of the church. FPC pastors make themselves available to members and friends of the church in times of crisis and need. Although our pastors are trained and experienced in pastoral care, they are not certified and licensed mental health therapists. Consequently, although they are available for crisis care and spiritual friendship, they are not capable of serving as a long-term counselor. For people or families needing extensive or more in-depth emotional care and healing, the pastors have a referral network to guide members towards to get the deeper care they need. All our pastors provide premarital counseling to those wishing to be married by one of our clergy.

The Pastors, Deacons, Stephen Ministry, Small Groups, and the various Counseling Centers are ways our church is trying to respond to the mandate to “love our neighbor.” There are also many more. The question then becomes, “What am I personally doing to be the caring extension of Jesus where I live, work and play?”

NOTES:

39 Pillar Four Mission and Service

The Christian Faith has become an expression of religious Argue for or convenience as opposed to a deeply rooted and expressed against this chapter’s spiritual commitment. This is not true for all people in the church; first unfortunately however, it’s a reality that is all too prevalent in American sentence. churches today.

Let’s face it: Churches face the 20/80 Rule. The 20/80 Rule indicates that twenty percent of the people will do eighty percent of the work needed to make the church the living, breathing demonstration of Christ in the world. Think for a moment about our church or one you were a part of recently. Is the 20/80 Rule alive and well?

There are two significant problems with the 20/80 Rule. To begin with, when only twenty percent of the people are doing the ministry of Christ in and through a church, they are going to get burned out. Burned out How would you Christ-Followers litter the hallways and sanctuaries of America’s define “burn out”? When was there a churches. They are martyred on the altar of over-work and time you experienced personal cynicism. This is reflected in comments like, “I’ve done it? How’d you get my time with the kids. Let someone else do it.” Another one is there? “If no one else is going to get excited about it, I’m not going to either!”

Secondly, to be a complacent Christ-Follower is an oxymoron. One either follows or one does not. If one is a follower, then one is active in the following. This is one of the reasons this church uses the term Christ-Follower as opposed to “disciple.” There are many types of disciples of many “leaders” and special causes in the world. A disciple literally means to “sit at one’s feet” in order to learn. Discipleship is a good thing. Learning is very important. However, Jesus wants us to move beyond discipleship; Read the verse below. What does this verse have Jesus wants us to be followers! This to do with Christ-Followership? How do you strive for subtle distinction can be seen in the way the Kingdom of God?

two leading Bible translations portray Matthew 6.33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and Mark 1.16-18. First, note the NIV and his righteousness, and all these things will be given then note the NLT. to you as well.

Mark 1:16-18

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.6 Note how the New Living Translation has it:

1 The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. 40 One day as Jesus was walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother, Andrew, fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen. Jesus called out to them, “Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and went with him.7

Christ-followers are men and women, boys and girls, who are on the move. In other words, our faith, by nature of Jesus’ example, is one whereby we are actively following him and doing the work he is doing.

A church member in a church in Florida recounts this story about hearing a foreign missionary speak who was stationed in the former Soviet Union. The missionary described a house church that had gathered for worship one evening when they suddenly heard a banging on the door. They opened the door and in came a military unit. The captain approached the missionary and demanded, “Deny your faith or die!” The members of the house-church froze in terror. A few quickly gathered their things and left. The captain barked once again, “Deny your faith or die!” Again, fear settled over the group. Again, a Have you or anyone you few more left. Finally, the captain demanded, “This is the last know had to defend their time I will say this! Deny your faith or die!” Everyone stood still. faith like those in the Soviet house church? The captain ordered the rest of the unit out of the house and told them to wait outside. He then locked the door, removed his gun belt and said, “I too am a Christian and have been starved for the fellowship of other believers. I had to find out who really was committed to Christ before I could speak freely.”

Wow. Deny your faith or die. How would we have responded if we were in that room? Yet, this is exactly the type of dynamic faith Christ-Followers are to live, not just on Sunday mornings, but throughout the week. Christian service is a demand made on us by God but it is also something, which, if done, provides muscle to our spiritual life’s bones.

Christian service is a demand of God. That sounds Who are the unlovely or “heavy” but it’s reality. Note some of the great biblical texts hard to love people in our that outline the need for it. First, look at Matthew 25.31ff. culture? Jesus is going round and round with the religious scholars and fundamentalists of the day. Jesus is talking about one of his favorite topics: The Kingdom of God.

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the

2 Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996. 41 creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” 8

Ouch! Those who think “they’re in” are out and those who are perceived to “be out” are in. People of God are to have their eyes open to the people of his Creation. Who are they? They are everywhere! Another illustrative text is from James 2.14ff.

Think about James’s statement in verse 18. Argue 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you it from both sides, i.e. if we have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a are saved by grace alone, 16 why are works important? If brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of works are so important, why is you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” there a need for grace? and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. 23 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the

3 The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. 42 messengers and sent them out by another road? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. 9

Christian service is not a question of doing good works in order to have our spiritual ticket punched by God. On the contrary, we engage in Christian service out of our grateful response to what God has done for us. As we have been blessed, we are to be a blessing to others. Jesus puts it rather frankly when he says in John 13.4:

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 10

We love others because God in Christ first loved us. Loving others through physical acts of service is a byproduct of our faith. The deeper our faith and the more mature it becomes, this expression of Christian service will be effortless; indeed, living out our faith through physical acts of compassion will be as natural and as regular to us as breathing.

Christian service is not only a demanded response by God, but the more we engage in it, the more “fit” our spiritual muscles become. One Have you ever been cannot engage his or her spiritual giftedness to a task on Christ’s involved in a social behalf and not be changed as a result of the engagement. ministry that helps the poor or those in prison? Describe it – how, if at all, did the experience change you?

Years ago, a small north Georgia church’s youth group went one winter to work in a downtown Atlanta homeless shelter. None of these kids had any notion of what they were about to experience. They were each from a solid middle-class family. If they needed something, their parents would be able to provide it without too much inconvenience. Going to the Central shelter would be an eye-opener for them. The pastor told the kids what to expect. He told them they would see misery as they had never seen it before. He also told them that as the group walked around downtown Atlanta, they should expect to be panhandled by the homeless. The church van had barely unloaded when one of the kids, young thirteen-year old Robert, was hit up for money. This encounter changed this boy’s life.

Some seven years later, this young man was finishing college and had made the commitment to head into some sort of ministry or missions. The affect on his spiritual life was huge. Robert graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2007. Another young man, Jason, later wrote about his experience

9 The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989 10 The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. 43 that weekend for a collegiate journalism competition and won State honors. Again, exercising our Christian service helps develop our spiritual muscles and assist us in becoming deeply rooted and grounded disciples.

So Christian service helps shape up our spiritual muscles and it also is one of those non-negotiables of God. What next? You might be asking, “Where are there places for me to serve?”

From the very beginning, FPC has committed to service and mission. Members of First Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington had a vision for the children of then-undeveloped western Tacoma. They identified a need to share the Good News through the building of a Sunday school for children and young people. So, in an old tomato shed that used to stand just west of the current sanctuary, a group of people from First Pres Tacoma ventured “out to the sticks” of what we now call University Place and began a Christian education program. From the modest beginnings in a tomato shed, FPC has grown to maintain a regional ministry that has educated thousands in the faith. We have been intentional in looking for relevant and congregationally appropriate ways to reach out into the community. FPC does not desire to be an attractional church where people “come and see!” Instead, FPC is a congregation that seeks to be a missional congregation that “goes and tells” others outside of the church in the community through acts of service and love that God cares for them deeply. Members become the literal hands and feet of Jesus Christ to a broken and hurting world.

