Endtimes Indications - 1/15/8
Solar Spring
The sun appears to have begun a new 11-year cycle of activity with the
early appearance of a new sunspot causing concern that some of the
most powerful solar storms in decades could arrive in the next few
years. "This sunspot is like the first robin of spring." said solar
physicist Douglas Biesecker of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction
Center. "In this case, it's an early omen of solar storms that will
gradually increase over the next few years." A sunspot is an area of
intense magnetic avtivity on the surface of the sun. The new 11-year
cycle, called Solar Cycle 24, is expected to build gradually, with the
number of sunspots and solar storms reaching a maxximum by 2011 or
2012. During a solar storm, highly charged particles ejected from the
sun may head toward Earth, where they can bring down power grids,
disrupt communications and threaten astronauts with harmful radiation.
1-1-4-Why Train?
Division of Duties
Read Acts 6: 1-7
Jewish Christians of different ethnic backgrounds were living in
Jerusalem, and some disagreements split along ethnic lines. The
leadership of the early church resolved these differences in a fair
way.
A point of contention arose among the early group of Christians over
an important issue. Church leaders sought to honor God and gave a
wise solution to the problem.
Who are the people you know who appear to get along well with
others?... The people I know who get along with others are enjoyable
to be with. They show genuine interest in others. When they are with
you, they are really with you.
I think of a man I know who is very gracious, friendly, and refined in
his dealings with people, whether they are his friends, his co-
workers, or the waiters who serve him. His pleasant manner is not put
on; it's genuine....
A man who encourages and builds up others, he is compassionate and
empathetic, touching people in times of joy and sorrow. He fits the
description of a likable character I read about recently in a novel.
This man was described as "large-hearted with everyone." The way my
friend treats the people in his life is how most people want to be
treated.
Do these qualities describe how you would like to be treated? Are
these qualities evident in your dealings with others? It takes time
to develop the qualities I find in my friend. I'm still working on
them in my life. Fortunately, we all have the capacity to learn them
and put them into practice.
(From How to Get Along with Almost Anyone by H. Norman Wright)
When disagreements with other Believers come up, work for solutions
that help both sides, respecting opinions that differ while
maintaining unity.
The early church had problems just as we do today. All churches have
problems. If your church's shortcomings distress you, ask yourself:
"Would a perfect church allow me to be a member?" Then do what you
can to make your church better. A Church/individual does not have to
be perfect to be faithful.
Each person has a vital part to play in the life of the church. If
you are in a position of leadership and find yourself overwhelmed by
responsibilities, determine your God given abilities and priorities
and then find others to help. If you are not in leadership, you have
gifts that can be used by God in various areas of the church's
ministry. Offer these gifts in service to him.
This administrative task was not taken lightly. People who carry
heavy responsibilities and work closely with others should have these
qualities; full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We must look for
spiritually mature and wise men and women to lead our churches.
In the early church, the chosen men were ordained or commissioned (set
apart by prayer and laying of hands). Laying hands on someone, was a
way to set a person apart for special service.
The word of God spread like ripples on a pond where, from a single
center, each wave touches the next, spreading wider and farther. The
gospel stills spreads this way today. You don't have to change the
world single-handedly - it is enough just to be part of the wave,
touching those around you, who in turn will touch others until all
have felt the movement. Don't ever feel that your part is
insignificant or unimportant.
What principles here could help you free the church for a wider
mission?
Read Luke 9:10-17
If you could have a day off right now, how would you spend it?
As you think of the needs in your own life and the needs in the world
around you, how do you feel?
What is it going to take to get you off your duff?
How would you cope if God gave you a new challenge?
Jesus welcomed the people and ministered to their needs. How do you
see people who interrupt your schedule - as nuisances, or as the
reason for your life and ministry?
Do you think God would ask you to do something that you and he
together couldn't handle? Don't let your lack of resources blind you
to seeing God's power.
Jesus does not ignore needs. He is concerned with every aspect of our
lives - the physical as well as the spiritual. As we work to bring
wholeness to people's lives, we must never ignore the fact that all of
us have both physical and spiritual needs. It is impossible to
minister effectively to one type of need without considering the
other.
Lead In
Why do you do what you do?
This is an important question. It is especially important that all of
us ask this question of ourselves as Christians who seek ways to share
God's love and concern in this world. This lesson - module will help
us to explore how we answer this vital "why" question. This in turn
should give us a better understanding of how God enables us to be
Christian leaders and how solidly we are grounded on God for his
motivation and help.
Why Help Lead?
Professional Christian Leaders often press clients to delve into their
motivation - to explore in depth what beliefs, attitudes, or
philosophy of life causes them to act inn a certain way. When they
are similarly pressed to consider their own motivations, the results
can be enlightening.
People in therapy, frequently begin by dealing with more or less
purely psychological or psychiatric issues, but eventually move into
the realm of the religious or spiritual. This echoes the observation
made by Carl Jung in Modern Men in Search of a Soul:
"Among all the patients in the second half of life that is to say,
over 35 - there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was
not that of finding a religious outlook on life. It is safe to safe
to say that everyone of them fell ill because he had lost that which
the living religions of every age have given to their followers. And
none of them has been really healed who did not regain his religious
outlook."
You can Help People
"You may never have even thought of yourself as someone who could
significantly help anyone else, yet as soon as you say, 'Ah, well,
here's what I think...' you are giving counsel. God has opened a
door for you to help someone, perhaps working through you as a channel
of divine guidance, using you in a way that you had never considered
possible.
"I is only natural that we seek the advice and counsel of those who
know us and are closest to us. After all, we are comfortable with our
peers and can easily relate to them. We are not embarrassed to talk
with them about intimate and personal needs, especially when we are
relatively sure that they already have some idea of what we are
facing. With friends we are not intimidated by the stigma that is
often attached to making appointments and going to an office for help.
"I am convinced that you do not have to be a psychologist or a
clinically trained psychoanalyst to help people. You do not have to
be able to interpret dreams or read inkblots or recognize profound
psychological insights. Most of the counseling dispensed today is
given out by people who have had little training, if any, when it
comes to counseling" (Coffee Cup Counseling - Harold Sala).
You have a Mandate to Help People
Writing to the Galatians, Paul instructed, "Brothers, if someone is
caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him
gently" (Gal. 6:1). The word Paul used for sin, paraptoma, means
"false step, transgression, sin." In the context of life today it
means a wrong decision, a poor choice, a relationship which is bound
to end in disharmony and suffering. It's a strong word. But the
action required to help save a person from his fate is gentle but
firm, and only those who really care are willing to take the risks of
engaging in the process of helping another.
Long ago the psalmist wrote, "The godly man is a good counselor
because he is just and fair and knows right from wrong" (Ps. 37: 30,
31).
You are a child of God who has his feet planted on the Rock, Christ
Jesus! You don't have to be Mother Teresa or a Billy Graham. If you
have a clear vision to see what your friend cannot see because your
judgment isn't clouded by emotional entanglement, you are one through
whom God can work.
