Last fall I tried to start a weekly Bible study in my neighborhood. I went door to door distributing invitations. It pretty much flopped after one week. But then a friend pestered me for a couple months to try again. I did, with a change. Instead of using professional curriculum, I decided to just start at the beginning of Mark and work our way through the text of his gospel in order. The Lord has blessed our weekly Saturday night gatherings. We are small, but it seems like people are growing. And of course it makes me grow!
Some Christians are good at evangelism. Some love to pray. Some are good at hospitality. And some are good at teaching the Bible. (And of course, some people are multi-talented.) If these people could be found and linked in each neighborhood, they could work together to form and fill small home Bible studies. I would love to see the little work we are doing multiply in neighborhoods everywhere. Pray about that, OK? And if you live in the Verde Valley and would like to see a Bible study started in your neighborhood, contact me!
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Friday, July 4, 2014
Eat Your Leviticus
Americans have become increasingly skilled in medicating their conditions, either directly (vitamins and over-the-counter drugs) or with professional help (prescription drugs). But strangely, despite the fact that we have more brands and types and knowledge of pills available to us than ever before, we still have a lot of sick people.
Rather than investing in better pills, and better knowledge about which pills to take, what if we focused on eating really good food? What if God put our food together with more absorbable, more balanced nutrients than the best of pills can offer? What if God's engineering was better than ours? I am thankful for vitamins and drugs, and the scientists who design them. They are often helpful and even life-saving. But, I think many of our health conditions could be prevented or cured if we would simply:
- Eat a wide variety of food
- Eat foods seasonally
- Eat foods with as little processing as possible
- Read from many parts of the Bible (Torah, history, poetry, prophets, gospels, epistles)
- Read through the Bible on a schedule
- Read through the Bible with as little 'processing' as possible -- which is to say, reading whole chapters and whole books rather than isolated verses.
- Listened primarily to expository sermons that go through a book of the Bible, rather than topical sermons based on a few scattered verses.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Jesus' Teaching Methods
Recently I have been startled by studying the teaching methods of Jesus. Why are they so different from what we typically think of when we say "teach"? How would the message of Jesus have been subverted if His methods were more like ours?
Commands. These constantly brought His followers to a point of choice about whether they would continue to follow Him; they could not remain undecided. Study the gospels to see how many times Jesus spoke commands!
Questions. What are the benefits of using questions in teaching, and how did Jesus use them differently than Socrates?
Stories. I find that stories stick in my mind much longer than prose, don't you? And when I tell Bible stories during evangelism conversations, they form such a helpful framework around which to teach important truths!
Traveling. Rather than establishing a school in one location, Jesus traveled widely to make it easier for many people to hear Him. This also meant that the people who wanted to hear Him more had to... follow Him! For more detail on this, go here.
Analogies, illustrations, similes, and metaphors. If stories are like paintings, analogies are shafts of sunlight to illumine the subject.
Brevity. The Sermon on the Mount is only 15 minutes long.
Difficulty. Jesus was sometimes deliberately obfuscatory.
Shock talk. Jesus wasn't joking--or putting anyone to sleep--when he talked of cutting off hands, swallowing camels, escaping hellfire, or giving everything to the poor. If you haven't noticed this, you have a log in your eye.
Tangible. Why use a blackboard when you can touch a coin, a fig tree, a mustard seed, a child?
Authority. The MacArthur Study Bible, commenting on Matthew 7:29, says "The scribes quoted others to establish the authority of their teachings; Jesus was his own authority".
Scripture References. Jesus may not have quoted humans, but He sure did quote or refer to the Scripture a lot, and rebuked people for their ignorance of it. (See, for example, Mark 12:24.)
Repetition. That's right, He said important things multiple times. He didn't mind saying things more than once to make sure His listeners "got it".
Demonstration. Jesus lived everything He taught. I'll have to show you how this one works.
Supervised delegation. Go explain these methods to someone else (using your own words) and let me know how it goes!
In-the-moment. This one would be better explained over lunch. When can we get together?
What other methods can you identify in Jesus' teaching?
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Don't Beat Around the Bush
The video and audio teachings by Todd Friel and the team at Wretched have been a great blessing to me. I thought I would make a donation to help further their ministry.
Then I learned that they are a for-profit company so donations are not deductible. That didn't bother me too much. I can see how being non-profit could hinder their effectiveness.
The name of the parent company behind Wretched is Burning Bush Communications. A quick Google search showed me that a man named Chuck Bush owns Burning Bush Communications. According to the Wikipedia article, Chuck Bush seems to be a wealthy financier behind various film and TV products, focusing currently on producing 'non-toxic' films and programs. No indication that he's a Christian, just a shrewd businessman.