The church’s leadership team (the church’s Session which is Scottish for “Court”) under the direction of our Minister of Mission wisely recognizes that we cannot be all things to all people. In other words, there are many needs in the community and it would be inappropriate for us to think we could minister to all of them. The Missions Team lives out the mindset of the late Mother Teresa where she writes, I never look at the masses as my responsibility. I look at the individual. I can only love one person at a time. I can only feed one person at Think of a real-life “saint” you know. What a time. Just one, one, one. You get closer to Christ by coming endears you and others closer to each other. As Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the to him or her? Why is he least of these my brethren, you do to me.” So you begin…I or she “saintly?” begin. I picked up one person --- maybe if I didn’t pick up that one person I wouldn’t have picked up 42,000. The whole work is only a drop in the ocean. But if I didn’t put the first drop in, the ocean would be one drop less.11 We are to reach out to people locally and abroad with the spiritual gifts and graces God has given each member of the body of Christ (See 1 Corinthians 12 – 13, Romans 12).To this end, the Session immediately formulated relationships with several local organizations that would benefit from our member’s sweat equity as well as the church’s mission dollars. This is just a partial list of what FPC is doing…

11 Mother Teresa, Words to Love by (Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 1983), 76. 44 FPC MISSION MINISTRIES

FPC is known for its outreach in mission and service to the larger Volusia area and across the continents. The church has active missions in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Taiwan, and Namibia. Whether it is supporting missionaries in those areas or an orphanage in Africa, FPC is doing its best to spread the blessings we have received out to others around the globe.

Yet, we are also known for the active ministry in our own local area. Whether it’s low-cost housing through Habitat for Humanity or the Dixie Lodge, or serving the area’s homeless through the local Interfaith Kitchen, the Good Samaritan Clinic, or providing the community’s nameless ones – the homeless – with bona fide identification and List five things you’re passionate governmental about. documents through I-Dignity. FPC also 1. supports scholarships for children attending our Preschool and supports local ministry to the area youth with Young 2.

Life. 3.

4. Some of these ministries are supported by real 5. dollars contributed to the church budget. Some of these ministries are also supported with the sweat-equity of members and friends of FPC who give of their time, talent Can the church’s ministry benefit from any of these passions? Are you and passion for particular ministries. using these passions for the church? Why or why not? The Prophet Micah wrote,

6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.(Micah 6.6-8)12

It’s easy to “do church.” It’s more of a challenge to live one’s faith. God does not really care for religions; instead, God desires that we exercise our deeply held faith in its expression for love towards others.

We have spent a lot of time talking about Christian service with those people and agencies outside the local church, but there is one more place your passions and gifts are needed: In your own congregation.

12 The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. 45

At FPC, we like to talk about peoples’ passions and Is there anything a former church didn’t do you wish they would have giftedness for ministry as opposed to what people “have to that would have gotten you more do.” The Session wants to place people in ministerial involved? What was it and why situations where he or she can use the talents and gifts didn’t you go for it? they have for the glory of God. A passionate person doing ministry is more contagious than someone doing ministry because he or she has to. Our desire is to get people plugged in where they want to be, using the gifts God has blessed them with.

We have produced a Volunteer Ministry Survey that helps the church place you where your passions are. If you have not filled one out, please contact the office for yours. It’s imperative for people to realize that ministry just doesn’t happen. Ministry, in order to be effective, needs to be bathed in prayer and planned out before it can be executed. A new congregation has the advantage that there are no “sacred cows” and that the field is wide open with ministry opportunities. This church doesn’t like sacred cows; we would rather eat them! (Professor Bill Esaum has a wonderful book called, Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers.)

Below are some extended scripture lessons from Paul. Take a few minutes and read through them slowly, carefully. Ask yourself, “How is God speaking to me through these words?”

List no more than five spiritual gifts you think you have based on the scripture’s definitions. Place a “+” next to the ones others have identified in you. 1.

Are you using these gifts? Why or why not?

Romans 12.

one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is

46 leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. 13

1 Corinthians 12, 13

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. 12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And

13 The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. 47 in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. 13.1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does What will happen to our not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self- spiritual gifts when we “get to heaven?” seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 14

This list of what we’re involved in goes on and on as the church reaches out to others on Christ’s behalf. The big question is—

--are you adding your shoulder to the wheel to make ministry happen or are you waiting to have your needs met?

The degree a congregation has members who are actively involved in some sort of Christian service determines the spiritual vitality of a particular church as well as its individual members.

Are you using your gifts? If you’re not, why not? If you’re not, together let’s find a way for you to use them. Together, we can turn the 20/80 Rule inside out and make it where eighty percent of the people are involved in the life and work of Christ in and through the church. To make it happen, it starts with you.

Notes:

14 The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. 48

49 PILLAR FIVE: Invitation and Evangelism

The sad reality is that we are a nation and society living in a Pre-Christian age.15 For centuries, the Church has been a prime shaper of the society and culture but that is no longer the case. Today, more often than not, society shapes the Church. Even though Church attendance remains steady at about forty percent nationally16, peoples’ belief that religion plays an important part in their life has dropped from 69% in 1957 to 36% by 1991. The How do you answer Gallop Poll also asked respondents to indicate whether they these questions that the pollster asked? believed religion could answer their daily problems. In 1952, 75% said religion was “very important” in solving their problems. By 1991, only 56% indicated it was.17

What has happened? There are three predominant myths as to why Americans are dropping out of Church life. One is that the people in the mainline Churches have dropped out to join more theologically conservative congregations. Next, there is the myth that the children of those who have dropped out have done so because of their distaste towards denominational leaders and policies. Finally, there is the myth that people have dropped out due to their frustration over congregational life. The If you were the pastor or leader of Director for the Alban Institute, a nationally the church, how would you recast respected Church think-tank, says, “Most of these the church to reach the people in today’s culture? drop-outs did not drop out because of something the religious institution was doing or not doing. Rather, it is simply as if the Church has dropped off their radar screen.”18 They have “dropped off the screen” because the Church has not done an adequate job of recasting herself to meet the relevant needs and challenges of the times.