As part of the family of God, we have a responsibility to each other.
A family is a series of interlocking relationships, and it is the
quality of the relationships that affects the quality of family
living.
The Bible stresses that we have a responsibility to help brothers and
sisters make good decisions. At least fifty-eight times we find "one
another" phrases in the new Testament, all expressing some kind of
obligation or responsibility we have to each other in the body of
Christ. Among the many, you will see we are to:
Love one another
Pray for one another
Bear one another's burdens
Encourage one another
Exhort one another
Admonish one another
helping people through leadership is part of what Paul urged the
Galatians to do in bearing each other's burdens and thus fulfilling
the great law of love (see Gal. 6:1-5). It is time to begin assuming
our responsibility for each other.
As G. K. Chesterton once said, "Christianity has not been tried and
found lacking; it has been tried and found difficult."
Why do I do what I do?
Anyone involved in training needs to ask "Why do I do what I do?" For
Christian trainers, the answer to this question is quite a distinctive
one. God the Father, in His attempt to show His understanding of His
human children, set his son into the world to live and breathe, to
suffer and love, to minister and care - and finally to die.
Through his church Jesus continues to extend his ministry of love and
training. Christian training then is keyed on not only in what we do,
but why we do it. As the message of God's love grips Christians, we
are filled by the Holy Spirit, who moves anxious Christians to use our
God - given gifts for others. He makes cared-for Christians into
caring Christians.
While it is important for you to see clearly your basic Christian
motivation, it is not always necessary to share this with the person
whom you are training. Youu must gain the right to share your faith,
with another - by your perception of the other's needs, by the depth
of your relationship with the other person, or by the other person
asking you.
In Dylan Thomas's play, Under the Milk Wood, Eli Jenkins blesses his
small Welsh town every morning as it wakes up and every evening as it
settles into sleep. His voice is their voice; he is their advocate.
His personal psalm over his home town is a song of praise that gives
voice to the faith and hope of its citizens. It is a faith that is
sometimes joyous, sometimes desperate, a hope that can be as innocent
as children and yet grounded in the stony reality of daily work.
Paul gives advice to his friend Timothy, to keep alive the flame of
the Spirit. This gift is one of courage, strength, love, and wisdom.
he is to guard the "deposit of faith," and take Paul himself as a
model for sound teaching.
The call to being a "Trainer" is a call from God, and a call from the
community. It is a summons to be the community's voice in the shaping
of its longings toward joining with it's God. It is a call to
service, to be the community's leader and guide in the things of God.
The community looks to its trainer as a person who has heard the Word
of God, dwelt upon it, and elected to take the risk of following it
like Timothy.
The courage of Timothy is the courage to take the journey inward where
the human spirit meets God to face oneself in God's love, and return
to help others along parallel paths.
The wisdom of Timothy is the knowledge of self and of life itself that
comes from listening closely to the Word of God in our experiences, in
the community in the Scriptures. It is a wisdom of the depths, one
that grows out of love.
And this love that Timothy knows? It is God's - God's love for all
creatures, especially that human Child of God family that is seeking
him. It ministers to God's children.
Sharing Your Motivation
To help you determine when it would be appropriate necessary, and
desirable to share the ultimate reason for your training, I offer
these basic guidelines:
Evaluate the other person's needs. Make sure when you share your
basic motivation, it is what the other person needs to hear, not
simply what you want them to hear.
Consider the relationship. perhaps the relationship has reached such
depth that it is natural for you to share your spiritual motivations.
Your relationship might have reached the point where you are impelled
to share your faith to go further.
Answer questions when you are asked. When someone asks a question of
you then an open door is provided for your sharing.
Your ultimate motivation for training is your membership in God's
family. He provides purpose and power so that your training
relationships are transformed by his love. Knowing this will affect
your identity, attitude, confidence, and perspective as a trainer.
The Training Process
When you set out on a journey by automobile and you are unsure of your
way, you take a road map, something which can guide you toward your
destination. In a very real sense, God has given us a road map for
our lives.
When a person has gotten off the right road, and you know the
geography, you say, "You can't get where you want to go from here.
You need to go back and take another road." When you are familiar
with Scripture and can look at a trainee's problem objectively, You
have some idea of what the person needs to get back on the right
track.
Four objectives serve as goals, and though progress never takes a
straight line, you move toward them as you would geographic landmarks
in the distance. You can observe progress in getting back to the
right road as you pass through these phases of the helping process.
The following may help you see what I'll be discussing in the rest of
the lesson.
The Four Goals of Training
Identify the problems
Analyze the available options and the consequences of accepting or
rejecting each one.
Help your trainee discover and choose the will and program of God for
his/her life
help the trainee to stay with the program (discussed in other lessons)
The training process is like a time-line through which a person must
pass if a problem is to be effectively resolved.
As you work through problems with someone, You will find that these
four phases of the training process are not marked by specific
boundaries any more than the passing from youth to middle age. But
the process involves a transition which is necessary to resolve the
problem.
Phase 1 - Exploration
During this period you listen, evaluate, question, ponder. Like a
physician who examines a patient for the first time, you are trying to
get the picture clearly. You understand that initially the person who
comes to you for training is deciding if you can be trusted. At the
same time, his or her feelings may be all mixed up. Life doesn't come
to us in neat little packages, and you may get the story in bits and
pieces.
The first phase of training may take an hour or two, or several
weeks. After all, you may be the first person that your friend has
ever talked this problem over with, and as you listen, you may only
gradually begin to see the picture develop. You have to see the
problem clearly before you can help your friend look for solutions.
The first phase of training relates very closely to goal 1 -
Identifying the problem. This is such a critical part of the training
process that we will talk about how to accomplish this in this lesson
and the one to follow.
Phase 2 - Encounter
Once the problem is clearly identified in your mind, you want to help
your friend to see the options and the consequences of accepting or
rejecting each one. it is in this phase that both of you really come
to grips with the issue. This leads to the next leg of the journey.
Phrase 3 - Decision
At the beginning of this phase, the person you are helping makes a
decision. From the options, he accepts the fact that God does have
direction for him or her and that this is the path that needs to be
taken regardless of how easy or difficult it may be.
Phase 4 - Reconstruction
Here your big task is to provide loving support and help your trainee
follow the one who has come for help is strong enough and mature
enough to handle the problem alone, you have worked yourself out of a
job.
Now let's go deeper in considering how to help the person who has
turned to you for training.
The first goal of training: Identify the problem
You may be thinking, "Isn't the problem really obvious?" What may be
totally obvious to you may not be obvious at all to the person you are
trying to help. And what may be obvious to him may not be at all
clear to his wife or girlfriend. long ago the wise man who penned
Proverbs 16:2 recognized this as he wrote, "All the ways of a man are
pure in his own eyes..." The word translated "pure" in the New King
James Version also means, "upright" or "just."
Quite often we tend to magnify the faults of others and minimize our
own: when a problem occurs we tend to see ourselves in a different
light than others do. Actually, there are three perspectives which
confront the person you are training - how he sees himself, how his
mate or the other person sees him, how God see him.
