THE1121 Christian Foundations Kevin G.

Smith

A 12-credit course requiring an average of 120 hours of study

It is illegal and a violation of Christian ethics to reproduce all or any part of this copyrighted course in any form without prior written permission from the South African Theological Seminary. Copyright 2009 by the South African Theological Seminary All rights reserved

Course Introduction
Welcome to the THE1121 Christian Foundations, a 12-credit course requiring an average of 120 hours study. This is a foundational course in the Certificate in Christian Life and the Bachelor of Theology at the South African Theological Seminary. Here is an outline of the course. What should one include in a course about Christian Foundations? This is not an easy question to answer. It seems obvious that we should begin with a clear explanation of the gospel message, that is, how to be saved (born again). We also judged that living the Christian life, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, prayer, Bible study, making disciples, and principles of Christian stewardship are essential foundations. These are the topics we have decided to cover in this course. It was difficult to leave out some other foundational teachings. For example, should such a course not include a discussion of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ? What about the doctrine of the trinity? Should we not make space for the two ordinances of church life, namely, water baptism and the Lords Supper? 1 Each of these would be worthy inclusions in this course. However, we have chosen to cover these topics in other courses in our curriculum. In particular, the course THE1122 Biblical Worldview should be treated as a sister course to THE1121 Christian Foundations, since it also tackles a number of foundational issues. 1. Course contents Course Introduction......................................................................................................1 Unit 1: Salvation in Christ.............................................................................................7 Unit 2: Living for Christ...............................................................................................20 Unit 3: Relationship with God.....................................................................................34 Unit 4: Fellowship with Believers................................................................................52 Unit 5: Making Disciples.............................................................................................62 Unit 6: Stewardship of Possessions...........................................................................76 Appendix A: Christian Character................................................................................78 Appendix B: Spiritual Gifts........................................................................................103 Appendix C: Sharing a Personal Testimony.............................................................124 Appendix D: The Four Spiritual Laws.......................................................................128 Works Cited..............................................................................................................132 Assignments.............................................................................................................133

We treat the topic of water baptism and the Lords Supper the course called The Doctrine of the Church.

Course Introduction 2. Course outcomes By the end of this course, you will be able to: Explain the plan of salvation from Ephesians 2:8-10. Evaluate and embrace the Biblical description of Gods purpose for you. Demonstrate basic knowledge of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Recognise the importance of regular Bible reading and private prayer. Apply helpful guidelines to enrich your private times with God. Appreciate the importance of belonging to a good church. Prioritise building influential relationships with Spirit-filled believers. Embrace the importance of witnessing in word and deed. Share your testimony in the before how since method. Share the message of salvation with unsaved people. Worship God by giving generously to His kingdom. Manage your finances in a way that is both responsible and godly.

3. Course materials There are three resources you need to complete this course: (a) the Bible; (b) this study guide; and (c) the course textbook: Jabini, Frank S. 2009. How to Give Joyfully. Johannesburg: South African Theological Seminary Press.

4. Communications If you need to contact the Seminary for assistance, these are our contact details: Postal address: South African Theological Seminary P.O.Box 258 Rivonia 2128 South African +27 11 234-4440 +27 11 234-4445 study@sats.edu.za

Telephone: Fax: Email:

Course Introduction 5. Submission of assignment Your grade for this course will be based on a portfolio of assignments. You must pass all the assignments in order to pass the course. Furthermore, you must submit each assignment by the stipulated date. Late submissions will not be graded. If you do not pass an assignment at the first attempt, you will be allowed one additional week in which to resubmit it (from the time you receive the assessors feedback). There are two ways you can submit your assignments: online using MySats or in print by post. You cannot email your assignment to the seminary. Please read the instructions which apply to you closely. 5.1. Submit on MySats The preferred way to submit your assignment is online, using the MySats (login on www.satsonline.org/satsecampus) platform. When you login on MySats, you will be able to view the due date for each assignment and you will be able to submit your assignments. The great advantage of submitting online is that you will receive your feedback much faster than if you post hard copies. Each assignment (except for multiple-choice assignments) must be set out as follows: Assignments must be typewritten. All pages are to be one-and-a-half line spacing, Arial size 12 font. Lay out the cover page according to the example in Figure 2, page 94 of Academic Writing and Theological Research. All page numbers are to appear at the foot of each page.

Every assignment you complete must include references to your sources (except for multiple-choice assignments). Guidelines for designing, referencing (citations and bibliography), and formatting your paper are laid out in the book Academic Writing and Theological Research by KG Smith (2008), which every SATS student is required to use. You will notice that most of the assignments are assigned a certain length measured in words. As a guide, one typed page, laid out in size 12 font with 1.5 spacing, is equivalent to approximately 300 words.

Course Introduction 5.2. Submit by post If you are unable to submit your assignments online at MySats, you may post them to the seminary as hard copy submissions. You should complete all the assignments and send them to the seminary as a single submission (do not send each assignment separately). Your submission must reach the seminary by: 30 April 30 October if you enrolled for the February to April intake if you enrolled for the August to October intake

Late submissions will not be graded. If you submit late, you will fail the course, so to receive credit for it you will need to register for it again (and pay again). Your portfolio must be set out as follows: Number each assignment clearly and correctly. Assignments must be typewritten. All pages are to be one-and-a-half line spacing, Arial size 12 font. Lay out the cover page according to the example in Figure 2, page 94 of Academic Writing and Theological Research. All page numbers are to appear at the foot of each page. Attach all the pages of the Assignment Pack to your submission. These include the subject marking form, assignment cover sheet, assignment declaration form, feedback questionnaire, and time log. If you take printed courses, the Assessment Pack is included with your course materials. If you download your courses, you can download the Assignment Pack from www.satsonline.org/satsecampus.

Every assignment you complete must include references to your sources (except for multiple-choice assignments). Guidelines for designing, referencing (citations and bibliography), and formatting your paper are laid out in the book Academic Writing and Theological Research by KG Smith (2008), which every SATS student is required to use. You will notice that most of the assignments are assigned a certain length measured in words. As a guide, one typed page, laid out in size 12 font with 1.5 spacing, is equivalent to approximately 300 words.

Course Introduction 6. Assignment Assessment Criteria Each of your responses to the assignment you complete will be assessed in terms of the following: 6.1. Bible Is the perspective sound and comprehensive? Is there adequate evidence of Biblical referencing? Is the interpretation of the text in accordance with sound exegetical principles? Is the major contents based on Biblical evidence?

6.2. Content Is the reading material appropriate and adequate? Does it identify the central issues? Is there evidence of adequate research on topic? Does it analyse and assess source material critically? Is the logical argument clear and simple? Is their appropriate and sufficient interaction with other scholarly works?

6.3. Ministry application Does it demonstrate a link between theory and practice? Does it demonstrate an application of ministry issues to context? Does it show reflection and appropriateness to spiritual life and service?

6.4. Organisation, style, and format Is it properly formatted (e.g., title page, headings, numbering, margins, font, line spacing)? Is it well organised: (e.g., length, balance of parts, introduction, conclusion, bridging between sections)? Does it include proper citations and bibliography (e.g., correct style, accuracy)?

Course Introduction Is there effectiveness of expression and communication (e.g., style, language, clarity)? Is it well attended editorially (e.g., spelling and grammar)?

6.5. Accuracy Does the learner comply with the markers memo in accuracy and correctness of information? Were the questions answered correctly?

7. Examination There is no examination for this course. 8. Passing criteria Your final grade will be based on the sum of your assignments. Your result for the course will be classified as distinction, pass, or resubmit as follows: 80-100 percent: 60-79 percent: 0-59 percent: Distinction Pass Resubmit

The maximum grade you may score for a resubmission is 60 percent. You will be allowed to resubmit an assignment twice (that is, a total of three attempts). If you do not pass after the third attempt, you will fail the assignment. 9. Course evaluation It is important for the Seminary to know whether you enjoyed the course as well as how long you took to complete it. Therefore, keep a time log indicating exactly how much time you spent on the course, and complete the feedback questionnaire after you have done the course. Include your time log and the completed feedback questionnaire with your portfolio.

Unit 1: Salvation in Christ

Unit outcome Explain the plan of salvation from Ephesians 2:8-10.

1. Introduction Many Christians are insecure in their relationship with God because they do not really understand the plan of salvation and, therefore, they do not have assurance of salvation. They try hard to do everything the Lord requires, but in spite of all their efforts they never seem to break through into a place of security in their relationship with Him. They always feel as if God is displeased with them. Although there are many reasons why newborn Christians do not grow in their relationship with God, one of the most common is that they are not sure that they are in a right relationship with Him, that is, they do not have assurance of salvation. Do you think you will go to heaven when you die? (Tick the box beside one answer.) a) b) c) d) e) Yes, there is no doubt in my mind I am headed for heaven! No, I am certainly not on the road to heaven. I think so, but I am not certain one way or the other. I hope so, although nobody can know until judgement day. None of the above

If you think you are going to heaven, why do you think God will let you in? (Tick as many answers as you wish.) a) b) c) d) e) I have committed my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I attend church regularly. I read the Bible and pray to God regularly. I live a good life, and do my best to obey Gods commands. Other (specify):

Do you think that before you could go to heaven, God would have to change anything about the way you live right now? a) b) No Yes

Course Introduction These three questions were carefully designed to test whether a person has assurance of salvation. There is only one correct answer to each question. Let us discuss them briefly. Question 1: Do you think you will go to heaven when you die? Believers who are sure of their relationship with God will answer, Yes, there is no doubt in my mind I am headed for heaven. They know Jesus died to atone for their sins, and they know the Holy Spirit has entered their lives, changing their course and their destination. There is no uncertainty in their hearts about whether they are saved. If you chose any answer other than a, it is likely you are unsure of your relationship with God. In this case, it is likely you do not understand the gospel properly or clearly. Question 2: If you think you are going to heaven, why do you think God will let you in? This question tests your understanding of the Biblical basis of salvation. If you understand and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, you would have ticked only answer a: I have committed my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved only by Jesus death, and our faith in Him. We cannot add anything to His finished work. While church attendance, Bible reading, prayer, and godly living are all valuable parts of the Christian life, they contribute nothing to our salvation. We cannot earn salvation by doing good works. Question 3: Do you think that before you could go to heaven, God would have to change anything about the way you live right now? This question double-checks your understanding of the gospel. We all sin, so there are things in all our lives that God wants to change. However, the condition for eternal life is believing in Jesus (John 3:16). The correct answer, therefore, is no. How did you do on that three-test quiz? If you did not get all three questions right, it is likely your grasp of the gospel is imperfect. For the rest of this unit, we shall examine the plan of salvation (the gospel message, and how it applies in our lives). If you understand the plan of salvation, you should have assurance of salvation. 2. Assurance of Salvation Every non-Christian religion that I know teaches that it is impossible to be sure of your salvation. You must wait until judgement day for God to assess your works to see if they are worthy of eternal life. However, the Bible teaches otherwise. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13). John makes three statements that emphatically teach that we can know we are saved right now. First, he says God has given us eternal life (v. 11). Eternal life is something we receive in the present. Eternal life starts here and now, not when we

Course Introduction die. Then he says he who has the Son has life (v. 12). Everyone who believes in the Son of God, that is, everyone who receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, has received eternal life. Eternal life is our present possession as well as our future inheritance. Finally, he claims plainly that you may know that you have eternal life (v. 13). Those who believe in Christ can know with certainty in this life that they have received the gift of eternal life. They do not have to wait until judgement day to find out if God has accepted them. God loves us and He has gone to great trouble to provide a way of salvation for us, even sacrificing His own beloved Son. Gods chief desire is to brings us back into a living relationship with Himself. Having paid such a high price to provide salvation, He certainly would not leave us in doubt about how to be saved. He has clearly shown us what He expects of us. Therefore, we can know for sure whether or not we have met His requirements, and thus whether or not we are in right relationship with Him. What three points does John make in 1 John 5:11-13? Write them out. a) b) c)

3. The Plan of Salvation How can we know whether or not we have eternal life, whether or not we are saved and will go to heaven when we die? The Bible teaches us that God has a plan of salvation. Gods desire is for all human beings to be reconciled to Him. Therefore, He has revealed to us what we must do to inherit eternal life, to be reconciled to Him. He has not left us in any doubt about what He requires of us. The conditions of salvation are clearly spelled out in the plan of salvation. The plan of salvation provides Gods solution to mans predicament. Paul outlines the plan of salvation in Ephesians. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this not from yourselves, it is the gift of Godnot by works, so that no one can boast. For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:8-10). There are three points to take note of in this passage: 1. 2. 3. We are not saved by works. We are saved by grace, through faith. We are saved for works.

Course Introduction 3.1. We are not saved by works Every other religion in the world teaches that man is saved by works. To be saved by works means that we do enough good deeds to earn Gods favour. It implies that the person being saved is good enough to deserve salvation. Do you think the Bible teaches we are saved by doing good works? a) b) Yes No

The Bible teaches us that there is a major problem with this approach to salvation. The problem is a two-sided coin: God is holy and man is sinful. The problem is that holiness and sinfulness cannot live together in harmony. Let us explore each side of the coin a little more deeply. God is holy. Holiness is the attribute of God most emphasised in the Bible. God is perfect in holiness. The Word of God says, God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Because God is perfect in holiness, somebody who wanted to earn salvation by works would have to be completely without sin. Even one sin would disqualify us, as James 2:10 explains: For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. One facet of Gods holiness is justice. His nature requires that He punish sin. When His laws are broken, He must measure out appropriate punishment. According to each of these verses, what does God say the punishment should be for sin? a) Gen. 2:15-17 b) Rom. 6:23 What kind of death is the penalty for sin? a) Physical death b) Spiritual death c) Eternal death d) All of the above First, we need to understand each of these kinds of death. The root idea behind death in the Bible is separation. Physical death is the separation of body and spirit; the body returns to dust, and the spirit either to God or to hell (see Eccl. 12:7). Spiritual death is separation from God, that is, a broken relationship with Him (see Isa. 59:2). Eternal death is final separation from God in hell, a place of eternal, conscious torment. Which of these three kinds of death are part of Gods punishment on sin? All three! When Adam and Eve sinned, their sin immediately put a barrier between God and

10

Course Introduction them. The intimate fellowship they enjoyed with Him ended. Although they did not die physically for many years, their bodies became subject to death and decay. In other words, the moment they sinned, they died spiritually, and they began to die physically. Since the fall, anyone who died in sin has gone to hell (eternal death). So, God is holy, and He has instituted a death penalty for anyone who sins. Man is sinful. We are born with a sinful nature that makes it impossible for us to live sinless lives in perfect obedience to Gods commands. We have all fallen short of the perfect standard of holiness that God requires (Rom. 3:23). Therefore, we deserve to come under His judgement. The Bible says we are by nature objects of wrath (Eph. 2:3). Our sin separates us from God. Sin destroyed the perfect relationship that Adam and Eve had with God. Our sinfulness makes it impossible for us to earn Gods favour. No matter how hard we try, nothing we can do will ever be good enough to earn salvation. God is perfect in holiness and He requires complete holiness from us if we are to be worthy of salvation. Not only are we unable to live perfect lives from now on, but even if we could live perfectly from now on we still could not undo our past mistakes. By way of summary, then, because God is holy and we are sinful, there is absolutely no way we can be good enough to deserve to enjoy a right relationship with Him or to go to heaven. We deserve judgement and death. Our good works cannot atone for our sins. If this is the case, Jesus disciples asked the most important question: Who then can be saved? (Matt. 20:25). To put it in different words, How can we be saved? 3.2. We are saved by grace, through faith Salvation is not something we earn for ourselves by our good works, but that does not mean we are completely passive and play no part in receiving our own salvation. The Bible teaches that both God and man play a part in salvation. God plays the major role of providing salvation; man plays the minor role of receiving it. In Ephesians 2:8, Paul calls Gods major role grace, and our minor role faith. What do you understand by the term grace, and what does it mean to be saved by grace?

11

Course Introduction What do you understand by the term faith, and what does it mean to be saved through faith?

3.2.1. Gods part: grace God has provided a way for sinners to be brought back into a right relationship with Himself. He sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to bear the punishment for our sin. Jesus died in our place, accepting the punishment for our sins and thus satisfying Gods justice so that He was free to forgive sinners and reconcile them to Himself. One of the most important passages of Scripture explaining how God provided salvation for us is Romans 3:21-26, which says:
21

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished26 He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Let me quickly walk you through this passage. v. 21 God has provided a righteousness apart from law, that is, He has provided a way for us to become righteous before Him, and it has nothing to do with keeping a set of lawsHe knows we cannot do so. The way of becoming right with God (righteous in His sight) is through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not our good works but His sacrificial death that has the power to save us. Why must salvation be through faith in Jesus Christ and apart from law? The answer is for we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are sinners, completely unable to measure up to Gods standards of righteousness.

v. 22

v. 23

12

Course Introduction v. 24 We are justified! This means we have been brought into right standing with God by being declared righteous in His sight. This could never happen as a result of our works, because we have sinned and fallen short of Gods standards. Instead, it is by His grace! We are justified purely by the redemption Jesus provided, not by any good works we have done. How did God provide redemption in Christ? He offered Jesus blood (His life) as a sacrifice of atonement (Greek, hilastrion). This word suggests that Jesus died to bear Gods righteous punishment for our sins. He died in our place, accepting our judgement. This was necessary to demonstrate His justice. He could not just ignore or overlook our sins. He had to punish sin to retain His justice. The atoning death of Jesus is ingeniousGod remains just (sin is punished), and at the same time finds a way to pardon sinners and reconcile them with Himself!

v. 25

v. 26

This is what it means to be saved by grace. Grace is undeserved favour. God has done something for us that we do not deserveHe has provided a way for us to be saved. He offers us salvation as a free gift, that is, as something we do not have to earn for ourselves. G-R-A-C-E stands for Gods Riches At Christs Expense. I hope you realise what profound and amazing truths these are. How our God loves us! How He sacrificed for us! Take a few moments to praise God for your redemption in Christ. Then write out a short prayer of thanksgiving.

3.2.2. Our part: faith Although God has made a way for us to be saved, we still have to meet the conditions He had laid down. Salvation is a free gift, but we must receive that gift. How do we receive the gift of salvation? We receive it through faith. Grace is Gods part; faith is our part. The Bible actually lays down two conditions we must meet to receive the gift of salvation. Study these passages, and write down the condition (or conditions) mentioned in each. Mark 1:15 John 1:12

13

Course Introduction John 3:16 Acts 3:19 Acts 16:31 Acts 20:21 Heb. 6:1 The two conditions that recur in these passages (and throughout the New Testament) are repentance and faith. When they occur together, repentance is turning away from a life of sin, and faith is turning to God in wholehearted surrender. When only one occurs, it implies both ideasturning from sin and self to Christ. Let us examine each idea in more detail. The first condition is repentance. Repentance is a decision to change the way we are living, to turn away from sin and toward God. The best description of repentance in the Bible is found in 2 Timothy 2:19, Nevertheless, Gods solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his, and, Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. We need to distinguish repentance from two other things that are often mistaken for it: remorse and penance. In your own words, explain how you understand the difference between repentance, remorse, and penance.

Remorse is feeling sorry for your sins, without necessarily suggesting you are willing to forsake them. Repentance includes remorse, but it always involves actiona sincere decision to turn away from sin. Penance is doing something to pay for your sins, receiving punishment to make amends. God does not require us to pay for our own sins because Jesus has already paid for them. Repentance involves three steps: (a) conviction: 2 Cor 7:10; (b) confession: 1 John 1:9; and (c) conversion: 2 Tim 2:19. Repentance begins with conviction of sin that produces godly sorrow (remorse). The sense of guilt over our sin is the work of the Holy Spirit, who makes us aware of the fact that we have sinned against God. The proper response to the Holy Spirits conviction is confession of sin. God wants us to tell Him that we know we have sinned against Him and we are sorry about it. The final step is conversion to Christ, turning from a life of sin and committing ourselves

14

Course Introduction to live for God rather than ourselves. This does not mean we will not sin anymore, but it does mean that we sincerely want to serve God and turn from sin. The second condition is faith. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. What does this mean? Mark 1:15 commands us to believe in the gospel [of Jesus Christ]. True faith involves agreement and trust. We must believe that Jesus death paid for our sins and Jesus resurrection restores our spiritual life. But true faith can never stop with intellectual agreement. Many believe that Jesus death and resurrection are the basis of salvation, but are not saved (Jas 2:19). The reason is that true faith must go beyond mental agreement to wholehearted trust. So we must not only believe in Jesus death and resurrection, we must place our trust in those acts as the basis of our salvation. We must stop trusting in our own works to save us and start trusting in Christs finished work. To place your hope of eternal life not in your good works but in Jesus atoning work is to be saved by faith. 3.3. We are saved for works If you can remember a definite moment when you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, describe the changes that took place in your life afterwards.

We cannot change ourselves, but Jesus certainly can change us. We are not saved by works, but we are saved for works. We cannot be what we are not. Before we are saved, we are by nature sinners. When we get saved, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and dwells in us (Rom. 8:9-10, 16). He changes us from the inside. The natural result of His work in us is that we do good works. We do not do good works so that we can be saved; we do them because we are saved. Three changes usually take place in our lives when we meet Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Change 1: We become alive to God. Before we meet the Lord, the things of God are boring and foolish to us. But the moment we meet Him, things like church, Bible reading, praying, fellowship, and discussing spiritual things take on whole new dimension. What previously seemed boring suddenly comes alive.

15

Course Introduction Change 2: You become aware of sin. After you met Jesus, did you feel like you had become more sinful overnight? If so, why do you think this happened?

When we meet Jesus, we develop new perspective on sinwhereas we were hardly conscious of it before, we suddenly become highly sensitive to it. Little sins that never bothered us before begin to gnaw at our conscience. Although we are living holier lives than before, we feel even more sinful. It is not that we are more sinful, just that we feel more sinful. What has changed? The Holy Spirit has come to live in our hearts. One of His works is to convict us of sin. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit, our consciences become more sensitive. What does it mean to be born again?
Jesus told Nicodemus, I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again (John 3:3). Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus meant. Jesus rephrased His statement: I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). To be born again means to be born of the Spirit. The idea behind being born again is simple. Before we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are spiritually dead in sin (Eph. 2:1). Our spirits are separated from God. The moment we confess our sins and turn to Jesus in faith, we are made alive in Christ (Eph. 2:5). Then the Holy Spirit joints with our spirits, making us Gods children and bringing our spirits back to life. The theological word for born again is regeneration, which is the work of the Holy Spirit in creating a new life in the sinful person who repents and comes to believe in Christ (Erickson 1998:168). Therefore, every true believer is born again. That is, the Holy Spirit has entered the life of every person who receives Jesus Christ, and made his or her spirit alive again. Do you understand the implications of this? There arent two types of Christians, namely, the born again Christians and the ordinary Christians. No! All true believers are born again, born of the Spirit. Whether you use the words born again or not, if you have repented of sin, put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and received the indwelling Holy Spirit, then you are born again.

It is good to feel bad when you sin. It is Gods way of motivating you to become more like Jesus. How you respond to His conviction will shape your Christian walk. Resist the temptation to justify your sins or to make excuses for your transgressions. The right response is to confess your sin, and repent of it. Most of the time, you only need to confess to God, but sometimes it is necessary to ask forgiveness from 16

Course Introduction others too. Try to develop the holy habit of keeping a short account with God, that is, confessing your sins the moment He convicts you. Change 3: We become more like Jesus We immediately begin to see changes in our lives. Habits we have tried to break for years can often be broken instantly. Our character begins to change, little by little, to become more like His. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because Gods seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother (1 John 3:7-10). A change in lifestyle is the surest evidence that we are indeed saved. When the Holy Spirit enters our lives, we begin to change to become like Jesus. The change is a lifelong process rather than an instantaneous event. Nevertheless, a significant change almost always occurs the moment we give our lives to Christ. What changes did the Holy Spirit bring about in your life when you surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ?

4. Conclusion The mistake many new believers make is that they base their hope of salvation on their feelings rather than on Gods promises. When they feel close to God, perhaps because they have been at church, spent time in prayer, or helped someone in need, they are confident that they are in right relationship with God. However, when they fail God in some way or just feel downcast, they doubt their relationship with God. To combat this tendency, we must all base our faith on the Word of God. Feelings come and go, but the Word of God remains constant. God has left us in no doubt about what He requires of us. He has not left us in doubt about how we can receive the gift of salvation which He offers. Since the conditions are clearly spelled out in His Word, we can assess whether or not we have met them and thus be sure of our salvation. We do not need to base our hope on our feelings, we can base our faith on the Word of God.