To put it frankly: The Church today is oftentimes doing “American Bandstand” ministry in a “Jersey Shore” world. The Church is called to re-enter the culture and then transform that cultural setting from within as opposed to sitting on the sidelines and waiting for the culture to come to her. As Dr. Leonard Sweet, former Dean of the Theology School at Drew says, “The best way to make change is not to set out to change structures; rather, we’re to change the metaphors we use as we describe our structures.”19 In other words, the Message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ remains the same but the way we communicate and live out the message is dynamic and needs to change with the time and the context.20

15 Bill Esaum, Growing Spiritual Redwoods, coins this term. 16 George Hunter, How to Reach Secular People (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992), 24. 17 Eddie Gibbs, In Name Only. Tackling the Problem of Nominal Christianity (Wheaton, Illinois: BridgePoint Books, 1994), 30. 18 Loren B. Mead, Transforming Congregations for the Future (Washington D.C.: The Alban Institute, Inc., 1994), 16. 19 Conversation over breakfast, 12 September 1996. 20 Leonard Sweet says, “The church’s Rip-Van-Winklery spirit - at once exuberant and escapist - still largely refuses to acknowledge the new world in which it finds itself. It keeps polishing and “perfecting” an ecclesiastical paradigm that resists transformation.” Leonard Sweet, Faithquakes (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), 8. 50 If the sad news is that we are living in a pre-Christian world, then the good news (literally, “Gospel”) is that we are living in a time of unprecedented spiritual interest. People are hungry for spiritual guidance and instruction. One only has to look at a local bookstore to see the proliferation of books on the New Age, angels, and spiritual apparitions from the Virgin Mary to the appearances of deceased relatives. The United States is now a vast mission field where there are at least one hundred twenty million pre-Christian people aged fourteen or older.21

Today’s society is shaped by at least three areas of concern and values. Americans today embrace the value of simplicity. This is a value that shuns ostentation and additives. It is a culture that turns its nose to systems and products that harm the environment. People are now willing to take pay-cuts in order to gain the next millennium’s hottest commodity: time.

Along with valuing simplicity, people today are longing for real community. People want to build connections with other people. We are barraged and surrounded with high-tech devices. We are “cocooning” in our homes with the comfort of our DVRs and computers. The world is scary and people are retreating to the safety of their “nest.”22 The more high-tech a society becomes, the more there is the desire for high-touch connections with people.

Think for a moment: Lastly, people today want to be empowered to do What images come to something and to be more than they are. People today not only your mind when you want to make a difference in other people’s lives, they want to have hear the word “evangelism”? Is it a self-fulfillment. Whether it is achieved through crystals or yoga, positive concept or a through Sunday school and the Church, all that matters to people is negative one? Why or to grow emotionally, spiritually, and vocationally.23 why not? The Church with her resources and centuries of accumulated wisdom is poised to address these needs of society. In order to address them, however, it needs to have her people open their mouths and tell the Story of the transforming power of God in and through Jesus Christ. Typically, this has been called “evangelism,” the dreaded E-word that drums up all types of images and preconceived notions about what it is and is not.

Let’s begin by addressing what evangelism is not. It is not:

 Converting (John 3.1-8)  Condemning (John 8.1-11)  Something only the Preacher does (Mark 5.15-20)

Evangelism literally means “good news.” Too often, churches make the Christian faith so scary it’s more bad news than good news. Instead of talking about the liberating freedom new life in Jesus offers, churches will use rhetoric

21 Hunter, 25. 22 Leonard Sweet, Faithquakes (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), 24. 23 Alan J. Roxburgh. Reaching a New Generation. Strategies for Tomorrow’s Church (Downer’s Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 22, 23. 51 and tactics that are geared to scaring/shaming/shouting people into the Kingdom of God. Evangelism is a good word and an important part of the church’s ministry; well-meaning folks, however, through scaring/shaming/shouting evangelistic ministries, have made it a dirty, even despised word among pre- Christian people, including Christ-Followers, today. There’s nothing scary about the Kingdom of God – it’s more wonderful than anyone can imagine! We don’t need to shame people into the Kingdom – the allure of Jesus is enticing enough! We don’t have to yell at people to convince them to follow Jesus – we’re called to gently love them into the Kingdom just like Jesus did. The purpose of evangelism is not to save lost souls; the purpose is to share the Easter Story- faith in a winsome way so that the Holy Spirit of God can, as John 3 says, give spiritual birth to people “from above.”

So, if evangelism is not converting people or condemning them, if it’s something that others do beside the preacher, what is it exactly?

Simply put, evangelism is:

Sharing with others in contextually appropriate ways what God in Christ has done in your life and promises to do in the lives of others.

It’s not telling others what they need to know; rather, it’s sharing in a loving way what you have already experienced. There is no scripted formula for “doing evangelism.” Sadly, many churches and ministries try to use packaged evangelism programs to reach the “lost.” These programs may increase church membership rosters but the verdict is still out whether they are sharing the story of Jesus Christ in personal ways that touch the lives of pre-Christian people.

FPC’s vision is to help its people to Learn Live and Share the Story of Jesus. The core and kernel of this vision is invitational. The dream of our church’s leadership is to have a congregation of storytellers. What does that mean?

As previously mentioned, “gospel” means “good If your life was a story, news.” What makes gospel the gospel? Gospel can be what would the title be? understood as when an extraordinary God comes into contact and relationship with ordinary people. Read through the four biblical Gospels and you will see how God-in-Jesus relates to rather ordinary folk and touches them with the hand of God. We read Who was it that about the rich, the poor, the sick, the drunks, the prostitutes, the shared the faith to you? What did swindlers…all of whom are touched by the hand of Christ. The you like/dislike result of this touch is that they are changed and spiritually healed about it and why? people. That is the good news -- ordinary people touched by an extraordinary God.

On any given Sunday, I look out from the pulpit and I see a room full of very ordinary people. Some are rich, some are poor. Some are sick and others are healthy but spiritually cancerous. Some are abused and some are the abusers. Some have abused drugs, alcohol, or their body while still others have proven to be less than honest. It is a room full of very ordinary 52 people in the strictest biblical sense. And yet, as I look out and see the faces of all the people, I see the faces of people who have been touched by God; consequently, I am looking at a room full of miniature gospel stories, gospellettes if you will. Each person has a life that has been shaped and molded by God’s tender hands. As a pastor, as an evangelist, I therefore am listening to hear the gospel story in other people’s lives. What I have discovered, is that by listening to their stories on how God was present during a difficult time, how the love of Christ was made real by some interchange with a colleague at work, how the Holy Spirit was actively directing their steps, the storyteller him or herself begins to overhear the Gospel message through their own storytelling which become God’s Storytelling. I see my role as an evangelist as helping people learn and share their Stories. List three ways God in Christ has There are as many different ways of “doing been a “major character” in your evangelism” as there are people. Dr. Joe Donaho, a life? What difference has that Presbyterian pastor from South Carolina, discusses made? How and why? several different ways the Message of Jesus is shared in Evangelism.24 Let’s examine some of the various biblical models for sharing the faith.

Andrew the inviter.

John 1.35: The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and Do you know an Andrew? What is he or she like? asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

25Andrew’s “style” of evangelism is my most favorite as it is the most natural. He is a follower of John the Baptist and as Jesus is going by, John the Baptizer points at Jesus and says, “He’s the One you’re looking for!” Andrew goes and meets Jesus and is so overwhelmed by the encounter, the first thing he does is go and find his brother, Simon Peter. Andrew tells Simon Peter, “I found the Messiah! You’ve got to meet this guy!” So, Andrew takes Peter by the hand and walks him to Jesus. Andrew then introduces the two of them, providing them the opportunity “to shake hands” and then he steps back and out of the

24 Dr. Joe Donaho, Good News Travels Faster (Decatur, GA: CTS Press, 1988). 25 The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. All scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted. 53 picture. Andrew’s style for sharing the faith is to invite one person to meet Jesus.