That turned me off. Not to Wretched, but to the idea of donating. I didn't like the idea of giving money to help some rich guy who was using Wretched as part of his 'non-toxic' media portfolio. And I found it puzzling that a brother as seemingly conscientious as Todd Friel would be a financial bedfellow with someone like Chuck Bush.
Months went by and finally I decided to email Wretched and ask about this. I was afraid they would be offended and write back to say, "Why are you judging our motives? Chuck Bush is a fine Christian man!"
Twelve minutes after I sent my email, Todd Friel wrote back from his iPhone.
It turns out that there are two Burning Bush Communications that are completely unrelated. They both happen to be involved in producing video-based programming. But that's where the connection ends.I don't have any idea who Chuck Bush is!My best guess is that he might be related to George. Otherwise Chuck Bush has nothing to do w us.
I sent Wretched a donation immediately.
I wonder how many other wrong assumptions I have made about people? It's better to ask the difficult questions than go on in assumed estrangement.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
The Error in the Father's Love Letter
I finally took time to read it carefully today.
I could give it to a person who is
already a believer, but I would not want to give it to a person who is not yet a
Christian.
My fear is that it would confuse
an unbeliever into thinking they were already a child of God. The tract itself
is unclearly worded. It starts out (in large print) “My child” and ends with
“Love, Dad”. But yet it says near the end “Will you be my child?”
Most unbelievers (in my
experience) already think of themselves as being on pretty good terms with God
and many believe that everyone is a child of God. Of course we know that while
God is kind to all His creation, only Christians are His children. (John 1:12;
1 John 3:2, 10)
Quite a number of the Scripture
references in the body of the letter are statements that are clearly made
only to believers. For
example:
- I chose you when I planned creation.
- Simply because you are my child and I am your Father.
- I will never stop doing good to you.
- And I rejoice over you with singing.
- I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles.
- I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus.
- One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes.
- And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.
- He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you.
My fear is that unbelievers
reading this would think “Oh, great, these promises already apply to me.”
Then there are a couple of
statements that are downright wrong:
- I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. (God does have anger.)
- I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. (Cat theology)
It’s a bummer to have to criticize
this tract so sharply because there are a lot of good and true statements in it.
But I believe that putting it in the hands of unbelievers will do more harm
than good.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Trainer Jim and the Hyper Disciplers
A few weeks ago in God's providence I landed in four days of evangelism training with the unusual name of "Hyper Discipler". I would not have had the sense to attend the training if a kind friend had not offered it to me and a select group of other friends for free (including meals!).
I have to call the teacher simply "Trainer Jim" for security reasons. He spends a large part of the year training Christians all over the world, including places where they are physically persecuted. Trainer Jim is well past the average retirement age, but he's still brimming with passion. Thankfully God has given him good health and a sharp mind and a supportive wife, so that he can keep doing what he (and He) loves.
I was a bit nervous going into this training because there are a lot of evangelistic methods out there that I cannot use in good conscience. There are so many unbiblical ways to talk about Jesus, ways which omit or twist vital aspects of the gospel. Go look at the gospel tracts you find in most churches and see what I mean. So I was gladdened to find I agreed with and could use almost everything I learned during these four days.
How to describe the content of the teaching? It is a unique blend of the best of the teachings that Trainer Jim has picked up during his lifetime of Christian ministry. During the day, he taught us his evangelism method, which is a sort of a tweaked combination of The Way of the Master with Simply the Story. Each day we went out on the street and practiced what we were learning. Then we came back together to tell what had happened and rejoice in and learn from each other's encounters.
In the evenings he taught information based on the book Cat and Dog Theology and a seminar called UnveilinGLORY. Yeah, that's what I thought too, just based on the names. Reading the book was a prerequisite for attending the class, and it turned out to actually be quite good. It's sort of a street level Desiring God, and stepped on my toes surprisingly regularly. The basic point of Cat and Dog Theology and UnveilinGLORY is that God's glory (fame, reputation, honor) is more important to Him than anything else, including us. Then it extends that truth out to talk about how it affects our approach to prayer, evangelism, and missions. God's global fame should be the focus of our lives.
But all of what I've told you so far is merely a prelude to what I want to say. This time of training came to me during a season of discouragement. Somehow the Lord used it to give me hope. In thinking back, I tried to analyze what exactly made Trainer Jim's course impact me in ways that other seminars and trainings have not.
One vital factor, I realized, was the other people in the class. Although coming from different cities, churches, ages, and levels of maturity, one thing that united us was a passion for spreading the supremacy of Jesus. All of the people there were already active in evangelism in their own communities. Whether we were praying together or evangelizing together, they were on fire. I found myself one of the most timid of the attendees. But rather than making me feel shame, the warmth of my companions emboldened and encouraged me.
Closely related to that was the concentrated amount of time we spent together. Each day started at 9 AM and ended after 8 PM. We ate together, and had rich times of spontaneous interaction about weighty topics related to the gospel and its proclamation. Many of the other students had lots of interesting experiences and insights into Scripture to share.
