Take Instruction to Where the People Are
Anchor command. “Go … behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst
of wolves.” Luke 10:3 Anchor
story. King Jehoshaphat takes God’s word to where the
people live. 2 Chronicles
17:3-9 Anchor verse. “In the third year of his reign (King Jehoshaphat)
sent his officials … to teach in the cities of Judah.” 2 Chronicles 17:7 Learning
goal. Find how God taught the Israelites outside of
temples and synagogues. Growth
goal. Grasp the need to take God’s word to those who
need it, wherever they are. Skill
goal. Take effective, Christian teaching to those who do
not attend your worship services. Outcome goal. Believers
take God’s truth to many who need to hear it. Basic Study Dear God, help us take your Word to
the people where they live.
Learn from
the story of King Jehoshaphat’s teachers. 2
Chronicles 17:3-9 · Describe
the character of King Jehoshaphat. Verses 3-4 · Why
did King Jehoshaphat send several officials, Levites and priests to the
cities? 7-8 ·
In how many of the cities of Judah did these men teach? 9 King Jehoshaphat formed a group of teachers who took
God's Word to towns that lacked it. They took the instruction to the people
where they lived, rather than bringing the people to a central institution.
This type of training works effectively today also, to win many to Christ and
multiply many congregations of believers.
During the week, you and coworkers go teach God’s word to folk who
do not attend your worship services. During worship, tell the story of King Jehoshaphat and his
teachers. Ask the same questions as above. Urge the believers to discuss the
answers. Ask
the children to present what they have prepared. Memorize
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. 2 Tim
3:16 Advanced Study 1. Listen!
·
To take teaching to others is also called
“extension education.” A good extension teacher listens to those he is
teaching, to find out what they need to learn. · A wise mentor of new pastors listens to his trainees reports, in order to learn what their ·
After finding out the need, a mentor brings out things old and new
from his storehouse; as Matthew 13:52 says. A trainer of pastors to
provide different pastoral studies that fit the different current needs of
each one of the trainee’s flocks.
2. Prepare
Your Heart And Mind with God's Word. ·
Find in Titus 1:5
what Paul wanted Titus to do in Crete. [Answer: Titus
dealt with what was lacking in each town by appointing elders to take care of
the congregations. Paul had mentored Titus before he left him in Crete, so
that Titus would be prepared to train shepherding elders.] ·
In modern times teachers educate new Christian leaders in two
different ways: 1) By teaching by imparting
information to large groups in traditional classrooms. 2) By making disciples and
mentoring in small groups, in the way Jesus and His apostles did, in caring
relationships. ·
Traditional classroom teaching can be effective with mature workers
and well-established churches that do not have urgent needs requiring
immediate attention. ·
Making disciples and mentoring apprentices the way Jesus and the
Apostles did is more effective for dealing with the urgent needs of
believers, new churches and cells that do not yet have experienced believers
and leaders. ·
New congregations and leaders are like newly-born
babies who have urgent needs. They need someone with more experience who will
listen to them, will find out what they still lack, and will teach them
accordingly. 3. Find
in 2 Timothy
2:2 the four links in Paul’s
mentoring ‘chain.’ The
four links are: 1) Paul who wrote these
instructions. He was sent by the church in Antioch (Acts 13:1-3). 2) Timothy who received
these instructions and stayed in Ephesus to train others 3) Faithful persons
who received training from Timothy in Ephesus and surrounding towns.
One of these was Epaphras who shepherded the new flock in Colosse
(Colossians 4:12-13). 4) ‘Others
also’ such as those whom Epaphras mentored in Hierapolis (Col. 4:15-17). 4.
To sustain this kind of multiplication, follow these
New Testament guidelines: · Congregations
send their ‘apostles’ to start daughter congregations. These apostles are the
‘sent ones’ that God promises in Ephesians 4:11-12
to give to each congregation. · Shepherds
train newer shepherds without delay, as Paul wrote
in 2 Timothy 2:2. · Trainers
and disciple makers require their trainees to put into practice
immediately with their flock what they learn, and not wait for some vague
future opportunity (James 1:22;
2 Tim. 2:16-7). · Leaders
require only what the New Testament requires, for a
person to become a shepherding elder, without adding man-made requirements
that exclude some of those whom God has gifted to shepherd a flock (Titus 1:5-9). ·
Trainees (pastoral
students) do immediately with their flocks what they have planned plan
with their mentors to do. Trainees also begin at once to mentor newer
trainees, to sustain the reproduction of new congregations. ·
Those who plant churches do
not have to quit their flock in order to start a new one. Like Paul and
Barnabas, in Acts chapters 13 & 14, they can return to their own
congregation. 5.
Plan with co-workers additional activities that the
congregation will do during the week. ·
Verify which congregations near where you live need shepherding, and
help them. Titus named and mentored shepherding elders to care for the needs
of each congregation. ·
If no one is training new leaders yet for those flocks, then
prayerfully decide who should do so. ·
Talk with people whom you or other workers might train as leaders. · Help
new trainees to begin at once to shepherd their own families and close
friends. 6.
Additional, optional activities to do during worship
· Form
groups of two or three people, to pray, confirm activity
plans and encourage one another. · To
introduce Communion read 1
Corinthians 11: 34. · Invite
the believers to share testimonies of how they were mentored in the
way Paul did mentored. 7. Those who teach children should first read study #102 for children. |