Until the person who has come for training gains these three
perspectives, he will not see the necessity of moving into the second
phase of training.
How is this accomplished?
Through penetrating questions!
How does God view what has taken place?
i should point out that what the Bible says is in conflict with some
theories which are embraced in secular counseling disciplines. Before
I describe the four major secular counseling models, let's make sure
we understand what God does say about responsibility.
The Bible stresses individual, personal responsibility. From the very
beginning of time, mankind has sought to blame someone else, or
circumstances over which he has no control, for his failures.
Remember that Adam evade responsibility for taking the fruit by
blaming Eve. "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of
the tree, and I ate" (Gen. 3:12).
Adam was saying, "Look, God, it's partly Your fault because You put
her here in the garden with me, and she took the fruit. All I did was
innocently eat it." His reply to God's question about eating the
fruit was a far cry from the truth, "Yes, I took the fruit of my own
volition, and I am completely responsible for my actions!"
A passage which is often used to establish personal responsibility is
Ezekiel 18:20-23:
"The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the
father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness
of the righteous shall be upon himself.
"But is a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed,
keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall
surely live: he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he
has committed shall be remembered against him... Do I have any
pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord GOD, "and
not that he should turn from his ways and live."
When it comes to infidelity in marriage, several Scripture passages
speak clearly. You need to know where these are and be able to turn
them. Note the following passages: "It is God's will that you should
be holy: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you
should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and
honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen..." (1 Thess.
4:3-5).
Jesus denounced adultery saying that if a man even lusted after a
woman, he had committed adultery with her in his heart. (Also see
mark 10:1-12 and Luke 16:18 for parallel renderings.)
People often blame their physical chemistry. They blame the
environment or society. They explain away their conduct, excusing
themselves because of social pressures. But God says you are
responsible for what you do!
Another passage which is often helpfu to establish moral
responsibility is the story of David and Bathsheba. God sent the
prophet Nathan to David to confront him with the enormity of his sin.
Nathan told a story about two men, a rich man who had flocks and
herds, and a poor man who had only one little ewe lamb, which was his
children's pet. The rich man seized the poor man's lamb, killed it,
and prepared a meal for a traveler who had come to him. David burned
with anger and vowed that the man who did this must surely die.
"Then Nathan said to David, 'You are the man!'" (2 Sam. 12:7).
Establish responsibility by asking questions. Yes, you can tell
someone how wrong they are or what a stupid thing they have done and
generate a considerable amount of guilt (or anger), but what you want
to do is help the person accept the full responsibility of his
actions.
Undoubtedly, David had pondered the circumstances surrounding his
affair, but he had tried to keep it quiet. God (through Nathan) said,
"You 'did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel,
before the sun," (2 Sam. 12:12). Once David had taken the step of
passion, there was no turning back. He didn't intend for the nation
to know that he had engineered the death of a faithful and honorable
man so he could take that man's wife to bed.
It hit him with a tremendous impact!
"I have sinned against the Lord, " cries David. His repentance and
deep sorrow for what he had done were sincere. David tells of his
remorse and anguish in Psalm 51. He cries, "I acknowledge my
transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only,
have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight..." (v. 3, 4). At
this point David saw himself as God saw him, as he really was, and as
others saw him. Only then was he prepared to face the implications of
what he had done and experience the reconstruction process that
followed.
Identifying the problem leads to accepting the responsibility
Dr. Frank Pittman is a psychiatrist who specializes in why people
become involved in relationships outside marriage. In his book
Private Lies: Infidelity and the Betrayal of Intimacy, Pittman tells
of interviewing 100 couples who describe in detail why they got
involved with someone else. "It was not sex but a lack of intimacy
that had compelled them to have an affair," says Pittman.
Marriage is a husband and wife's commitment to try to meet each
other's needs, and those needs go far beyond sexual needs. While most
men think only in terms of environmental needs (food, shelter, and
clothing), a woman's needs are far more complex.
A man who accepts responsibility for his family must also make
provision for the needs of his wife just as she must meet those same
needs in her husband. Paul had strong words for husbands who give
little thought to the needs of their wives: "If anyone does not
provide for his own... he has denied the faith and is worse than an
unbeliever" (1 Tim. 5:8).
When needs are not met, our sexual lives are first to be negatively
affected, and when a reluctant or insecure partner does not meet the
sexual needs of a mate, a vacuum is created that another person may
satisfy.
When you sense that this situation may exist, you may ask, "Could you
have been partly responsible for your mate's actions by your
indifference? By failing to meet his or her sexual needs? By a lack
of interest in his or her world?" Or, "Have you attempted to view
this situation from your husband's or wife's perspective? Tell me
honestly - what would you have done if you had been in his or her
shoes?"
meeting each other's needs is vital. A few years ago a young man
named William Glasser was in medical school preparing to become a
psychiatrist. He began to reject many of the premises of modern
psychiatry, especially Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalysis. By
the time Glasser finished his evolution of thought, he had pioneered a
new approach to meeting the needs of people which he called "reality
therapy" (his book bears this title).
Glasser believes that every person - whether a gray haired grandmother
or a tiny baby - has tow basic needs: the need to love and be loved,
and the need to feel worthwhile to one's self and to other people.
When these needs are met, believes Glasser, people act in a
responsible fashion.
Glasser doesn't attempt to correlate what he believes with what the
Bible teaches, yet those two needs - love and fulfillment - are
definitely within the broad framework wof what the Bible says about
our lives. The Bible, however, goes beyond these in asserting that
every person has a third need - the need for security, which is met
through a vertical relationship with God.
Along with Glasser many other psychiatrists today are also saying what
the Word of God has been saying for centuries: "You are responsible,
and you can change." though most of them do not accept the biblical
concepts of sin and redemption.
The Bible lays down very clear moral guidelines, and God has commanded
us to serve others, not ourselves.
The second goal of training: Analyze the available options and the
consequences of accepting or rejecting each one.
During the first phase of training you are trying to get the picture,
but seeing the picture clearly doesn't change anything. You have to
move into the second phase: encounter.
here you want to explore the available courses of action. You must
confront your trainee whit the consequences of his or her action, as
hard as it may be to face them. The past ceases to be important. The
future is everything, and the present decides what the future will be.
The big question with which you must confront your trainee is this:
"Where do we go from here? What plan do you have?"
The question is usually greeted with a response of, "I don't know!"
Then you should ask, "What options do you see? Let's start making a
list of the options, and then, once we have the list, let's consider
what would happen with each choice."
You can usually come up with the options yourself but don't do it.
You want your trainee to face the options him - or herself, and, even
more importantly, to recognize what is going to happen as the result
of his choice.
What are the consequences of these options?
The third Goal of training: Help the trainee to discover and choose
the will of God for his life.
In the second phase of the training process, the issue of wrongdoing
must be faced. Glossing over sin, or excusing it on the basis of our
human weakness, offers no hope for removing it and overcoming it. But
acknowledging it - calling it what it really is - opens up the path of
restoration, which is the third phase of the training process.