You can see that Jim expected -- and got -- a high level of commitment from us. He was in town for just a few days, with a lot he wanted to impart to us. Everybody was expected to be there and participate. For his part, Jim modeled this by devoting himself intensely to training us. He went out on the streets with us. (So did his wife, which I thought was neat.)
As you can probably tell, Trainer Jim did very little teaching using a strict lecture method. Usually he encouraged (and got) questions from us, as well as cross-talk amongst us during his teaching. You know your audience is listening when you see them taking notes. (As an aside, Jim said that studies show that taking notes during a teaching actually decreases retention.) They are even more attentive when they start asking you questions. But Jim pointed out that cross-talk among listeners is an even greater sign that they are engaged with what they are hearing. (Jim worked for Walk Thru the Bible for several years and I could see the 7 Laws of the Learner in his teaching style.)
Of course, the best way to learn something is to actually do it, and that is why each day's immediate application of the teaching was so helpful. An hour of witnessing on the street is worth a week in an evangelism classroom.
Finally, it was refreshing to be in an environment in which rigorous training was married so beautifully to dependence on prayer. Trainer Jim seems to have learned that "the horse is made ready for battle, but victory belongs to the Lord", so he frequently integrated group prayer during class times. As I've already said, my classmates' intensity ensured that these prayers were not routine mumbo-jumbo.
On the final day of the training, we split into two groups and went out on the street again. The group I was with first went to a ballpark where we'd had good conversations the previous day. But hardly anyone was there, so we went to another park. There were even fewer people there, but Matthew spotted a few teenagers sitting at a picnic table. "I'll go talk to them," he volunteered. We parked, he jumped out, and within about two minutes he and the other two men in my team were already engaged in conversations. I wandered around, afraid I would not have enough courage to approach anyone. I noticed a lot of cars parked outside the city's recreation center, so I walked over there. Two men were just coming out to the parking lot. I went up to one of them and said, "I'm here talking to people about Jesus. Do you have a church background?" He didn't, and it turned out to be perhaps the best conversation I've ever had with a stranger about Jesus. I went through the entire "Hyper Discipler" gospel presentation with him, which took about half an hour. He ate it up. He may have become a Christian.
After I finished talking with him, my teammates were still engrossed in conversation and I had to use the restroom, so I went in and used the one in the rec center. I was about to leave when I noticed a group of six youngsters (probably between age 10 and 12) hanging out together near the entrance. I told myself that kids that age would not be interested in talking about Jesus. Then one of them waved. I was so surprised that I turned around to see if there was someone behind me. He was waving at me! He asked how I was doing and I asked if they wanted to hear a Bible story. They did. So I got to talk with them about Jesus too!
So I came away from the training refreshed and rejoicing, because I had seen that God is still at work. He is at work in the hearts of His people, stirring them to proclaim Jesus. And He is at work in those who are not yet His people, giving them a readiness to hear. Will you join me in finding them? If you live near me, I would love to go out on the street with you. If you don't know how to witness, I can show you what I have learned so far.
I have to call the teacher simply "Trainer Jim" for security reasons. He spends a large part of the year training Christians all over the world, including places where they are physically persecuted. Trainer Jim is well past the average retirement age, but he's still brimming with passion. Thankfully God has given him good health and a sharp mind and a supportive wife, so that he can keep doing what he (and He) loves.
I was a bit nervous going into this training because there are a lot of evangelistic methods out there that I cannot use in good conscience. There are so many unbiblical ways to talk about Jesus, ways which omit or twist vital aspects of the gospel. Go look at the gospel tracts you find in most churches and see what I mean. So I was gladdened to find I agreed with and could use almost everything I learned during these four days.
How to describe the content of the teaching? It is a unique blend of the best of the teachings that Trainer Jim has picked up during his lifetime of Christian ministry. During the day, he taught us his evangelism method, which is a sort of a tweaked combination of The Way of the Master with Simply the Story. Each day we went out on the street and practiced what we were learning. Then we came back together to tell what had happened and rejoice in and learn from each other's encounters.
In the evenings he taught information based on the book Cat and Dog Theology and a seminar called UnveilinGLORY. Yeah, that's what I thought too, just based on the names. Reading the book was a prerequisite for attending the class, and it turned out to actually be quite good. It's sort of a street level Desiring God, and stepped on my toes surprisingly regularly. The basic point of Cat and Dog Theology and UnveilinGLORY is that God's glory (fame, reputation, honor) is more important to Him than anything else, including us. Then it extends that truth out to talk about how it affects our approach to prayer, evangelism, and missions. God's global fame should be the focus of our lives.
But all of what I've told you so far is merely a prelude to what I want to say. This time of training came to me during a season of discouragement. Somehow the Lord used it to give me hope. In thinking back, I tried to analyze what exactly made Trainer Jim's course impact me in ways that other seminars and trainings have not.