17

Course Introduction God is not a man that he should lie. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil? (Num. 23:19). In the plan of salvation, God has laid down two main conditions for receiving His gift of eternal life, namely, repentance and faith. Once we have turned away from a sinful life and committed ourselves to serving Christ as Lord and Saviour, we can be sure that God is faithful to keep His promises. Review test 1 1. Why do Christians believe it is possible to be sure they are saved?

2. Using Ephesians 2:8-10, briefly explain the three main points of the plan of salvation.

3. Briefly explain how Romans 3:21-26 underlines the fact that we are saved by grace.

18

Course Introduction Answers to review test 1 1. God has a clear plan of salvation, which He has revealed in full. Since our salvation does not depend on our works, but on meeting the two conditions He has laid downrepentance from sin and faith in Christwe can know that we are saved. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are Gods children (Rom. 8:16), giving us an inner assurance of salvation. 2. Ephesians 2:8-10 speaks of three main points in the plan of salvation: a. We are not saved by works. Because God is holy and we are sinful, we can never earn our ticket to heaven by doing good works. We are powerless to save ourselves. b. We are saved by grace through faith. God has provided a way to save sinners. His part is grace, providing redemption through the blood of Jesus, who died for our sins. Our part is to receive Jesus Christ, placing our faith in Him as our Lord and Saviour. c. We are saved for works. Saving faith in Jesus always produces changes in our lives: we become alive to God, sensitive to sin, and we begin to become like Jesus in character and conduct. 3. First, Paul states that all human beings are sinners, and are unable to earn Gods approval by works (keeping the law). Second, Paul explains that Jesus provided a way for us to become righteous (in Gods eyes) through His atoning sacrifice. Last, Paul indicates that we receive the righteousness Christ provides through faith in Him.

19

Unit 2: Living for Christ

Unit outcomes Evaluate and embrace the Biblical description of Gods purpose for you. Demonstrate basic knowledge of the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

1. Introduction In this unit, we shall explore the Christian life, specifically the purpose and power of Christian living. We shall attempt to answer two main questions: 1. What is Gods purpose for His children? 2. How does He accomplish it in their lives? 2. The purpose of the Christian life Please answer these questions before you read further. Does God have a purpose? a) Does God have a purpose for His creation? b) Does God have a purpose for human beings? c) Does God have a purpose for you? Yes Yes Yes No No No

Which of the following statements most closely matches your understanding of Gods great eternal purpose? Rank them from 1-5. a) To build a place, the church, where He can dwell and fully express Himself. b) To produce and prepare an eternal companion, a bride, for His Son. c) To bring all things in heaven and on earth together again under one head. d) To defeat the devil and reclaim all territory lost to him as a result of the fall. e) To produce sons and daughters in the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

20

Course Introduction Which of the following statements most closely matches your understanding of Gods purpose for you as an individual? Rank them from 1-5. a) To be a faithful servant, obediently doing whatever He asks. b) To find and fulfil my special ministry in the church. c) To become like Christ Jesus in both character and ministry. d) To minister powerfully in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. e) To live a sinless life. We would, I am sure, agree that God has a purpose for His creation, for human beings, and for you as an individual. But what is His great eternal purpose? Let us discuss the five options presented. It surely is not to build a place, the church, where He can dwell and fully express Himself. He is not limited by places, and He can express Himself anywhere, anytime. It equally cannot be to produce and prepare an eternal companion, a bride, for His Son, as if God the Son is somehow lonely and incomplete without such a bride. To defeat the devil and reclaim all territory lost to him as a result of the fall seriously distorts Gods great purpose. It implies that the devil has rightful authority over the earth and that God is concerned about territoryHe is interested in people, not in territory, and the devil is just a weak conartist, not a serious challenger to God with a rightful claim on creation. Ephesians 1:3-14 brings together the other two possibilities, namely, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together again under one head and to produce sons and daughters in the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 4-5 describe the heart of the Fathers purpose for us in this life: For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will (Eph. 2:4-5). At the end of the age, however, He will bring to completion His cosmic purpose, which we find in verses 9-10: And he made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilmentto bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ (Eph. 2:9-10). For the purpose of our look at the Christian life, however, it is fair to say that Gods primary purpose is to produce sons and daughters in the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now let us consider Gods primary purpose for you and me. Options a, b, and d focus primarily on what we do for God. While our Father certainly wants us to serve Him and to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit, these surely cannot be His primary purpose for us. He does not relate to us primarily as servants (John 15:11-

21

Course Introduction 15). His main interest does not lie in what we can do for Him, as if He desperately needed our talents and our help. Option e is also inadequate. While the Lord does want us to live sinless lives, if we view this as His primary purpose we shall probably become legalistic Christians. This leaves option c as the correct statement of the Lords purpose for you and me. Above all else, Gods purpose for us is to become as much like Christ Jesus in both character and ministry as is possible in this life! This is a profound truth, and it would be easy to pass over it too quickly. Think about it a little. What God most wants for you is to become as much like Christ Jesus in both character and ministry as is possible in this life. Spend a few minutes meditating on this truth. In the space below, write out a short prayer reflecting your response to this purpose.

You should never just accept something because a respected authority figure, such as your pastor or, in this case, the author of a SATS course, who holds a few degrees in theology, tells you it is so. As a Christian, the Word of God is your final authority for life and doctrine. Therefore, when someone makes a theological claim, you should always ask him to show you where the Bible teaches it. Read Acts 17:11. Why does this Scripture commend the Bereans?

After Paul preached the gospel to them, they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. How amazing. The great man, Paul, a learned theologian and an anointed apostle, preached to them, yet rather than just take his word for it, they searched the Scriptures to see if he was preaching truth. You should develop the same habit. So, where does the Word of God teach that Gods main purpose for us is to become like Jesus in character and ministry? We shall begin with a few key verses that say our purpose is to become like Jesus in character. Consider Romans 8:29-30.

22

Course Introduction For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified (italics added). Most discussion of this passage focuses on the doctrine of predestination, but seems to miss the pointGod predestined His children to be conformed to the likeness of His Son! In other words, His ultimate objective for us is that we become like His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now consider 2 Corinthians 3:18. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lords glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. What was Paul saying here? He seems to be saying that the Holy Spirit is constantly working in us to make us more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at Ephesians 4:11-13. It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare Gods people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. This passage is famous because it teaches about the five-fold ministry gifts (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers). What is interesting is to note the purposes of these ministries. The ultimate goal is that we all become mature, that is, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. What does that mean? It means that we should become just like Jesus. In Gods kingdom, character is always more important than calling. Gods first priority is for us to become like Jesus Christ in our character. He also wants us to become like Jesus in ministry. Consider John 14:12. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Jesus told His disciples that God would empower them to do the same kinds of miracles He did. After His resurrection, in John 20:21-22, He made their mandate even more explicit, emphasising that their mission was to continue His ministry. Again Jesus said, Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you. And with that He breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:21-22, italics added).

23

Course Introduction What does the statement all that Jesus began to do and to teach in Acts 1:1 imply? Focus on the word began.

The Book of Acts is the second volume of Lukes two-volume work. The Gospel of Luke is volume one. The Gospel of Luke records what Jesus began to do and to teach, that is, His ministry during His time on earth. Acts tells of how Jesus continued His ministry through His followers, who were anointed by the Holy Spirit to continue His ministry. We could look at many more Scriptures, but these should be enough to support our claim that Gods chief plan for you is to pattern your life and ministry on the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. God wants you to become like Christ, first in character, and then in ministry. We shall never be able to become fully like Jesus in this life, but our primary calling is to become as much like Him as is possible. 3. The power of the Christian life We can praise God that the Christian life is not something we have to live in our own strength. The Lord has given us the Holy Spirit to help us with every aspect of our Christian walk. He is the one who helps to become like Jesus in both character and ministry. Therefore, it is important for us to take some time to discuss the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. 3.1. The Holy Spirit How do you usually picture or think about the Holy Spirit? a) As a mysterious force that permeates the world b) As the anointing power of God c) As a gaseous presence d) As a person who is always with you Without realising it, believers often betray how they really view the Holy Spirit when they pray, by referring to Him as It. This reveals that they think of Him in impersonal ways, such as a force or a power or a presence. The Bible, however, always refers to the Holy Spirit as He, His, and Himas a Person! The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. We must think of the Holy Spirit first and foremost as a Person, capable of personal feelings and actions. Jesus most extensive teaching on the Holy Spirit came on the eve of His crucifixion, and you can find it in John 14-16. He had told His disciples He was going away. To

24

Course Introduction ease their fears, He promised them that He would send the Holy Spirit to take His place with them. Let us work through some key points in His teaching about the Holy Spirit in these chapters. The first reference is in John 14:16-17. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counsellor to be with you foreverthe Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for he lives with you and will be in you. Jesus promised to send another Counsellor. Both these words deserve some explanation. First, Greek (the language in which the New Testament was written) has two words for another, namely, heteros and allos. Heteros refers to another of a different kind (e.g., a heterosexual is someone who likes people of a different gender). Allos points to another of the same kind. When Jesus promised another Counsellor, He used allos, meaning the Holy Spirit would be another of the same kind as Jesus. The Greek word for Counsellor is parakltos. It has no English equivalent. If you survey various translations, you will find Counsellor, Comforter, Advocate, Friend, and, the most popular choice, Helper. The word comes from two Greek words: para beside and kale to call. The basic idea of the word is a friend who comes alongside to help. It could be a friend who comes to help you with a legal problem, that is, to defend you, hence advocate. It could be a friend who comes to encourage you when you are downcast, hence comforter. It could be a friend who offers you guidance when you face a difficult decision, hence counsellor. The Holy Spirit is our Parakletos, our Friend who helps us in every situation we face. If we put all this together, an amazing truth emerges. The Holy Spirit is our Friend who is with us in the same way Jesus was with the disciples. The Holy Spirit helps us in all the same ways Jesus helped them. He is another, just like Jesus, who has taken over Jesus ministry among His people. Do you think of the Holy Spirit as a personal Friend who is with you just as Jesus was with the twelve? Think about all that this impliesthe kind of ministries the Holy Spirit performs as another Helper. Write out a short prayer of praise and thanksgiving.

In His teachings in John 14-16, Jesus mentions some of the Holy Spirits ministries. The first point he makes relates to the Spirits presence (He lives with you and will

25

Course Introduction be in you, 14:17). He is with us in every situation, which is a source of comfort when we are in need (and shame when sin). He lives in us, working in our lives to make us like Christ. Jesus second reference comes in John 14:25-26: All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. As Jesus taught His disciples when He was on earth, so the Holy Spirit teaches us. He is the Spirit of truth. Notice the two things He would do: (a) teach the disciples all things; and (b) remind them of everything Jesus had said. They were saturated with Jesus teaching after three years of walking with Him. They could not remember everything He said, but they could rely on the Holy Spirit to remind them. In the same way, if you saturate yourself with the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will teach you and remind you of what you learned. Make brief notes of what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit in these passages. John 15:26

John 16:7-11

John 16:12-14

Now let us relate our discussion of the Holy Spirit to our chief calling as Christians, namely, to become as much like the Lord Jesus Christ in both character and ministry as is possible in this life. The Holy Spirit works in us to form character, and through us to perform ministry. We shall now briefly examine these two aspects of His work. 3.2. The Holy Spirit working in us Please read Appendix A: Christian Character in conjunction with this section.

No matter how hard we try, we cannot develop Christlike character in ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit can change our hearts so that our inner man begins to conform to the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. He empowers us to become like Jesus in character. Without His empowering presence, we cannot change and we shall not grow in Christlikeness.

26

Course Introduction Read John 3:1-8, 6:63, and Titus 3:4-7. What work of the Holy Spirit is described in these passages?

Please do not read my answer until you have looked up the above Scriptures. These passages describe how the Holy Spirit regenerates people. The word regenerate means to be spiritually reborn. When you commit your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you. Before that, you are spiritually dead; your spirit is cut off from God. When the Holy Spirit comes to live in you, He makes your spirit alive again. You become a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). Paul calls this rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Once He comes to live in you, the Holy Spirit begins to work in you, gradually changing your character to be like Christs. Romans 8:9-10a says: You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. When you become a Christian, the Spirit of God lives in you. When He comes to live in you, you are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit. You still have a sinful nature prompting you to do wrong, but you also have the Holy Spirit urging you to live in a way the honours God. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-17, 24-25). As we yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we are able to resist temptation, overcome our sinful nature, and keep in step with the Spirit. As we live by the Spirit, He produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (Gal. 5:22-23).

27

Course Introduction Appendix A: Christian Character, which you must read for Assignment 1, is a detailed treatment of the fruit of the Spirit. I suggest you read it now, and then move on to the next section, dealing with how the Holy Spirit works through us. 3.3. The Holy Spirit working through us Please read Appendix B: Spiritual Gifts in conjunction with this section.

The Holy Spirit also works through us to perform Christian ministry. The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus to perform His ministry. After Jesus ascension, the Holy Spirit empowered the early church to continue His ministry. The Holy Spirit continues to empower the people of God to do the work of God. The exercise below, based on the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, shows a pattern of how the Holy Spirit works through believers. Please look up the Scriptures and fill in what the believers experienced, and what expression of ministry resulted. To help you get started, I have completed the first two examples for you. Experience Luke 1:15John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. Luke 1:41Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:67 Expression Luke 1:16-17He would be anointed to reach many people. Luke 1:42-45She uttered an inspired expression of praise. Luke 1:67-79

Luke 2:25-27

Luke 2:28-31

Luke 4:14

Luke 4:15

Luke 10:21

Luke 10:21-24

Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8

Acts 2:4

Acts 2:4

28

Course Introduction Acts 4:8 Acts 4:8-12

Acts 4:31

Acts 4:31

Acts 9:17

Acts 9:18-22

Acts 10:44-45

Acts 10:46

Acts 13:9

Acts 13:9-10

Acts 19:6

Acts 19:6

What interesting observations did you make as you conducted that exercise?

In each of the Scriptures we examined, we see the Holy Spirit anointing people to perform an act (or acts) of ministry. He comes upon them in power, and inspires them to pray, praise, prophesy, preach, or speak in tongues. He still empowers us like this today. He can come upon us at any moment and inspire us to speak on Gods behalf or perform an act of ministry in Jesus name. We should seek and expect the Spirits empowering for ministry. He empowered Jesus. He empowered the disciples. He has not changed, so He will also empower us. Before we move on, I need to make some observations about the Biblical terms baptised in the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit. There are two major understandings of these terms amongst evangelicals. These are the two views: 1. The Pentecostal view. All Christians receive the indwelling Holy Spirit at salvation, but this is different to being baptised in the Holy Spirit. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a second experience after salvation. It may happen immediately after or long after conversion. Its purpose is to empower

29

Course Introduction believers for ministry. Speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence that a person has been baptised in the Holy Spirit (although many no longer insist on this). The term filled with the Holy Spirit is more or less equivalent to baptised in the Holy Spirit, but some believe the baptism is the first empowering experience, which can be followed by many more infillings. 2. The Protestant view. All Christians are baptised in the Holy Spirit (or filled with the Holy Spirit) at conversion; it is not a separate, subsequent event to conversion. The Holy Spirit empowers every aspect of Christian life, both sanctification (growth in character) and service (power for ministry). There can be many moments of empowering (infillings) throughout the Christian walk, in which believers experience His power or presence in special ways. A good Scriptural case can be made for each view, and each view has difficulty accounting for certain texts. My own convictions lean towards the second position we all receive the Holy Spirit once-and-for-all at salvation, but we can have many special moments of empowering in which we experience His presence or power in special ways. Regardless of which view you hold, the critical thing is that you actively depend on the personal presence and power of the Holy Spirit for every aspect of your Christian life. It is also crucial that you think of the Holy Spirit primarily as a Person with whom you are developing a relationship, rather than as an impersonal force that empowers you. Table 1: Suggested answers to the exercise above Experience Expression Luke 1:15John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. Luke 1:41Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:67Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 2:25-27The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon. Luke 4:14Jesus returned from Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke 10:21Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8The Holy Spirit would come upon the disciples. Luke 1:16-17He would be anointed to reach many people. Luke 1:42-45She uttered an inspired expression of praise. Luke 1:67-79He was inspired to give a prophecy. Luke 2:27-31He praised God and gave a prophetic message. Luke 4:15He was empowered to teach in the synagogues. Luke 10:21-24He was inspired to praise and prophesy. Acts 1:8They would receive power to bear witness to Jesus.

30

Course Introduction Acts 2:4The disciples were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:4They spoke in other tongues.

Acts 4:8Peter was filled with the Acts 4:8-12He defended John Holy Spirit. and himself, and preached the gospel. Acts 4:31A group of disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 9:17Saul (Paul) was filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:44-45The Holy Spirit came on those who heard Peter preach. Acts 13:9Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 19:6The Holy Spirit came upon a group of disciples. Acts 4:31They spoke the Word of God boldly. Acts 9:18-22He began to preach Jesus Christ in the synagogue. Acts 10:46They spoke in tongues and prophesied. Acts 13:9-10He pronounced a curse upon Elymas the sorcerer. Acts 19:6They spoke in tongues and prophesied.

One of the key ways in which the Holy Spirit empowers believers for ministry is by giving spiritual gifts. If you have not already done so, please read Appendix B: Spiritual Gifts, which discusses the use and abuse of spiritual gifts. 4. Conclusion Christians often spend a vast amount of time and energy trying to understand Gods purpose for their lives. We believe He has revealed His purpose quite clearly. Our Fathers general purpose is to produce sons and daughters in the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Applying this to your life, it means that His purpose is for you to become as much like the Lord Jesus Christ in both character and ministry as is possible in this life. Therefore, you should focus less on trying to discover your own special calling, and more on becoming like the Lord Jesus Christ. The power to fulfil the Fathers purpose of making you like the Son comes from the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Person, who is both with you and in you. He works in you to conform your character to that of Jesus Christ by producing the fruit of the Spirit. He also empowers you to perform ministry, largely by imparting spiritual gifts to you and anointing you when you use them.

31

Course Introduction Review test 2 1. Briefly describe the purpose of the Christian life.

2. What important principle did the Bereans model in Acts 17?

3. Summarise three Scriptures which support the claim that the goal of Christian life is to become like Jesus Christ.

4. Jesus called the Holy Spirit another Counsellor (John 14:16-17). Explain the significance of this title for the Holy Spirit.

32

Course Introduction 5. With respect to the baptism in the Holy Spirit, how does the Pentecostal view differ from the traditional Protestant view?

Answers to review test 2 1. The purpose the Christian life is to become as much like the Lord Jesus Christ in character and ministry as is possible in this life. 2. The Bereans tested Pauls teachings against the Scriptures. They modelled a vital principlethe Word of God is the only source of absolute authority for the people of God, and all human teachers must be tested against Scripture. 3. See the discussion of these texts earlier in the unit: Romans 8:29-30, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 4:11-13, John 14:12, John 20:21-22, and Acts 1:1. 4. The title another Counsellor shows that the Holy Spirit is a Person just like Jesus, who has come to continue Jesus ministry amongst His disciples. The Holy Spirit is a Friend who is with us to help us in every situation. 5. The Protestant view holds that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is part of the conversion experience, during which every believer receives the Holy Spirit. The Pentecostal view sees the baptism in the Holy Spirit as a second experience that takes place after conversion and is separate from it; its purpose is to empower believers for ministry, and speaking in tongues is the proof that a person has had this experience.

33

Unit 3: Relationship with God

Unit outcomes Recognise the importance of regular Bible reading and private prayer. Apply helpful guidelines to enrich your private times with God.

1. Introduction A personal relationship with the God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit lies at the heart of Christianity. Every Christian has access to a personal relationship with the Triune God. The essence of any relationship is spending time with the other person and getting to know him or her. This is true of our relationship with God. As Christians, we have the privilege of knowing God personally. Building a relationship requires two-way communication. We get to know another person by speaking (sharing our hearts) and listening (hearing his heart). How can two-way communication take place in our relationship with the Lord?

Although the Lord can speak to us in other ways (e.g., prophecy, counsel, the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit, circumstances), the written Word of God (the Bible) is by far the most common and comprehensive way the Lord shares His heart with us. In His Word, He has told us all the most important things He wants us to know about HimHis nature, His attributes, His ways, His will, and so on. As we read His Word, the Spirit actively reveals the Father and the Son to us. According to research conducted by the Barna Group, daily Bible study is the single biggest catalyst of spiritual growth. If you are serious about growing in your relationship with Christ, you simply must spend time with Him through His Word. If the Word of God is the primary way He speaks to us, prayer is the primary way we share our hearts with Him. The Lord has given us an open invitation to approach His throne of grace to find help for our needs (Heb. 4:15-16). He has promised to hear every prayer and accept every confession. Our prayers sometimes change things, but they always change us! As we bare our hearts before our Creator, the Lover of

34

Course Introduction our souls, He works in us to shape our dreams and desires, forming in us the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. Reading His Word and speaking to Him in prayer are the two main ways we can nurture our personal relationship with the Lord. In this unit, we are going to examine essential principles and guidelines to help you enrich your Bible reading and prayer life. 2. Bible Reading 2.1. What is the Bible? What is the Bible?

The Bible is a special and unique book. It is so central to the Christian faith that Christians have often been referred to as the people of the book. The Bible is the Word of God (Heb. 4:12). It contains the very words of God (Rom. 3:2). Although it was written by men, these men did not write on their own. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit revealed to them what they should write, and He guided them to make sure they wrote exactly what God wanted them to write. This is the most important verse about Gods Wordyou would do well to commit it to memory. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Because the Bible is the Word of God, we can have complete confidence in it as a guide for what we should believe and how we should live. The Scriptures themselves testify to the fact that the Word of God is perfect and flawless (Pss. 12:6; 18:30; 19:7-11). Bible scholars refer to this truth as the infallibility of Scripture. Although scientists have long been sceptical about the Bible, they have not yet been able to prove it inaccurate in anything it claims.

35

Course Introduction 2.2. Why should I read the Bible? Why do you think it is important for believers to read the Word of God regularly?

First, you should read the Word because God commands it. Consider, for example, these commands: Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (Josh. 1:8). Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom (Col. 3:16). The Lord has graciously revealed Himself to us in His Word, and He wants us to know what He has said! He has commanded us to read the Word. Therefore, Bible reading is an act of obedience to God. Jesus said, If you love Me you will obey what I command (John 14:15). One way we show our love for Jesus is by spending time reading His Word. However, Jesus did not command us to read the Bible to test us. Whenever He commands us to do something, it is for our own good. Bible reading is for our benefit. Second, we need to read the Word because it is our spiritual food. Jesus answered, It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation (1 Pet. 2:2). Our spiritual health depends on feeding our spirits. The Christian life begins with being born again. We start out as spiritual infants who need to grow to maturity. Just as a baby needs milk, so a new believer needs the Word. Malnourished infants never grow into strong and healthy adults. Christian Johnson (source unknown) said, A Bible that is falling apart probably belongs to someone who isnt. Third, we need to read the Word because it is an instrument of cleansing, a kind of spiritual soap. Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to h 36

Course Introduction present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Eph. 5:25-27). The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to cleanse our hearts and lives, preparing us to become a radiant and spotless bride for Jesus Christ. As someone said, Clean Bible, dirty Christian; dirty Bible, clean Christian! Fourth, we should read the Word because it is a source of guidance for our lives, our spiritual lamp. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psa. 119:105). He has showed you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you (Mic. 6:8, my translation). The Word helps us to understand the will of God and to live in a way that pleases Him. Many Christians spend their lives trying to discover the will of God for their lives as if it were a mysterious hidden treasure, only to find that He is strangely silent about it. He does not speak because He has already spoken. He has shown us in His Word what he requires and what He wants. Unless we make an effort to understand what God has already said, we should not expect to receive newer or deeper revelations. Fifth, we should read the Word because it serves as our life manual. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple (Psa. 19:7b). The Scriptures contain the wise instructions of our Creator, who alone knows exactly how we ought to live in His creation. They teach us how to handle each and every crucial life situation and decision. God always knows best. If we live according to His instructions, we are wise. Sixth, we should read the Word because it is a divine love letter, telling of our Lords wonderful and precious thoughts towards us, His beloved children. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You (Psa. 139:16-18). As Christians, reading Gods Word meets the deepest need and longing of our hearts, the need to know and experience His perfect love for us. This is the most important reason for reading the Bible. In it we meet the Lover of our souls, the only Person in the world who loves us wholly, completely, selflessly! The better we know His Word, the more secure we will rest in His love for us.