As you analyze the consequences of the options, you then have to bring
the one you are helping to a phase of confrontation with the will of
God for a person to continue in any sinful relationship or situation.
The concept behind the Greek word hamartia, usually translated "sin"
in the New Testament, is that of missing the mark, of falling short of
the target. Acts of wrongdoing have taken your trainee outside of
God's will and plan. To right the wrong requires positive action,
which means breaking habits that have become comfortable and perhaps
enjoyable.
At this point the relationship you have with your trainee is
tremendously important. Sometimes simply being there - encouraging,
loving, and reinforcing with out condemnation - is the additional
strength that a person needs to do the right thing, especially when
your trainee know's what is right but lacks the courage to take the
first step toward the will of God. many Christians whose marriage
fail fall into this category, and the input of a trainer could make
the difference in helping to restore a troubled marriage.
What is necessary to bring healing to a broken relationship?
The process of reconciliation can be thus illustrated:
Confession of sin before God and the one who has been hurt is
necessary, but a recital or cataloging of transgressions before the
offended party is not necessary. I do not believe that every morbid
detail has to be reviewed in the presence of a mate. God knows
already, and the husband or wife knows that he or she has been
betrayed.
Once the sin has been confessed, it is necessary for the offending
spouse to ask forgiveness of the one he or she has hurt. It is always
a joy to pray with someone who confesses his wrongdoing before the
Father and then does the same before his mate. And for healing to
take place it is essential for the one who has been hurt likewise to
extend complete forgiveness.
It is never enough for the offending person to say, "I have done
(whatever) and I am sorry that I have hurt you." He or she must also
ask, "Will you forgive me for what I have done to you?" the
transaction is not complete until the one who has been hurt says,
"Yes, I will forgive you."
I repeat: it is necessary for the offending person to ask for
forgiveness and just as important for the offended person to extend
forgiveness.
Repentance must also be met with reconciliation, or restoration. No
matter how repentant the offending person may be, if the offended
party will not really extend restoration to that person, genuine
healing cannot take place: the wound continues to fester and will
eventually destroy a relationship.
It is very easy for the offended person to remind his or her mate of
the wrongdoing. Yes, I understand that once the wall of trust has
been broken down, rebuilding it is a long and painful process. But it
must be undertaken.
Writing to the Ephesians about the importance of forgiveness. Paul
used the analogy of God's forgiving us as a pattern which we must
follow in forgiving each other. "Be kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also
forgave you" (Eph. 4:32).
Jesus said, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men
their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matt. 6:14, 15).
Surely the answer must be the high cost which He sustained in giving
His son to be crucified at Calvary, providing a means for Him to
forgive us.
Maintaining a "Holier than thou" attitude destroys the restoration
process, and often results in further infidelity.
Before we move on and begin a new lesson, I'd like to close on a
positive note. Though, as Jack Pittman has observed, "Infidelity is
the primary disrupter of families, the most dreaded and devastating
experience in a marriage, and the most universally accepted
justification for divorce," unfaithfulness doesn't have to end in
divorce. When people will forgive each other, seek God's healing
power, and rebuild the bridges of communication, a broken marriage can
be helped.
The Crises in Training
As we move through life, most of us behave in fairly consistent ways.
There are emotional and spiritual ups and downs, of course, and at all
times we must exert extra effort to deal with emergencies or
unexpected challenges, but as we approach adulthood, each person
develops a repertoire of problem-solving techniques based on one's
personality, training, and past experience. We use these techniques
repeatedly and thus are able to meet the challenges of life
successfully.
At times, however, situations arise which are most severe and thus
threaten our balances. Theses situations, or life events are also
known as crises. They may be expected or unexpected, real or
imagined, actual (as when a loved one dies) or potential (as when it
appears that a loved one might die soon).
Several writers have pointed out that the Chinese word for "crisis"
involves two characters. One means danger; the other means
opportunity. A crisis is a danger because it threatens to overwhelm
the person or persons involved. Crises involve the loss of someone or
something significant, a sudden shift in one's role or status, or the
appearance of new and threatening people or events. Because the
crisis situation is so intense and unique, we discover that our
customary ways of handling stress and solving challenges no longer
work. This leads to a period of confusion and bewilderment, often
accompanied by inefficient behavior and emotional upsets including
anxiety, anger, discouragement, sorrow, or guilt. Although this
intellectual, behavioral and emotional turmoil often is short lived,
it may persist for several weeks or even longer.
Crises, however, present people with the opportunity to change, grow
and develop better ways of coping. Since people in crises often feel
confused, they are more open to outside help, including the help which
comes from God and that which comes from a trainer. What one does
with this help and how one resolves the crisis has:
.... considerable significance for the future mental health of the
individual. His new equilibrium may be better or worse than in the
past.... He may deal with the crisis problems by developing new
socially acceptable, reality-based problem-solving techniques which
add to his capacity to deal in a healthy way with future
difficulties. Alternatively, he may, during the crisis, work out new
coping responses which are socially unacceptable and which deal with
difficulties by evasion, irrational fantasy manipulations, or
regression and alienation - all of which increase the likelihood that
he will also deal maladaptively with future difficulties. In other
words, the new pattern of coping that he works out in dealing with the
crisis becomes thenceforward an integral part of his repertoire of
problem-solving responses and increases the chance that he will deal
more or less realistically with future hazards.
When doctors talk of a medical crisis they often refer to that crucial
point in time when there is a change, either toward improvement and
recovery or toward decline and death. Emotional and spiritual crises
likewise are unavoidable turning points in life. To live is to
experience crises. To experience crises is to face turning points
which will bring either growth and maturation, or deterioration and
continuing immaturity. The Christian leader/trainer is in a vital
position to influence which direction the crises' resolutions will
take.
The Bible and Crisis Types
Much of the Bible is concerned with crises. Adam, Eve, Cain, Noah,
Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Samson, Jepthah, Saul, David, Elijah,
Daniel, and a host of other figures faced crises which the Old
Testament describes in detail. Jesus faced crises (especially at the
time of his crucifixion and so did the disciples, Paul , and many
eaarly believers. Several of the Epistles were written to help
individuals or churches meet crises, and Hebrews 11 summarized both
crises which had happy endings and those which resulted in torture,
incredible suffering and death.
Contemporary writers have identified three types of crises, each of
which has both modern and biblical examples. Accidental or
situational crises occur when there is a sudden threat or unexpected
loss. The teat of a loved one, the onset of a sudden illness, the
discovery of a pregnancy out of wedlock, social disruptions such as
war or economic depression, the loss of one's house or savings, a
sudden loss of respect and status - these are all situational
stresses, many of which were seen in one Old Testament man, Job.
Within a short period he lost his family, wealth, health and status.
In addition, his marriage appears to have been strained and he
experienced considerable confusion, anger and inner turmoil.
