Teaching and Serving

This week, the Pray/Prepare class joined with the Overview of the Bible class.

John Van Tongeren has been teaching the class this quarter but needed coverage for the next few weeks.  I decided to take this week for two reasons:

1. The Prah/Prepare class topic was Teaching and Serving Helps.  Throughout the lesson, especially in 1st John, we will look at some of the teaching tools John uses in the letter, and next week, the class will look at the lesson and talk about teaching techniques.
2. The books 1, 2, and 3 John are heavy on the topic of teaching.

Here are some helpful teaching tips from How Can I Begin Teaching the Bible? by David Helm

Principles:

• You need confidence.  Not self-confidence, but confidence in God's Word and the Holy Spirit.
• You need the right convictions.  
1. The Bible is God's Word.
2. Prayer is a must.
3. The local church is one of God's greatest gifts.

Preparation

• Find the structure and emphasis.
• Understand the context.
• Highlight the message of the. Gospel.

Presentation

• Know your goal.
• Construct an outline.
• Drive the Truth home.

One to One Bible Reading

Servants from Lead by Paul Tripp

 

Ministry Wk 2

Next week's How to Pray/Prepare for Ministry'Missionss (1.19) is going on the road again.  We will likely be in the Fireplace Room as we look at Teaching and Serving Helps and study 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John.

Last week's Pray and Prepare for Ministry/Missions post was about general ministry principles.

This week's post aims to share specific information and resources related to specific ministries.  Before looking at each specific ministry, we must remember that ministry to children, young adults, women, and men involves specific studies and activities for each age group.  At the same time, each of these ministries and every ministry needs to remind believers that their identity is in Christ,  the church is God's plan for growing His share and sharing the Gospel, and everything we do, no matter who we are, should be done for God's glory.

Children and Family Ministry:

Zealous:  7 Commitments for the Discipleship of the Next Generations, from Truth78, is a challenge to passionately disciple the next generation by telling them "the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders he has done so that they should set their hope in God."  (Psalm 78:4, 7) 

About two years ago, the Christian Education team started reading Zealous.  Over several months, we would discuss one of the commitments, and I would share thoughts from the book at https://tbcgrkidz.blogspot.com/search/label/Zealous

The joke around Trinity is that I always have a book to share.  There is always a purpose behind recommended books.  Here is what I shared in February 2022.

I would love to see Trinity Baptist Church continue to grow in its zeal for God and the discipleship of one another.  As a church we need to pray tht God would grow this zeal in each of us. 

I hope and pray that not just the children's ministry but every ministry is growing and continues to grow in these areas.

1. Embrace a Biblical Vision for the Faith of the Next Generation
2. Foster a Robust Partnership Between Church and Home
3. Teach the Breadth & Depth of the Whole Counsel of God
4. Proclaim the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ
5. Disciple the Mind, Heart, and the Will
6. Prayerful Dependence on God's Grace
7. Inspire Worship of God, for the Glory of God

If you are interested in learning more about the 7 Commitments, here are three ways you can find out more

The Christian Education Committee

1. The Zealous podcast https://anchor.fm/truth78/episodes/Zealous-podcast-introduction-e13g46m/a-a60bhdg
2. Free PDF version of the book:  https://www.truth78.org/zealous
3. I have a couple of paperback copies of the book.  If you are interested in one, let me know.

Young Adults Ministry:

The goal of the church is the equipping of the saints "for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."  (Ephesians 4:12, 13)

There are many different ideas of what young adult ministry should look like.  Despite these many possibilities, the purpose of young adult ministry should be Ephesians 4 - helping young people glorify God, grow in love for the church and the whole church, and go into the world to share the hope in Christ they have.

Women's Ministry:

I just wanted to share the purpose of the women's committee and a couple of links because Julie Lee and I talked about Women's ministry and Women's Bible study on the Trinity Life podcast.  See the link below.

The Women's Committee desires to do the following

• Reach and encourage women in a socially or spiritually vulnerable stage
• Equip and replicate faithful and fruitful women - not relying only on a few people
• Incorporate evangelism and outreach to non-believers
• Support and pursue things congruent with the overall ministry philosophy of the church and its larger ministries.

For the Women's Committee & Women's Bible Study podcast with Julie Lee, go to Trinity Life Podcast with Julie Lee.

For more about the Women's Ministry at TBC, go to  https://trinitybaptistgr.churchcenter.com/pages/womens-ministry.

For more about Women's Bible Studies at TBC, go to trinitybaptistgr.churchcenter.com/groups

Men's Ministry:

Information Coming Soon.

Ministry

This past and next Sunday, the class will focus on "What is ministry?"  
January 5th class was on general ministries.
The January 12th class will focus on specific ministries, such as men's, women's, and children's ministry.

Some questions to consider are where, who, what, and why.

Where do we find out what discipleship is?

Where should we look for directions and wisdom on discipleship?  The Bible.  Passages like 2 Timothy 3:16 - 17 show that God's word contains everything needed to equip the man of God for every good work.  Here are some verses and what they say about discipleship.

• Psalm 115:1 
• For God's glory
• Matthew 28:16 - 20
• Teaching disciples to obey
• John 13:34 - 35
• Love others
• Hebrews 3:12 - 14
• Encouraging others
• Ephesians 4:12
• Done with humility, gentleness, patience and love

Crossway's link about 10 Key Bible Verses on Discipleship is a good resource.  
Spend some time reading and meditating on these verses.

Who is discipleship focused on?

The first and most significant "who?" is God.
Discipleship is done for God's glory.
Discipleship must be done God's way.
Discipleship brings us into a growing relationship with God.
Discipleship grows in us a desire to share God with others.    

The second person is people who need to grow in godly character and care for others. 

What does discipleship look like?

The Discipleship Plan at Trinity Baptist Church is dependent on God working in and through 
large group meetings,
smaller group meetings, and
individual relationships.

A church-wide small group ministry or a specific curriculum for adults or children are not silver bullets.

These meeting times and groups provide opportunities for people to connect.  The groups are not the end goal. The glorification of God and good for others is the goal.

Why disciple others?

The purpose of men's ministry, women's ministry, young adult ministry, youth ministry, and children's ministry are done for the glory of God and the good of others.

Devotional:  Paul Tripp's Lead Chapter 5:  Character