37

Course Introduction List six reasons why we should read Gods Word. a) b) c) d) e) f) In addition to the three reasons we need to read the Word, God also promises many fringe benefits of reading and obeying it. Let us examine a few of these benefits. Table 2: Benefits of reading the Bible Scripture Joshua 1:8 Psalm 19:7-11 Promised Benefits we will be prosperous and successful (1) it gives life to the soul (2) it gives wisdom to the simple (3) it gives joy to the heart (4) it gives light to the eyes (5) it gives great reward (1) when you walk, it will guide you (2) when you sleep, it will watch over you (3) when you awake, it will speak to you it will sanctify us it makes us holy and cleanses us

Proverbs 6:20-23

John 17:17 Ephesians 5:26

One teacher suggested the word BENEFITS itself as an acronym to summarise them. In Gods Word we find: B read E njoyment N earness E ncouragement F oundation I nspiration T ruth S ecurity for the soul of good literature to God from good news for our lives to believe, hope, and love as our guide against doubt and the devil

However you look at it, there are compelling reasons to cultivate a holy habit of daily Bible reading.

38

Course Introduction 2.3. When should I read the Bible? How often does God want us to spend time reading the Word? The Word of God is our spiritual food. How often do you eat physical food? Once a week? Once every two or three days? No, you eat every day. In fact, most people eat two or three meals a day. Just as our bodies need regular meals, so our spirits need regular spiritual food. Yet many Christians think they can be spiritually healthy on only one meal a weekat church on a Sunday. What does each passage below suggest about how often we should spend time with God through His Word? Josh. 1:8 Psa. 1:2 Acts 17:11 When the Bible speaks about meditating on the Scriptures day and night, do you think God is telling us we should read His Word twice every day, namely, in the morning and in the evening? Explain your response.

When the Lord urged His people to meditate on His Word day and night, He was really encouraging them to study it regularly and extensively. He wanted them to be saturated with His thoughts and truths. The only way to be saturated with Gods thoughts is to spend much time absorbing themlike the disciples, who listened to Jesus words daily for three years. Reading the Scriptures twice each day, morning and evening, is a very good idea, although these verses do not command it. The testimony of these Scriptures is clear: we need to cultivate a holy habit of regular (preferably daily) Bible reading. We should set aside regular time to feed ourselves on the Word of God. Former American president, Woodrow Wilson, saw the value of daily reading. He said, I am sorry for men who do not read the Bible every day. I wonder why they deprive themselves of the strength and the pleasure. 2.4. Which Bible should I read? If you read the Bible in English (or another language that has a long tradition of Bible translation), there are many different translations from which you can choose a reading Bible. One of the biggest mistakes Christians make is to choose a translation which is not well suited to their needs. One key to success is to choose a suitable translation! 39

Course Introduction So what is the best translation? The one you read! (Billy Graham). Some translations are easier to understand than others. As a general rule, the easier a translation is to understand, the more rewarding it is to read. As a result, you enjoy it more, you understand what God is saying, you see its relevance to your life, and you can apply its message to your circumstances. The problem is that many Christians read translations which are difficult to understand. As a result, they do not enjoy it because they cannot understand it and do not see its relevance to their lives. The best Bible for you is the one you can understand! Answer these questions about your own Bible readingbe honest, only you and God will know your answers. a) Do you enjoy reading the Bible? b) Do you find your Bible easy to understand? c) Does your Bible reading add great value to your life? Yes Yes Yes No No No

If you answered no to any of the above questions, it is likely you are reading a translation that is not suitable for your needs. To choose a suitable translation, you need to understand a little about translation theory. In short, translators use one of two methods of translation. Literal translations try to translate word-for-word. This helps to keep the translators interpretative bias to a minimum, but also makes the translation difficult to understand because it uses awkward English. Dynamic translations try to translate thought-for-thought, using modern English style. They are much easier to understand, but run the risk that the translator may misinterpret the original. Table 2. Comparison of Literal and Dynamic Translations Literal Awkward English Reader interprets Hard to understand Good for serious study Suitable for experts Dynamic Natural English Translator interprets Easy to understand Good for casual reading Suitable for everybody

Many Christians read literal translations when they should read dynamic ones. Often they follow their pastor, but unlike him they are not well equipped to understand the literal translation. What translations are literal and which ones are dynamic?

40

Course Introduction

The translations on the far left of the diagram are very literal translations. Although they are good translations for experts, they are not ideal everyday use. The New International Version (NIV) is the middle-of-the-road translation. It is an outstanding translation and one that many believers find quite easy to understand. The next group of translations are, in my opinion, the best to use for daily reading. If you speak English as your second language, I highly recommend the Contemporary English Version or the Good News Bible. The New Living Translation is my recommendation for first-language English readers. The Bibles on the far right are perhaps a little too dynamic for constant use, but they are helpful for bringing out the point of some passages in clear, simple language. 2.5. How you should I the Bible? There are two main kinds of Bible study: systematic and devotional. Systematic Bible study is in-depth study of the Bible that aims at understanding important doctrines and themes. Not every believer engages in systematic study. God has given some believers the gift of teaching to enable them to study the Bible systematically and teach it to others. Devotional Bible study is reading the Bible to feed your spirit and to hear from God. Every believer needs to read the Bible devotionally. In the rest of this section, we are going to examine ways of doing so. Which way you use is not important. What is important is that you come to God with an open heart and allow Him to speak to you through His Word. As one pastor said, Devotional Bible study is not so much a technique as a spirit. It is the spirit of eagerness which seeks the mind of God; it is the spirit of humility which listens readily to the voice of God; it is the spirit of adoration which rests in the presence of God. The goal of devotional Bible reading affects the method. What is the objective of devotional Bible reading? What should happen to us as a result of spending time in the Word? Jesus told us what our two main goals should be.

41

Course Introduction What are the goals of studying the Scriptures does Jesus teach in each verse below? John 5:39-40 Matt. 7:24 The first goal is to meet the Lord (John 5:39-40). The Scriptures point us to Jesus. He reveals Himself and His will through His Word. When we read the Word, God confronts us in a personal waywe encounter Him. The second goal is to obey the Lord (Matt. 7:24; see also Jas. 1:22). Our Bible reading must result in a response on our part. By the way, please understand that we do not respond to the command, we respond to our Commander. We do not just obey the Bible, we obey the Lord. When we respond to the His Word, we are responding to the Lord Himself. When you read the Bible in your devotions, your goal is not to master the Scriptures, but to meet the Saviour! Therefore, the first principle of devotional Bible reading is read until you find something that you do understand, something that speaks to your heart, something you can apply in your life. You should focus on what you do understand and not get bogged down with what you do not yet understand. In your devotions, forget the details you do not understand and find the word God is speaking to you for today. I have found that there are four simple steps that help me to get the most out of my devotional reading. 1 2 3 4

Passage

Part

Point

Practice

I begin by selecting a PASSAGE of Scripture to read. Although there are no hard and fast rules, it is helpful to read a whole book over a period of time, perhaps a chapter or two each day. As I read, I look for just one PART that speaks to my heart, one portion the Holy Spirit speaks to me through. Then I focus on that part and ask, What is the POINT? What principle does that Scripture teach? What is the Lord saying to me through it? Lastly, I ask the Holy Spirit to show me how He wants me to put it into PRACTICE. The Word becomes real to you when you do what it says. Imagine if you responded in obedience to one Scripture each day; within a year, you would be a changed person. You should write the words (1) Passage, (2) Part, (3) Point, and (4) Practise in the diagram above.

42

Course Introduction What kinds of things should you be looking for when it comes to responding to the Lord? When you read, there are five categories of things to look for. These are neatly summed up by the acronym S-P-E-C-S. Is there any Sin to confess Promise to claim Example to follow Command to obey Service to render We recommend that you use this method in combination with two other helpful techniques.

Colour coding. Colour coding is an easy, attractive, and effective way of marking your Bible to make things easier to find and remember. Use a different colour for each of the SPECS topics. Journaling. Journaling is keeping a diary in which you write down what God says to you through His Word. In your journal, you should write down three things: (a) verses: write out the verses that speak to you; (b) truth: write down the truth in that verse that speaks to you; and (c) response: write down what you must do in response to that truth.

2.6. Summary The Scriptures are our Fathers preferred means of communicating His will and His ways to His children. If you really want to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18), you must cultivate a habit of seeking God through His Word. This is the Word of God Supernatural in origin Eternal in duration Inexpressible in value Infinite in scope Infallible in authority Universal in interest Personal in application Inspired in totality Read it through Write it down Pray it in Work it out Pass it on

43

Course Introduction 3. Prayer The Word of God is the main way the Lord speaks to us. The primary way in which we speak to God is in prayer. In this section, we are going to examine some fundamental principles of prayer. We shall look at these in greater detail in our course on Christian Relationships. 3.1. What is prayer? Prayer is intimate communion with God, a two-way relationship in which you spend time talking to him and listening to Him. Prayer is at the heart of our relationship with God. Through it, we have access to our heavenly Father. Prayer is not a religious routine, but a way of getting to know God personally and powerfully. 3.2. Why should I pray? Prayer is essential to a healthy and vibrant spiritual life because it is our only means of communing with the Lord. Through our fellowship with Him, we receive everything we need for lifelove from our Father, forgiveness from our Judge, comfort from our Counsellor, instructions from our General, and counsel from our Advisor. Nobody has ever had as close a relationship with the Father as Jesus had. What was the secret of Jesus intimacy with the Father? One secret was His amazing prayer life. The gospels often report that Jesus withdrew to lonely places to pray. His prayer life was so powerful that His disciples eventually came to Him and asked, Lord, teach us to pray (Luke 11:1). If it was necessary for Jesus, the Son of God who was anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure, to spend much time in prayer, how much more it must be necessary for us to spend time in prayer! 3.3. What did Jesus teach about prayer? Not only was Jesus the outstanding example of a man of prayer, He was also the outstanding teacher of the principles of prayer. We can learn at least seven important prayer principles from Jesus example and teaching. Try to identify one major principle of prayer Jesus taught or modelled in each passage below: a) Luke 5:16 b) Matt. 6:5-6 c) Matt. 6:7-8 d) Luke 11:5-13 e) Mark 11:24

44

Course Introduction f) Mark 9:29 g) Luke 22:42 Let us briefly work through the seven principles embodied in our Lords teaching in the passages above. First, we must pray regularly (Luke 5:16). The Scripture says Jesus often withdrew to pray. He placed value on spending regular time with His Father. Many believers neglect their prayer life until they are in a crisis. Then they urgently call out to God for help. Although God sometimes answers such prayers, He is not satisfied with them. Spiritual power is the product of spiritual discipline. Influence with God is the result of intimacy with God. The people whose prayers carry weight with God in times of crisis are the people who have spent quality time with God during seasons of blessing. Second, we must pray privately (Matt. 6:5-6). Personal prayer is your private relationship with God. It is your opportunity to meet with God. Since it is a private matter, we should find a quiet place where we can be alone with God when we pray. Your prayer room need not be a room as such; it can be any place where you can be alone with God. Third, we must pray simply and sincerely (Matt. 6:7-8). God is more interested in what you are than in what you say. The condition of your heart, not the content of your prayers, is what matters to Him. Prayer is a matter of the heart. The Lord loves simple prayers that come from sincere love for Him. God already knows everything about us. We do not need to impress Him with flowery prayers. God wants us to speak to Him as we would speak to our earthly fathersin simple words, with a sincere heart. Fourth, we must pray with perseverance (Luke 11:5-13). I have often heard believers say: If you ask in faith, you only have to ask once. Then you just need to believe God for your answer. Although this sounds logical and spiritual, it does not agree with Jesus teaching about persevering prayer. The Bible paints a different picture of true faithtrue faith holds aggressively onto God in prayer until it receives an answer. God blesses those who refuse to let go of Him (Gen. 32:26). God rewards faithand perseverance shows strong faith! Fifth, we must pray with faith (Mark 11:24). The Bible says, And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him (Heb. 11:6). Nowhere is the need for faith more important than in prayer. How do we reconcile Mark 11:24 with Jesus teaching about persevering in prayer? I believe steadfast, faith-filled prayer passes through three stages: a) Petition Effective prayer begins with a God-given burden. You pray earnestly for as long as you have the burden. This

45

Course Introduction may mean that you travail before the Lord for a long time, desperately seeking His face. b) Peace Eventually, the burden lifts and Gods peace enters your heart. The Holy Spirit gives you His assurance of the answer to your prayers. You do not have the answer itself, but you have the assurance that it will come. Now your prayers change their tone. When the burden has lifted and the Lords peace has come, you stop praying and start praising. You continue to give thanks until you receive the promised answer (or until the Lord brings back the burden).

c)

Praise

We should persevere in faith-filled prayer until God gives us an answer (usually and inner assurance that He has said yes). Then we should continue to believe that we have received it (by promise) and it will be ours (in reality). Sixth, we receive Gods power through prayer (Mark 9:29). Prayer is our source of spiritual power. Prayer changes things, but more importantly prayer changes people. When we spend time with God, we open our lives to His power. We put ourselves in a place where the Holy Spirit can work in us and prepare us so that He can work through us. What the church needs today is not more novel methods, but men the Holy Ghost can usemen of prayer, men mighty in prayer (Bounds 1999, ch. 1). Sinclair Ferguson (1988:38) puts it well: Some Christians are heroes in their daydreams only. The characteristic mark of such heroism is imagining ourselves as faithful on great and public occasions and in rarefied atmospheres when others will be impressed. In stark contrast, true faithfulness in Scripture is first exercised in small things and in private. If we fail there, any faithfulness we show in public will be hypocrisy, a performance for the crowd and not an expression of loyalty to our Lord. Although we would all love to pray for the sick and see them healed, such powerful prayers will remain elusive daydreams unless we cultivate faithfulness in our daily prayer. Seventh, we must pray with an attitude of surrender to Gods will (Luke 22:42). We must be humble enough to recognise that we do not always know what is best for us, but God does. In His infinite wisdom, our heavenly Father sometimes does not grant our requests, because He knows what we want is not good for us. This does not mean He has not answered our prayer. It has been said that God has three answers to prayeryes, no, and wait. He always reserves the right to say no or wait; we must be willing to accept his answer because we know that He knows best.

46

Course Introduction Beside each example on the left, write the numbers of the principles it illustrates. My suggested answers are in footnote 2. a) God often uses Pastor Maziya to heal the sick. In observing Maziyas lifestyle, you notice that he spends the first two hours of each day in prayer. b) Jane, a university student, shares her dorm room with two other students. Twice a week she takes a long walk along the beach, where she can pray without distractions. c) Monge, a new believer, is shy to pray in her home group, because she cannot quote Scriptures and has not mastered the spiritual jargon of the more mature believers. d) Shadrach has prayed intensely for an opportunity to plant a church in Walmer Township, an informal settlement near his home. He has accepted that this is not Gods time for him. We shall study these principles of prayer in greater detail in the course PRA1121 Christian Relationships. 3.4. How should I pray? When the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray, He gave them The Lords Prayer as a model prayer. The full version of the Lord s Prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. There are three major elements in the Lords Prayer, namely, praise, confession, and petition. Beside each element, write out the phrases from the Lords Prayer that belong to it. My suggested answer is in footnote 3. a) se Prai

2 3

a) 1, 6; b) 1, 2; c) 3; d) 4, 7 a) Our Father as it is in heaven; b) Forgive us our debtors; c) Give us today our daily bread and Lead us the evil one.

47

Course Introduction b) Con fession

c) ion

Petit

Compare the Lords Prayer with the great prayers of Daniel (Dan. 9), and Nehemiah (Neh. 1). Comment on the similarities you notice.

The basic structure of Daniels prayer and Nehemiahs prayer is strikingly similar to the Lords Prayer. In each prayer, the worshipper begins by acknowledging Gods greatness and goodness, then confesses sins, and finally presents his requests to God. These appear to be the three basic elements in Biblical prayers: Praise. Prayer should be God-centred before it is man-centred. Jesus model prayer teaches us to focus first on God our FatherHis name, His kingdom, and His will. Our prayer times should focus on worship and thanksgiving. In worship, we praise God for who He is, while in thanksgiving we honour Him for what He has done. Confession. The Lords Prayer also places great emphasis forgiveness of sin. We must ask God to forgive our sins and help us resist temptation. Develop the habit of keeping a short account with God. When you sin, go to Him immediately and ask for forgiveness. The devil tries to use sin to drive you away from God; if you run to God rather than from Him when you sin, your spiritual life will flourish. Requests. Although prayer for needs is not the most prominent part of the model prayer, the Bible does command us to present our requests to God (Phil. 4:6). God is our Father in heaven. If the only time we ever speak to our earthly fathers is when we want something from them, our attitude places strain on our relationship with them. But when we place our relationship with them first, then we have every right to ask them for help with our needs. In fact, when the father-son relationship is healthy, fathers love doing things for

48

Course Introduction their children and giving things to them. The same is true in our relationship with God, our Father. When we place our relationship with Him first, He delights in answering our prayer requests. 3.5. Summary God already knows what we need before we ask (Matt. 6:8). Why, then, does He want us to spend time in prayer? He wants us to pray because He delights in our worship, enjoys our fellowship, and wants to mould our character. God shapes our character when we spend time with Him. The prayer closet is a place where the Lord searches our hearts and moulds us into the image of Christ. We must develop a habit of talking openly with God about our sins and failures, and seeking His forgiveness and help to change us. Being open with the Lord about our sin gives Him the opportunity to help us overcome it. We need not fear that He will condemn us for our sin. His desire is to deliver us from it. We can also talk openly with Him about our needs and desires, sharing our heart with the One who understands us completely, in an environment of complete trust and security. 4. Conclusion Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. In other words, the Christian life is not about doing many religious works in the hope that we shall gain favour with God. Through Jesus Christ, we already have His favour. We are justified and forgiven; He has adopted us as His sons and daughters. Therefore, our focus is on nurturing a vibrant relationship with our heavenly Father, who has already accepted us. Our two primary ways of connecting with Him are through His Word and in the prayer closet. There is probably nothing as important to your spiritual life and growth as setting aside regular time to commune with God by reading His Word and bearing your heart to Him in worship and prayer. Review test 3 1. Why is it important to read the Bible regularly? How regularly should you read it?

49

Course Introduction 2. Based on our discussion of Bible translations, do you believe you are reading a suitable translation for you? Why or why not?

3. What are the two main goals of devotional Bible reading?

4. What four steps does the study guide recommend for devotional reading?

5. What is prayer?

6. What is the relationship between praying with perseverance and praying with faith (see Luke 11:5-13; Mark 11:24)?

7. What are the three elements of many Biblical prayers?

50

Course Introduction

Answers to review test 3 1. You should mention some of the reasons for reading the Bible we discussed in the study guide. Ideally, believers should read the Bible daily. 2. Your answer. The key factor is whether or not you find your translation easy to understand. 3. The two goals of devotional reading are to meet the Lord and to obey Him. 4. The four steps are: (a) passage, (b) part, (c) point, and (d) practice. 5. Prayer is intimate communion with God, a two-way relationship in which you spend time talking to Him and listening to Him. 6. First, perseverance shows faith rather than unbelief. Second, we should persevere in faith-filled prayer until God gives us an answer (usually and inner assurance that He has said yes). Then we should continue to believe that we have received it (by promise) and it will be ours (in reality). 7. The three elements are (a) praise, (b) confession, and (c) petition.

51

Unit 4: Fellowship with Believers

Unit outcomes Appreciate the importance of belonging to a good church. Prioritise building influential relationships with Spirit-filled believers.

1. Introduction Nurturing your relationship with God through prayer and His Word is one key to spiritual growth. Building vibrant relationships with other believers is another key. We become like those with whom we spend much time. Scripture says, Bad company corrupts good character (1 Cor. 15:33). The opposite is also truegodly relationships spur us on to love and good works (Heb. 10:24). In His great wisdom, Jesus designed the church as a spiritual family to nurture newborn believers into spiritual maturity. Dudley Daniel popularised the saying, What you get saved into is more important than what you get saved out of! Reflect prayerfully on this saying for a few moments. What do you think he meant? Do you believe he is right? How does this apply to your life?

Please do not read my response until you have prayerfully considered the saying, What you get saved into is more important than what you get saved out of, and written down your own reflections. Assuming you have done so, let us ponder Dudleys adage for a while. What does it mean? When someone has a spectacular, life-changing conversion, we are often amazed by the powerful way God has worked in his life. We assume that because of the supernatural nature of his conversion, delivering him from a terrible situation, his Christian walk will be equally powerful and influential. However, the high of his initial experience does not last a lifetime. In the long term, the quality of the church he joins and the godly relationships he builds (what he gets saved into) have a greater influence on his spiritual life than the power of his conversion experience. 52

Course Introduction Is it true? I believe Dudley is 100 percent right about this. I have personally seen a number of people have spectacular conversions, live on the high of that experience for a period, and then gradually lose their zeal of Christ, either backsliding completely or settling into a lukewarm Christian walk. When Paul compared the Christian life to a race, I am sure he had a marathon in mind, not a 100 metre dash (see 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 2 Tim. 4:6-8). Believers who are still running strongly after 20, 30, or even 50 years with Christ are invariably those who commit to a Bible-believing, Christ-centred, Spirit-dependent church, and who build life-giving relationships with on-fire followers of Christ. How does it apply? Even if you didnt have a spectacular conversion, if you get saved into a good church and nurture godly relationships, your Christian walk will be vibrant and your long-term influence for Christ significant. So, let me ask you frankly: Are you committed to a good church? Are you actively nurturing godly relationships?

Let me ask you to answer those questions formally. Are you committed to a good church? Pay special attention to the words committed and good church when you answer. a) Yes b) No Are you actively nurturing godly relationships? a) Yes b) No If you are serious about serving Jesus Christ passionately for a lifetime, you must be able to answer yes without doubt or hesitation to both questions. If you could not do so right now, I pray that by the end of this unit you will make a definite commitment to start doing so. 2. What is the church? As you currently understand it, what is the church?

53

Course Introduction What do you think makes a church good? In other words, what sets a good church apart from a bad or mediocre one?

Before I share a little about the church, let me give you a short self-evaluation quiz to test your current views on it. Which of the following two definitions do you support? a) The church is where people come to do the work of God. b) The church is the gathered community of Gods people. Which of the following should be the emphasis of the church? a) Getting people into the building, being visible, being an efficient organisation. b) Producing Spirit-filled people who can meet others needs in Jesus name. What should the churchs goal be? a) Increase the numbers in attendance, meet the financial budgets, and provide adequate facilities. b) Make each member whole, equipped, and released into ministry. What primary method should the church adopt to achieve its goals? a) Professionalism and attractive programmes b) Equipping and encouraging members to minister What should motivate the church leaders? a) Getting people in and then keeping them; getting people to serve the church. b) Being a healing agency in the community, not a place of refuge from it. Please do not read on until you have selected your answers. In our view, the a answers reflect popular modern distortions of Jesus purpose for the church. The b options are truer to the Lords intent for His church. If you ticked off mainly the a

54

Course Introduction choices, then you likely perceive the church as a field of endeavour, a location where action needs to take place. If you selected mainly the b alternatives, then you perceive the church as a healing agent in society and in peoples lives. Perhaps more important than your choices are the choices of the leaders of your local church. I am going to give you the same quiz again, but this time with the focus on your church leaders. Based on the way your church operates, decide whether the leaders really seem to believe a or b. Which of the following two definitions best describes you church? a) The church is where people come to do the work of God. b) The church is the gathered community of Gods people. Which of the following best describes the emphasis of your church? a) Getting people into the building, being visible, being an efficient organisation. b) Producing Spirit-filled people who can meet others needs in Jesus name. Which of the following best describes your churchs goal? a) Increase the numbers in attendance, meet the financial budgets, and provide adequate facilities. b) Make each member whole, equipped, and released into ministry. What primary method does your church use to achieve its goals? a) Professionalism and attractive programmes b) Equipping and encouraging members to minister Which of the following best describes what seems to motivate your leaders? a) Getting people in and then keeping them; getting people to serve the church. b) Being a healing agency in the community, not a place of refuge from it. If your leaders perceive the church as a field (mostly a options), then you will most likely observe the following within your church fellowship: the leadership style will be essentially hierarchical; worship services will be front led with the congregation itself largely passive; ministry will be taking place within the church under control of the leaders; training will be of the formal chalk and talk type; and, church growth will be through methods, programmes, and promotions.

55

Course Introduction On the other hand, if your leaders view the church more as a healing agent (mainly b options), then you will most likely observe the following within your church fellowship: the leadership style will be essentially relational; worship services will feature congregational participation; ministry will be within both church and world under the oversight of the leaders; training will be show and do; and, church growth will be through Spirit-filled ministry and the manifest presence of God.