Developmental crises happen in the course of normal human
development. Starting school, going away to college, adjusting to
marriage and then to parenthood, handling criticism, facing retirement
or declining health, and adapting to the deaths of one's friends can
all be crises which demand new approaches to coping and problem-
solving. Abraham and Sarah, for example, coped with moving,
criticism, many years of childlessness, family stress, and even the
command of God that young Isaac should be sacrificed. We might wonder
how an elderly couple like Zacharias and Elizabeth handled a son as
unique as John the Baptist, or how Mary and Joseph were able to raise
one so unusual and brilliant as the boy Jesus. Surely there were
developmental crises - turning points which demanded prolonged periods
of wise decision-making but which also led to increased growth.
Existential crises, which overlap the above, come when we are forced
to face such disturbing truths as the realization that:
I'm a failure
I'm too old to reach my life goals
I've been "passed over" for a promotion
I'm now a widow - single again
My life has no purpose
My marriage has ended in divorce
My illness is incurable
I have nothing to believe in
My house and possessions are all gone because of a disaster
I've been rejected because of my skin color
These, and similar realizations, take time and effort to assimilate.
They are changes in self-perception which can be denied temporarily
but which in time must be faced realistically. After a great
spiritual victory, Elijah was chased by Jezebel and ran to the
wilderness where he concluded that he was a failure. Jonah had
similar thoughts as he debated with God and surely after his
calamities. Job struggled with the question, "What has become of me,
and what will happen now?"
The Bible speaks to all three of these crises and gives direction both
to the trainee and to the trainer who is concerned with crisis
intervention. In the lessons which follow crises of all three types
will be discussed in detail, but there are training techniques which
apply to every crisis situation. These should be understood by any
Christian trainer before we turn to more specific challenge areas.
Crisis Intervention
Crisis training has several goals:
to help the person cope effectively with the crisis situation and
return to his usual level of functioning;
to decrease the anxiety, apprehension and other insecurities that may
persist after the crisis has passed;
to teach crisis-solving techniques so the person is better prepared to
anticipate and deal with future crises; and
to consider biblical teachings about crises so the person learns from
the crisis and grows spiritually as a result.
In helping face their crises, individual differences must be
recognized. People differ in their flexibility, customary ways of
coping, ability to learn new coping techniques, physical and spiritual
strength, and level of spiritual and emotional maturity. keeping
these differences in mind, the trainer can help in several ways:
1. Make Contact. people in crisis don't always come to a trainer for
help. More often we must go to others and show our warmth,
understanding and genuine interest. One should expect that crisis
training may take time, and that the trainee's point of view needs to
be understood before other suggestions for action are made.
Sometimes the person in a crisis slips into a state of daydreaming,
fantasy, or deep thought, and must be pulled back to reality. Whether
or not this happens, it is often helpful to make eye contact, since
this can be reassuring to the trainee and helps to keep the person in
touch with his or her supporters.
Touching can be another way to make contact and give reassurance.
Even without words, touching and other forms of physical contact can
bring great comfort, although in America we seem to have strong taboos
against touch. It is acceptable to shake hands, to 'slap" a friend on
the back, or to hug athletes briefly after the team scores, but hand
holding or putting your arms around a person in crisis is usually
discouraged in training. This is because trainees sometimes
misinterpret the physical contact and see it as having sexual
overtones.
For many people there is also a fear of intimacy and this makes
touching seem threatening. Realizing the value and risks involved in
touching, the trainer in each training session should decide if
physical contact really will help the trainee, and whether it is
likely to be misinterpreted. Ask also, what is your own motivation
for touching? Is this more likely to meet your sexual and affiliation
needs, rather than the needs of the trainee? Touching can be an
excellent way to make contact and give support, but perhaps it should
be guided by the rule: if in doubt - don't!
2. Reduce Anxiety. The trainer's calm, relaxed manner can help to
reduce anxiety in the trainee, especially when this calmness is
accompanied by reassurance. Listen patiently and attentively as the
trainee describes his or her situation, provide reassuring facts
("There are ways to deal with this problem"), state your approval when
something is done effectively ("I think that was a good decision - it
shows you're on the right track"), and when possible, offer a
prediction about what will happen ("I know it's tough but I think you
can handle this OK"). At times you may want to encourage the taking
of deep breaths, the conscious tension and relaxing of muscles, or the
periodic use of other techniques for reducing muscle tension. The
calming effect of Bible verses such as 1 Corinthians 10:3 can also be
helpful. Each of these anxiety reduction methods can be overused,
causing the trainee to feel trapped or smothered, but each can reduce
the effects of stress and make it easier to deal constructively with
the crisis issues.
3. Focus on Issues. In times of crises it is easy to be overwhelmed
by what appears to be a mass of confusing facts and challenge
situations. Help the trainee decide what are the specific issues
which must be faced and problems which must be solved. Try to focus
on the situation as it presently exists rather than on what might
happen in the future.
4. Evaluate Resources. The trainer's willingness to help is one
important resource for the trainee in crisis, but there are others.
Spiritual resources include the indwelling presence and guidance of
the Holy Spirit, along with the comforting words and promises of
Scripture. These can be a source of great strength and direction
during crises. Some trainers use Scripture as a hammer to push or
manipulate trainees into doing what the trainer thinks should be
done. This is neither helpful nor ethical. Instead, Scripture should
be presented as truth with the expectation that the Holy Spirit will
use it in the trainee as he desires.
Personal resources include the trainee's intellectual abilities,
skills, past experience or learning, and motivation. Be careful, once
again, to be realistic, but remember that a simple listing of trainee
strengths and a reminder of past successes in coping can be both
reassuring and helpful.
Interpersonal resources refer to people - friends, family members,
community and church members who could help, and often would help
eagerly if they knew of the need.
Additional resources can include money and other tangible help that
might be available, time that remains before decisions must be made,
and the availability of legal, medical, psychological, financial,
educational and other community helps.
5. Plan Intervention. Having evaluated the problem and considered
available resources, it is helpful to decide on a course of action
which asks "Specifically, what will we do now?" The trainer and
trainee together can look at the available facts and list alternative
courses of action. How realistic is each of these? Which should be
done first, second, and subsequently?
Some trainees will have difficulty making these decisions. Our goal
is not to put more pressure on the trainee by forcing them to make
decisions, but neither do we want to encourage dependence and an
attitude of letting someone else solve the problems. Gently, but
firmly, the trainer can help the trainee to make plans and, if
necessary, think of better alternatives when an earlier plan is
unsuccessful. One writer has suggested that "the golden rule for the
therapist in crisis intervention is to do for others that which they
cannot do for themselves and no more!"
6. Encourage Action. It is possible for people to decide on some
course of action but then be afraid to move ahead with the plan. The
trainer, therefore, must encourage trainees to take action, to
evaluate progress, and to modify plans and actions when experience
would indicate that this is wise.
Taking action always involves at least some risk. Ther is possibility
for failure or later regret, especially if the action involves major
life changes such as moving or changing jobs.
