Time and Productivity

"The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings."

Don Whitney

Our class on Sunday focused on biblical productivity, a great concept to consider and implement at the beginning of a new year.  The world offers many different definitions, goals, and resources for productivity.  The problem with each is the anchor point.

Balance is the theme of the fourth chapter of Paul Tripp's book Lead.  The common theme throughout the chapter is fleshed out in the following quote.  "It is only when God is in his rightful place in my heart that people and things are in their appropriate place in my thoughts, desires, and actions."  (p. 95)  

Biblical productivity must begin with God in his proper place - Sovereign over all creation and Lord of my life.  

 

Last week, I  had the privilege of preaching on Psalm 138 and the focus was All Your Heart and All Your and All Glory to God.

 

Most of the teaching time was spent working through the PRODUCTIVITY CATECHISM developed by Tim Challies.  A catechism is a set of questions designed for teaching, and this catechism is intended to teach what Biblical productivity is.

Q1.  Ultimately, why did God create us?

God created us to bring glory to Him.  (Romans 11:36; 1 Peter 4:11)

Q2.  How can we glorify God in our day-to-day lives?

We can glorify God in our day-to-day lives by doing good works.  (Matt.  5:16; 1 Peter 2:12) 

Q3.  What are good works?

Good works are works done for the glory of God and the good of others.  (Matt.  5:16; 1 Peter 2:12; 1 Peter 4:10—11) 

Q4.  As sinful people, can we actually do good works?

Yes, Christians are able to do good works because of the finished work of Jesus.  (Eph.  2:10; Titus 2:14)

Q5.  In what areas of life should we do good works?

We ought to do good works at all times and in all areas of life.  (1 Cor 10:31; Titus 2:7, 3:8; 1 Tim. 2:9—10; Gal. 6:10; Acts 9:36)

 Q6.  What is productivity?

Productivity is effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God.  (Eph.  5:15—16)

Tim Challies, author of Do More Better, and Matt Perman, author of What's Best Next, share that understanding one's roles and responsibilities is a key part of living a Biblically Productive life.  The Biblical Counseling Coalition offers helpful teaching on the circles of responsibility and concern HERE.

There are God-ordained responsibilities.  In these areas, God must be obeyed.
There are also areas of concern that are not my responsibility.  In these areas, God must be trusted.
The final step in thinking about these areas is recognizing areas needing change.

Resources

• Do More Better by Tim Challies
• Getting Unstuck by Matt Perman
• What's Best Next?  by Matt Perman
• What's Best Next? Tookit:  www.whatsbestnext.com/toolkit/
• Lead by Paul David Tripp:  drodgersjr.blogspot.com/search/label/lead
• 10 Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year:  www.crossway.org/articles/10-questions-to-ask-at-the-start-of-a-new-year/
• Class posts:  https://tinyurl.com/tbc-pray-prepare
• Church Ministries Conference, March 7, 8:  grchurchministriesconference.com/

Prayer and Disciplemaking

Much of this content is from an earlier post related to a pastor's meeting on prayer.
Also, there is content in this post that was not presented in class.

We begin each class with a principle from Lead by Paul Tripp.  This week's principle is LIMITS.  Here is the Limits video.  One of the connections between Limits and Prayer is that we are limited and need to depend upon God.

Most of the material I presented was not original to me.  It was quoted or adapted from  Prayer:  How Praying Together Shapes the Church by Onwuchekwa, Praying with Paul by D.A. Carson, and The Praying Church by Paul Miller.  

The time began with three groups examining the following passages about prayer and how to pray.

• Daniel 2:17—23
• Psalm 13
• Philippians 1:9—11

Rather than sharing what we discussed, I want to encourage you and others in your church to study and pray these verses.

Here are other prayer passages from Ephesians 1:15 - 24, 3:14 - 19, 6:18 - 20.

I have been learning how praying prayers from the Bible helps with God-centeredness, specificity, and more.   Most, if not all, Bible-believing Christians would say prayer is important.  However, Bible-praying Christians see the need to pray more and live more God-dependent prayers.

"When prayer is sparse and sporadic when it's done just enough to ease the conscience and not much more, we've got a problem."  

Here are some faulty ideas about prayer.  Here are a couple of these ideas. 

• Seems like a waste of time.  
• Lie: Let's get working and doing something.
• Truth:  We are commanded to pray.  We need to grow in our dependence on God.  

• "I don't know how to pray."
• Lie:  There is an exact way that I need to pray.
• Truth:  Ask others to help you grow in your prayer life.  If you aren't sure how to pray, look to the Bible for examples of prayer.  
• If God is sovereign, why bother praying.
• Lie:  There is no reason to pray if God is sovereign.
• Truth:  We are commanded to pray.  The purpose of prayer is not to change God's mind.  
• Prayer does not work.
• Lie:  I have prayed for specific things and didn't get what I wanted.
• Truth:" Effective prayer is the fruit of a relationship with God, not a technique for acquiring blessings." D.A. Carson

KEYS TO PRAYER

• God and His Glory
• Man's dependence on God
• God's Word
• God's family, the church
• God's timing

Marks of a praying church?