There are two important items to note about Andrew’s style. First, he doesn’t try to convert Peter, he only gets the two of them together. If there is any converting, it will be up to God. Andrew puts their hands together and then backs off. Second, we note that Andrew invited someone to meet Jesus with whom he already had some type of relationship. We learn that effective invitational ministry is best done with pre-Christian people we already know. Who do you know that does not have a visible spiritual life? What are ways you could invite them to Andrew’s method for sharing the Story is be a part of the church family? very easy and non-threatening. It is the one invitational method anyone in the church can do, from the oldest adult to the youngest loquacious child. You engage in Andrew- type invitation when you invite someone to a church dinner, a special worship service, a group outing or even a Sunday school class. Andrew-type invitation is when we provide people the situations and opportunities for them to come in contact with God.

Philip: He makes the most of an opportunity.

Acts 8.26: Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road— the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him

54 again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

The best analogy for this story is to imagine that God called Philip to strike out and head to the long, lonely stretch of highway in south Florida called “Alligator Alley.” Think over the last three weeks. When has there been an opportunity for you to Philip goes and sees someone going along and talk about the faith with someone? Did he makes his way nearby. Traveling along you? Is it difficult for you to talk about together, Philip simply asks, “Whatcha’ reading?” the faith? Why or why not? The man replies that it’s something from the book of Isaiah but he’s having a hard time understanding it. Inviting Philip along, the man begins to ply Philip with questions about the meaning of the text. It was then that Philip began to tell the man about Jesus. Apparently, the man was ready to hear the message as he pulled the chariot over so he could be baptized.

Philip’s method for sharing the faith is simply that he made the most of the opportunity. He listened. He was not embarrassed about being a Christ- Follower. When asked, he gratefully shared what he knew. We can take some notes on the way he shared his faith. To begin with, Philip didn’t force his agenda on the eunuch. He let the eunuch ask the questions that were pressing for him. Philip didn’t say, “you’re reading from Isaiah…Thus sayeth the Lord! You should believe such and such…” He let the eunuch ask the question. He let the eunuch set the agenda. We also note that Philip didn’t approach the eunuch with any pre-prepared script. He fashioned his response to where the man was in his faith.

Lois and Eunice: They teach the faith.

2 Timothy1.4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 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. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Don’t let anyone tell you that teaching the faith to our family members is not necessary! Here’s a perfect example how intentional Who were the Lois and Eunices in your life? If they teaching of faith is manifested in the life of a Christ-Follower! are still living, why not drop Paul is writing his young protégé trying to encourage the young them a quick note and tell minister in light of a difficult assignment. Paul is reminding them what their witness to you has meant in your life. Timothy to remember the faith his mom and grandmother, Lois and Eunice, taught him. These women encountered the power of Christ and then thoughtfully taught those beliefs to the people they were closest to: Timothy. The result of their teaching was the cultivation of a profound and important leader in the early church.

55 One of the key ways of sharing the Story of Jesus is to thought-fully teach the faith to those around us. We do this nurturing faith-sharing in many ways. One way is through the saying of grace before meals with our family. Another is to go to good old-fashioned Sunday school where the basics of the faith are taught. A third way is to make sure our families consistently go to church and worship. After the service, talk with family members about how they encountered God in the service. A fourth way is to perform acts of Christian service together, whether it’s serving food to the poor or going shopping to clothe a foster child. In each of these instances, the faith is shared and proclaimed through the everyday living out of our Christ-Followership.

John the Baptist. He holds people accountable.

Matthew 3.1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

For many, John the Baptist is the quintessential evangelist. He’s the one who points his finger and growls, “REPENT or you’re going to hell!” This is too bad, really. John did hold people accountable but he wasn’t necessarily trying to scare them into the Kingdom of God. We need to put John in the correct context. The above scripture may sound very judgmental to us at Y2K but for the Jew of his day, his proclamation was incredibly exciting news.

For the first century Jew, the coming Messiah was a thrilling prospect. When the Messiah came, he will make right all the How do people respond to political/social/economic inequalities. The oppressor would be “John the banished and the poor would flourish. Yes, there is a definite tone of Baptists” in our accountability in John’s words but they are not meant to be heard as culture? “bad news.” They were meant to be heard as wonderfully good news because God’s chosen one was on the way. 56

There are some people we may know that need a “reality check” by being held accountable for their actions and behavior. Because God in Christ has come/is coming, we are called to be more than we are – not because we have to earn God’s favor but out of a grateful response to God for what God has done for us. For example, you may know a problem drinker whose behavior is negatively affecting those around him. He may need to hear a more firm “prepare the way” in order to penetrate the fog of booze. You may know a woman who is in an abusive situation but is afraid to break loose. She may need to hear a firm “prepare the way of the Lord” to shake her from complacency and get help for herself.

John the Baptist’s straightforward, almost confrontational approach may be necessary at times but not used as the norm as most churches have done. John’s means are used to snap people out of a befuddled, map-less existence.

Barnabas: The encourager.

Acts 4.36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 11.22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Acts 15.36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Barnabas’ name describes the type of evangelist he was. His name means “son of encouragement.” To give encouragement literally means “to give strength.” Barnabas looked around and made efforts to give strength to those around him. He was an encourager. He encouraged people into the Kingdom. Whenever things looked Is there someone who has been a Barnabas to you? How did bleak, Barnabas stepped up and pointed out the they “show” you the faith? Who possibilities. When people were brought low, he in the church family fits that bill today? 57 picked them up. When Mark was outcast by Paul, Barnabas saw the potential in him. Barnabas was a catalyst of opportunity. He was the “Norman Vincent Peale” of the early church—the original “possibility thinker.”

Jesus: The storyteller.

Mark 4.26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” 30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.” 33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

As we look at New Testament stories, we notice that the Apostle Paul was a ‘city boy’ and Jesus was a ‘country boy.’ Paul, as one can read in the book of Acts, is a forensic and rhetorical genius using his skill in public speaking to wow the crowds and officials with logic. Jesus, however, told stories the everyday person could connect with. Many of the times, Jesus’ stories dealt with the environment, agriculture, and basic human behavior in relationships.

Jesus told stories so that the listener could draw their own conclusion. Unlike Paul who spoke with logical and skilled rhetoric, Jesus told a story and then let the listener sift through the Story to see how they could hook into the storyline where it intersected them the most. Jesus was a storyteller that caught, stretched and pushed ahead people’s imaginations.

Paul and his letters.

Jesus was a pastor of the flock. Paul was the church’s first systematic theologian. Paul’s ministry was not only to be a fantastic church planter but it was to write letters to the young churches explaining the ways of God in Christ. For centuries, millions of people have come to God as a result of Paul’s letter writing ministry.

Paul’s letters were written to churches who were dealing with specific issues that were germane to that particular parish. In time, the early church learned that many of the churches suffered and wrestled with many of the same problems and faith their sister churches did. The result was that Paul’s letters were passed around to various congregations and read aloud to the people.

Ponder: Have you come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? If not, would you like to talk with someone about what that means?

How did you come to a knowledge of God’s love and grace and new life? How was the Good News shared with you?

NOTES:

59 PILLAR SIX: Trusteeship

Next to evangelism, money and the church is one of the topics people hate to talk about. Ironically, it’s the one thing God loves to address the most! Did you know that Jesus spoke about people’s use of money more than any other topic? Furthermore, the Bible talks about money and possessions a whopping 2,350 times! Interestingly enough, it has 500 verses on prayer and 500 verses on faith.i 26 Also, of the thirty parables Jesus told, sixteen of them related to people’s ability to handle and relate to money and possessions. A friend recently sent me this email that is making its way around the spam lists:

Funny how a $20.00 bill looks so big when you take it to church but so small when you take it to the market.