It also should be recognized that in some situations, the crisis can
never be resolved completely, even by taking action. When one loses a
loved one in death, discovers the existence of an incurable disease,
or fails to attain an important promotion, the crisis may bring
permanent change. The trainee then must be helped to face the
situation honestly, acknowledge and express feelings, readjust his
life style, realistically plan for the future, and rest in the
knowledge that God, in his sovereignty, knows our pain and cares. In
all crises, but especially in times of permanent change, it helps if
people are surrounded by sincere, concerned, helpful, praying friends
who are available to assist whenever and however they are needed.
7. Instill Hope. In all training, improvement is more likely if
trainees can be given a sense of realistic hope for the future. Hope
brings relief from suffering, based on a belief that things will be
better in the future. Hope helps us avoid despair and releases energy
to meet the crisis situation.
The Christian trainer instills hope in three ways (which are not
necessarily listed here in the order that they would be used). First,
there is the sharing of scriptural truths which can give reassurance
and hope based on the unchanging Word and nature of God. This is an
approach which instills hope by stimulating faith in God. Second, we
can help trainees examine their self-defeating logic. Ideas like
"I'll never get better" or "Nothing can be worse" often enter the
trainee's thinking in times of crisis. Such ideas should be
challenged gently. What is the evidence for that conclusion that
"I'll never get better"? What is the evidence for a more hopeful
outcome? Third, trainers can get the trainee moving and doing
something. Even minimal activity gives the feeling that something is
being done and that the trainee is not helpless. This in turn, can
arouse hope - especially if the activity accomplishes something
worthwhile.
8. Environmental Intervention. Sometimes there is value in changing
the trainee's environment - encouraging others to pray, give money or
supplies, give practical help, or otherwise assist the person in
crisis.
Such community mobilization is beyond the scope of traditional
training, but some Christian Leaders/lifestyle trainers may wish to
intervene like this, nevertheless. In doing so, be sensitive to the
trainee's possible feelings about such help. Some people may have
difficulty in accepting outside assistance. They may feel embarrassed
by the attention, threatened by the implication that they need help,
and become angry at the trainer who tried to do something nice. At
times, the outside help encourages dependency and a "do-nothing"
attitude in the trainee. It is important to discuss all of this with
the trainee who, whenever possible, should be encouraged to seek help
from others without the trainer's assistance.
9. Follow-up. Crisis training often is short-lived. After one or
two sessions the trainee returns to the routines of life and does not
come for training again, But was anything learned? Will the next
crisis be handled more effectively? Is the person getting along
satisfactorily and have a better "Quality of Life", that the major
point of crisis is past?
These issues should concern the trainer, who often can follow up with
a phone call or visit. Even when training is no longer needed such
"follow-up" interest can encourage the trainee and remind him or her
that someone still cares and remembers.
Referral
Sometimes we help trainees most by referring them to someone whose
training, expertise and availability can be of special assistance.
Referral does not mean, necessarily, that the original trainer is
incompetent or trying to get rid of the trainee. In contrast,
referral can reflect the trainer's concern for the trainee, and can
show the trainer's realization that no one person is skilled enough to
train everyone.
People should be referred when they are not showing signs of
improvement after several sessions, have severe financial needs, need
medical or legal advice, are severely depressed or suicidal, show
extremely aggressive behavior, appear to be severely disturbed
emotionally, stir strong feelings of dislike or sexual arousal in the
trainer, or have challenges which are beyond the trainer's felt area
of expertise.
Trainers should be familiar with community resources and persons to
whom trainees can be referred. These include private practitioners
such as physicians, lawyers, psychiatrists, psychologists and other
counselors; pastoral counselors and other church leaders/lifestyle
trainers; service agencies such as the Retarded Children's Society or
the Society for the Blind; government agencies such as the State
Department of Welfare or the Unemployment Bureau; private and public
counseling clinics or hospitals; private employment agencies, suicide
prevention centers; and groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. In
considering referral, do not overlook the importance of church groups
which often can give support and practical help in time of need.
Before suggesting referral it can be helpful to check with the
referral source to be sure that a referred person can be accepted for
help. In suggesting referral to the trainee, be sure to indicate your
reasons for this recommendation. Try to involve the trainee in the
decision to refer, making sure that you present this as a positive way
to get further help and not as your belief that the trainee is too
disturbed or too much of a challenge for you to help.
It is best to let trainees make their own appointments with the new
counselor. Sometimes these new counselors will want information about
the trainee but this should only be given if the trainee has granted
his or her consent. When the referral has been made it is good to
keep an interest in the trainee but remember that someone else now is
responsible for the training.
The Future of Training.
Training covers three areas: challenge, preventive, and educative.
Challenge training involves helping people to deal with the existing
problems of life. Preventive training seeks to stop challenges from
getting worse or to prevent their occurrence at all. Educative
training involves the trainer's taking the initiative to teach
principles of the Christian lifestyle which provides a better Quality
of Life. It is impossible to estimate the percentage of training
involvement in each of these three areas, but it is probable that
challenge training takes the vast majority of trainer's energy and
time.
We should put greatest emphasis on educative training, and secondary
emphasis on prevention. None of this assumes that challenge training
will fade from the scene. Probably it will always be present and
needed.
In a very real sense, however, Christianity has been ahead of the
trends. Since the time of Christ, the church has been concerned about
all three. Christianity has always focused on individual helping, but
the larger role of educating people and helping them find a better
"Quality of Life" through spiritual growth.
The lessons which follow have attempted to reflect these three areas.
The lessons are written (10 to convey an understanding of each
challenge area, (2) to present guideline for helping those who are
experiencing challenges, and (3) to suggest ways in which Christians
can be educated so that the challenges can be prevented in the future
and thereby establish a better "Quality of Life".
Christian training is a difficult but challenging task. In involves
development of therapeutic Christian traits, the learning of skills,
sensitivity to people, and understanding of the training process,
alertness to the dangers involved, an in-depth familiarity with the
Christian faith, and a sensitivity to the guidance of the Holy
Spirit. Christian Leadership/lifestyle training can be discussed in a
course but it cannot be learned completely from a course. We become
good Christian Leader/lifestyle trainers through commitment to Christ
through training and through the experience of helping people through
challenges. It is to these challenges that we turn in the following
lessons; and prepare our own life for the Holy Spirit to work through.
Christian Leadership
How God Develops Leaders.
The greatness of an organization will be directly proportional to the
greatness of its leader. It is rare for organizations to rise above
their leaders. Certainly leadership involves some specific skills,
but ultimately leadership is more about "being" than about "doing."
leadership development is synonymous with personal development. As
leaders grow personally, they increase their capacity to lead. As
they increase their capacity to lead, they enlarge the capacity of
their organization to grow. Therefore, the best thing leaders can do
for their organization is to grow personally.
The question is: how do people become leaders? George Barna conducted
a survey of senior pastors from across various denominations. When
asked if they believed they had the spiritual gift of leadership, only
6 percent responded yes. The fact that 94 percent of the senior
pastors surveyed did not believe they were gifted to be leaders may
explain the sense of desperation many church leaders express as they
examine their ministry and its current effectiveness.