• People pray more.
• Harmony and unity in Christ.
• Growing dependence upon God

• "Where prayer is abundantly present, it teaches the church that we need the Lord.  Where prayer is absent, it reinforces that we believe we are okay without God."

• Understanding that prayer is not ONE MORE activity of the church.  Prayer lies at the heart of all the church's ministry.  (The Praying Church, p. 28)
• Individuals pray for each other and ask others to pray for you. 

Pray for the Church, MInistries, and Missionaries.

Here are some ways you and others in your congregation can pray for our church, other churches, Christian ministries, and missionaries.
Following these helps are specific people and ministries to pray for.

1.  Pray they will keep their eyes on God.

King Jehoshaphat faced three combined enemy armies and did not know what to do except to lock his eyes on God. That’s the answer whenever we have no clue about the next steps.

“For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to You.” (2 Chron. 20:12, HCSB)

2.  Pray they will not take a step apart from God's leading.

Moses prayed this prayer when God would send only an angel to lead His people after their fiasco with the golden calf. He would rather the people not start the journey if God Himself were not leading them.

“If Your presence does not go,” Moses responded to Him, “don’t make us go up from here.” (Exod. 33:15)

3.  Pray they will beware of relying on their own strength instead of God's

David, who knew the Lord is the one who fights for him (1 Sam. 17:47), trusted in his own might when he took a census of the Hebrew armies. Recognizing his sin, he prayed a prayer most leaders need to pray at some point:

“I have sinned greatly in what I’ve done. Now, Lord, because I’ve been very foolish, please take away Your servant’s guilt.” (2 Sam 24:10)

4.  Pray they will be wise in leading God's people.

When Solomon might have asked for much more, he instead asked God to give him a “listening heart” as he governed the people of God. All of us who lead congregations need this wisdom.

“So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who can judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings. 3:9)

Prayer Help for TBC's supported workers:  Trinity Baptist Church's Supported Workers

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

PERSONAL PRAYER:  Do you pray?  A Question for Everybody by J.C. Ryle

Free ebook @ www.monergism.com/call-prayer-ebook

1.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because prayer is absolutely necessary to a person's salvation

2.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because a habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian

3.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because private prayer is the most neglected Christian discipline

4.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because the Bible is full of encouragement for all who want to pray

5.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because faithfulness in prayer is the secret of true holiness

6.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because neglecting prayer is one of the great causes of backsliding

7.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because prayer is the best recipe for happiness and contentment

CHURCH—WIDE PRAYER:  A Praying Church by Paul Miller

“We’ll hear sermons on prayer, listen to a pastoral prayer, and begin meetings with prayer, but prayer seldom happens naturally in conversation.  It just feels too religious.”  (18)

“Prayer is not one more activity of the church—it lies at the heart of all the church’s ministry.” (26)

“Good preaching (and teaching) needs good praying, or we begin to rely too much on the power of our horizontal words.”  (56)

“The act of praying itself is a kind of dying, where you give up your self-will to “make things happen” and go to God with a collective “Help us.”  The initial feeling of prayer is dying to self because praying is an act of the will, a decision to shut down your activity and open the door to God’s activity.” (111)

“Prayer isn’t just another ministry; it is the ministry that sparks the rule of the Spirit of Jesus in all ministries.”  (154, emphasis authors) 

Bible and Disciplemaking

"The Bible is a story that preaches a message.  From the beginning to the end, the Bible tells a single story of salvation."  Sound Doctrine by Bobby Jamieson.

The Trellis and the Vine and The Vine Project from Matthias Media talks about an every-member word ministry, a church ministry mindset in which every church member and every form of church ministry seeks to help each person hear the gospel, grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and become better equipped to share Christ with others.  

Payne and Marshall respond to the critique that this type of every-member work ministry would devalue expository preaching and the work of the preacher with the following.

In our view, the word ministry of pastoral leadership (especially in expository preaching) takes on an even greater importance when it is seen in relation to a flourishing ‘every member word ministry’. For the sermon is not just one word ministry among many; it is the foundational word ministry that feeds and regulates and builds all the others… In his preaching, a pastor sounds the tuning fork so that the whole orchestra knows in what key to play. He teaches and guards the sound deposit of the gospel so that all may know it clearly and thoroughly (for how else will they speak it?). He shows them not only what the Bible says, but how they can read and speak that truth for themselves. He constantly teaches the sound doctrinal framework that shapes the Bible reading and speaking of the whole congregation. (p. 117)

Ministry needs to be rooted in the Bible because the Bible is sufficient, clear, authoritative, and necessary.  The graphic below explains each of these.