Hmmm. Wonder why it’s true? For the next several minutes, let’s spend some time in the scriptures looking at what it says about money and our giving. Go through and read each of the scriptures. When you’re done reading each one, give each passage a title, and in one or two sentences, sum up what the passage is saying. Do you feel this way? Luke 18:18-27 Why is this so among 18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: people? “Good teacher, what should I do to get eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20 But as for your question, you know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’ ” 21 The man replied, “I’ve obeyed Do you think money was all these commandments since I was a child.” 22 “There is still more important than doing one thing you lack,” Jesus said. “Sell all you have and give the the other things the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then religious leader did? Why or why not? come, follow me.” 23 But when the man heard this, he became sad because he was very rich. 24 Jesus watched him go and then said to his disciples, “How hard it is for rich people to get into the Kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” 26 Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?” 27 He replied, “What is impossible from a human perspective is possible with God.”ii

What title or headline would you give for this passage?

Describe its central point. Leviticus 27:30-34

60 30 “‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. 32 The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that Do you or have you ever tithed? What made you passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the do it? What prevents you LORD. 33 He must not pick out the good from the bad or from starting? Should you make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both tithe pre or post tax? Why? the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.’” 34 These are the commands the LORD gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites. iii What title or headline would you give for this passage?

Describe its central point.

Mark 12:41-44

41 Jesus went over to the collection box in the Temple and sat and watched as the crowds dropped in their Have you ever witnessed a person money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a giving as this widow? poor widow came and dropped in two pennies. 43 He Describe it. called his disciples to him and said, “I assure you, this poor widow has given more than all the others have given. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” iv

What title or headline would you give for this passage?

Describe its central point.

Romans 12:6-8

6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7 If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing v kindness to others, do it gladly. Some people are gifted at making money. They know how to make shrewd investments and earn money on their dollars. Paul calls this the gift of liberality – What title or headline would you give for someone who has that “Midas Touch” and eagerly looks this passage? for ways to invest in the Kingdom. If you have been blessed financially, have you ever thought about placing that gift under the umbrella of Christ? How might you “invest in the Kingdom”?

Describe its central point.

2 Corinthians 9:1-15

1 There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. 2 For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. 3 But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food

62 will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his vi indescribable gift!

What title or headline would you give for this passage? Describe its central point.

Matthew 6:1-4

1 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. vii

What title or headline would you give for this passage?

Describe its central point.

63 Matthew 6:16-18 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. viii

What title or headline would you give for this passage?

Describe its central point.

Matthew 6:19-24

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. ix

What title or headline would you give for this passage?

Describe its central point.

Based on the scriptures above, if you were asked to give a theology of giving (Remember: “theology” literally means, “words (logos) about God (Theos)) what would you write? In other words, what do we learn about giving and receiving? Write your thoughts here:

I begin with scripture because it’s really irrefutable. Some might say, “Oh, that preacher is just spouting off about money again!” when in reality the preacher is only outlining what the Bible says about wealth and possessions. When you boil it all down, giving to God and withholding what is his to begin with, is a spiritual issue of the first order. The previous scriptural references point to that. As my friend/professor/writer Len Sweet writes, “No church should be without a Minister of Planned Giving or a Minister of Estate Planning. Their role is not to raise money for the church; it is to help the church’s members give it all away.”x Furthermore, Sweet urges us to move from “stewardship” language to “trustee” language. Our culture does not have stewards and trying to explain what they do and who they are gets confusing. Instead, he argues for Christ- Following Trusteeship. Trustees manage and redistribute the account and finances for someone else. They don’t manage their own funds; instead, they manage the funds of others that have been entrusted to them.xi Stewardship in our culture has come to mean managing what is mine. Trusteeship acknowledges that nothing we have is ours, it’s God’s. As trustees, we are responsible for making wise investments of our Lord’s gifts.

Trusteeship in the church. Let’s address ten of the most frequently asked questions about it.

1. What’s a pledge or an Estimate of Giving?

A pledge is merely a promise made by a member of friend of the church that he or she will contribute a certain amount of funds in a calendar year. Each Spring, we have our stewardship/trusteeship drive where the next year’s budget is presented (Our church operates on a fiscal calendar from July 1 to June 30). We ask all members to complete an Estimate of Giving card for the church’s operating and building budget. Making an Estimate of Giving for is one way for a member or guest to step into the activity of the church’s ministry and life as well as stepping up to the challenge and possibility of building the Kingdom of God in and through this community known as First Presbyterian Church. Your Estimate of Giving let’s your church leader make objective financial forecasts for the new budget year and helps us know where we can grow our ministry or where we need to trim back.

2. What’s a tithe?

When do you write the A tithe is the biblical mandate that people are to give back to the check for ministry? Is Lord the first ten percent of one’s wealth. Some people will ask, “Is it the first one posted that ten percent gross or ten percent net? Is it pre-tax dollars or or is it after everything else is paid? post-tax dollars?” The Bible doesn’t really say except that people are to give their best and their first to the Lord.

3. Do we use a pledge system or a faith-based system for receiving offerings?

An Estimate of Giving, sometimes referred to as a pledge system, is a planned way of giving to God throughout the year. A faith-based system is more spontaneous. Whereas a pledge system requests written commitments from people on how much they are going to give, a faith-based system is one whereby no real budget is determined and that the contributions are accepted with no written commitment. A faith-based system trusts that the members will do the right thing and that when the books are closed at the end of the year, the balance sheet works out.

We are currently using a pledge-like system whereby we ask people to make an educated estimate of what they feel they might be able to do in the coming year. The Session will not operate in the red. If pledges come in below budget, we will reduce the budget. We believe in operating within fiscal responsibility. The Session makes promises to others based on the promises you make to the church.

4. How is the budget built?

First Presbyterian’s budget is built upon history, input and plans. It is built upon the history in that we have a rough idea on what a ministry may cost to operate for a year. Ministry Teams submit their financial needs to the elders who prayerfully consider each one. Team input is most necessary. Finally, plans for new ministries and programs will impact how a budget is put together. The Session of the church is the ultimate decision maker for the church budget. It is presented to the congregation as information. The one place the congregation does have impact and say-so is in determining the pastors ’ salary.

5. Why does the church talk about money to begin with?

As mentioned before, giving is a spiritual issue. Unfortunately, people’s giving habits require the Session and Pastors to talk about money. If this were a perfect world, every member and guest would give not only ten percent but also an excess of that amount out of an abundance of what God has given them.

6. What if I fall behind?

Former Beatle, John Lennon, once said, “Life is what happens to you when you’re making other plans.” He’s right! Circumstances change – an illness, a lost job, a pay raise or unexpected bonus—all are changes that can affect the amount we give. If your life circumstances change for the worse, please let the office know. It’s not a question of “paying your dues;” on the contrary, it’s a matter of the pastoral staff knowing how they can respond to your crisis or celebrate with you in your joy.

7. How much should I give?

As previously mentioned, the amount you decide to give and how you arrive at that figure is between you and God. A good place to start is assessing your financial situation. What are your capabilities to give? Maybe you are not able to give a tithe at this point; can you make a commitment to work towards making a tithe? There again, you may be in the financial situation where you have been blessed with what Paul describes as the “gift of liberality.” In other words, you know how to make money and how to invest it wisely. Giving ten percent is nothing to you; indeed, God has blessed you to give more. Are you?