Now let us return to the two questions I posed at the start of this section: 1. What is the church? 2. What makes a church good? 1. What is the church? Wayne Grudem (1994:853), a world-renowned theologian, defines the church as the community of all true believers for all time. He is referring to what we call the universal church. However, since one cannot have fellowship with all true believers of all times, it is the local church that is most important for your spiritual walk and growth. A local church is a particular expression of the universal church. It is a group of Christians (disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ) gathered in His name in a geographical locality. Chris Peppler (2000) defines the local church like this: The church is the family of God, the household in which the children of God grow and function. 2. What makes a church good? It should be obvious that not all local churches are the same. They differ in doctrinal views, styles of worship, organisational structures, and so on. So, what are the critical things that distinguish a good church from a bad one? If you were looking for a good church, which of these would you consider vital? a) a gifted and interesting preacher b) sound doctrine and Biblical teaching c) vibrant, lively, contemporary worship d) emphasis on small groups for fellowship and discipleship e) regular manifestations of the power of the Holy Spirit f) evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in the believers g) government by multiple elders h) affiliation to a good denomination or movement i) commitment to evangelism and missions j) the size of the church, whether large or small

56

Course Introduction We believe the two critical factors are (a) that a church have sound doctrine and teaching, and (b) that the believers evidence genuine saving faith in Christ by bearing spiritual fruit (especially love). Here are my personal views on each of the options above: a) While it is lovely to sit under the ministry of a gifted preacher, it is also dangerous to base your faith on the charisma of a leader. b) This is non-negotiable. A good church must be sound in doctrine, and must conduct its ministry in a way that gives place to the authority of Scripture. c) Worship style is a matter of personal preference; it is not fundamental. Young people often feel that lively, contemporary music is the only true form of worship, but this betrays a very naive understanding of worship (we deal with this in more detail in PRA1121 Christian Relationships). d) The Scriptures are clear that a good church should create opportunities for Biblical fellowship and discipleship. However, Scripture does not say how a church must do this. Many use small groups, which often work well. Fellowship and discipleship are crucial; small groups are optional. e) This is a tricky one. On the one hand, I believe it is important for a church to be open to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, it is dangerous to fall into the trap of seeking the sensational all the time. There are many excellent churches which place little stress on supernatural manifestations. f) Evidence of true saving faithwhat John the Baptist called the fruit of repentanceis essential. Fellowship with believers who share a deep, vibrant commitment to Christ, manifested in godly character and conduct, will greatly benefit your walk with the Lord. g) The Bible does not prescribe one right model of government. I personally favour government by multiple elders, but would not consider it a distinguishing mark of a good church. h) Belonging to a good fellowship of churches can protect a church, but sometimes a good church belongs to a less good denomination. For instance, in South Africa, many Anglican churches are liberal in their theology, but some are soundly Bible-believing. i) Commitment to evangelism and missions is often a good indicator of a healthy church. If a church is lukewarm regarding the Great Commission, it probably lacks a clear understanding of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. j) What matters is that the church create opportunities for discipleship, fellowship, and body ministry. Since these are easier to facilitate in smaller groups, small churches have an advantage. However, larger churches can create platforms for these to happen. These are simply my personal convictions. You may hold different views. What is crucial, though, is that a church have sound doctrine, preaching the gospel and teaching the Scriptures faithfully, and that its members evidence genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

57

Course Introduction 3. What is fellowship? The Greek word for fellowship is koinnia. It has two meanings: (a) partnership and (b) fellowship. When used to mean partnership, it refers to working together to fulfil a task. When used to mean fellowship, it refers to intimate, upbuilding relationships between believers that meet one anothers emotional, social, and spiritual needs. For the early Christians, koinnia was not the frilly fellowship of church-sponsored, biweekly bowling parties. It was not tea, cookies, and sophisticated small talk in the Fellowship Hall after the sermon. It was an almost unconditional sharing of their lives with the other members of Christs body. How does this definition line up with your current experience and with the understanding of fellowship in your church?

3.1. The purpose of fellowship The church is a family.4 Just as a newborn child needs the support and care of his family to grow to maturity, so a newborn Christian needs the support and care of his spiritual family. To quote an old proverb, No man is an island. No human being can flourish in isolation. Whether we are new or old believers, we need other believers to help keep our faith vibrant and growing. Just as an individual coal cools off quickly when removed from the fire, so an individual Christian soon loses his zeal for God when removed from fellowship. The purpose of Christian fellowship is most clearly presented in Hebrews 10:24-25. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one anotherand all the more as you see the Day approaching (Heb. 10:24-25). We gather to spur one another on toward love and good works, and to encourage one another in our relationship with the Lord. Do you currently have this kind of relationship with other believers? a) b)
4

Yes No

The Bible uses many metaphors to describe the church. Some of the other metaphors that describe the church are an army, a body, a temple, and a bride.

58

Course Introduction

If you answered no, do you feel the need for it? What can you do to build some friendships that will strengthen your relationship with Christ?

The crucial point here is that fellowship involves more than just spending time with other Christians. I have friends who say the topic of conversation at their home cell almost never centres on Jesus (and seldom even mentions Him). Although the people are Christians, their conversations are worldly. My friends are spending time with Christians, but the relationship is so worldly that nobody leaves edified (built up). True fellowship is Christ-centred, not self-absorbed. 3.2. The procedures of fellowship The only basis for real fellowship with God and man is to live out in the open with both (Roy Hession). The Bible abounds with one another Scriptures, that is, Scriptures that spell out how we are to relate to fellow believers and what contributions those relationships make to our Christian lives. The most basic among them is the command to love one another (John 15:12, 17; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23, 4:7-11). However, there are many other aspects of Christian fellowship expressed through the one another verses. Please look up the Scriptures below and write down what they command us to do for one another. Scripture Rom. 12:10 Rom. 12:16 Rom. 14:13 Rom. 15:7 Rom. 15:14 Gal. 5:13 Eph. 4:2 Eph. 4:32 Col. 3:9 Command

59

Course Introduction Scripture Col. 3:13 1 Thes. 5:11 Jas. 5:16 4. Conclusion What you get saved intothe quality of the local church you join and the relationships you build with other believerswill to a large extent determine the quality of your spiritual life. What kind of church does this require? A church that is soundly Biblical in its doctrine and teaching, with the evidence of its true preaching of the gospel showing in the lives of its members. What kind fellowship do we need? Not the frilly fellowship or superficial or worldly gatherings with other Christians, but the kind that involves unconditional sharing of their lives with the other members of Christs body, in which we love one another as Christ modelled and commanded. Review test 4 1. Explain this saying: What you get saved into is more important than what you get saved out of. Command

2. What is the church?

3. How can you identify a good church?

60

Course Introduction 4. A group of Christians meet to watch the world cup final (football). Do you think this can be called fellowship? Why are why not?

5. According to Hebrews 10:24-25, what is the purpose of fellowship?

Answers to review test 4 1. The church you join after you get saved will have a deeper and longer lasting impact on your spiritual life than a radical conversion experience will have on it. 2. Wayne Grudem defines the church as the community of all true believers for all time. He is referring to what we call the universal church. However, since one cannot have fellowship with all true believers of all times, it is the local church that is most important for your spiritual walk and growth. A local church is a particular expression of the universal church. It is a group of Christians (disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ) gathered in His name in a geographical locality. Chris Peppler defines the local church like this: The church is the family of God, the household in which the children of God grow and function. 3. We believe the two critical factors are that a church have sound doctrine and teaching, and that the believers evidence genuine saving faith in Christ by bearing spiritual fruit. 4. It may or may not be real fellowship. If the nature and purpose of their gathering is Christ-centred and serves to build one another up in the Lord, then it is fellowship. If their gathering is purely superficial, it is not fellowship. 5. Hebrews 10:24-25 suggests that the purpose of fellowship is to spur one another on toward love and good works, and to encourage one another in our relationship with the Lord.

61

Unit 5: Making Disciples

Unit outcomes Embrace the importance of witnessing in word and deed. Share your testimony in the before how since method. Share the message of salvation with unsaved people.

1. Introduction Chris Peppler often says, Our purpose is to get to know Jesus, to grow to be like Him, and to help others to do the same. This implies that making disciples is an important part of the Christian life. Making disciples has two components: 1. Evangelism: sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with unbelievers. 2. Nurture: helping believers to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. This unit is about these two duties. The majority of it will focus on evangelism, and the final section will briefly explore discipling converts. 2. Evangelism My first spiritual mentor was passionate about sharing his faith with the lost. He used to say, There is no better way to grow in your faith than to share it with others. In his zeal, he may have overstated his point, but he is certainly right that sharing your faith in Christ with those who do not yet know Him is one of the best ways to strengthen your faith. 2.1. What is evangelism? Until now, how have you understood the word evangelism? What emotions does the word arouse in you?

Our word evangelism comes from the Greek word euangelizomai, which means to share or proclaim good news. In the Bible, the word refers to proclaiming the good news about Jesus Christ, namely, how He saves sinners. Many, wrongly in my 62

Course Introduction opinion, define evangelism as winning souls for Christ. The problem with this kind of definition is that it makes us responsible for the results, failing to understand that we cannot win anyone for Christ. Only the Holy Spirit can convince a sinner to surrender to Jesus Christ. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, offered a much better definition: Evangelism is sharing the good news about Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leaving the results to God. I like his definition. We should think of witnessing as simply sharing our faith in Jesus Christ with those who do not yet know Him as their Lord and Saviour. If evangelism and witnessing are scary words to you, the reason may be that you feel responsible for how people respond. You are not! You are responsible to tell them the good news that Jesus loves them and wants them to know Him. You are responsible to obey God, but you are not responsible for peoples choices. Read Isaiah 6:8-13. When the Lord called Isaiah to preach His Word, what kind of response did He tell him to expect?

Read Jeremiah 1. What kind of response did the Lord tell Jeremiah to expect when He preached the Word of the Lord?

At the end of His three years of preaching with incredible signs and wonders, how many true believers were committed to the Lord Jesus Christ?

Read Acts 9:15-16. When the Lord called Paul to preach the gospel, did He promise it would be easy (see also 2 Cor. 11:16-33).

Two of Israels greatest prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah, had almost no positive responses to their preaching. Paul, an anointed apostle and preacher, suffered greatly at the hands of many who rejected his message. If measured by results, even the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who always did exactly what the Father wanted, 63

Course Introduction experienced more failure than success. After three years of powerful ministry, He only had 120 committed believers. Read Ezekiel 3:16-21 and 33:7-20. How is what the Lord told Ezekiel relevant to what we are discussing?

In a nutshell, the Lord told Ezekiel that he was responsible to announce Gods warnings to the Israelites, but he was not responsible for how they responded. If he warned them as God instructed, he had discharged his duties. In the same way, we are responsible to share the good news of Jesus Christ, and we should leave the results to God. 2.2. Why should we evangelise? Who is primarily responsible for sharing the gospel with the unsaved? a) Every believer, regardless of gifting b) The evangelist, who has the gift of evangelism c) The missionary, who is called to reach out d) The Holy Spirit Witnessing is the responsibility of every believer. God gives some believers a special ability to lead unsaved people to Christ; they are called evangelists. Although not every believer has the gift of evangelism, God wants each of us to share His love with a lost and dying world. The Holy Spirit is not responsible for sharing the gospel; that is our job. He works through us and in other when we witness. Why should we evangelise? The Scriptures offer many reasons. Beside each Scripture below, write down the reason it gives for evangelism. a) Matt. 9:12-13 b) Matt. 24:14 c) Matt. 28:18-20 d) Mark 16:15-20 e) Luke 19:10 f) Acts 1:8 g) Rom. 10:13-15 h) 2 Pet. 3:9 These Scriptures probably did not cause you any difficulties. The bottom line is that God loves the lost and wants them to hear the gospel so that they can be saved. He

64

Course Introduction has told us to share the good news with them, so if we love Him and we love others, we shall obey Him and reach out to them. Perhaps the most important passage of Scripture dealing with why we should witness is 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. Please read it now. Did you read it? Yes No. If you did not read it, you are robbing yourself of a chance to learn. Please stop reading this study guide until you have read the passage. What two motivations does Paul give for evangelising (see 2 Cor. 5:11, 14)?

The two motivations are the fear of the Lord (v. 11, ESV) and the love of Christ (v. 14). The fear of the Lord here might refer to the apostles great reverence for the Lord, which motivated them to obey Him, or it may refer to terrible final judgement that awaits the unsaved, which motivated the apostles to preach the gospel. Similarly, the love of Christ may refer either to our love for Christ or to His love for us. Pauls point seems to be that deep gratitude to Christ for His love in dying for sinners (see vv. 14-15) inspires us to tell the world about His love. Putting it all together, if we have a revelation of the love of Christ expressed at Calvary, a deep reverence for the Lord, and an appreciation of the terrors of hell, we will do everything we can to persuade men (v. 11) to surrender their lives to Christ. Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. Why, according to these verses, are we obliged to evangelise?

The blessing of salvation comes with the obligation of sharing the message of salvation. God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (v. 18). In other words, He has committed to us the message of reconciliation (v. 19). In practice, this means: We are therefore Christs ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christs behalf: Be reconciled to God (v. 20).

65

Course Introduction The church is the only organisation in the world that exists [largely] for the benefit of those who not yet members. 2.3. Why do believers find evangelism difficult? For many believers, evangelising is the most difficult part of their Christian lives. Some never share their faith at all, while others do so with great difficulty. Nevertheless, God wants us all to reach out to unbelievers. Just because you are not an evangelist by gifting does not excuse you from sharing the good news about Jesus Christ with unsaved people. Why do you think many believers find witnessing so difficult?

Which of these statements best describes you (tick as many as you believe are relevant)? I feel a) excited about sharing my faith with unbelievers b) guilty for not taking opportunities to share my faith c) unprepared because I dont know enough to answer questions d) unworthy because there is so much sin in my own life e) afraid that they will reject me or that I will fail f) both nervous and determined to share the gospel g) afraid because I am unsure of my own salvation One reason believers do not witness is that they are ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16-17). They fear being rejected or persecuted if they stand up for Christ (2 Tim. 1:8). The danger of rejection is real, but that does not make it an acceptable excuse for not witnessing. Jesus is not ashamed of us (Heb. 2:11-12), but He did warn that if we are ashamed of Him before men, He would be ashamed of us before His Father (Matt. 10:32-33). God has given us the message of eternal life. We owe it to our fellow human beings to pass on that message (Rom. 1:14). If we fail to warn them to make peace with God, we will be partially responsible for their condemnation (Ezek. 3:16-21). Table 3 summarises four major reasons why believers fear witnessing.

66

Course Introduction Table 3: Reasons why believers FEAR witnessing

F E A R

ear of rejection. We may pull back from witnessing because we fear being rejected or losing a friend. We must find our security in the Lord and our Christian friends, because then we shall be free to be true friends to the lost, risking temporary loss for eternal gain. xpect to fail. We may also not witness because we expect to fail. The answer is to know what our duties are and what Gods role is. We are to share the good news about Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit and leave the results to God. bility to answer. A fear that keeps many Christians from sharing their faith is their fear of not being able to answer unbelievers questions. When you share your faith, you are testifying to goodness of God; you are not claiming be a philosopher. emorse for sins. Guilt also keeps us from witnessing. We feel so guilty for our sins that we think its best to let others witness; well only be a stumbling block. Let us remember that we are witnessing about how good Jesus is to sinners, not about how good we are.

Our own sins and weaknesses should help us to relate to those who need Jesus. We are ordinary people, sinners just as they are. We have experienced the love and grace of the Lord, which has forever changed our lives. This is what we witness to. We do not have to be perfect, wise, or persuasivejust honest and sincere. The Lord will use our simple witness. As he travelled the world, a missionary met many pastors and missionaries who shared a similar testimony. Each ones journey to salvation began when a man approached them on the streets of downtown Sydney and asked them a simple question about their relationship with God. Eventually the man decided to go to Sydney to meet this amazing evangelist. When he eventually tracked him down, he found an old man living in a run-down one-room flat. The missionary shared with the old man about all the people whose lives were so deeply shaken by his testimony. The old man began to weep uncontrollably. When the tears subsided, he told the missionary his story. He met Jesus as a young man, but for years he was afraid to share his faith. He was a sailor. One day his boat sank and he promised the Lord that if the Lord gave him another chance, he would witness to one person every day for the rest of his life. For forty years he had faithfully kept his promise to God, but he had never led a single person to Christ. Little did he knowGod used his obedience mightily. Your responsibility is to share the good news about Jesus; bringing sinners to repentance is the Holy Spirits role. To be a witness does not consist of engaging in propaganda or in stirring people up. It means to live in such a way that ones life would not make sense if God did not exist (Emmanuel Suhard).

67

Course Introduction God realises that we find it difficult to witness. Therefore, He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us witness effectively. Our responsibility is to take a step of faith by speaking up for Christ. If we will do that, the Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak and use the words we speak to draw people to Jesus. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (1 Tim. 1:7). 2.4. How should we evangelise? We are all unique. Therefore, we do not all share our faith in the same style. There are three main styles of witnessing, each with strengths and weaknesses. The radical style In this style, one boldly and directly confronts lost sinners with the gospel of Jesus Christ, calling them to respond in repentance and faith. This is an intellectual method, using rational arguments to challenge unbelievers to believe in Jesus Christ. The most common style of witnessing and, for the majority of us the most effective one, is to build friendships with the lost so as to draw them to the Lord.

The rational style The relational style

Search the Gospels and the Book of Acts for a Biblical example of each of these three styles of witnessing. The radical style

The rational style

The relational style

68

Course Introduction Which of these three styles are you most comfortable using, and why?

In addition to different styles, there are also different methods of witnessing. Let us look at three of them: lifestyle, testimony, and gospel. 2.4.1. Your lifestyle Our task is to live our personal communion with Christ with such an intensity as to make it contagious (Paul Tournier). The first way you can share your faith is by the way you live. To quote an old saying, You are the only Bible some people will ever read. If people can see by the way you live that your faith is sincere, they are likely to listen to what you have to say. Unbelievers examine the messenger before they consider the message. Your lifestyle earns or loses you the right to share with unbelievers. Jesus Himself said, In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16). The notorious German philosopher and atheist, Nietzsche, allegedly said, Show me that you are redeemed, and I will believe in your Redeemer. Do you think that lifestyle evangelism is sufficient? Why or why not?

I remember a story about a man (lets call him John) who travelled to work on the same train for 20 years. Every day he sat next to another person (Bill) commuting on the same train. Over the years, they became friends and talked much about their lives. John, a committed Christian, never talked about his relationship with Christ. He believed Bill would know from his conducthis love for his family, the fact that he did not swear, drink, or smoke, and so onthat he was a Christian. One day, after 20 years, John told Bill about his faith in Christ. Bill replied, Oh, I wish you had told me earlier. I would have become a Christian long ago, but I figured that if John can be such a good person without being a Christian, why should I need Christ? Witnessing by example is essential, but it is not enough. If your example does not confirm your message, nobody will listen to you, so your lifestyle is important. However, if you only witness by example, others will not be able to understand the gospel. They will just think you are a good person. Paul said, How, then, can they

69

Course Introduction call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Rom. 10:14). Your walk alone will not lead others to Jesus Christ; you must talk to them about Him. 2.4.2. Your testimony Be to the world a sign that while we as Christians do not have all the answers, we do know and care about the questions (Billy Graham). Read Mark 5:18-20. What did the man ask Jesus? What did Jesus tell him to do instead? What did he do?

The second way you can share your faith is by telling people what God has done for you. Jesus told the man to tell them how much the Lord has done for you. We refer to this as sharing your testimony. Your testimony can be the story of your conversion, that is, how you came to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and how He has transformed and enriched your life since. A testimony can also be about something the Lord has done for you recently. Why do you think a testimony is an effective way of reaching out to the unsaved?

Sharing your testimony helps to create openness toward the Lord, awakening in others a desire to know the God who is so good to you. Testimonies also have two other benefits. Firstly, unbelievers do not feel threatened when you share your testimony. When you share the gospel, attention is focussed on the other person; this can be threatening. But when you testify, attention is focussed on you, which is non-threatening. Secondly, nobody can dispute your personal experience. It is your own first-hand experience, and is not subject to debate. Whereas a sceptic may debate your beliefs about God, Christ, man, sin, and salvation, few people would dispute your experiences. Generally, people will listen to your story respectfully.

70

Course Introduction Please read Appendix C: Sharing a Personal Testimony for a detailed description of how to share a testimony. 2.4.3. Your message The third way you can share your faith is by sharing the gospel message with the unsaved. Although your lifestyle and your testimony are necessary for effective witnessing, they are not sufficient. People can only be saved when they hear and believe the gospel message. Paul made this point forcefully in Romans 10:13-15. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! Therefore, your ultimate goal must always be to share the gospel, whether you do it yourself or you do it by brining the person to church where he or she will hear the gospel. You are probably wondering, How do I share the message of salvation with the lost? It is a good idea to prepare a simple presentation of the gospel, which you can use when you have an opportunity to share the message of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19) with someone. Campus Crusade for Christ (1968) designed a simple presentation of the gospel called The Four Spiritual Laws. Please read Appendix D: The Four Spiritual Laws, and then answer the question that follows. Write out each law, and list the Scriptures associated with it. Law 1

Law 2

Law 3

71

Course Introduction Law 4

3. Nurture When a person comes to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to nurture him so that he grows in his relationship with Christ. This course is designed to serve exactly that purpose, helping a believer to lay firm foundations for a fruitful, lifelong relationship with the Lord. Here are some ways to help a new convert become established in his relationship with Christ. Ensure that he has a clear understanding of the gospel. You may explain the plan of salvation from Ephesians 2:8-10 (see Unit 1) or discuss the four spiritual laws with him. It is a very good idea to ask him to look up and read key Scriptures. He must understand clearly that his salvation is based on his faith in Christs death rather than on doing good works. He must also realise that it is based on meeting the conditions laid out in Gods Word, rather than on any emotions he may experience (which will fade). Encourage him to join a good church, one which preaches the Word of God faithfully, and leads its members into a deep and vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. In particular, emphasise how important it is for him to be in fellowship with committed Christians. If the person currently attends a church which you know is not a good one, do not be shy to urge him to join a more Biblical church. Perhaps you can invite him to your church, and offer to disciple him. Emphasise the importance of nurturing his personal relationship with God through regular prayer and Bible study. Ask if he has a Bible. If necessary, help him to select a suitable one. Help him to understand what a quiet time is, and how to begin having one. Exhort him to share his testimony freely with friends and family (Mark 5:1920). Testifying publicly to his conversion will help to solidify his commitment. One Biblical way to do this is by being water baptised (see Matt. 28:19).

If you have an opportunity to counsel a new believer in the early stages of his Christian walk, you may wish to use the content of this course as a guideline. Conclusion Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matt. 28:19-20a), and then He promised, And 72

Course Introduction surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (v. 20b). The motivation behind His command is that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Witnessing is simply sharing the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ with unbelievers, and leaving the results to God. Your responsibility is to share; the Holy Spirits job is to convict and convert sinners. You can witness in three main ways: lifestyle, testimony, and message. Each of these is important, but none is sufficient on its own. Review test 5 1. What are the two components of making disciples?

2. Define evangelism.

3. Give three Biblical reasons why we should evangelise, together with the Bible verse(s) supporting each.

4. What three styles of evangelism does the study guide present? Which one do you think best fits you? Why?

73

Course Introduction

5. Explain the value and limitations of example (lifestyle evangelism) in winning people to Christ.

6. Why is a personal testimony an effective form of witnessing?

7. What are the four spiritual laws? Write them out.

Answers to review test 5 1. The two components are (a) evangelismshare the gospel with the unsaved, and (b) nurturehelping the convert to grow in Christ. 2. Evangelism is sharing the good news about Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leaving the results to God. Witnessing as simply sharing our faith in Jesus Christ with those who do not yet know Him as their Lord and Saviour. 3. You should choose three of the reasons discussed in the study guide. 4. The three styles are the radical style, the rational style, and the relational style. You will have to judge which one best describes you, and why. 74

Course Introduction 5. The value of lifestyle is that it earns you the right to speak about Jesus, lends credibility to what you say; it makes the gospel believable. The limitation is that your lifestyle alone will not help the lost to understand the gospel message. 6. Sharing your testimony helps to create openness toward the Lord, awakening in others a desire to know the God who is so good to you. Testimonies also have two other benefits. Firstly, unbelievers do not feel threatened when you share your testimony. Secondly, nobody can dispute your personal experience. 7. The four spiritual laws are: a. God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. b. Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience Gods love and plan for his life. c. Jesus Christ is Gods only provision for mans sin. Through Him you can know and experience Gods love and plan for your life. d. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord; then we can know and experience Gods love and plan for our lives

75

Unit 6: Stewardship of Possessions

We are devoting more space to this unit than to most other units in this course. You will read an entire book on Christian giving and write a major assignment based on the book. We are NOT at all intending to suggest that stewardship is the most important Christian foundation. At the time of writing, we have specialised courses in the SATS curriculum devoted to each of the other foundational issues5 we have covered in this courseexcept for this one. The reason we have devoted so much space to stewardship here, therefore, is because it is the only place you will study this topic in our programme.