Innate Qualities
"What distinguishes them is their clarity and persuasiveness of their
ideas, the depth of their commitment, and their openness to
continually learning more."
Life Experiences
Clearly, people's life experiences can greatly affect the kind of
leaders they become. Oldest children are more likely to lead because
they are generally given more responsibility by their parents and they
often have a greater sense of affiliation with their parents than
their younger siblings. Their superiority in size, strength, and
knowledge compared to their younger siblings gives them confidence and
enables them to begin exercising leadership in their homes at an early
age.
Home Life. The influence of a leader's childhood home cannot be
underrated as a major factor in leadership development. While some
great leaders grew up in wholesome, supportive environments, many did
not. It seems that growing up with an aloof, abusive, or absent
father figure often inspired people to strive for greatness as a means
of enhancing their battered sense of self-esteem. Some of the world's
famous leaders were raised in homes where fear for their own safety
was a constant reality. This motivated them to gain power as a way to
control their environment and escape their feelings of insecurity.
Nurturing, supportive families provide an environment conducive to the
healthy personal growth of leaders. A wholesome background can build
a strong sense of self-esteem and effective people skills that enable
people to become healthy leaders. Leaders born into dysfunctional
homes may also rise to prominence, but their past can sometimes hinder
their ongoing growth and success as leaders.
A significant number of well known Christian leaders grew up in
dysfunctional homes. Many of these leaders have experienced God's
healing grace, which has transformed them into healthy, successful
leaders. others, for whatever reason, are unwilling or feel unable to
allow God's grace to free them from their troublesome pasts. These
people emerge as adults with feelings of inferiority, inadequacy, and
anger, all despite their outward success.
Failures. Failure is a powerful force in the making of a leader. For
true leaders, failure will not destroy them but will, instead, further
develop their character. A high percentage of famous leaders suffered
dramatic hardships and failures during their early years.
Crises. Events beyond a person's control can have the same effect as
failures. They can either crush an aspiring leader or they can
develop the character and resolve within the emerging leader that
enables him/her to reach greater heights in the future.
Personal Struggles. Surprisingly, many of history's famous leaders
experienced difficulty in public speaking as children. It is
intriguing that so many great leaders suffered severe romantic
heartache as young people.
Success Through Hardship. So many of history's great leaders suffered
major failures, crises, and disappointments in their development as
leaders that these traumas almost seem prerequisite to leadership
success.
It would be a mistake to conclude that hardship and failure always
produce successful leaders, just as it would be simplistic to assume
that good leaders emerge only our of adversity. Everyone experiences
some form of hardship, as well as some degree of prosperity. Everyone
experiences both failure and success in life. The key to leadership
development lies not in the experiences, whether good or bad, but in
peoples' responses to those experiences. When some people face
hardship, they become bitter or fearful and they quit trying. Others
suffer similar set-backs, but choose instead to learn from their
crises and to become stronger for the experience. The distinguishing
characteristic of leaders is that they use their experiences as
learning tools and they get renewed motivation from their failures.
God can use adversity to build certain qualities deep within one's
character that could not be fully developed in any other way.
God Gives His Holy Spirit
Although childhood experiences, physical strength, failures, successes
and even birth order can impact general leadership abilities, there is
an added dimension to the growth of a spiritual leader that is not
found in secular leadership development. That dimension is the active
work of the Holy Spirit in leaders' lives. Spiritual ends require
spiritual means, and spiritual means come only by the Holy Spirit.
Without the Spirit's presence, people may be leaders, but they are not
Christian leaders.
God Sets the Leader's Plan.
The fact that God can bring character development and personal growth
out of any situation is conditional on people's willingness to submit
to God's will. God is sovereign over every life, but those who yield
their will to him will be shaped according to his purposes. When God
directs a life for his purposes, all of life is a school. No
experience, good or bad, is ever wasted (Rom. 8:28). God doesn't
squander people's time. He doesn't ignore their pain. he brings not
only healing but growth out of even the worst experiences.
Robert Clinton, a professor at Fuller Seminary, wrote The Making of A
Leader, in which he puts forth a six-stage model of how God develops
leaders. Clinton believes God matures leaders over a lifetime. God
uses relationships and events in leaders' lives as two primary means
for growing people into leaders. The six stages of leadership
development in Clinton's model are:
Sovereign Foundations involves God's activity during life's formative
years. Parental love, birth order, childhood illness, prosperity or
poverty, loss of loved ones, stability versus constant upheaval -
these are all factors over which children have no control.
Inner Life Growth is the period in which people develop their
character as well as their spiritual life. It is during this stage
that people experience conversion. Once people have the indwelling
presence of the Holy Spirit, they are no longer subject to the whims
of fate but are in a position where they can be systematically
transformed into people who think and act like Christ.
During the Ministry Maturing phase people make their earliest attempts
at spiritual leadership. They may volunteer to lead a church program,
or they may venture to share their faith with someone. Through such
experience God teaches them more specifically what it means to be
Christian leaders. When people first attempt to exercise leadership,
they often fail or experience great frustration. It is as they
develop leadership skills, as well as a resume of experiences, that
people begin to understand their strengths and weakness. At this
stage the focus is more on who leaders are rather than on what they
do. What leaders learn from these early experiences will largely
determine how they advance in leadership ability.
The Life Maturing period is when spiritual leaders begin to focus on
their strengths and to find leadership opportunities in which they can
be most effective. Whereas until this time, God was working primarily
IN the leader, now God begins to work THROUGH the leader. Again, much
depends upon the leader's reaction to the life circumstances through
which God brings them. positive responses to these circumstances will
guide the person into a more mature level of leadership.
During the Convergence phase, people's ministry experiences and their
life experiences converge into a specific job or responsibility
wherein they draw on all they have learned in order to enjoy maximum
effectiveness. This will be the job or role for which leaders are
best known and in which they experience their greatest success.
Afterglow or Celebration, is a level of leadership Clinton says few
people achieve. it comes after one has successfully led others for a
significant period of time. For Christian leaders this phase occurs
after they have faithfully allowed God to accomplish his will for
their lives as well as for their organizations. This is also a time
for teaching the next generation. Others respect them not because of
their position of influence, or even because they are continuing to
lead, but because of who they are and what they represent.
God Gives the Assignment
People may become leaders by responding in a healthy manner to all
they encounter in life, but they will not become Christian leaders
unless God calls them to this role and equips them for it. Secular
leadership is something to which people can aspire and train for.
Christian leadership, on the other hand, is not a role for which one
applies. Rather, it is assigned by God. God determines each person's
assignment. Historically, God has chosen ordinary people, most of
whom were not looking for a divine assignment. Nevertheless, God saw
something in their hearts that led him to assign particular tasks.
While there is nothing wrong with wanting to experience God working
powerfully in one's life, those wishing for God to use them mightily
should not pursue leadership positions in God's kingdom (1 Tim. 3:1).