8. Can I give my “ten percent” spread over several organizations?

Some people will give a certain amount to their church and then another amount to several other charitable organizations. There are two answers to this question, one biblical and the other pragmatic but with spiritual implications.

Biblically, it is very clear God desires the “first fruits” and the best we have to go towards His community. Note the words in Deuteronomy 26:1-11:

1 When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the first fruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, "I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the land the LORD swore to our forefathers to give us." 4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God. 5 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me." Place the basket 67 before the LORD your God and bow down before him. 11 And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.xii

Giving to God is our way of showing gratitude for all that God has done for us. Splitting our first fruits is not honoring the biblical call of giving to God the first and the best. If after we give our first fruits and have excess resources to invest in other charitable organizations, then the decision to give above and beyond one’s commitment to the church is up to each individual believer.

Secondly, we should use good business sense when answering this question. For example, if you have $1,000, would that money “get more bang for the buck” if you spread it over ten organizations or focused on one? Each of the ten organizations may be worthy organizations. The issue becomes this: When I pool my money with someone else’s at the church, will my money go farther as a combined $1,000 gift or a $100 one? Strategic and leveraged giving is shrewd business sense. The nation’s largest Presbyterian Church, Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, has this leveraged approach and applies it to its service and mission ventures. It has built over one hundred Habitat for Humanity houses in the city, more than any single church in the world. It could have decided to build a few houses here and there all over town. Instead, it decided to focus all its money and volunteer efforts on changing the face of a single neighborhood. It’s the same with our giving.

God desires to have the church of Jesus Christ be the light in the world. There are many pre-Christians who will give to XYZ Charity but who will not give to the church. Consequently, XYZ Charity benefits from both churched dollars and non-churched dollars that would never be given to a church anyway. When a person splits his or her gifts between the church and other organizations, the only entity that suffers is the church. The church has a unique task that no other organization can do—offer the saving power of Jesus Christ.

9. How frequently must I pay?

The Apostle Paul talks about making our giving a weekly habit. It’s entirely up to the giver but weekly helps the church’s cash flow issues. Others like to pay monthly or even wait until the end of the year in order to allow investments to mature. Whatever works best for you is fine. It would be helpful to let the church office know which you will do so it can plan its spending.

10. Can I give something other than money?

You bet! Some people gift stocks, property or CDs to the church. Others will put the church in their will. If you’re not sure, simply ask.

Giving is a privilege. It’s a tangible way of showing God how grateful we are for all the blessings we have been given.

Don’t Know Much ‘Bout Theology

The Essential Tenets of our Faith By the Presbytery of San Diego

The Essential Tenets are our foundational convictions, contained in our creeds and confessions, which bear witness to God’s grace in Jesus Christ. They guide the church in its study and interpretation of the Scriptures; they summarize the essence of Christian tradition; they direct the church in maintaining sound doctrines; they equip the church for its work of proclamation.

The Christian faith holds to several essential tenets and the Reformed tradition further distinguishes these tenets.

SECTION 1: ESSENTIAL TENETS

(What we hold in common with all Christian Churches.)

Authority of Scripture The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are God’s uniquely revealed and written Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit. They are the Church’s first and final authority in all areas of faith and life including, but not limited to, theological doctrine, mission, Church order, character and ethical behavior.

The Bible speaks to us with the authority of God himself. We seek to understand, love, follow, obey, surrender and submit to God’s Word – both Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, and the Scriptures, the written Word of God, which bears true and faithful witness to Jesus Christ.

God We worship the one, only living God who is revealed in the Bible and who is the source of all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness.

Trinity With the holy catholic (i.e. universal) church in all ages, we confess the mystery of the holy Trinity – that there is one God alone, infinite and eternal, Creator of all things, the greatest good. Who is one in essence or nature, yet who exists in a plurality of three distinct persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

69 Creation/Providence/Sovereignty God in the beginning created the universe and everything in it for the manifestation of God’s glory, eternal power, wisdom, and goodness. He is the sovereign ruler of creation, working all things according to the counsel of his omnipotent and righteous will. In gracious providence God continually upholds, directs, oversees, and governs creation – all creatures, actions, and things. In sovereignty, God has seen fit to accommodate free will among moral creatures, resulting in great cultural and cosmic good and terrible evil, disorder, and disobedience. Nevertheless, God is in no way the author of evil or sin, but continues to govern creation in such a way as to cause all things to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. God opposes all evil and will certainly triumph over it and bring creation to a glorious consummation.

Grace God is a God of love. In grace, God chooses to show love and mercy. When we were dead in trespasses and sin, God made us alive with Christ, saving us by grace through faith, as a sheer gift of sovereign love.

Worship God and God alone is worthy of worship. We respond to God by consciously and intentionally seeking to declare, explore, celebrate, and submit to God’s righteous and gracious kingship over all of creation and over every aspect of our individual and corporate life, and thereby “to glorify him and enjoy him forever.” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 7.01) This is true worship.

Humanity – Original Righteousness and Fall into Sin

Human beings were created by God in God’s own image – in true righteousness and holiness – to know, love, and obey God and to be righteous stewards of the creation. Our earliest forebears, instead of acknowledging, worshipping and obeying God, became sinners and in their disobedience, brought sin and death upon themselves and all creation.

There is now a radical brokenness and corruption in human nature that is the result of sin and results in sin. Sin is rebellion against God. No human effort can resolve or redeem this defect. Sin is destructive, contagious, parasitical, polluting, and disabling. Human beings are sinners by nature, by influence, by choice, and by action. Furthermore, there are four aspects to sin: It’s personal; it’s corporate and social; it describes actions or inactions of what I do or don’t do; and it’s a description of who human beings are – we are sinners.

While there is an inalienable glory and nobility to human beings because they are God’s image bearers, this image is now broken and distorted. Even our best and most noble actions are contaminated by sin. Every part of our human being – our personality, intellect, emotions, will, motives, virtues, and actions – is corrupted by sin. The human will, originally free and righteous, is now crippled and defective.

As a result, human beings are in bondage to sin and subject to God’s holy judgment. Without God’s intervening grace and salvation, we are lost and condemned.

Jesus Christ – Incarnation of the Eternal Word Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human. In the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the eternal Son of God uniquely entered human history and became a real human being. He is truly the Word of God (John 1:1-3) – that is, the perfect and culminating expression of God’s mind and heart, of God’s will and character. Jesus is present in the intimate fellowship of the Holy Trinity from eternity and fully engaged with the Father in the work of creation and redemption.

Becoming human, Jesus was “all of God in a human body” (Colossians 1:19) and “God with us” (Matthew 1:23); a living tabernacle of God’s holy presence, “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14-18). His divine-human identity is corroborated by the true witness of Scripture – in His divine conception and virgin birth, in God’s won testimony concerning Jesus, in Jesus’ supernatural works of healing and deliverance, in His obedience to the point of sacrificial death, and in His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension, and exaltation. He is now Lord over everything in creation.

The early church in the creeds of Nicea and Chalcedon accurately interpreted and expressed the apostolic testimony concerning Jesus – fully God and fully human. The significance of this is: in Christ, we are dealing with God himself. In Christ, we have a human being who truly represents us.