Unit outcomes Worship God by giving generously to His kingdom. Manage your finances in a way that is both responsible and godly.

Orientation Money causes more controversy than anything else in church life. When witnessing to unbelievers, one of the more common excuses I have encountered goes like this: All the church wants is my money. This perception is (or at least should be) false. Although controversial, giving is an essential aspect of the Christian life. Kingdom giving is part of Gods plan for fruitful Christian living. God gave His own Son to save us. In response, He calls us to give ourselves over to His service. Since finances play such a big role in our everyday lives, our attitude towards them has a substantial impact on our Christian walk. Jesus recognised the power of money to control our lives, and the extent to which our attitude towards it directly reveals the state of our hearts. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure
5

We have courses on The Doctrine of Man and Sin and The Doctrine of Salvation which deal at length with the topic of Unit 1, Salvation in Christ. The major topics of Unit 2, Living for Christ, are covered in detail in our courses The Biblical Worldview and The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Relationship with God, the topic of Unit 3, is covered in depth in our courses on Christian Relationships (including worship and prayer) and Essential Bible Study Principles. Unit 4, Fellowship with Believers, focuses on the nature and purpose of the church; our course The Doctrine of the Church addresses this in greater depth. Finally, Unit 5, Making Disciples, is expanded in several of our missions courses.

76

Course Introduction is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matt. 6:19-21, 24). In this passage, Jesus implies that Money is like a godit easily takes control of our lives, usurping the place God should have in our hearts (v. 24). He suggests that our attitude towards money is a thermometer indicating the condition of our hearts towards eternal treasures (vv. 19-21). Jesus would probably agree that when the gospel touches your heart, it touches your pocket. The opposite is also true: if the gospel has not touched your pocket, it probably has not touched your heart. Paul, likewise, emphasised the value of godliness with contentment, and the power of the love of money to lead us into all kinds of evil. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Tim. 6:6-10). Sadly, however, few believers receive sound Biblical teaching on Gods principles for managing finances. Two abuses abound in churches. On the one extreme, some preachers fleece their sheep, constantly manipulating their people to give more and more. They peddle the Word of God for profit (2 Cor. 2:17). On the other extreme are churches that do not teach their people the value of generosity or the joy of giving. This unit will take a different format to the preceding units. Rather than an interactive lesson on giving, you will study the topic of stewardship by reading an assigned book (Jabini 2009, How to Give Joyfully), and writing an assignment based on it.

77

Appendix A: Christian Character

By Kevin G. Smith Love: Essence of Christian Character Christian Character Defined What is Christian character? The Bible gives a simple answer to that question: Christian character is Christlikeness! Jesus Christ is the model of Christian character Jesus Christ himself is the standard by which we are measured. He was the perfect example of the kind of character God wants us to have. The goal of spiritual growth is to develop Christian character, and the goal of Christian character development is to become like Christ. Romans 8:29. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 2 Corinthians 3:18. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lords glory, are being transformed into his likeness with everincreasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Ephesians 4:11-13. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare Gods people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Love is the supreme manifestation of Christian character The Bible does offer a second definition of the essence of Christian character. There is one quality that sums up and incorporates all that God wants us to belove! Love is the one quality that defines Christian character. All other virtues are just expressions of love. Love is like the hub of a wheel with all the other virtues radiating out from it like spokes. Jesus said that we would be recognised by the quality of our love:

78

Course Introduction John 13:34-35. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. James called love the royal law and Paul taught that we should follow the way of love (1 Cor. 14:1) because we owe all men a debt of love. In so doing we fulfil the whole law of God. Romans 13:8-10. for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments are summed up in this one rule: Love your neighbour as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law. Christian Character Developed The New Testament consistently describes the process of developing Christlike character by using the agricultural metaphor of fruitbearing. We become Christlike as the Holy Spirit produces spiritual fruit in our lives. The fruitbearing image is central to the Christian understanding of character development. Fruit stands in contrast to works in that works are the result of our efforts while fruit is the result of Gods activity in us. Two important passages of Scripture expound on fruitbearing: Galatians 5:16-26 and John 15:1-8. The Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:16-26) a) The two natures (vv. 16-18). Every believer has two natures struggling to dominate himan old, sinful nature (the flesh) and a new, spiritual nature (the Spirit). If we yield to the sinful nature, we will perform the works of the flesh. But if we yield to the Spirit, we will produce the fruit of the Spirit. The key to developing Christian character is not striving to perform good works, but yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to develop godly character from within as he works in us. b) The old nature (vv. 19-21). Paul lists some of the results of allowing the flesh to control us. In our own strength we are unable to live holy lives. When we live in our own strength we inevitably fall into sin because our sinful nature is in control. c) The new nature (vv. 22-25). Paul contrasts the fruit of the Spirit with the works of the flesh. When we walk in the Spirit, He produces in us what we cannot produce in ourselvesChristlike character! We do not strive to produce the fruit of the Spirit (it is not the works of the Spirit); it grows naturally in us when our lives are fertile soil in which the Holy Spirit can work. The Fruit of the Vine (John 15:1-8) Jesus used the illustration of the vine and its branches to drive home the same point that Paul made in Galatians, namely, that Christian character is not something we

79

Course Introduction produce by ourselves but something that Christ produces in us as we allow Him to work in our lives. John 15:4-5. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Jesus emphasises that our relationship with him is the key to our fruitfulness. We must remain in him.6 Jesus is the vine, the source of our spiritual life. Just as the branches must remain in contact with the vine, so we must maintain our relationship with him if we are to produce fruit. If we maintain a healthy relationship with Christ, there is a constant flow of His goodness into our lives and we produce fruit. However, without such a relationship we cannot bear fruit. Nobody can produce godly character in Himself. The moment our relationship with Christ begins to decline, so does our character. The moment we stop changing for the better we start changing for the worse. He must remain in us. The indwelling Christ must be given room in our lives to transform us from the inside out, making us more like Himself (Gal. 2:20).

Christian Character Developed How then do we develop Christian character? We develop it by cultivating our relationship with Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us. We do not focus on developing the fruit of the Spirit. We focus on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit automatically produces fruit in our lives. There are two things we must do to fertilise the soil of our hearts so that the fruit of the Spirit grows abundantly. Quote: We become like the people we spend time with. Fellowship with God Spending time with God is the single most important key to developing godly character. Broadly speaking our time with God can be broken down into two halves: speaking to God (prayer) and hearing from God (Bible study). Our prayer time should include worship, confession, and petition. We are what we think; what we incubate in thought we hatch in deed. In worship we reflect on the character of God. As we do so we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2). Confession opens the door for the Holy Spirits power to flow into our lives and give us the power to change. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Word of God. He shows us what God expects of us. Each time we respond in obedience to His illumination, we grow in godliness.
6

To remain in Christ is a relational idea that can be paraphrased as remain in union with Christ.

80

Course Introduction 1 Corinthians 15:33. Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character. Fellowship with believers Quote: Tell me with whom you are found and I will tell you who you are (Wolfgang von Goette). We become like the people we spend time with. Character is contagious, whether good or bad; we catch what others have. If we spend time with those who have godly character, their godliness rubs off on us. Similarly, if we spend time with the ungodly, their ungodliness rubs off on us. For example, the more time we spend with those who use profane language, the more likely we are to use it. Hebrews 10:24-25. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Love Explained Love Defined Love is the choice fruit of the Spirit that encompasses all the others. One could even say that the fruit of the Spirit is love, and that joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are expressions of it. Love is the core quality and defining characteristic of Christian character for God Himself is our model and God is love. Love is at the centre of Christian ethics because all the commandments of God are summed up in the commands to love God and neighbour.7 But what is love? The word is in such common use to describe such a diverse range of actions and emotions that it is essential to define exactly what love is. New Testament Greek had three words that are translated love in English. Eros love. Eros is physical love that results from sexual desire and is appropriate only between a husband and wife. Within the context of marriage it is a true expression of love for another person, but in other contexts degenerates into selfish lust. Eros is based on needwhat the other person can do for me. Philia love. Philia is human love, such as the love that exists between friends. The natural fondness and kindness between friends is the dominant characteristic of philia. This is an essential quality of all human love, but falls

Whenever the Biblical writers search for a term that sums up mans responsibility toward his fellow man, that term is love.

81

Course Introduction short of the kind of love God wants us to have. Philia is based on mutuality what we can do for each other. Agap love. Agap is divine love, that which is based on the nature of God himself. Gods love is selfless, placing the well-being of the other person above personal well-being. Agap is more than a wave of emotion, it is a decision of the will to always act in another persons best interest. Man in his sinful state is incapable of agap love. Agap is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

This table summarises the qualities of the three kinds of love. Eros Sexual love Between lovers Based on needs What can you do for me? I love me and use you Philia Natural love Between friends Based on likes What can we do for each other? I love you; you love me Agap Divine love From God to man Based on values What can I do for you? I love and serve you

The kind of love God requires believers to show is agap. This is so important that agap is among the most common words in the New Testament, occurring 259 times (noun and verb). Definition of Agap Agap, or divine love, is the spirit which says, No matter what any man does to me, I will never seek to harm him; I will never seek revenge; I will always seek nothing but his highest good. Agap is unconquerable benevolence, invincible good will. It is a principle by which we deliberately live. In other words, it is a deliberate principle of the mind and a deliberate conquest of the will. It is not simply a wave of emotion (Rozell 1988:38). Love Directed We must express agap in three dimensions: upward, outward, and inward. Matthew 22:37-40. Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. a) Upward: Love for God. Mans greatest duty and privilege is to love God. We must love Him wholeheartedly, with every fibre of our being. b) Outward: Love for man. Loving God includes loving everything he loves, and He loves mankind more than anything else. Therefore, anyone who loves God must also 82

Course Introduction love his fellow man (1 John 4), even his enemies (Luke 6:27-36). Loving our fellow man with agap love is only possible if we have a relationship with Christ. Through our relationship with Christ the love of God is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5). c) Inward: Love for self. Since God loves you, you must learn to love yourself with agap love. Everyone instinctively does what is best for himself in terms of meeting his felt needs, such as the need for food and clothing. However, Biblical self-love goes beyond such things to care for our spiritual and emotional needs, especially our need to cultivate a personal relationship with God. We should not love ourselves in the sense of being full of ourselves, but in the sense of doing what God says is best for us.

Love Demonstrated

1.

Love for God

2. Love for Self Scripture abounds with acts of love, but none compares to the act of God in sending His Son to die for our sins. The Bible itself holds that up as the yardstick by which all 3. Love for Others other acts of love are to be measured. John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 1 God did not love us because of who we are but in spite of who we are. He does not love us because of what we are like, but because of what He is like. His love was a selfless concern for our well-being that motivated Him to do what was best for us, 2 even though it was not best for Him.

3 Romans 5:8. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God not only loved us, He loved us extravagantly. He did not hold back in expressing His love for us. Even though we rejected His love and crucified His Son, He continued to pursue us with passionate devotion, even going to far as to include us in His own family. 1 John 3:1. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! God has demonstrated agap to us. But how are we to show love? We have seen that we must show love to God, to others and to ourselves. Lets take a few minutes to ask how we should express love in each direction. Quote: What we do speaks so loudly that the world cannot hear what we say.

83

Course Introduction a) Love for God. Jesus said the primary expression of love for God is obedience to His commands. John 14:15, 23-24. If you love me, you will obey what I command. If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. However, we should be careful not to confuse obedience with legalism. The response Jesus seeks is enthusiastic, willing, joyful obedience out of a heart overflowing with love for Him. The kind of obedience the Pharisees practised was not real love for God. b) Love for others. The rest of this study will focus on how to express love to others. In short, the fruits of patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are all expressions of love for others. c) Love for self. This one is more controversial. Self-love can be good or bad. There is a form of self-love that leads to being proud, greed, lack of self-control, etc. The first item in Pauls prophetic list of the sins that will characterise people in the end times it that they will be lovers of themselves (2 Tim 3:1). We see this today. Men and women are obsessed with self-love. Books about self-help and self-image fill the shelves in bookstores, even Christian bookstores. We spend fortunes on plastic surgery because we adore the human body. These forms of self-love are not Biblical. Yet there is a kind of self-love that is Biblicaldoing what God says is best for you! This is not about self-pleasing, self-satisfying and self-glorying. To treat yourself with agap is to do what is best for you, even if you dont feel like it. For example, selflove requires that you submit to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, because ultimately that is best for you. It means that you nurture your relationship with the Lord, look after your body, prioritise your spiritual life, and say no harmful lusts and sins that appeal to your flesh. In short, the different between good and bad self-love can be summed up in the words stewardship and selfishness. If you love yourself with agap, you will act as a steward of your life. The table that follows illustrates the differences. Selfishness Haughty Felt needs Obey passions Self-satisfaction Ruled by greed Stewardship Humble Real needs Apply principles Self-discipline Ruled by God

84

Course Introduction Bad self-love says that you must think the world of yourself, which leads to being proud. It teaches you to live by your felt needs, do whatever you feel the need to do. After all, you deserve it. This leads to a life of obeying your passions, following the urges of the sinful nature. You are encouraged to practice self-satisfaction; follow the desires of your heart and do not deny yourself anything your heart desires. As a result, your life is ruled by greedlust for money, power and sex. Godly self-love teaches you to live by Gods commands. You are humble, not thinking too highly or too lowly of yourself. You put your real needs first, especially your spiritual needs. You live by Gods principles, which means that you have to practise self-discipline and self-denial with respect to the things that are not best for you. Your life is submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Lord and King. Love Experienced We have identified love as the essence of Christian character, the one quality that sums up the character of Jesus and so serves as the mark of His disciples. We have defined love as agap, namely, always doing what is best for the loved one. In this section, we turn our attention to the fruits of joy and peace. These two words refer to how we experience love. Before we can become like Jesus in character, we have to experience the lifechanging power of His love. When we experience his love, our inner nature changes and we begin to express that love towards others. The Fruit of Joy Joy Defined Joy is part of the nature of the Holy Spirit and he imparts it to us. The New Testament word for joy is chara. It denotes a joy that has its foundation in God. Joy does not come from earthly things, but from our relationship with God. Joy as the fruit of the Spirit is a quality of cheerfulness, delight, and gladness which is not determined by circumstances, but is a constant quality in every situation, whether good or bad, because its foundation is God.8 Joy is different to happiness. Happiness is based on our circumstances. We are happy only when things are going well. Thus happiness is something external and beyond our control. Joy is based on our relationship with God. We experience joy as we contemplate our position in Christ, see God work in and through us, and anticipate our glorious future with the Lord. Since joy is internal, we can have joy even in adverse circumstances. Quote: The best way to be unhappy is to seek happiness (source unknown).
8

A. da Silva, The Fruit of the Spirit (Brussels: ICI UP, 1984), 67.

85

Course Introduction Joy Described All human joy flows from love: love for life, for people, for work. The same is true when the heavenly love of the Spirit flows in our soul. The result is joy from above. When God is the fountainhead of our joy, nothing can diminish its flow. Joy is constant because it begins with Him. a) Suffering and Joy. In the natural suffering and joy are mutually exclusive because natural joy (happiness) is dependant upon circumstances. When suffering comes, there remains no cause for joy. However, in the spiritual realm suffering and joy are often intimately connected. Spiritual joy comes from God, who is unaffected by our changing circumstances. God even uses trials to strengthen our faith and build up our character. We can rejoice in trials because we know God is at work in us. We rejoice in the result of the trial, not in the trial itself. James 1:2. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. In many Scriptures joy is related to the hope of the Christian that is based on his future glory in heaven, after having overcome trials in this life. We are able to rejoice during trials only if we are living for eternity. If we are living for this world, we cannot rejoice during trials. Romans 8:18. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 1 Peter 4:13. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. The joy of the early Christians was not diminished by persecution. In fact, persecution intensified their joy because they considered it an honour to suffer for Christ since he had suffered for them. They found joy in obeying God, even if it made their circumstances difficult. They had a different value system to the worldthey valued eternal, spiritual things more than temporal, earthly things. Acts 5:41. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. b) Hindrances to Joy. In the Christian life everything stands or falls on the condition of our relationship with God. Spiritual joy has its foundation in God. Anything which hinders our relationship with God will rob us of joy. But if we maintain a right relationship with the Lord, his Spirit within is a constant source of joy.9 Joy dissipates when we take our eyes off the Lord and focus on our circumstances. Then we lose sight of the position we have in Christ, the mighty power that is ours
9

Da Silva, 76.

86

Course Introduction through Christ, and the glorious future that awaits us with Christ. Soon doubt and discouragement set in and we begin to succumb to depression. The solution is to spend time in the presence of God focussing on Gods goodness towards us. Then love, faith, and hope rise in our hearts and our joy returns. c) Results of Joy. When the Holy Spirit works in our lives to produce spiritual joy, we can expect some very positive results. The changes produced in our character by the Holy Spirit are clearly seen in our reactions to our circumstances and our interactions with other people. Here are three examples of the results of joy in our lives. We have a happy face. Inner joy cannot be suppressed, it must be expressed. Just as a couple in love radiates their joy, so Christians who have the joy of the Lord radiate that joy in their face and their disposition. Proverbs 15:13. A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. We have a joyful song. Singing is a natural response to inner joy. Joyful songs are a God-given outlet for the love that the Spirit of God pours into our hearts. James 5:13. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. We have divine strength. Joyful people abound with energy, but discouraged people lack life. Joy infuses us with a sense of vigour and excitement about life. Nehemiah 8:10. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Quote: Joy is peace dancing; peace is joy resting. Joy Demonstrated Quote: God is to be enjoyed, not endured! (source unknown). The book of joy in the Bible is Philippians. The theme of joy and rejoicing dominates the entire letter. What makes it noteworthy is that Paul wrote it from prison to encourage a church that was downcast about his situation. He encourages them by saying he is full of joy and urges them to rejoice as well. In the letter he gives number of reasons for his overflowing joy. He rejoices in their progress in the faith. He rejoices that the gospel continues to be preached. He rejoices in their prayers for his deliverance. Only at the end of the letter does he sum up all his reasons for rejoicing into one great reason: Philippians 3:1 and 4:4. Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

87

Course Introduction Paul and the Philippians could have joy even in bad circumstances because they rejoiced in the Lord. The Lord was the foundation of their joy. Their circumstances, like ours, fluctuated between the good and the not so good, but their Lord was good all the time. Therefore, they could rejoice always. They were not blind to their circumstances, but they did see God at work even in the unpleasant circumstances and that gave them hope for the future and joy in the present. Habakkuk 3:17-18. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Fruit of Peace Peace Defined The fruit of peace describes the condition of your heart when it finds rest and security in the knowledge that you are in right relationship with God and He will look after you. Peace is the fruit of trust, the inner calmness and tranquillity that comes from wholehearted trust in God. The Greek word eirn derives its meaning in the New Testament from the Hebrew term shalom. Shalom is a rich term that embodies four main ideas: (1) contentment: a quiet, tranquil spirit; (2) security: a sense of being safe; (3) prosperity: a sense of general well-being; and (4) harmony: being in right relationship with God, others, and self. The Holy Spirit imparts divine peace to us. Like joy, the fruit of peace is spiritual and internal, independent of circumstances. We can have inner peace in the midst of outer turmoil because peace has its basis in our relationship with God. We do not have peace because our lives are problem free; we have peace because we know God works all things together for our good. Quote: The peace of the Holy Spirit is developed from inside you, and it does not depend on what is going on around you. Peace Described Peace is expressed in three dimensions: (1) upward: peace with God; (b) inward: peace of God; and (3) outward: peace with men. Peace with God is the most important because it makes peace with ourselves and our fellow man possible. Inward and outward peace come from upward peace. a) Peace with God. Before we are saved we are enemies of God (Rom 5:10). As sinners we are under the wrath of God. Our sin separates us from him (Isa 59:2). However, the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour, our sin is atoned for and we have peace with God, that is, our relationship with God is restored. The theological term for this is reconciliation.

88

Course Introduction Romans 5:1. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Quote: God comforts the afflicted, and afflicts the comfortable (source unknown). b) Peace of God. The peace of God is inner peace that Jesus has given us through the Holy Spirit. Inner peace replaces anger, guilt, and worry. Without peace with God there can be no peace of God.10 When we make peace with God through Jesus Christ, our whole perspective on life changes. Because we are forgiven, we can forgive others (release anger) and ourselves (release guilt), and rest in the knowledge that God is for us (release worry). Philippians 4:6-7. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The peace of God is not based on our circumstances. In fact, the peace of God is experienced when our circumstances are stressful. At such times God gives us a peace that transcends understanding, that is, in the natural we have plenty reason to be anxious, yet have an inner peace. A father who has lost his job has reason to be anxious, yet God may give him a deep inner assurance that everything will be alright; that is the peace of God. John 6:33. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. It is the peace of God not only because God is the one who gives the peace (i.e., peace from God) but also because God is the one who acts in our circumstances (i.e., peace in God). c) Peace with men. When we are at peace with ourselves, it is usually easy to live in peace with others. Most strife is the result of inner insecurity or anger. The fruit of peace makes us peaceable people who, for the most part, can live in harmony with others. Romans 12:18. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. On occasion it may not depend on us because the other person may be unwilling to live in peace with us, but we should never be the source of hostility. Paul even says that if a believer is married to an unbeliever, the believer must not separate from his or her spouse, but if the unbeliever leaves, the believer is not responsible (1 Cor 7:12-16).
10

Da Silva, 92.

89

Course Introduction Not only must we seek to live in peace with others, we need to become peacemakers. We should do everything possible to promote harmony between all men. Matthew 5:9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Quote: All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace (Thomas A` Kempis). Peace Demonstrated Quote: no God no peace know God know peace

Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) are prime examples of the fruit of peace. They were able to face life-threatening situations without losing their composure because they were at peace with God and had the peace of God. When Daniel was falsely accused of dishonouring King Darius, Daniel was the one who was at peace, not Darius. Daniels confidence in God enabled him to face the lions den with assurance that one way or the other Gods purpose would be achieved. That is why Daniel was able to sleep peacefully that night, while the king spent the night worrying about Daniel. Similarly, when King Nebuchadnezzar cast Daniels friends into the fire, they were completely at peace, being convinced that whatever happened they were in right standing with God and He would reward their faith, either by delivering them from the fire or by vindicating their obedience through the sacrifice of their lives. Their response to Nebuchadnezzar is one of the great faith statements of all time: Daniel 3:16-18. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. They did not need to defend themselves because they were at peace with God. Their security came from knowing that they were in right relationship with God and he would reward them for it. They did not know how their situation would work out, but they knew God was in control and He was on their side. That is the epitome of peace. Quote: We do not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.

90

Course Introduction Love Expressed Agap love, doing what is in anothers best interest, is the essence of Christian character. Experiencing Gods love for us produces joy and peace in our hearts. Once we have experienced His love, it empowers us to express that same love in our relationships with others. The next four fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23 patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulnessare expressions of love in our relationships with others. Let us examine each of these expressions of love. The Fruit of Patience Patience Defined The first three qualities of spiritual fruitlove, joy, and peaceare essential ingredients of our inward spiritual life, our personal relationship with Godthat which takes place in our hearts when the Holy Spirit abides in us. The next three aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are outward manifestations of love, joy, and peace in our relationships with others.11 The New Testament uses two important Greek words that are often translated patience in English. The one used here is makrothumia, a combination of makro (long) and thumia (temper). The two core ideas of makrothumia are being longsuffering and even-tempered. Thus patience is the quality of somebody who does not easily lose his temper when provoked by people. The other word is hupomon. It describes the capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances, not with a passive complacency but with a hopeful fortitude that actively resists weariness and defeat. The key ideas are perseverance or endurance under adversity. These two words are often used together to convey the full scope of the patience God requires of us. Firstly, God requires us to persevere with difficult people without becoming angry. Secondly, He requires us to persevere through difficult circumstances without becoming discouraged. Quote: Patience describes a person who has the power to exercise revenge, but instead exercises restraint. Patience Described God himself is the epitome of patience. In all his dealings with men, who hurt his feelings and reject his dealings, God is slow to anger and slow to judge. Exodus 34:6. The Lord [is] the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin.

11

Da Silva, 110.