They should seek God with all their hearts and wait upon his will.
The greatest area of concern for Christian leaders should be their
hearts. When God sees people with righteous lives, he may exercise
his prerogative to show himself strong in their lives in order to
accomplish his divine will.
Therefore, the first truth in leadership development is this: God's
assignments are always based on character - the greater the character,
the greater the assignment (Luke 16:10).
Character building can be a slow, sometimes painful process. But the
person willing to allow God to complete the process will know the joy
of being used by God. Even better, those who submit their lives to
God's refining proccess will experience the profound joy that comes
with knowing God in a deeply personal way.
Character building takes time. There are no shortcuts. two factors
determine the length of time required for God to develop character
worthy of Christian leadership - trust in God and obedience to God.
God builds character through the ordinary experiences and crises of
life. Often these events are situations are beyond peoples' control -
events that require people to place their trust in God.
Significant character development occurs as God redeems leaders from
their mistakes. The best leaders know themselves well. God uses
life's experiences to teach leaders what they are really like. Wise
leaders allow God to make the most of their mistakes. Those willing
to submit themselves to the leadership development track of the Lord
have the potential of growing into the leaders God wants them to
become.
messages from God
Zechariah 4:6
Romans 8:28
2 Chronicles 16:9
1 Samuel 16:7
Matthew 25:23
Exodus 34:7; Deuteronomy 5:9; James 2;23
Student Prayer
O Lord, open my eyes to those areas of my life, where it is foolish to
tread. Protect my steps and lead me in the ways of righteousness and
truth. Amen.
Email address:
Homework
1. The thing I appreciate about you is?
2. The gift that the class gives me in sharing was?
3. How can we help you in prayer?
4. You are going to do some brainstorming. The key to brainstorming
is that you throw ideas out as quickly as possible, without evaluating
them at all. In fact, discussing or criticizing ideas is not allowed
during the brainstorming session. You need to enter them in on the
discussion page, every idea you come up with.
Come up with a list of every motivation you can think of for helping
another person, brainstorm any and all reasons you can think of why
anybody might want to help somebody else. Remember, don't discuss or
evaluate now. Just get as many as possible down. Take about five
minutes for this.
Now go over your list and mark each idea you have with one of three
symbols.
S = Mostly selfish
U = Mostly unselfish
B = Both selfish and unselfish
If a motive seems to be mostly selfish, mark it with an S. Write the
letter S. If the motive seems mostly unselfish or altruistic, write a
letter U next to the motive. If it seems to have elements of both
selfishness and unselfishness, mark it with a B. If you can't agree
on a marking, skip it. We only want to take about five minutes for
this so keep moving.
Go throughthe same list of motives and make a second mark.
Put an H for Humanitarian if the motive would most likely be
characteristic of a humanitarian who did not believe in God. Put a C
for Christian if you think the motive would probably be purely
Christian. Put an E for Either if the motive would as likely be true
of either. Okay, begin. We'll take five minutes.
Now, during the last part of this exercise, see if you can agree on
the most important thing you learned from this exercise. When you
agree on that one most important thing, enter it in.
5. God with Us
Time 10 minutes
Use your imagination. Close your eyes and relax. Breath deeply for a
few seconds; get yourself calm and collected in any way that works for
you.
now think back to the last time you tried to provide training, t
provide some sort of significant help to another. let your mind go
back to that time. What was happening? Think now of that period of
time right before you made the decision to help, when you realized
that the need for help was there, but before you had definitely
decided what to do about it. Think back to your decision to provide
the training. Try to remember what you were feeling, what you were
thinking. We are going to cover some motives most of us have, at
least in part, when we decide to help another. Pause after each one.
Examine yourself to see how the motive mentioned might have played a
part in your decision.
How about self-importance? To what extent did you help in order to
puff yourself up/ It sounds bad, but it is a very common motive. How
true is it for you?
How about that deeper personal satisfaction a person gets when one
helps another? How much of a motive was this?
Sometimes we involve ourselves in helping others in order to avoid
dealing with our own problems. How much of this motivation do you see
in yourself?
Sometimes we help out of compassion, because we feel sorry for those
in need. Was this partly your motive?
How about specifically and distinctively Christian motivation? To
what extent did your willingness to train another stem from your
realization of God's love for you? Does what God has done for you in
Jesus Christ have something to do with your willingness and your
ability to pass Christ's love on to your trainee?
Now, picture Jesus inside of you. Try to feel his presence.
You may want to thank the Lord for what he has done for you. In your
mind, respond to him in any way that seems appropriate.
Take a few moments to share what God is saying to you?
A Variety of Gifts
Read 1 Cor. 12:7-27
All Christians have faith. Some however, have the spiritual gift of
faith, which is an unusual measure of trust in the Holy Spirit's
power.
"Prophecy" is not just a prediction about the future; it can also mean
preaching God's word with power. "Distinguishing between Spirits"
means the ability to discern whether a person who claims to speak for
God is actually doing so, or is speaking by an evil spirit. No
matter what gift(s) a person has, each gift is given by the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit decides which gifts each one of us should
have. We are responsible to use and sharpen our gifts, but we can
take no credit for what God has freely given us.
Paul compares the body of Christ to a human body. Each part has a
specific function that is necessary to the body as a whole The parts
are different for a purpose, and in their differences they work
together. Christians must avoid two common errors: (1) being too
proud of their abilities, or (2) thinking they have nothing to give
the body of believers. Instead of comparing ourselves to one another,
we should use our different gifts, together, to spread the Good News
of salvation.
T he church is composed of many types of people from a variety of
backgrounds with a multitude of gifts and abilities. It is easy for
these differences to divide people, as was the case in Corinth. But
despite the differences, all believers have one thing in common -
faith in Christ. On this essential truth the church finds unity. All
believers are baptized by one Holy Spirit in to one body of believers,
the church. We don't lose our individual identities, but we have
overriding oneness in Christ. When a person becomes a Christian, the
Holy Spirit takes up residence, and he or she is born into God's
family. "We were all given the one Spirit to drink" means that the
same Holy Spirit completely fills our innermost beings. As members of
God's family, we may have different interests and gifts, but we have a
common goal.
If a seemingly important part is taken away, the whole body becomes
less effective. Thinking that your gift is more important than
someone else's is an expression of spiritual pride. We should not
look down on those who seem unimportant and we should not be jealous
of others who have impressive gifts. Instead, we should use the gifts
we have been given and encourage others to use theirs. If we don't
the body of believers will be less effective.
We are called to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those
who weep. To often, unfortunately, we are jealous of those who
rejoice and apathetic toward those who weep. Believers are in the
world together - there is no such thing as private or individualistic
Christianity. We shouldn't stop with enjoying only our own
relationship with God; we need to get involved in the lives of others.
6, how is the diversity of the gifts related to the unity of the
Father, Son, and Spirit?
7. Which gifts would you like more information?
8. Of the gifts listed here, do any have your name on it?
9. Please affirm any of your classmate gifts?
For further information go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeramiahs_back_again/
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