Nicene Creed Written during the 4th century A.D. in an attempt to unify the Christian church under emperor Constantine. It is heavily influenced by the theologian Athanasius and the work of the first two ecumenical councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381). It was adopted by the council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451. Its central doctrines are those of the Person of Jesus Christ and the reality of the Holy Spirit. It is the only creed accepted by all three major branches of Christendom including Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians.

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Apostles’ Creed Developed between the 2nd and 9th centuries as a baptismal creed for new Christians, this is the most popular creed used in worship by Western Christians. Its central doctrines are those of the Trinity and God the Creator.

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN.

Jesus Christ is God’s only Mediator between God and humankind. He is God’s unique agent for the salvation of the world. He is also the perfect expression of what humanity was designed to be. In His complete obedience, He became the representative Human Being, a second Adam, modeling for us human life and offering to God on our behalf human life that is rightly in God’s image – reflecting God’s glory in a wholly submitted life of steadfast love and righteousness.

This same Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God as attested in Scripture, is to be the center of the Christian Church’s proclamation, worship, discipleship, and mission. As we eagerly and prayerfully anticipate that “He will come again to judge the living and the dead” and to establish God’s righteous kingdom in fullness and perfection, we say, “Come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

Jesus Christ – His Atoning Work Jesus’ death on the Cross was the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. In this act of obedience to God’s will and love for humankind, Jesus acted as the divine agent for the salvation of the world. In His death, He perfectly fulfilled the office of High Priest and was also the perfect sacrifice for sin, “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) The Cross became an altar on which His life was sacrificed as a substitute for ours, and satisfaction and expiation for sins were completely accomplished. On the sole basis of the finished work of Christ on the Cross, sinners may now be reconciled to a holy God and set free from their bondage to sin and death to live for God in holiness and joy.

Exalted to the place of honor beside God the Father, Jesus Christ the eternal Son, now Lord of heaven and earth, continues His saving work, advocating and interceding on behalf of the church and functioning as our eternal prophet (God’s living and revealed Word), priest (ever making intercession and mediation for us), and king (ruling His church by Word and Spirit and with sovereign love and power.)

Salvation by Grace through Faith Salvation is God’s gracious work through Jesus Christ to reclaim humankind and all creation from sin and its consequences. Salvation is a gift of God’s grace received by faith. Christ’s righteousness and atonement are the sole basis for human salvation. Faith in Christ is the only instrument by which this righteousness is received by individual believers, resulting in their justification.

Justification is the righteousness of Christ imputed to a sinful man or woman through faith alone in Christ. His/her faith appropriates Christ’s atonement, resulting in his/her sins atoned for and forgiven and God reckoning him/her to be righteous.

Scripture also describes salvation as

 a ransom or redemption from slavery (Mark 10:45)  a sacrificial substitution (Christ’s death for our death)  a reconciliation of a sinner with a holy God  our sins being sacrificially expiated, satisfied, covered over, forgiven, removed  a present reality that changes the way we view and experience life right now and not just when we die.

All of these ways describe how God has given us “the forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness and salvation out of sheer grace solely for the sake of Christ’s saving work.” (Heidelberg Catechism, 4.021)

What is faith? Faith is: 1. accepting the message of salvation as true AND 2. trusting God to apply this salvation to us

Faith is “certain knowledge” and “wholehearted trust,” that is created in us by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. In faith, we accept, receive, and rest “upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace.” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 6.080)

SECTION 2: REFORMED DISTINCTIVES

Election for Salvation and Service Our salvation and sanctification are based entirely on God’s initiative and God’s grace. It is not primarily about our choice but God’s choice. The Reformed understanding of election is that God has chosen us in Christ for salvation and service.

 To be redeemed  To be God’s own “treasured possession,” a holy nation and a kingdom of priests  To live holy and exemplary lives, zealous for good works Resulting in praise for the glory of God’s grace

Our salvation is not an accident we stumble into or a destiny we create. It is God’s gracious purpose of our lives and it is for God’s glory.

God has elected us out of grace. God has elected us for eternity. We are elected in Christ.

That is…

Christ is God’s elected Son, chosen to redeem God’s creation and to be Mediator and Savior for humankind. Our election is not direct, but indirect – we are elected on account of Christ, with the result that those who are now grafted into Christ by faith are also to be elected.

As those chosen by God, we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus. Our purpose, then, is to glorify God by our redeemed and sanctified life.

Our faith in Christ and our good works are evidence and confirmation that we are chosen by God to be His.

Election is a doctrine intended to reassure Christians of the security of their salvation and of the steadfast love of God for them, and to instill in them a sense of divine purpose and a zeal for good works.

A person may know with complete assurance, on the basis of the promises of Scripture and God’s faithfulness, that if they are trusting in Christ for their salvation, they indeed are in Christ and are elected.

Covenant and Covenant Life Covenant, in the cultural context of the Bible, described the strongest relationship of love and loyalty between persons. It was a solemn relationship and bond, often with explicit oaths and obligations, often sealed solemnly with the blood of sacrifice. Reconciliation after hostility and conflict was often marked by a covenant ceremony. A covenant was entered into by faith as a relationship of trust and solemn promises; it was held together by faithfulness. Covenant faithfulness led to blessing and life; breaking covenant invoked a curse. Covenants described the relationship between rulers and subjects, wife and husband, business partners, neighboring nations. God adapted this covenant model to describe His special relationship and bond with the people He redeemed.

God’s covenants had different forms and details at different times in salvation history e.g. with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David, but they reflected a single sovereign and gracious purpose to redeem, sanctify, and preserve a people who belonged to God.

The divine covenant was always initiated by God. It was sustained by God’s faithfulness in spite of humankind’s history of unfaithfulness. It was an expression of God’s steadfast love (Hebrew: hesed) and it reached a culmination and fullness in the “new covenant” (Luke 22:20) established and perfected by Jesus Christ.

In Jesus, the promised Messiah, we encounter personally and directly the Mediator of God’s perfect and everlasting covenant. (Hebrews 9:15) Jesus has perfectly fulfilled the obligations of the covenant for us. He has demonstrated complete faithfulness to God as a covenant partner. In his substitutionary death, He took on Himself the curse for our covenant breaking, ended the hostility our sins had caused, reconciled us and made us right with God. Those who put their faith in Christ are spiritually united with him, enter the new covenant where there is salvation and redemption, become members of the covenant community called the church, and enjoy the covenant promises of eternal life and blessing.

Every believer is called to be a faithful and participating member of a local church, where “the community of the new covenant” has local expression and where they can be disciple into holiness and maturity. The community of the new covenant is to be a demonstration of the supernatural reality and power of the kingdom of God – what the world looks like and might become; where God is acknowledged as King in a community of love and wholeness. Where there is a ministry that extends the healing, deliverance, and grace that marked the life of Jesus and his disciples.

Sacraments The church receives from the Lord Jesus Christ two sacred and symbolic actions, called sacraments, which enact and perform (symbolize and seal) the promises of the gospel. These sacraments are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Baptism is the sign and seal of incorporation into Christ and of the washing away of sin through Jesus’ sacrifice. Baptism publicly acknowledges that the one baptized is part of the covenant community of faith. Baptizing infants reminds us that God reaches out to us even before we are able to respond in faith.