91

Course Introduction The Bible connects patience closely with other Biblical subjects, including suffering, joy and hope, wisdom, peace, strength, forgiveness, and faith. Let us explore these associations to get a better understanding of patience. a) Patience and suffering. Suffering is at the very root of patience for patience is by definition the ability to endure hardship without becoming angry (makrothumia) or discouraged (hupomon). The Bible promises that every child of God will undergo suffering. The challenge is to endure it without losing our faith or our testimony. James 5:10-11. Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Jobs perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. b) Patience and strength. It takes greater strength to control our temper than to lose it. Having the physical strength to avenge yourself is good, but having the personal strength to restrain yourself is better. Proverbs 16:32. Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city. c) Patience and wisdom. A patient person will probably try to understand all sides of a problem before he draws conclusions and makes judgements. 12 This is essential for success in all spheres of life, especially parenting. Proverbs 14:29. A patient man has great understanding, but a quicktempered man displays folly. Quote: Nothing is more terrible than activity without insight (Thomas Carlyle). d) Patience and peace. Patience is essential for being a peacemaker. A patient man will not be controlled by his anger, but he will demonstrate the peace of God in his actions, words, concern, and assistance.13 This quality is the key to calming tense situations. Proverbs 15:1, 18. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel. Quote: Never become irritable while waiting; if you are patient, you will find that you can wait much faster (source unknown). e) Patience and forgiveness. Without patience we cannot build godly relationships, for sooner or later everyone will hurt or disappoint us. Patience fosters harmony in
12 13

Da Silva, 114. Da Silva, 115.

92

Course Introduction relationships both because it does not take offence quickly and because it does not harbour anger. A patient man does not take offence easily, and when offended, does not harbour it. Proverbs 19:11. A mans wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. f) Patience and faith. Patience is the yardstick by which true faith is measured. The genuineness of our faith is not known until it has been tested; and the test is usually delay. To prove our faith genuine we need to persevere through a season of holding onto the promises of God while nothing seems to be happening. Hebrews 6:11-12. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Patience Demonstrated Quote: He that can have patience can have what he wills (Benjamin Franklin). Almost every great man of God can be cited as an example of patience: Abraham waited 25 years for a son, Joseph spent 13 years in jail, Moses endured 40 years in the wilderness, and Job suffered pain beyond description, but perhaps the most outstanding example of all is King David. David was anointed to be the king of all Israel when he was a teenager. Things went well for a while. He made a name for himself by killing Goliath, became a successful general, and was invited to marry the kings daughter. All of a sudden his life took an unexpected turn for the worse. King Saul became jealous of David, fearing that he would take the kingdom away from him. Several times Saul tried to kill David, who eventually had to flee for his life. Saul pursued him for years in an attempt to kill him. Twice David had a chance to kill Saul, but both times he refused to touch the Lords anointed. He never became bitter and never sought to take the kingdom by force. Instead, he waited patiently for God to fulfil His promise in his time. When David finally became king (after Saul died), he showed that he harboured no hatred towards Saul by mourning for him and by showing kindness to his family. Davids patience was rewarded. He became the greatest king Israel ever had. If he were not a patient man, he would have made one of three mistakes: (1) he may have given up and settled into mediocrity; (2) he may have been hasty and sought to take the kingdom by force; or (3) he may have become bitter and ruled the nation harshly when he finally became king. In each case he would have paid a price: (1) he would never have become king; (2) he would been insecure as king, waiting for God to dethrone him; or (3) he would have been hated as king. As it was, David reaped a rich harvest because he sowed seeds of patience.

93

Course Introduction Quote: One moment of patience may prevent a disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a life (Chinese Proverb). The Fruits of Kindness and Goodness Kindness and goodness are very closely related fruits. We can best understand them by studying them together. Kindness and Goodness Defined Quote: Patience is suffering love. Kindness is compassionate love. Goodness is ministering love.

Kindness (chrstots) and goodness (agathsun) are so similar that we can appreciate them best by studying them together and noting their similarities and differences. W. E. Vine says there are two closely connected ways of distinguishing the two concepts in the New Testament. Firstly, kindness is a kindly disposition toward others while goodness is a kindly activity on their behalf. Thus kindness focuses on our inner attitude and goodness on our outer action. Secondly, kindness describes the kindlier aspects of goodness while goodness describes the sterner qualities by which doing good to others is not necessarily by gentle means. Kindness is a disposition towards other people that is tender, compassionate, and sweet. Goodness is a practice of doing what is good for other people, even though it may involve being stern with them. 2.2 Kindness and Goodness Described

In the New Testament, kindness (chrstots) is used to describe Gods tender compassion toward sinners by which He withheld judgement and provided salvation. He treats us kindly, not wanting to harm us. God first seeks to treat us with the tenderness of a shepherd caring for His lambs. Only if we reject His kindness does He treat us with the harshness of a Judge enforcing the law. Romans 2:4. Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realising that Gods kindness leads you toward repentance? Ephesians 2:7. the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Goodness and kindness can be shown in an infinite number of ways. Here are three of the most important among them.

94

Course Introduction Quote: A good man who ministers to others is rich, even though he lacks material possessions. a) Service. By definition, goodness implies doing good things for others. We cannot express our goodness without doing good deeds. Although most good deeds are done in a spirit of kindness, some require a stern approach. Just because someone does something we do not like does not mean he is not doing us a good turn. Proverbs 27:5-6. Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. b) Encouragement. Treating others with kindness is a great encouragement to them. Whether expressed in kind words or kind ways (smile, touch), kindness cheers others up. Proverbs 12:25. An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. c) Generosity. Being generous, especially towards those in need, is one of the marks of Christian goodness and kindness. God has great concern for the needy. He expects us to be kind to the poor. Proverbs 19:17. He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done. Kindness and Goodness Demonstrated You do not have to be a great spiritual leader to excel in the fruits of kindness and goodness. Perhaps the best Biblical example of kindness and goodness is a little known Christian lady called Dorcas (Acts 9:36-43). She was not as talented or spiritually gifted as many other believers, but she devoted her life to serving others selflessly. Acts 9:36. In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. Rather than using her cooking and sewing skills selfishly to accumulate wealth, she used them to distribute warmththe love of Jesus shed abroad. Such was the extent of her kindness and goodness that the whole church mourned her death. She was greatly loved. She gave the only thing she had to give, her love, and reaped a harvest of love in return. If we want to receive love, we must give love away. Furthermore, she will receive a prophets reward on judgement day. Matthew 10:41-42. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophets reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous mans reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of 95

Course Introduction these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward. Quote: A man who has friends must himself be friendly (Prov. 18:24). The Fruit of Faithfulness Faithfulness Defined The Greek word pistis is translated both faith and faithfulness in the New Testament. When we deem somebody else to be trustworthy, we are expressing faith. When somebody else deems us to be trustworthy, we are demonstrating faithfulness. In other words, pistis looking outward is faith and pistis looking inward is faithfulness. To be faithful is to be trustworthy, reliable, and dependable. Faithful people are those who are worthy of trust because they have shown themselves completely reliable and dependable in their dealings with others. Their commitment to their standards and their promises is of such a character that those who know them know they can trust them. Faithfulness Described Quote: Friends, if we be honest with ourselves, we shall be honest with each other (George MacDonald). a) Faithful to our God. We must be faithful to our covenant with God. First we must be loyal to Him and Him alone. We are to have no idols, that is, we are not to place anything or anyone above our devotion to the Lord. The Bible calls idolatry unfaithfulness. Furthermore, we must obey his Word and do His will at all times. b) Faithful to our families. After your covenant with God, your most important covenant is that with your husband or wife. Marital faithfulness does not only mean not committing adultery, but includes wholehearted devotion to your spouse. A faithful husband does not commit adultery in his heart by looking at pornography or flirting with other woman. Titus 1:6. An elder must be faithful to his wife (NLT).14 c) Faithful to our promises. To be trustworthy we must be true to our word. Absolute honesty is to faithfulness as a cue is to a pool player. Unless we are consistently true to our word, others will have no basis for trusting us.

14

The main force of the Greek phrase often translated a husband of one wife is that of faithfulness to his wife. The most literal translation would be a one woman man, that is, one who has eyes only for his wife.

96

Course Introduction Matthew 5:34, 37. But I tell you, Do not swear at all. Simply let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. The point of Jesus command is not that oaths are bad, but that our character should be of a standard that we do not need to swear to convince people we are being truthful; they should know we always tell the truth. d) Faithful to our commitments. Another aspect of faithfulness is following through on our commitments. We are not to be the kind of people who start projects and fail to finish them or who make resolutions and fail to keep them. When we commit to something we see it through even if it is inconvenient; God commends the man who keeps his oath even when it hurts (Psa. 15:4). Ecclesiastes 5:5. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. e) Faithful to our values. Faithfulness includes being true to our standards. We live by our code of conduct, practising what we preach. For example, we continue to give even when we are under financial pressure because giving is a value. Failing to be faithful to our standards is called hypocrisy. Matthew 23:2. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. Faithfulness Demonstrated Ruth is a great example of faithfulness. She was a foreigner (Moabite) who married a Jewish man. Her husband died and she ended up living with her mother-in-law (Naomi) in Moab. When a famine forced Naomi to return to Judah to survive, she asked Ruth to go back to her own mother, which would be better for her, but Ruth refused. Her remarkable words remain the best example of covenant commitment in relationships: Ruth 1:16-17. But Ruth replied, Dont urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me. Her faithfulness spans all five areas we examined. By marrying a Jewish man she had made a commitment to the God of Israel and she was not prepared to abandon that commitment when the going got tough. In ancient culture a womans chief contribution to the family was to provide an heir for her husband. Even though her husband was dead, she remained faithful to that obligation and went back with Naomi to fulfil her promise and commitment to her husband.

97

Course Introduction Love Empowering The last two fruits listed in Galatians 5:23gentleness and self-controlboth have to do with controlling strong human passions, namely, anger and lust. The Fruit of Gentleness Quote: Gentleness is power under control! Gentleness Defined The word translated gentleness (prauts) is the most difficult of the nine fruits of the Spirit to define. The word includes nuances of humility, courtesy, consideration, meekness, humaneness, and mildness. Its basic meaning is mild and gentle friendliness accompanied by compensating strength, the opposite of harshness or roughness (Hauck and Schultz, praus, prauts).15 It describes a gentle yet firm manner of dealing with other people that is civilised, calm, courteous, and humble. Gentleness can also be defined as power under control. Gentleness goes with firmness. Although some think of gentleness as weakness, gentleness requires strength. It takes greater strength to put a heavy object down gently than to throw it down roughly. Very strong men are often gentle giants because they know their own strength and have no need to prove it to anyone else; gentleness is a sign of security. The great philosopher Aristotle described prauts as proper self-control of anger, that is, the ability to feel anger at the right time and not to feel anger at the wrong time. Gentleness is closely connected to patience in that both have to do with controlling the temper. The difference is that patience is passive or negative (not reacting in anger) whereas gentleness is active or positive (responding in love). Gentleness Described The key to being gentle is having power and being securesubmission to God brings with it a sense of self-worth that releases us from the need to prove ourselves. Prauts occurs 16 times in the New Testament, usually to describe the manner in which we are to carry out various duties. Gentleness is not so much an action as an attitude that accompanies other actions. a) Gentleness and correction. Gentleness is essential when correcting a sinning brother because a gentle attitude enables the person to receive the correction without being defensive. Gentleness combines warmth, courtesy, humility, and firmness. When we correct in such an attitude we honour the other persons dignity. This releases him to repent without fear of being condemned.

15

F. Hauck and S. Schultz, Praus, prauts, in TDNT.

98

Course Introduction Galatians 6:1. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Some translations prefer to render prauts as humbly in Galatians 6:1. Our manner of correcting should not be condescending, but should enable us to empathise with the other person because we ourselves are subject to the same weaknesses. However, if the person resists gentle correction, the situation may call for a sterner approach. The Scriptures teach that we should always start with a gentle approach, but need to be firmer with those who ardently resist correction. Quote: Tact is criticising the mistake rather than the person who made it. b) Gentleness and instruction. Teaching is another activity that needs a gentle approach. The two main components of gentlenesshumility and courtesymake instruction easy to receive. When a teacher is proud or rude, we find it difficult to receive his input. When we treat our students with dignity and respect, they receive our input as that of godly leaders. Proverbs 16:21. The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction. Gentleness is especially important when teaching those who are sceptical or resistant. If we lose our composure with them, they regard it as justifying their scepticism. 2 Timothy 2:25. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth. Quote: Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy. c) Gentleness and evangelism. Gentleness, courtesy, and humility must also be part of our manner of witnessing. If our ways do not back up our words, our message loses its power. A couple of important passages describe how gentleness reinforces our message. 1 Peter 3:15. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. Our disposition when we share our faith should never be defensive, demeaning, or derogatory. We can argue our case without being aggressive. Our love is a stronger influence than our reason (John 13:34-35).

99

Course Introduction Titus 3:1-2. Remind the people to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. The issue at stake in Titus is the churchs witness to the world. Paul is concerned that their behaviour not discredit the gospel. He wants them to treat outsiders with complete courtesy so that their witness will draw men to Christ. Gentleness Demonstrated Quote: Hate the sin, but love the sinner. Jesus is the outstanding example of gentleness. Although He had all the power in the world, He was in complete control of His emotions and His tongue at all times. Whether he was teaching, witnessing, correcting or simply comforting, He did it with a quality of gentleness that made Him approachable to all men. Matthew 11:28-30. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. In all His dealings with other people, regardless of their social standing, Jesus always acted with humility and treated them with dignity, courtesy, and tact. He had the ability to make people feel at ease in his presence. He could do this because He was secure enough in Himself not to need to impress people with His power or knowledge. Therefore, he was free to focus on their needs rather than His own needs. We should not for one moment confuse Jesus meekness with weakness. Not only was he a physically strong man, but he had a strength of character that enabled him to confront and correct when necessary. What set him apart from weaker men was that he could do it in a gentle manner that promoted repentance rather than rebellion. Those He corrected knew it was the sin rather than the sinner He hated. Quote: Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are about making them feel good about you (Dan Reiland). The Fruit of Self-Control Quote: He who is strong conquers others. He who is mighty conquers himself.

Self-control Defined The word translated self-control is enkrateia, which is a combination of en meaning in and kratos meaning power. Thus the word describes someone who has power 100

Course Introduction over himself, who is in control of himself. Unlike kindness and gentleness which suggest the ability to control our emotions, self-control suggests the ability to control our sensual desires and appetites. We have self-control when have learned to master our desires, when we have learned self-government and self-discipline. For the Biblical Christian, self-government is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Before we have the Spirit living in us, we are under the power of the sinful nature. Only the presence of the Spirit in our lives enables us to resist temptation and exercise control over our own desires. Paul makes this clear by contrasting being drunk with wine, which leads to sinful living, with being filled with the Spirit, which leads to self-control. Ephesians 5:18. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Self-control Described Quote: Learn to say no; it will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin (Charles Spurgeon). The key to living a self-controlled life is balance. Balance recognises the reality of mans needs, but sets reasonable limits on the way they are met. It avoids both asceticism (total abstinence) and licentiousness (total freedom), and applies moderation. Self-control usually refers to controlling our sexual desires, but is not limited to that. Da Silva suggests five areas in which we need self-control: (1) control of our sexual desires; (2) control of our tongues; (3) control of our thoughts; (4) moderation in daily habits; and (5) moderation in our use of time. God allows us two options concerning our sexual desires: (1) pursue them if married (with your spouse, of course); (2) control them if single. Our sexual desires are not inherently sinful; they are God-given and pure if expressed within the boundaries God has set, namely, marriage. Aristotle describes the self-controlled person as one who has powerful passions but keeps them under control.16 We are self-controlled not because we do not have passions, but because we do not let them rule us. Self-control Demonstrated Quote: He who lies with dogs rises with flees. Ironically, the Bible abounds with examples of great spiritual leaders who failed to control their sexual desires. The most notable among them were Abraham, 17 David,
16 17

Da Silva, 209. Abraham slept with his concubine Hagar more out of a desire for an heir than because he lusted after her. Nevertheless, God had clearly revealed that his pattern for marriage is a monogamous relationship. The failure of all three of these men to honour Gods revealed will indicates a lack of self-

101

Course Introduction and Solomon. Their lack of self-control had disastrous consequences for each of them. Their families were torn apart by jealousy and distrust. By contrast, young Joseph gave an outstanding demonstration of how to exercise self-control and resist temptation. When Potiphars wife tried to seduce him, he fled! Genesis 39:10. And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. Joseph heeded the golden rule of self-controlhe avoided tempting situations as much as possible. The key to exercising self-control is recognising our own weakness. If we know we are vulnerable we will not flirt with danger. The moment we think we are above temptation we are likely to play with fire and be burned. Joseph did not back himself to face the situation without yielding to the temptation; he avoided her completely. Proverbs 6:27-28. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? Quote: He that has no mind to trade with the devil should keep out of his shop (Robert Smith).

discipline.

102

Appendix B: Spiritual Gifts

By Kevin G. Smith Introduction to Spiritual Gifts The Need for Spiritual Gifts Spiritual gifts are essential to the church. They are Gods ordained means for the church to carry out its ministry. Without them we will have a form of godliness that lacks the power of God. This is not New Testament Christianity. The active presence and power of the Holy Spirit in and among us is one of the distinguishing marks of Biblical Christianity. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirits power, so that your faith might not rest on mens wisdom, but on Gods power. 1 Corinthians 4:20. The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. Unfortunately, by their very nature spiritual gifts are susceptible to misuse and even abuse. This was evident from the very beginning of the Christian era. The Corinthian church so misunderstood and misused spiritual gifts that the apostle Paul had to spend three long chapters correcting their abuses (see 1 Cor 12-14). The striking thing about his response to their excesses is that he never once discouraged them from seeking to be used by God in spiritual gifts. Although they had seriously abused some gifts, he never took the view that abstinence is the safest solution. On the contrary, he encouraged them to continue to desire spiritual gifts, just to be sure to understand how to use them in an orderly way so as to honour the Lord. 1 Corinthians 14:1. Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. Why did Paul resist the temptation to say, Do not seek spiritual gifts? He knew that would deny the very essence of Christianity. Without the active presence of the Holy Spirit, our meetings are little more than religious rituals. Paul would rather deal with the occasional problems that result from the misuse of the gifts than settle for a substandard Christianity devoid of the presence and power of God. Sadly the modern church often does not share Pauls balanced attitude towards spiritual gifts. Two pitfalls plague the modern church: cessationism and sen-

103

Course Introduction sationalism. Some churches often err on the side of sensationalism. They are overly zealous for spiritual gifts. As a result, they have something of an anything goes attitude towards the use of gifts in meetings. Often the more sensational a spiritual manifestation appears the likelier it is to be embraced. Other churches err on the opposite extreme. Fearing the danger of abusing the gifts, they reject anything supernatural. They are so paralysed by a fear of exposing themselves to a wrong spirit that they avoid the use of spiritual gifts altogether. The middle road must be the right way to go. The Biblical balance lies between cessationism and sensationalism. Just as Paul did with the Corinthian church, we must encourage believers to desire spiritual gifts while at the same time teaching Biblical principles to ensure that they operate in a mature, orderly manner that builds up the church. We must neither misuse nor disuse the gifts. Christians often make the mistake of pitting the fruit of the Spirit against the gifts of the Spirit, when what is really needed is both the gifts and the fruit. Some churches emphasise the gifts to the extent that the fruit is ignored, while others do the exact opposite. Just as a healthy bird needs two strong wings, so a healthy church needs both the fruit and the gifts. If we have the fruit without the gifts we are spiritual dinosaurs, while we have the gifts without the fruit, we are fanatical hypocrites. If we have both in proper balance we will soar like eagles. The goal of this study of spiritual gifts is to lay down Biblical foundations for the proper exercise of the gifts. We want to encourage you to desire spiritual gifts by showing you how God intends the gifts to be used. Quote: Be supernaturally natural, and naturally supernatural (Dudley Daniel). The Types of Spiritual Gifts Classifying the spiritual gifts listed in the Bible is no straightforward task. If we were to add all the lists of gifts together, we would have a list of just over twenty spiritual gifts. Although many Christians use this approach, the gifts differ so widely in nature that it does not work very well. The task of classifying the gifts is further complicated by the fact that none of the lists we have is intended as an exhaustive list of gifts (except for the ministry gifts in Ephesians 4). No system of classifying the gifts is problem free. The way I find most helpful treats the three main Biblical lists of gifts separately1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12 and Ephesians 4. Each of these three lists seems to refer to a specific type of spiritual gifts. a) The manifestation gifts (1 Cor 12). The gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12 are manifestations of the Spirit that can be given to any child of God at any time to meet the need of the moment.

104

Course Introduction b) The motivational gifts (Rom 12). The gifts listed in Romans 12 are inherent abilities that God places within different people which they exercise by virtue of their very personalities. These are not need-based manifestations of the Spirit, but in-built abilities that the Lord places within us. The ministry gifts (Eph 4). The five gifts in Ephesians 4 are leadership gifts. They are prominent ministries that the Lord places within the body of Christ to equip Gods people for ministry.

c)

For the sake of convenience, we will study the spiritual gifts in these three categories. We will begin our study of each group of gifts with a thorough study of the passage of Scripture where they are listed, noting the principles that are embedded within those passages to govern the proper use of the gifts. Then we shall discuss each gift in turn to get general idea of how it works. The Manifestation Gifts The Need for the Gifts of the Spirit The first category of spiritual gifts we need to discuss are the gifts of the Holy Spirit that Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. The power of the Holy Spirit at work in Christians through the gifts of the Spirit was the key to the dynamic progress of the early church and remains essential to the spiritual and numeric growth of the church today. The gifts of the Spirit are Gods chosen means of empowering His church for ministry. Christians have fallen into two opposite but equally harmful errors with reference to the gifts of the Spirit. Some churches ignore them. Fearing the possible abuse of the gifts, they make no room for the Holy Spirit to work in their midst and in so doing quench the Spirit and produce a sterile form of Christianity that has a form of godliness but lacks the power of God. Other churches abuse them. In their desire for the power of God they allow all kinds of strange manifestations with no means of controlling them in an orderly manner. This often results in super-spiritual meetings that offend outsiders and hurt insiders.

105

Course Introduction How should we as Bible-believing Christians respond to these errors? First, we must eagerly desire spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:1). Although we recognise the danger that the gifts might be abused, the solution is not to avoid the gifts altogether. We need the power of God to do the work of God. The Bible warns us not to despise spiritual gifts. Second, we must ensure that the gifts operate within the boundaries the Bible lays down for them. We must test every spirit and hold fast to what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22. Do not put out the Spirits fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. The Operation of the Gifts of the Spirit To make sense of the list of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 we must read this passage it in its broader context. The apostle Paul devotes three chapters (1 Cor 12-14) to discussing the value and proper functioning of spiritual gifts in the life of the local church. A thorough study of these chapters reveals several basic principles about the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. a) The gifts of the Spirit operate in a ministry context. The treatment of the gifts is set in the broader context of corporate worship. While discussing what should happen when the church meets for worship, Paul lays down guidelines for the proper operation of the gifts in a way that will build up the entire church. This does not limit the manifestation of spiritual gifts to church meetings. Since they are the Spirits tools for building up the body of Christ, they can and should operate in any context where ministry is needed. The most natural and common setting for them to operate is in the context of corporate worship, but they frequently operate in prayer meetings, counselling situations, teaching ministries, and leadership forums. b) The gifts of the Spirit belong to the Holy Spirit. There are two views of the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. One view holds that the Holy Spirit gives these gifts to a believer and that, from then on, the believer possesses and uses the gift/s he/she has received. The other view holds that these are manifestations of the Spirit that He releases through believers at His discretion as needed for ministry. In this view, a believer does not have a particular gift. The gifts themselves always remain the property of the Holy Spirit and He distributes the manifestation of them as He chooses. Although these views can both be defended from 1 Corinthians 12, I believe the second view is slightly more in harmony with the evidence. Since the gifts belong to the Holy Spirit, when we receive the Holy Spirit we receive the potential to operate in any of the nine gifts. When we gather to worship, the Holy Spirit can use any Christian in any gift. He remains in sovereign control of each manifestation of each gift.