One vital factor, I realized, was the other people in the class. Although coming from different cities, churches, ages, and levels of maturity, one thing that united us was a passion for spreading the supremacy of Jesus. All of the people there were already active in evangelism in their own communities. Whether we were praying together or evangelizing together, they were on fire. I found myself one of the most timid of the attendees. But rather than making me feel shame, the warmth of my companions emboldened and encouraged me.
Closely related to that was the concentrated amount of time we spent together. Each day started at 9 AM and ended after 8 PM. We ate together, and had rich times of spontaneous interaction about weighty topics related to the gospel and its proclamation. Many of the other students had lots of interesting experiences and insights into Scripture to share.
You can see that Jim expected -- and got -- a high level of commitment from us. He was in town for just a few days, with a lot he wanted to impart to us. Everybody was expected to be there and participate. For his part, Jim modeled this by devoting himself intensely to training us. He went out on the streets with us. (So did his wife, which I thought was neat.)
As you can probably tell, Trainer Jim did very little teaching using a strict lecture method. Usually he encouraged (and got) questions from us, as well as cross-talk amongst us during his teaching. You know your audience is listening when you see them taking notes. (As an aside, Jim said that studies show that taking notes during a teaching actually decreases retention.) They are even more attentive when they start asking you questions. But Jim pointed out that cross-talk among listeners is an even greater sign that they are engaged with what they are hearing. (Jim worked for Walk Thru the Bible for several years and I could see the 7 Laws of the Learner in his teaching style.)
Of course, the best way to learn something is to actually do it, and that is why each day's immediate application of the teaching was so helpful. An hour of witnessing on the street is worth a week in an evangelism classroom.
Finally, it was refreshing to be in an environment in which rigorous training was married so beautifully to dependence on prayer. Trainer Jim seems to have learned that "the horse is made ready for battle, but victory belongs to the Lord", so he frequently integrated group prayer during class times. As I've already said, my classmates' intensity ensured that these prayers were not routine mumbo-jumbo.
On the final day of the training, we split into two groups and went out on the street again. The group I was with first went to a ballpark where we'd had good conversations the previous day. But hardly anyone was there, so we went to another park. There were even fewer people there, but Matthew spotted a few teenagers sitting at a picnic table. "I'll go talk to them," he volunteered. We parked, he jumped out, and within about two minutes he and the other two men in my team were already engaged in conversations. I wandered around, afraid I would not have enough courage to approach anyone. I noticed a lot of cars parked outside the city's recreation center, so I walked over there. Two men were just coming out to the parking lot. I went up to one of them and said, "I'm here talking to people about Jesus. Do you have a church background?" He didn't, and it turned out to be perhaps the best conversation I've ever had with a stranger about Jesus. I went through the entire "Hyper Discipler" gospel presentation with him, which took about half an hour. He ate it up. He may have become a Christian.
After I finished talking with him, my teammates were still engrossed in conversation and I had to use the restroom, so I went in and used the one in the rec center. I was about to leave when I noticed a group of six youngsters (probably between age 10 and 12) hanging out together near the entrance. I told myself that kids that age would not be interested in talking about Jesus. Then one of them waved. I was so surprised that I turned around to see if there was someone behind me. He was waving at me! He asked how I was doing and I asked if they wanted to hear a Bible story. They did. So I got to talk with them about Jesus too!
So I came away from the training refreshed and rejoicing, because I had seen that God is still at work. He is at work in the hearts of His people, stirring them to proclaim Jesus. And He is at work in those who are not yet His people, giving them a readiness to hear. Will you join me in finding them? If you live near me, I would love to go out on the street with you. If you don't know how to witness, I can show you what I have learned so far.
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together." (John 4:34-36, ESV)If you have a group of people interested in Trainer Jim's Hyper Discipler program, contact me and I can put you in touch with him.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
The Gospel According to Daniel
This isn't a book about me, it's about the guy I was named for. And actually, it's about his God. Often when we read the book of Daniel, we either focus on his heroic choices to obey God amidst pressure to compromise, or on horns and statues and Antiochus Epiphanes. The Gospel According to Daniel is so refreshingly different. Bryan Chapell writes with the gravity and honesty and simplicity of one who knows suffering firsthand. This is not a book of beautiful words and humorous anecdotes. This is the book that will take you to the marrow of Daniel, and strengthen you for dark days. If your life is not difficult, you probably will not enjoy it. It's not a verse-by-verse exposition of every nuance of the book, but it is a clarifying 'big picture' walk through each chapter.
What Jesus on Every Page does in brief for the whole Bible, this book does for Daniel. Prepare to have your heart strengthened by Daniel's descriptions of the God of grace redeeming sinners and preparing the timeline for the Messiah.
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