To see the poster and more info, click on the image

What do we use the Bible for?  Many answers to this question exist, but we looked at three VERY BASIC uses in our class discussion.

1. Evangelism
2. Personal, spiritual growth
3. Corporate, spiritual growth

In teaching the lesson on Sunday morning, I wanted to allow those in attendance to encourage others with God's word.  Here is how this happened.

Each person was given one of the passages below and told to summarize what it says about the Bible.  Along with this assignment, each person shared a verse that has been an encouragement and a source of help.

Here are short sentences explaining what each verse says about God's Word.

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17:  The Bible is from God and for the good of those who hear it.
• Romans 15:4:  The Bible was written for instruction and gives hope.
• Matthew 24:35:  The Bible will not pass away.
• Isaiah 55:11:  The Word of the Lord will not pass away.
• Hebrews 4:12—13:  The Bible is sharper than a two-edged sword.
• 2 Peter 1:19—21:  The Bible is a lamp shining in a dark place and comes from God.
• Galatians 3:21—22:  The Bible gives life and gives us Christ.
• 2 Peter 3:15—16:  The Bible can be challenging to read and used for sinful purposes.  
• Luke 24:27:  All of Scripture points to Jesus Christ.
• Matthew 4:4:  The Bible gives life.

Resources:

• How Can I Get More Out of My Bible Reading by Jeremy Kimble
• Order book:  https://www.9marks.org/books/how-can-i-get-more-out-of-my-bible-reading/
• Free audiobook: https://www.crossway.org/articles/full-audiobook-how-can-i-get-more-out-of-my-bible-reading-by-jeremy-kimble/
• Why Trust the Bible? by Greg Gilbert
• Lead by Paul David Tripp—drodgersjr.blogspot.com/search/label/lead
• Class posts—https://tinyurl.com/tbc-pray-prepare
• Church Ministries Conference, March 13 & 14— grchurchministriesconference.com/

My Father-In-Law Was Not Normal: 2025 review

From my father-in-law funeral

Welcome to the memorial service of a man who welcomed so many people into his life and home.

Good morning, my name is Dave Rodgers, Pat's favorite son-in-law, without a doubt.

I am going to paraphrase a comment someone made on one of Krista's posts.  "Pat & Lori were not normal."

Pat was not normal

According to him, he controlled how well the University of Michigan played.  When he was in the room watching, they played poorly, and when he left the room and was not watching, they made great plays.

According to that post I mentioned earlier, the way they served was not normal.  Many of us were served by Pat Ryan

87 years at one church is not normal.  Through amazing times and hard times, Pat faithfully served the Lord at Emmanuel Baptist Church.  He faithfully prayed for this church and the churches his children and grandchildren were a part of.

Pat was not normal.  He was an amazing prayer warrior, faithful church member, loving husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, great-grandmother, and a great man of God because his hope was in the Lord.  

One of the verses that Pat had marked in his Bible, would quote often, and lived out, is Psalm 42:5

 

 

 

 

 

Four Big Words

Entering 2026, I want my life and Trinity Baptist Church to be marked by four words (worship, discipleship, evangelism, and missions) and a question connected to each word.

Worship - How has my life made much of God this week?

Discipleship - Who am I building into?

Evangelism - What opportunities have I taken to share the Gospel?

Missions - How have I invested my resources and life for the spread of the Gospel around the world? 

WORSHIP is not merely about singing.  Worship is about all of life, of which singing privately and corporately is a part.  

Under Authentic Worship, Trinity's website says we are "a church that places high priorities on sound doctrine, community, and relationships."

Worship doesn't begin with singing.  It starts with Biblical truth and right relationships with God and others. The songs we sing together are the overflow.

The sermons that are preached, the studies that are selected, the songs that are sung, and the decisions that are made come from a desire to help our church family make much of our great God.

DISCIPLESHIP needs to be centered on Christ and grounded in scripture.  

Here is a very basic definition of discipleship I have used.  

SEEKING someone TO HELP YOU FOLLOW Jesus. 

HELPING someone FOLLOW Jesus and

I am praying that Trinity will be filled with members who are growing in their fellowship with Jesus Christ and are seeking to help others grow into the image of Christ.

It is my prayer that discipleship connected with Trinity Baptist Church means more than that which is done at 2050 Aberdeen Street, NE.  Discipleship at Trinity Baptist Church is carried out through its members and those we have discipled.

I read somewhere that EVANGELISM and MISSIONS are not compartmentalized programs of the church for an elite few.  They are for EVERY believer.  

Evangelism and Missions must proclaim the Gospel and build up the church.

May the church be known for its proclamation of the Gospel in our neighborhoods and around the world.

At the heart of decisions made regarding the ministries of any church should be four words: worship, discipleship, evangelism, and missions.-

These four BIG words are so much more than strategic thinking for church leaders.  

They should be the life and ministry of EVERY  member.