106

Course Introduction c) The gifts of the Spirit are for edification. The purpose of the gifts of the Spirit is to build up the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit, who knows needs, gives whatever gift is needed to strengthen the church at the time. 1 Corinthians 14:12. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. That the love chapter (1 Cor 13) is slotted in right in the middle of two chapters on spiritual gifts is no accident. Since the goal of the gifts is to build up the church, the only valid motivation for operating in the gifts is love. The gifts are worthless without love (1 Cor 13:1-3). Love is selfless, not selfish. Christians who love the church will seek the gifts of the Spirit so that they can strengthen their fellow believers. If love is the right motivation, pride is the wrong motivation. The gifts are an expression of love, not a sign of spirituality. The danger is that we can seek the gifts not so much to build up the church as to build our spiritual reputation. To do so is to abuse the power of God. d) The gifts of the Spirit operate in an orderly manner. To benefit the body of Christ, the gifts must operate in an orderly, controlled manner. Only what passes through the mind edifies the spirit. Spiritual frenzy does not benefit anyone. We must be careful not to confuse disorderly spiritual frenzy with the power of the Holy Spirit. Occultic manifestations are disorderly and ecstatic; the Spirit of God is peaceful and orderly. 1 Corinthians 14:33. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. This has two practical implications. First, no meaningless spiritual manifestation should be allowed in a worship service. Even speaking in tongues, a valid spiritual expression, has no place in a corporate meeting unless someone interprets. The reason is straightforward: if we do not understand something it does not help us. 1 Corinthians 14:18-19. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. Second, we are in complete control when we operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When the power of the Spirit comes upon us and leads us to manifest one of the gifts, he does not take possession of our bodies in a way we cannot control. Rather, he reveals what we are to do or say and helps us to do or say it effectively. We are in control of our actions and our faculties all the time. If somebody claims they cannot control their faculties because of the anointing, they are deceived. 1 Corinthians 14:32. The spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets. e) The gifts of the Spirit are received through desire and faith. To operate in the gifts of the Spirit requires first desire, then faith. The Bible teaches us to eagerly 107

Course Introduction desire spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:1). Unless you eagerly desire God to use you in the manifestation of spiritual gifts, you will probably never operate in them. Part of the reason for this is that you have to cooperate with the Lord in the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit leads you, you must respond and act. If you do not desire to be used, you will probably be insensitive to His gentle leading. This does not mean that you will always receive the gifts you desire. You may desire to operate in the gift of healing, but the Holy Spirit may choose not to use you in that gift. That is His sovereign right. The point is simply that you must desire to be used by the Holy Spirit and be alert to His prompting. If you are sensitive to His leading, it is likely that He will sometimes choose to use you when He wants to minister. Along with desire, responding to the Holy Spirit requires that you step out in faith. His prompting and leading is usually quite gentle in nature. When you sense Him prompting you to do or say something, you need to step out in faith and be willing to share humbly what He lays on your heart. 1 Corinthians 14:26. What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. Why did these Christians each have something to contribute to the churchs meetings? They were eager to receive from God so they could share with the church. Because they were seeking the Lord for something to share, they each came with something on their hearts. Their problem was that they did not share what they received in an orderly manner. Ours is often that we do not desire spiritual gifts, so when we come together we have nothing to contribute. Rather than being active participants in the services, we are passive spectators. f) The gifts of the Spirit are tested before they are accepted. The Scriptures offer several criteria by which prophecy can be tested: the lifestyle of the prophet (Matt 5:15-23), whether the prophecy aligns with Scripture (Deut 13:1-5), whether predictions come true (Deut 18:21-22) and whether or not the prophecy glorifies Jesus (1 Cor 12:3). 1 Corinthians 14:29. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. Paul seems to be implying that when the church was gathered for worship, there was freedom for various members to contribute what the Lord laid on their hearts (1 Cor 14:26 implies that Paul was using prophecy broadly as a catch-all term that covers, among other things, a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation). Through whatever mechanism was suitable, the church would then weigh carefully what is said, presumably first to judge whether it was from the Lord and then, assuming it was, to respond accordingly.

108

Course Introduction I believe this testing was intended to create a climate in which a believer could humbly say, This is what I feel the Lord has shown me, and allow the church and its leaders to help weigh whether it was from the Lord. This was not prophecy in the Old Testament sense in which the prophets proclaimed, Thus says the Lord God Almighty . It was ordinary believers sharing what the Lord had laid on their hearts a Scripture, a song, word of instruction or encouragementand sharing the responsibility to discern what God was saying to the congregation through the members of the body. The Classification of the Gifts of the Spirit There are nine gifts of the Spirit. They divide logically into three groups of three gifts: a) b) c) The vocal gifts. The gifts of prophecy, tongues, and interpretation of tongues each say something. The power gifts. The gifts of faith, healings, and miracles each do something. The revelation gifts. The gifts of word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and discerning of spirits each reveal something. Vocal Gifts Prophecy Speaking in tongues Interpreting tongues The Vocal Gifts In the vocal gifts the Holy Spirit says something. These three gifts are the main gifts that operate in corporate church meetings to encourage the body of Christ.18 a) Prophecy: interpreting and applying the divine will and purpose.19 A prophecy can be any word of comfort, encouragement, or exhortation that the Holy Spirit brings to a believers attention to share with the church. Often this is simply a familiar Biblical truth that the Holy Spirit draws our attention to afresh, perhaps in the form of a vision, a picture, or an illustration. b) Speaking in tongues: bringing a message from God in an unlearned language. The gift of tongues has both a private and a public use. In private we can speak in tongues as a personal prayer language. However, in public worship the
18

Power Gifts Faith Healings Miracles

Revelation Gifts Word of wisdom Word of knowledge Discerning of spirits

This is evident from 1 Corinthians 14. While other manifestations like healing or word of knowledge may take place in a church setting, they are just as likely to take place in a private ministry context. Prophecy, tongues and interpretation, however, almost always take place when the church is gathered together. 19 Prophecy is by far the most common manifestation of the Spirit, not to mention the most misunderstood. Due to its frequency and importance, we shall devote special attention to describing this gift later in the course.

109

Course Introduction Holy Spirit may prompt us to bring a message in tongues. In this case, the message needs to be interpreted so that the body can be edified. c) Interpreting tongues: giving the meaning of a message in tongues. When the Holy Spirit prompts someone to bring a message in tongues, He will reveal the meaning of that message to someone in the meeting. When you interpret a message in tongues you are not giving a word-for-word translation, you are merely sharing the essence of the message. Power Gifts Through the power gifts the Holy Spirit does something tangible in the physical realm, whether solving a problem, healing a sickness, or suspending a natural law. a) Faith: a special deposit of faith that the Lord gives us to trust him to overcome a particular problem or crisis. It is the supreme inner assurance that although the situation looks impossible, God not only can but also will intervene. b) Healings: the Holy Spirits cure for physical ailments and diseases. Gifts of healing often manifest when the gospel is preached to the unsaved, but they can also manifest in any situation where a believer needs healing. c) Miracles: a supernatural manifestation of the power of God that alters, suspends, or in some other way controls the laws of nature.20 Jesus performed such miracles as walking on water, turning water into wine, and feeding the 5000 with five loaves and two fish. The early church also experienced miraclesan angel released Peter and John from prison, a venomous snakebite did not harm Paul, and Philip was miraculously transported. Revelation Gifts In the revelation gifts the Holy Spirit reveals something. Through these gifts the Holy Spirit shows us either a problem or a solution. Often they operate together. First He reveals the source of a problem (word of knowledge); then he reveals the way to solve it (word of wisdom). Often this involves discerning of spirits. These gifts are essential for counselling, teaching, and leading. a) Word of knowledge: the Holy Spirit reveals certain information you could not know by natural means. Often when we are praying for somebody the Lord will reveal certain facts that we could not otherwise know, things in the persons past life or present circumstances. This piece of information is a word of knowledge. b) Word of wisdom: the Holy Spirit reveals the best course of action to take in a particular situation. Often when we are counselling or praying the Lord will reveal what we should do, that is, He shows us the most Biblical way forward. This is a word of wisdom. Wisdom is applied knowledge; whereas the word of knowledge
20

Howard Carter.

110

Course Introduction answers the question what has happened? the word of wisdom answers the question what should we do now? c) Discerning of spirits: the Holy Spirit reveals which spirit is at work, that is, whether something is of God, the devil, or the flesh. There are three spirits that can operate in or through peoples lives: the Holy Spirit, the human spirit, or evil spirits. Which spirit is operative in a person or a situation is not always clear in the natural. The gift of the discerning of spirits gives us spiritual insight to discern which spirit is at work so that we can deal with it appropriately. If it is the Spirit of God, we submit and obey; if an evil spirit, we resist and rebuke; and if the flesh, we teach and correct. Quote: Discerning of spirits is a special ability given by the Holy Spirit to look beyond what ordinary men see when a spirit is manifesting itself. It is the ability to know by spirit a man is speaking or acting (Robert Brandt). If you are wondering whether a demon can operate through a Christian, the answer is two-fold. Firstly, a Christian cannot be demon-possessed in the sense that the demon lives within and controls the believer (we deal with this in more detail in CROSSROADS 2). However, a demon can influence a believer to do or say something contrary to the will of God. The New Testament contains a good example of this. On one occasion, Satan prompted Peter to correct Jesus. Jesus immediately took Peter aside and rebuked him by saying, Get behind me Satan (Matt 16:23). Peters actions were motivated by Satans influence, even though Peter himself was not demon-possessed. The Motivational Gifts The Idea of Motivational Gifts The second major category of spiritual gifts consists of the motivational gifts. They differ from the ministry gifts in that they are not specifically leadership gifts. Every believer has motivational gifts. Whereas the ministry gifts are given to leaders to equip the saints for works of ministry, the motivational gifts are given to the saints to do the works of ministry. Not every Christian is called to leadership, but every believer is called to serve God. Not everyone has one of the five-fold ministry gifts, but everyone has one or more motivational gifts. Romans 12:3-8. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

111

Course Introduction If a mans gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. What are motivational gifts? Motivational gifts are the special abilities that God put in each of us when He created us. Basically, your motivational gifts are a combination of your passions (what you love doing) and your skills (what you do well). We refer to them as motivational gifts because they are expressions of our own personalities. They represent areas in which we are motivated to serve because we enjoy it and we do it well.

God created each of us with a particular destiny in mind. Before we were born, He planned what we were to accomplish. Then He designed us in the womb so that we were born with all the abilities we would need to complete the tasks He assigned to us. Thus our natural talents are actually God-given gifts to help us fulfil His purposes for our lives. God wired us so that we would be thoroughly equipped to fulfil His plan for our lives. Ephesians 2:10. For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. How do motivational gifts differ from natural talents? What we have said so far suggests that motivational gifts is just a spiritual term for natural talents. To be more specific, they are natural talents that are spiritually quickened. Natural talents become motivational gifts when the Holy Spirit anoints them for the work of God. This often happens when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. He transforms our natural abilities into spiritual gifts. A good example of how the Holy Spirit anoints our natural talents to transform them into spiritual gifts is found in the story of the building of the Tabernacle. The Lord 112

Course Introduction chose two craftsmen, Bezalel and Oholiab, to lead the building operation. They were already skilled craftsmen. When they were commissioned to build the Tabernacle, the Lord filled them with his Spirit and anointed them for the task. The Holy Spirit turned their skills into gifts (see Exod 35:30-36:1). The Implementation of Motivational Gifts Quote: Do what you love, so that you will love what you do. In Romans 12:3-8 Paul uses the example of a human body to make three essential points about the motivational gifts God gives us. a) God gives different members of the body different gifts. Just as God created the human body with many different parts and each part has its own function, so God puts the church together with a variety of people who have different strengths, who can each make a unique contribution to the church. God has given each believer a measure of grace (v 6) and a measure of faith (v 3). Twice in this short passage Paul shows that God assigns to each of us not only an area of giftedness, but also a level of giftedness. Some are more gifted than others, that is, some people are given a greater measure of faith (v 3), they receive more grace. Two Christians might both receive the gift of teaching, yet one will be more gifted than the other. As Lord of the church, Christ has the sovereign right to give different believers different levels of giftedness. Nevertheless, there is room for both. We must be careful not to set the standard too high and so eliminate the less gifted people. b) Every members gift is equally important to the body. Whenever Paul discusses spiritual gifts, he takes care to emphasise the fact that every believer is equally important to the body. First he cautions us against not to think we are more important than others. Very gifted men easily fall into the trap of considering themselves better than others. Paul reminds them that the level of their giftedness is based on the measure of faith God has given them. They are not great in themselves; they are only great because God has given them much grace. 1 Corinthians 4:6-7. Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? The second point he makes is that every believer has a function in the body of Christ. We belong to one another and we need one another. No part of the body can fulfil its function in isolation from the others (see 1 Cor 12:12:31). Those who think they are special must remember that they are only part of a whole body, while those who think they are unnecessary must remember that they are vitally important. c) We must be faithful in the way we use our gifts. We must make full use of our gifts to serve Christ and His church. We must give ourselves wholeheartedly to the

113

Course Introduction ministry God had gifted us to perform. Whatever our gift is, we must dedicate ourselves to using and developing it. 1 Corinthians 4:2. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. Your attitude plays a large role when it comes to the way you use your gifts. Paul implies two attitudes you must develop. The first is contentment. If your gift is prophecy, be content with that ministry; dont envy the teacher or the giver. If your gift is encouragement, devote yourself to encouraging; dont compare yourself with others. The other is enthusiasm. Give yourself wholeheartedly to your gift. If you have the gift of giving, give generously. If your gift is showing mercy, do it cheerfully. Colossians 3:23. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. The Identification of Motivational Gifts Romans 12:6-8 lists seven motivational gifts. This does not mean there are only seven motivational gifts. Paul was not trying to offer an exhaustive list of motivational gifts. He was just listing some examples of the things that impassion and empower Christians. The key principle is simply this: whatever talents you have, you received them from the Lord as a means of serving him. Whatever you do well, God gave you that ability to use for him. Whatever you love doing, God gave you that love to serve Him. As we discuss the seven gifts Paul lists, please bear in mind that they are examples of the kinds of gifts we have. Many others could be added to the list. The Scripture gives enough examples to give us the idea. It could just as easily have added others, such as if you sing well, sing for the Lord; if you love children, devote yourself to nurturing them. a) Prophecy. One definition of prophecy describes it as the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose. At the heart of the motivational gift of prophecy is the ability to hear the voice of God, to sense what the Lord is saying to the church, what His divine will for today is. Believers who enjoy spending time in Gods presence in prayer and meditation are often used in this gift. Through intimacy with God they develop insight concerning how he is leading and speaking to the church. Biblical example: Silas (Acts 15:22, 27, 32, 40). b) Serving. Serving is using practical skills to meet the needs of Gods people. Those with the gift of serving are often practical people who are skilled with their hands and enjoy doing physical tasks. Those who enjoy catering, woodwork, or knitting and sewing often operate in the gift of serving. Christians must learn to see these ministries as spiritual tasks. The Greek word diakonia means both spiritual ministry and practical service. God does not distinguish these sharply. We must

114

Course Introduction learn to appreciate those whom He has placed in the body of Christ to meet practical needs. Biblical example: Dorcas (Acts 9:36-43). c) Teaching. The gift of teaching involves a passion for the Word of God, skill in interpreting and applying it, and an ability to communicate truth simply and clearly. Teachers are usually abstract thinkers, good debaters, and passionate about truth. Biblical example: Apollos (Acts 18:24-28). d) Encouraging. Encouragement is a wonderful gift. Encouragers are positive people who see and bring out the best in others. They are motivated by deep concern to see others fulfil their potential. They see potential where others see none. Encouragement can be forward looking (you can do it) or backward looking (you did well); it can focus on present abilities (you are ) or on potential ability (you can be ). Biblical example: Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37, 9:26-27, and 11:22-24). e) Giving. God blesses some believers with a special ability to produce wealth together with a spirit of generosity in using it to serve His purposes. The gift of giving requires both generosity and faith, faith to give away your wealth because you know God gave it to you. These people have the ability to make money, but more important than that, their hearts are not fixed on it; their treasure is in heaven, so they can part with their riches. Biblical example: Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37). f) Leadership. The Greek word translated leadership (proistmi) can refer to leadership or management. As leadership, it implies going ahead of others and showing the way, hence leading, guiding, directing, and ruling. As management, it implies co-ordinating a group of people to get a job done; it would include such skills as administration, organisation, and teamwork. Those with the gift of leadership are encouraged to govern diligently. The word for govern diligently (spoud) suggests working hard at something so as to do it to the best of your ability. They must not be lax and view their leadership role as a privilege; instead, they must regard it as a solemn responsibility. Biblical example: Joseph (Gen 41:33-57). g) Mercy. The gift of showing mercy has to do with helping those who are in difficult situations. Mercy is grounded in a deep sense of compassion (empathy) for them and results in helping them in practical ways. Those with the gift of mercy find joy in serving less privileged members of the community in practical ways. Such activities as caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, and providing shelter for the homeless are expressions of the gift of mercy.

115

Course Introduction Biblical example: Jesus (Matt 10:35-39, 11:28-30). The Ministry Gifts The Framework of the Ministry Gifts The ministry gifts are the five leadership gifts that are usually referred to as the fivefold ministry. Not every believer has a ministry gift, but every believer needs to understand the ministry gifts so that he can relate to them properly. These are leadership gifts. For the church to function as the Lord intends both leaders and followers need to understand the nature and function of the anointed leaders Christ places within His church. Ephesians 4:7-13. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men. (What does he ascended mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare Gods people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. a) Jesus Christ sovereignly appoints leaders (vv 7, 11-12). Having emphasised the unity of the church (vv 1-6), Paul now turns his attention to the diversity of functions believers have within the church (vv 7-16). Two observations stand out. Firstly, each and every believer receives the gift Christ is pleased to give him (v 7). Each believer is to function in Christs body by Gods enablement, proportionate to the gift (spiritual ability) bestowed on him, no more and no less. 21 Secondly, some believers receive gifts that make them leaders with the responsibility of training others for service (vv 11-12). The point is that Jesus Christ, as Founder and Head of the church, has the right to distribute gifts (and therefore responsibilities) as He pleases, calling some to lead and others to follow. b) Jesus Christ gives gifts to men (v 8). The description of Jesus descending into the lower earthly regions, ascending into heaven, leading captives in His train, and giving gifts to men is a commentary on Psalm 68 which pictures Jesus as a military conqueror who has captured sinful people by redeeming them through His death and resurrection and now has the right to distribute the spoils of victory (spiritual gifts) as he pleases. He takes the spoils of His spiritual victory and distributes them among the men He has conquered (redeemed). By giving some of His captives gifts, He is
21

Harold Hoehner, Ephesians, in J. F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-85).

116

Course Introduction effectively granting them authority to lead His captured people (the church). Thus Jesus Christ equips his chosen vessels to lead his people by giving them gifts. c) Jesus Christ gives gifted men to the church (vv 11-13). After He has given gifts to the men, the Lord gives the men to the church. They not only receive gifts, they themselves are gifts. The church does not belong to them, but to Christ. They serve Him by serving it. So while the ministry gifts do include authority to lead the church, that authority must be exercised with a servant heart.22 d) Jesus Christ gives leaders to equip the saints for ministry (v 12). Why does the Lord place gifted leaders in the church? If they are honest, most modern Christians believe their spiritual leaders exist to do the work of the ministry. This is a dangerous lie to believe. The Bible says leaders exist to train all believers to do the work of the ministry. Like it or not, every believer is a priest. The Lord gives us gifted leaders to help us to be good priests. Ephesians 4:12 makes two crucial statements that we must believe if we are to grow healthy churches. First, Jesus Christ gives leaders to prepare Gods people for works of service. Second, Gods people must be equipped so that the body of Christ may be built up. The logical implication is that if leaders do not focus on preparing the people to do the work of the ministry, the church will not grow to maturity. If either the members or the leaders believe the lie that church leaders are responsible to do the work of the ministry, their church will never become mature. The body only grows when every person does his or her part (see v 16). e) The ministry gifts are functions rather than offices. The fact that Christ has given a man the ministry of an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher does not automatically grant him authority in a local church. Only when his gift is recognised by that church and he is appointed to the eldership23 does he have governmental authority in the church. So the ministry gift should be view primarily as a function, with due proviso for the fact that the gift usually results in the gifted man holding a formal leadership position. f) The ministry gifts include both itinerant and local ministries. Not every church has all these ministries present nor should it; some are itinerant ministries while others are local. To be specific, the ministry of an apostle is fully itinerant while that of a pastor is purely local. Prophets, evangelists, and teachers can have local or itinerant ministries, that is, they can be based in and fulfil their ministries primarily in their home church or they can move among church by invitation and use their gifts to build up those congregations. In conclusion, Jesus Christ empowers gifted men to lead the church to maturity. The exercise of spiritual leadership in the church should be a charismatic function, that is,
22

Not only must we caution against authoritative leadership, we must also beware of the opposite congregational rule. Although church does not belong to the leaders, the leaders also do not belong to the church. They are not servants of the people, but of God, yet they serve God by serving His people. 23 That is, the governing leadership of the church, whether that is the pastorate, eldership, deaconate, or some other group that exerts governing authority in the congregation.

117

Course Introduction a matter of recognising and authorising the ministries of those the Lord Jesus Christ has gifted to lead His people. The Functions of the Ministry Gifts Larry Tomczak summarises the functions of the five ministry gifts as follows:24 Apostles a) What do apostles do? The word apostle comes from the Greek word apostolos (sent one), which refers to an authorised envoy, one sent with authority to act or speak on anothers behalf. Thus an apostle is a special messenger of Jesus Christ whom the Lord has sent on a mission. Based on the pattern of Pauls ministry, the basic job of an apostle is to plant new churches and parent orphan churches. An apostle is a man with a special ability to establish churches. This requires a wide range of skills; therefore, apostles tend to be general practitioners rather than specialists. They need to have the skills of each of the other four ministry gifts to start and strengthen churches, but they cannot be consumed by one facet of the task. One writer compared the five-fold ministry to the fingers of a hand. The apostle is the thumbhe keeps in touch with all the other figures. Laying foundations lies at the heart of apostolic ministry. They are devoted to getting churches firmly established in the basics of the Christian faith and life. They preach the gospel, gather the converts into a church, establish the basic teachings firmly in the life of the church, appoint godly leaders, then move on to the next area and do it again. 1 Corinthians 3:10. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. b) Did the office of the apostle cease after the first century? This depends on what one means by the office of the apostle. The New Testament implies two kinds of apostles. On the one hand, there was an elite group of men who were eyewitnesses of Jesus resurrection and were personally commissioned by Christ as His special, authoritative messengers to speak His words and write Scripture. In this sense the New Testament apostles are the successors of the Old Testament prophets; they are Gods authoritative spokesmen. Since there are no more eyewitnesses of the resurrection and the Bible is complete, there are no more apostles in this narrow sense. However, the Bible speaks of another kind of apostle, a man who is called to pioneer the work of God in new areas by planting and
24

The apostle is needed to govern. The prophet is needed to guide. The evangelist is needed to gather. The pastor is needed to guard. The teacher is needed to ground.

Quoted in Dudley Daniel, Leading the Church (Johannesburg: New Covenant Ministries, 1989), 46.