The Lord’s Supper, using bread and wine, is the sign and seal of our ongoing communion with the living Christ and of His life continuing to nourish us. Celebrating the Lord’s Supper, we give thanks as we remember that Christ lived for us, Christ died for us, and Christ will come again.

Both sacraments point to and remind us of the holy sacrifice of Christ for us. The Holy Spirit uses these sacraments – the common signs of water and of bread and wine, combined with the promises in the gospel of eternal life and forgiveness through Christ –to convey grace, salvation, and the real presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, which are received in Faith by the believing community in their worship together.

Sanctification and the Work of the Holy Spirit The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the individual and collective life of believers effects real transformation – a life of increasing holiness, righteousness, power, and love as we are changed more and more into the image of Christ. Though Christians are marred by sin and imperfect until Christ returns, there is a substantial manifestation of the righteousness and power of the kingdom of God in the believer, the church, and the world through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit connects us to the life of Christ and releases in us the supernatural and saving power of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and glory.

Priesthood of All Believers

Every believer, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, is called to participate in his priestly ministry. A priest functions to reconcile people to God. Jesus Christ is the eternal high priest of God’s new covenant. Jesus offered Himself as an atoning sin offering on our behalf and is our eternal advocate before the throne of God. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” (2 Corinthians 5:19) All believers are called as disciples to do this ministry of Jesus – to participate in reconciling the world to God by

o proclaiming the gospel o doing the works of Jesus o manifesting the reality and power of the kingdom of God in the world

This ministry is not reserved exclusively for ordained clergy and officers, but is the vocational privilege and responsibility of every Christian.

Mission of the Church God’s redeeming and reconciling work in the world was accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and continues through the church, the body of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The great ends of the church are the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world.

Jesus Christ, as the Lord of the church, calls the church into being, declares its mission, and supernaturally equips it for its work. Its mission is:

 To be the provisional demonstration of the new reality God intends for humanity  To proclaim the good news of salvation by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, leading persons to repentance, acceptance of Christ as Savior and Lord, and new life as his disciples  To make disciples of all nations  To demonstrate new life in Christ tangibly through its love for one another and the quality of its common life together, sharing in worship, fellowship, and nurture; practicing a deepened life of prayer and service under that guidance of the Holy Spirit

 To participate in God’s activity in the world through its life for others.

The church is to commit itself fully to this mission, waiting for and hastening the Lord’s coming again.

Trusteeship (stewardship) God has given us all that we have and all that we are. He charges us with the responsibility of using all our abilities and gifts in His faithful service and to His glory – and especially to further the work and mission of the church: to relieve suffering and help the poor, to resist the devil and overcome evil. In particular, God has ordered us to manage and care for creation as grateful stewards and obedient servants.

Jesus Christ is Lord of every area of our life – our spiritual life and our physical life; our social life including marriage, politics, justice and culture; our intellectual life; our work life and our recreational life. Jesus is Lord over the use of our bodies, our possessions, our resource and our money. We are to be stewards of all these things to manifest and extend the kingdom of God in the world, to extend the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth, and to bring glory to the name of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Worship Christian worship joyfully ascribes all praise and honor, glory and power to the Triune God. In worship, the people of God acknowledge God present in the world and in their lives. As we respond to God’s claim and redemptive action in Jesus Christ, we are transformed and renewed. In worship, the faithful offer ourselves to God and are equipped for God’s service in the world. The Spirit of God quickens us to an awareness of God’s grace and claim upon our lives. The Spirit moves us to respond by naming and calling upon God, by remembering and proclaiming God’s acts of self-revelation in word and deed, and by committing our lives to God’s reign in the world. In worship, we:

Gather→ Proclaim →Respond →Sealed →and Sent Out

The Sacrament of Baptism

Baptism marks a new beginning of participation in Christ’s ministry for all people. This participation is an ever-expanding process and is not completed in the moment of baptism. The act of baptism sets us on a journey that lasts the whole course of our lives.

As the baptism of Jesus anticipated the whole course of his obedience, so the meaning of our baptism becomes apparent only through the subsequent course of our lives as we practice what it means to belong to the Lord in changing situations and in new relationships.

Baptism is entering the fellowship of the universal Church, and that involves entering into the fellowship in which God keeps alive a greater variety and depth of the meaning of baptism than any single tradition of form or method of baptism.

Each congregation stands to be enriched by the presence of both infant baptism and the baptism upon public confession of faith of consenting believers, some of whom have been raised in the Church.

The complementary emphases of both practices serve to exhibit the meaning of baptism more fully and with less misunderstanding than if either is observed almost exclusively.

Each practice has acquired certain meaning, each emphasizes certain aspects of God’s initiative in Christ, and each requires continual re-examination if it is not to become a ceremonial betrayal of the reality to which it points.

Baptism sets forth the grace of God in Jesus Christ and affirms that believers and their children are heirs of the covenant of grace. As the mode of entrance into the body of Christ, this sacrament need be administered only once to each person.

This sacrament, as an act of the Church, is ordinarily to be administered with the participation of the full congregation. There may be circumstances, however, which justify the administration of the sacrament apart from public worship, particularly to the sick.

In such situations, all should remember that the sacrament is not administered as an emergency measure to ensure salvation, but as a means of showing forth the redemptive power of the Word of God in Jesus Christ. If possible, officers and other members of the congregation should be present to manifest the communal nature of the sacrament.

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

God receives persons once and for all into His family in the sacrament of Baptism, In the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, God offers them the continued spiritual nourishment upon which their eternal life depends and He sustains them in the fellowship of the body of Christ.

In the Presbyterian church, the Session determines how often the opportunity to participate in the Lord’s Supper may be provided in each church.

It is fitting that it be observed as frequently as every Sabbath, however, it out to be observed regularly enough that it is seen as an integral part of and not an ‘addition to’ the worship of God by his people.

Christians have differing names for this holy meal. Some of them are below with the subtle differentiations of meaning for each one.

The Lord’s Supper recalls its institution by Christ when the apostles were eating with Him in the upper room.

The Breaking of Bread describes the sacramental action by which Christ is known to His disciples.

Holy Communion is a reminder of the fellowship of believers with their Lord and with one another.

The Eucharist (or thanksgiving) tells us that God’s people receive with grateful joy the gifts He has prepared for them.

In the sacramental action designated by all of these names, the Word of God is exhibited and offered to the believer.

The Holy Table is none other than Christ’s Table. He invites those who put their trust in Him to share in the feast that He has prepared. The Table is not a Presbyterian table but the Lord’s table and any and all who have professed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who has been baptized in any Christian church that has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is entitled to come and eat at the table.

The Words of Institution establish the sacrament as originating in Christ’s command and make plain that those worshipping do so in obedience to His will. Hereby they participate in the continuing history of the people of God until Christ comes again.

The participation of the entire congregation in the service, in the singing of psalms and hymns, the offering of prayers, and the reception of the elements, demonstrates that God has redeemed the people, and that individuals come to the Table as members of a corporate fellowship.

i Howard Dayton, Your Money Counts (Longwood: FL: Crown Ministries, Inc., 1996), 8. ii Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996. iii The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. ivNLT, Ibid. v Ibid. vi NIV, Ibid. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984. viiIbid. viiiIbid. ix Ibid. x Leonard Sweet, Soul Tsunami (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1999), 268. xi Ibid., 273. xii NIV, Ibid.