118

Course Introduction parenting churches. In this less specific sense, Christ has always given the church apostles. There have always been men whom God has sent to preach the gospel in new areas and plant churches there. c) Is the apostle the highest ranking of the ministry gifts? It is popular today to regard the apostle as the highest ranking of the ministry gifts. Two arguments are used to support this. First, apostle heads both lists of ministry gifts (Eph 4:11 and 1 Cor 12:28) and second, the apostles were the highest-ranking, most powerful leaders in the early church. However, Paul was not trying to list the gifts in order of importance; he did not believe in comparing ministries with each other (see 1 Cor 3:5-9 and 2 Cor 10:12-18). All the gifts are equally important in different ways. The gifts are of equal value. They do not form a hierarchy with apostles and prophets being the most anointed. Furthermore, a successful pastor or evangelist cannot be promoted to an apostle as a reward for his success. A man only becomes an apostle when God sends him to do pioneering work; man cannot confer apostolic anointing as a status symbol. Prophets There are two secrets to successful service: find out what God is on about, and fling yourself recklessly into the accomplishment of His purpose. The ministry of the prophet is the God-given ability to interpret the divine will and purpose for the people of God at a particular point in time. Prophets have the ability to sense what is on the heart of God right now and to draw to our attention what God is saying to us. In the Old Testament, prophets were gifted to hear what God was saying to their generation, to interpret and proclaim the Word of God into their context. They received a contemporary word for their generation. Sometimes this word was a new revelation, but much of the time it was a timely application of a previously revealed truth to the present situation. New Testament prophets do much the same thing. They do not get new revelations not taught in Scripture. The Holy Spirit draws their attention to previously revealed truths that need to be applied to a new context. They often fulfil the same role in the church as the famed sons of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Israel should do (1 Chr 12:32). They are men who are sensitive to the Word, the Spirit and the situation, able to sense how the Spirit is reapplying His revelation to the current situation. Prophets walk intimately with the Lord, giving place to both the written Word of God and personal communion with the Spirit. They tend to follow their intuition more than their intellect. They also tend to be more inspirational than analytical. Because they are sensitive to the Lord and read situations well, being able to sense what is on the

119

Course Introduction heart of God for the church at a given point in time, prophets make good visionary leaders. a) What is the difference between the ministry of a prophet and the gift of prophecy? Just as every Christian can evangelise, but not every Christian is an evangelist, so every Christian can prophesy but not every Christian is a prophet. In both cases the difference is more a matter of degree than nature. A man is considered an evangelist if he has an unusual passion for evangelism, continually evangelises, and has evidence of Gods anointing upon his evangelistic efforts, that is, he is good at leading others to Christ. Similarly, a man would be considered a prophet if he is consistently used of God in the gift of prophecy and his prophetic insights prove to be of outstanding quality. b) What is the difference between prophecy and preaching? Some denominations equate prophecy with preaching. They argue that before the New Testament was written, prophets proclaimed the word of God to the church, but now that the Bible is complete, the task of the prophet has been taken over by preachers who expound the written Word of God. However, this explanation is not convincing since even New Testament times preachers and teachers were distinct from prophets. Prophets received their messages directly from the Holy Spirit while preachers and teachers expounded the Scriptures (Old Testament) and the apostles doctrine (New Testament). c) How authoritative is the word of the prophet in the New Testament? The biggest objection among those who deny that the gift of prophecy still operates in the church is that the revelations of the prophets, being words from God, would be equal in authority to Scripture. Thus the Bible would never be complete. They argue that God gave prophets as a kind of interim arrangementto fill the gap until the Bible was complete. Now that the Bible is complete, there is no more need for prophets. If the words of the prophets were considered to be the very words of God, then these objections would be valid. However, there is no indication that New Testament prophecy was ever considered equal in authority with Scripture. The prophets shared what they sensed the Lord was showing them. Their messages took the form of words of encouragement, words of direction, or applications of Biblical truths to the present situation. They were never revelations of new doctrinal truths or ethic principles that added to the existing knowledge of God and belonged in the written Word of God. Similarly, the insights of modern prophets are not equal in authority to the Word of God. They are the informed, prayerful insights of men who walk intimately with the Lord and are sensitive to His voice. As such, they should not be taken lightly, but must be weighed carefully. They are not, however, the very words of God as was the case with the Old Testament prophets. Evangelists The word evangelist comes from the Greek word evangelists, one who preaches good news. The evangelist is one who preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has a special ability to bring sinners to salvation. Evangelists are pioneers; their passion 120

Course Introduction lies in seeing the lost come to Christ. As a rule they do not excel at discipling their converts or planting churches. They gather the people and leave it to apostles, pastors, and teachers to lead them to maturity. God often performs signs and wonders through these men to confirm the gospel (Mark 16:20). a) Are all evangelists itinerant ministries? Because of their emphasis on pioneering, many evangelists spend most of their time travelling from place to place preaching the gospel, but some do operate in one church or one area. When the senior pastor of a church is an evangelist by gifting, he must be careful to gather good pastors and teachers around him to conserve the fruits of his outreach ministry. b) Do all evangelists perform miracles? Not all do, but God often reveals His power when the gospel is preached to unbelievers. Church history shows that miracles are more likely to take place when the gospel is being preached to the lost than when the church gathers for corporate worship. Pastors The Greek word translated pastor is poimn, the normal word for shepherd. It occurs 18 times in the New Testament, being translated shepherd every time except in Ephesians 4:11. So a pastor is a shepherd, one who cares for Gods people, his sheep. Pastors are people-oriented. Their driving passion is a concern for the well being of their people. They are gifted at nurturing and caring for Gods sheep. They protect the sheep, help them when they are in trouble, and lead them to pastures. Charles Jefferson lists seven main duties of a shepherd:25 Lover Watchman Guard Guide Physician Saviour Feeder he is a sentry watching for danger. he is a protector warding off attacks. he is a guide leading the sheep to pastures. he is a doctor nursing the sick to health. he is a deliverer rescuing the lost sheep. he is a provider feeding the sheep. he loves his sheep and knows them personally and intimately.

Why do we call church leaders pastors? To some extent it is unfortunate that we use the term pastor to designate the leader of a local church. Not every man who leads a local church is a pastor by gifting. Some are prophets, others evangelists, and still others are teachers. Pastor came to be used as a title for a full-time church leader because his primary job is to care for Gods people, even though his main gifting may not be pastoral.

25

Charles Jefferson, The Minister as Shepherd, 3rd ed. (Hong Kong: Living Books for All, 1983), 3966.

121

Course Introduction Teachers Theologians have the ability to make simple things complicated. Teachers have the ability to make complicated things simple (David du Plessis). A teacher is a man God has gifted to interpret and explain the Word of God so that Gods people can apply it to their lives correctly. God places gifted teachers in the church to ensure that his Word is understood. Good teachers ensure both the doctrinal purity and contemporary relevance of Scripture. The task of the teacher is best demonstrated by Ezra the scribe in the book of Nehemiah: Nehemiah 8:8. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. a) What is the relationship between pastors and teachers? The way Paul says the Lord gave some to be pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11) gives the impression that pastors and teachers is one gift, that is, that the same man is a pastor-teacher. The pastor-teacher, then, would be the man who works in a local church, nurturing and teaching the sheep. The overlap between the tasks of shepherding and teaching is large. Every shepherd must do some teaching, that is, he must feed his sheep on the Word of God. Every teacher must have a pastors heart because people only embrace his teaching if they know he loves them. Nevertheless, pastors and teachers are distinct. The difference lies in their emphasis. Pastors are people-oriented, focusing mainly on personal care and nurture. Teachers are task-oriented, focusing on studying and applying the Word of God. Every good pastor must teach and every good teacher must pastor, but they stress different sides. The two gifts are so closely connected that we cannot totally divorce them, yet they are different enough that we cannot treat them as one ministry. Quote: A pastor is a PASTOR-teacher A teacher is a pastor-TEACHER

b) If the Holy Spirit teaches all believers, why do we need teachers? Those who pose this question refer to 1 John 2:27 which says we do not need human teachers because the anointing teaches us. The anointing here clearly refers to the Holy Spirit who remains in us. However, since the rest of the Bible teaches the Holy Spirit appoints and anoints teachers, this verse cannot mean that the anointing replaces the role of teachers. Two observations help us understand Johns puzzling statement. First, John was writing to mature believers who were past the need for basic instruction. Second, he appeals to the teaching role the Holy Spirit plays in believers lives as a safeguard against error. The point seems to be that the indwelling Holy Spirit, who illuminates the Word of God to us, is our safeguard, our last line of defence, against false teaching.

122

Course Introduction

123

Appendix C: Sharing a Personal Testimony

By Kevin G. Smith Meaning of a Testimony The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (www.m-w.com) defines a testimony as a firsthand authentication of a fact. The main use of the word relates to a witness in a court of law who testifies to what he has seen, heard or experienced firsthand. The two essential components of any testimony are (a) firsthand knowledge and (b) verbal authentication. The meaning remains the same when used in a spiritual instead of a legal context. When we as Christians share our testimonies we are giving evidence of something we have witnessed or experienced firsthand. We commonly distinguish between two kinds of personal testimonythe general testimony and the salvation testimony. A general testimony is sharing anything that you have witnessed God doing, whereas a salvation testimony is sharing how you came to know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. We shall focus on sharing a salvation testimony, though much of what we discuss is also appropriate for a general testimony. Purpose of a Testimony Why would you choose to share your testimony with an unsaved person instead of just sharing the gospel? A testimony is a supplement to the gospel, not a substitute for it. However, if used well and at the right moment, it can be powerful tool for evangelism. Here are some of its values: A testimony is indirect. When you share a testimony with unsaved people, you talk about I not about you. You focus on what happened to you, not what they must do. This is non-threatening. They are comfortable because you are not confronting them with the gospel. A testimony is inviting. A good testimony functions like a good appetiserit whets the appetite for more. The goal of sharing your testimony is to cause people to want to experience the good thing that you experienced. They should be left asking, Tell me more! I want what you have. A testimony is irrefutable. Because your testimony focuses on what you experienced rather than what you know, think or believe, others cannot easily argue with it. When

124

Course Introduction you talk about the Bible or the Lord, they can argue facts. When you talk about your experience, they cannot argue as easily. A testimony is inoffensive. Hard-core unbelievers either avoid talking about religion or use any attempt to tell them about Jesus as a chance to start an argument, but these same sinners will often listen quietly while you casually tell what God did for you. Two words of caution about sharing a testimony. Firstly, testimonies are never substitutes for sharing the gospel. They merely pave the way for it. Secondly, you must be a credible witness. When a witness gives evidence in court, his evidence is received or rejected based on whether the jury sees him as a credible witness. Does who he is and what he says ring true? Both your lifestyle (how you live) and your language (what you say) must ring true. If you make radical claims that you cannot live up to, your testimony loses credibility. Structure of a Testimony A salvation testimony has three simple parts: Before I met Jesus How I met Jesus Since I met Jesus

It works exactly like the before and after photographs advertisers use to sell diet products. First you tell what was wrong before you met Jesus, then you met Him, then you explain how He has changed your life for the better. Before I met Jesus Start with what your life was like before you met Jesus. Do not relate your entire life story. Stick to one or two things in your life that were bad before you met Jesus. By bad we do not necessarily mean sinful; they may be things that were out of balance and made your life unpleasant. Here are some examples: Before I met Jesus I was always unhappy Before I met Jesus my life was going nowhere Before I met Jesus I couldnt control my temper

If you know the person to whom you are testifying, try to keep the issue you choose as relevant as possible without being dishonest (i.e., you must choose something that Jesus really changed in your life). Now give a concrete example of the bad thing you mentioned. Lets return to our previous examples:

125

Course Introduction Before I met Jesus, I was always unhappy. I used to lie on my bed and listen to sad songs for hours on end. Before I met Jesus, my life was going nowhere. I used to get up, go to work, come home, go to bed and so on. I felt like my life went round in circles with no direction, no purpose, no meaning. Before I met Jesus, I couldnt control my temper. Once when I couldnt get my computer to work properly, in a fit of rage punched the monitor and broke the screen.

How I met Jesus Step two is to tell how you met Jesus. You have stated the problem, that your life was out of order in some way. Now you introduce the solutiona personal relationship with Jesus. That is why we use the phrase met Jesus, to show that it is not a religious idea we accepted, but a personal Saviour we embraced. This stage should be very, very short! You do not want to bore the person with the details of how you met Jesus. Most of the time it is enough to just say, Then I met Jesus and leave it at that. Since I met Jesus If your testimony is to have the desired effect, causing people to want to meet Jesus, then it must end with something desirable. You must end on a positive note, showing how knowing Jesus has made enriched your life. Too often Christian testimonies devote 80 percent of their time to describing all the bad things, 15 percent telling how they met Jesus and then just end without giving evidence of how good it is to know Him. Whatever negative you chose in step one, you must follow through with in step three. Step one showed how much you needed a change in that area; step three shows how Jesus has brought just that change. Do you remember our three example testimonies? Let us return to them. (a) Before I met Jesus I was always unhappy (b) Then I met Jesus. (b) Since I met Jesus, I have been full of joy. I am seeing the world through different eyes. Last week my dad remarked about how I am always smiling and singing happy songs. The Lord has made a world of difference in my life. (a) Before I met Jesus, my life was going nowhere (b) Then I met Jesus. (c) Now I know that my life has meaning. Ive started coaching the junior high boys soccer team at our church. What joy and purpose its given to shape those young lives. The Lord created me for a purpose.

126

Course Introduction (a) Before I met Jesus, I couldnt control my temper (b) Then I met Jesus. (c) But since I met Jesus, Ive become much more patient and better able to control my temper. Yesterday a taxi almost pushed me off the road in rush-hour traffic, but instead of screaming and swearing at him as I would have done before, it didnt get to me. Note how each testimony emphasises the positive benefits of knowing Jesus. They focus on how good Jesus is and how He is able to change our lives for the better rather than on how bad we were. Guidelines for a Testimony Have you ever had the misfortune of listening a lonely, self-absorbed man waffle on about himself for what seemed like hours on end? If so, then you know that listening to another person talking about himself is not fun. How do you share a testimony without boring people to death? We will conclude with the dos and donts of sharing a testimony. Keep it brief. As a rule, keep your testimonies under two minutes (never over three minutes). If you waffle on about yourself (or even about Jesus), people lose interest. For maximum impact, be short and sharp! Keep it relevant. Give your testimony an angle that is relevant to your audience. If you are sharing with a group of 10 year old boys, dont use an example of how Jesus salvaged your marriage; that is irrelevant to them. How Jesus helped you swallow your pride and forgive a friend after a big fight would hit home. Keep it focused. Target one issue and stick to it. Dont allow yourself to wander off course with unnecessary details. Aim for the target and avoid anything unnecessary. If your testimony focuses on how God saved your failing marriage, dont throw in stories about how you and your wife met. That just detracts from your focus. Keep it personal. In a testimony, you talk about what Jesus has done for you. Stick to that! Dont start preaching to them in the middle of it. If the situation lends itself to talking about them and their relationship with the Lord, do so after your testimony. Avoid Christianese. Dont use spiritual jargon like saved by the blood of Jesus or born again in your testimony. Instead of repented say turned to the Lord and instead of got saved say met the Lord. Use words with which they are familiar.

127

Appendix D: The Four Spiritual Laws

Campus Crusade for Christ. 1968. The four spiritual laws. Orlando: New Life Publications. Access from www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm, 2008-0321. Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws that govern your relationship with God. Law 1: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. Gods Love God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, NIV). Gods Plan [Christ speaking] I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10). Why is it that most people are not experiencing that abundant life? Because... Law 2: Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience Gods love and plan for his life. Man is Sinful All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his own stubborn selfwill, he chose to go his own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin. Man Is Separated The wages of sin is death [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).

128

Course Introduction

This diagram illustrates that God is holy and man is sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that man is continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion but he inevitably fails. The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf Law 3: Jesus Christ is Gods only provision for mans sin. Through Him you can know and experience Gods love and plan for your life. He Died In Our Place God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). He Rose from the Dead Christ died for our sins... He was buried... He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures... He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred... (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). He Is the Only Way to God Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14:6).

129

Course Introduction

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. It is not enough just to know these three laws Law 4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience Gods love and plan for our lives. We Must Receive Christ As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name (John 1:12). We Receive Christ Through Faith By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as result of works that no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9). When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth (Read John 3:1-8.) We Receive Christ Through Personal Invitation [Christ speaking] Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him (Revelation 3:20). Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will. 130

Course Introduction These two circles represent two kinds of lives:

Self-Directed Life self is on the throne Christ is outside the life Interests are directed by self, often resulting in discord and frustration

Christ-Directed Life Christ is on the throne Self is yielding to Christ, resulting in harmony with Gods plan Interests are directed by Christ, resulting in harmony with Gods plan

Which circle best represents your life? Which circle would you like to have represent your life? The following explains how you can receive Christ: You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer (Prayer is talking with God) God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer: Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, I invite you to pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into you life, as He promised.

131

Works Cited
Bounds EM 1999. Power through prayer, elec. ed. Oak Harbour: Logos Research Systems. Campus Crusade for Christ. 1968. The four spiritual laws. Orlando: New Life Publications. Access from www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm, 2008-03-21. Erickson MJ 1998. Christian theology (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Ferguson S 1988. Daniel. Waco: Word Books. Grudem W 1994. Systematic theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Jabini FS 2009. How to give joyfully. Johannesburg: SATS Press. Peppler CL 2000. The saga of the son of God. Johannesburg: SATS. Rozell J 1988. Christian counselling: agap therapy. Brussels: ICI University.

132

Assignments
Your grade for this course will be based on a portfolio of assignments. You must pass all the assignments in order to pass the course. Furthermore, you must submit each assignment by the stipulated date. Late submissions will not be graded. If you do not pass an assignment at the first attempt, you will be allowed one additional week in which to resubmit it (from the time you receive the assessors feedback). There are two ways you can submit your assignments: on MySats or by post. You cannot email your assignments to the seminary. Please see the Course Introduction in the Study Guide for a detailed explanation of how each option works. Assignment 1 Study Appendix C: Sharing a Personal Testimony. Write out your own conversion testimony, following the principles presented. Use this outline: 1. Before I met Jesus 2. How I met Jesus 3. Since I met Jesus If you grew up in a Christian home, and cannot remember a time before you knew Jesus, you may adapt the model. Length: maximum 500 words Assignment 2 This is a multiple-choice assignment. Each question has only ONE correct answer. If you are submitting your assignment electronically, simply login to MySats and enter the answers on the platform provided. If you are submitting this assignment as part of a portfolio (hard copy), provide a proper cover page and then simply type the number of the question and the letter of the correct answer for each question (e.g., 1c, 2d, 3a, etc.). Read the articles in Appendix A: Christian Character and Appendix B: Spiritual Gifts, and then answer the questions that follow. 1. Which of these does the author of Appendix A say? a. Christlikeness is the definition of Christian character. b. Jesus Christ is the supreme manifestation of Christian character. c. Love is the model of Christian character. d. All of the above. 133

Course Introduction 2. Who called love the royal law? a. Jesus b. Matthew c. James d. John e. Paul 3. Love is the one quality that defines Christian character. All other virtues are just expressions of love. a. True b. False 4. What primary image does the New Testament use to illustrate the process by which the Holy Spirit develops Christian character in believers lives? a. Stewardship b. Fruitbearing c. Labouring d. Growing 5. Which of these is NOT taught by Jesus parable of the vine and the branches in John 15:1-8? a. Jesus Christ is the source of our spiritual life. b. The indwelling Christ must be given room in our lives to transform us from the inside out, making us more like Himself. c. If we maintain a healthy relationship with Christ, there is a constant flow of His goodness into our lives and we produce fruit. d. When we walk in the Spirit, He produces in us what we cannot produce in ourselvesChristlike character. 6. Which of these does Smith say are vital for the development of Christian character? a. Prayer and Bible reading b. Fellowship with God and believers c. Evangelism and discipleship d. The love of God and the power of the Spirit 7. Why does love lie at the heart of Christian ethics? a. God is love. b. God values love more than anything else. c. Love sums up all Gods commandments. d. Love sums up the way Jesus lived. 8. Since Jesus told us to love others as we love ourselves, it is always a good thing to love yourself. a. True b. False

134

Course Introduction 9. Which of these reflects a Biblical understanding of self-love? a. Although she does not feel like going to church tonight, Sibongile goes because she knows she needs worship and fellowship. b. Because she has a low self-image, Tehillah embarks on a programme to restore her self-confidence. c. Since she understands the talents and gifts God has given her, Maria is able to love others by serving them. 10. Which two fruits refer to the way we experience love? a. Goodness and kindness b. Gentleness and self-control c. Peace and faithfulness d. Patience and kindness e. Joy and peace 11. What is the difference between joy and happiness? a. Joy is based on our experiences, happiness on our emotions. b. Joy is based on our relationship with God, happiness on our circumstances. c. Joy is based on our circumstances, happiness on our relationship with God. d. Joy is based on our emotions, happiness on our experiences. 12. Which of these is NOT a result of joy? a. happy face b. joyful song c. divine strength d. inner courage 13. Which is the odd one out? a. Gentleness and patience b. Peace and joy c. Joy and faithfulness d. Self-control and gentleness e. Kindness and goodness 14. The fruit of ________ describes the condition of your heart when it finds rest and security in the knowledge that you are in right relationship with God and He will look after you. a. Peace b. Goodness c. Kindness d. Gentleness

135

Course Introduction 15. The peace of the Holy Spirit is developed from inside you, and it does not depend on what is going on around you. a. True b. False 16. John 14:27 is an example of a. Peace with God b. Peace of God c. Peace with men d. All of the above 17. Which of these does NOT belong under the category love expressed? a. Kindness b. Goodness c. Gentleness d. Patience 18. The Greek word hupomon expresses Gods desire for us to persevere with difficult people without becoming angry. a. True b. False 19. Which is the odd one out? a. Forgiveness b. Wisdom c. Peace d. Strength e. Grace f. Suffering g. Faith 20. Because Pastor Mabuza loves his deacon who has sinned, he confronts him and insists he either repent or leave the church. Which fruit is Pastor Mabuza demonstrating? a. Patience b. Goodness c. Gentleness d. Kindness 21. Which is the odd one out? a. Generosity b. Service c. Encouragement d. Wisdom

136

Course Introduction 22. Mrs Ramirez betrays her husband by flirting with another man. Which fruits has she failed to demonstrate (primarily)? a. Goodness and faithfulness b. Goodness and self-control c. Patience and goodness d. Faithfulness and self-control e. Self-control and patience 23. Which of the fruits is most difficult to define? a. Peace b. Love c. Kindness d. Gentleness 24. Which is the odd one out? a. Evangelism b. Discipline c. Instruction d. Correction 25. Gentleness and patience suggest the ability to control our emotions, while self-control suggests the ability to control our desires. a. True b. False 26. Because the Corinthian church was abusing spiritual gifts, the apostle Paul took the view that abstinence is the safest solution. a. True b. False 27. Sunday meetings at the Church of Signs and Wonders are chaotic, with all sorts of manifestations of the Spirit taking place. This church is guilty of a. Supernaturalism b. Charismaticism c. Sensationalism d. Cessationism 28. Which passage of Scripture treats the motivational gifts? a. Romans 12 b. 1 Corinthians 12 c. Ephesians 4 d. Hebrews 6 29. The key to discovering your motivational gifts is finding where your passions and talents overlap. a. True b. False

137

Course Introduction 30. We dare not ignore the gifts of the Holy Spirit because we need the power of God to do the work of God. a. True b. False 31. If a prophet is led by the Spirit, his message is the Word of God just as the Scriptures are the Word of God. a. True b. False 32. Which is the odd one out? a. Faith b. Healing c. Prophecy d. Miracles 33. The spiritual gift of interpreting tongues means that the Holy Spirit enables someone to give an exact translation of a message in tongues. a. True b. False 34. The gift of faith differs from normal faith because it is a special deposit of faith that the Lord gives us to trust Him to overcome a particular problem or crisis. a. True b. False 35. Motivational gifts are the special abilities that God put in each of us when He created us. a. True b. False 36. Another term for motivational gifts would be natural talents. a. True b. False 37. Which is the odd one out? a. God gives different members of the body different gifts. b. Every members gift is equally important to the body. c. We must be faithful in the way we use our gifts. d. The gifts must operate in an orderly manner. 38. Which category of gifts relates to Christian leaders? a. Motivational gifts b. Ministry gifts c. Manifestation gifts

138

Course Introduction 39. Which is correct? a. The apostle governs, the prophet guides, the evangelist gathers, pastor guards, and the teacher grounds. b. The apostle guides, the prophet guards, the evangelist gathers, pastor governs, and the teacher grounds. c. The apostle gathers, the prophet guides, the evangelist grounds, pastor guards, and the teacher governs. d. The apostle governs, the prophet grounds, the evangelist guards, pastor gathers, and the teacher guides. 40. The apostle is the highest ranking office in the church. a. True b. False Assignment 3 Please answer each of these short questions. You do not need to provide an introduction and conclusion for this assignment. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. What is the most important way in which the Lord speaks to us? List six reasons why we should read the Bible. Which Bible translation falls at the middle of the literal-dynamic continuum? What are the two main kinds of Bible study? What are the two goals of devotional Bible study? What is prayer? List seven things Jesus taught about prayer. What are the three basic elements of many Biblical prayers?

the the the the

Length: maximum 300 words in total

139

Course Introduction Assignment 4 Compile a list of the one another commands from these Scriptures: Romans 12:10 Romans 12:16 Romans 14:13 Romans 15:7 Romans 15:14 Galatians 5:13 Ephesians 4:2 Ephesians 4:32 Colossians 3:9 Colossians 3:13 1 Thessalonians 5:11 James 5:16

Just write down the Scripture and the one another command, such as: Romans 14:13do not judge one another Length: 100 words Assignment 5 Share the four spiritual laws with an unsaved person, then write one paragraph (100 words) confirming that you did so and commenting briefly about how it went. Suggestion: Memorise the four spiritual laws (see Appendix D: The Four Spiritual Laws). Approach an unsaved friend or colleague, explain that you are doing a course through SATS, and ask if you could have 5-10 minutes of his or her time to share the four spiritual laws as one of your assignments. Many unsaved people will be happy to assist you with your assignment. Length: 100 words

140

Course Introduction Assignment 6 Read Frank Jabini (2009), How to Give Joyfully. This book discusses principles of Christian giving, emphasising the importance of being faithful stewards of what God entrusts to us. After reading the book, write an essay in which you: 1. Summarise the major teachings of the book, indicating the Scriptural support for each main principle you discuss. 2. Evaluate your churchs teaching about giving in the light of the principles in Jabini. Indicate the similarities and differences. Where there are differences, indicate whose view you consider most Biblical (Jabinis or your churchs), and why. 3. Evaluate your own habits with respect to giving to God. Describe how the book affected your own thinking about giving. If you have resolved to change your giving habits, indicate what you intend to change and what caused you to take that decision. Use the following outline for your assignment: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Introduction Jabinis principles about giving My churchs teaching about giving My convictions about giving Conclusion

Length: approximately 2,000 words

141