|
 Teach
a Man to Study
Mike Riley
You’ve heard the saying, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a
day; teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” Relative to
God’s word, we might express this principle this way: “Teach a man
what the Bible says, and he has knowledge for a day; teach a man to
study the Bible, and he has knowledge for a lifetime.” Many people’s
approach to Bible study is the “Let George Do It” method. They say
to themselves, “I don’t have to study the Bible, that’s what we have
(insert the preacher’s name) for.” Several problems arise from this
method:
•George isn’t always right - That doesn’t mean George is
intentionally deceptive. It just means he doesn’t know everything,
and some of what he says may be incorrect (James 3:1-2).
•On judgment day, George won’t be able to stand in your place -
You’ll have to stand or fall on your own faith and obedience, not
George’s (Gal. 6:4).
•George is not your judge, and it’s not his viewpoint that should
concern you - Jesus Christ will be your Judge in the last day (Acts
17:31; 2 Timothy 4:1), and His word will be the “standard” of
judgment (John 12:48). You need to know what Jesus says in His word,
not just what George “thinks” it says.
If you question the prevalence of the “Let George Do It” system
of Bible exegesis, try starting a discussion on some challenging
point of Scripture with a few of your religious friends. Before
long, someone’s bound to say, “Well, my pastor says…” or “Well, my
priest says…” or “Well, Reverend What’s-his-name says…”
While preachers have a responsibility to “preach the word” and in so
doing, to “convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and
teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2), we need to realize that preaching the
Word is more than simply telling the audience what’s in the Word.
It’s also “empowering” each listener to study the Scriptures for
himself, and to effectively interpret and use what he logically
concludes using all the inspired writings (Psalm 139:17). It’s what
Ezra and the priests did: “So they read distinctly from the book, in
the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to
understand the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8). They not only taught what
the Law said, but taught the people how to comprehend it for
themselves.
When Paul had taught Timothy all he had to teach, the apostle
admonished him, “But you must continue in the things which you have
learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned
them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is
in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14-15). Rather than “letting Paul do
it,” Timothy learned to study for himself (2 Timothy 2:15) and
gained knowledge for a lifetime (2 Timothy 3:14-15).
|
|
"Dynamic Worship" A
sign advertising a local church’s worship service read “Two DYNAMIC
Worship Services.” While it is not uncommon nowadays to see such
words used to describe a worship service, should such even be a
consideration for our worship to God?
Does God want “dynamic worship” or does He seek spiritual and true
worship? The Lord directly answers this question when He says, “But
the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to
worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship
in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).
“Dynamic worship” is obviously being advertised in contrast or
comparison to some other kind of worship. Typically, those who
desire “dynamic worship” are tired of what they consider boring,
dull or “old-fashioned” worship. They want energetic, contemporary
worship that they can relate to. They want exhilarating worship that
is in keeping with the times. They want emotion filled worship that
appeals to them. They want uplifting worship that makes them feel
good. So, local churches are making changes to provide such worship
for their worshipers. The problem with this is two-fold.
First, such worship is worshiper-oriented, not God-oriented. Is not
our worship for God and to God? Why then are we innovating our
worship to God to meet the desires of the worshiper? Should not the
worshiper’s concern be for the desires of God (cf. 1 Thess. 4:1)?
Are not God’s ways of worship satisfying enough for us? Are not the
approved methods of worship demonstrated by the first century
Christians good enough for us? Are we not to imitate them (cf. 1 Cor.
11:1)?
Second, such worship might engage a man’s spirit, but it fails in
regard to truth. Is not God’s word truth (John 17:17)? Should not
God’s word be our authority in all spiritual matters, to include
worship (cf. Col. 3:16-17)? Should not our worship then resemble and
conform to first century worship? It can be confirmed that apostolic
worship was approved worship, spiritual worship and truthful worship
(cf. Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 1:21; 11:23-27; 16:1-2; Eph. 5:19). Can
we prove that “dynamic” worship rises to that mark established by
the Lord (1 Thess. 5:21)?
You see, we can have spiritual and truthful worship that is
“dynamic.” However, not all “dynamic worship” is in spirit and truth
(cf. Rom. 8:8). The dynamics of worship are not based on externals
that appeal to the flesh. The dynamics of worship are based on
internals that appeal to the spirit and truth. Thus, when worshipers
emphasize spirit and truth in their hearts, the dynamics will be
where God expects them to be.
Most who desire “dynamic worship” would argue that their worship is
in spirit and in truth. If such is true, then why not simply
advertise your worship as such? Can there be any higher type of
worship than true worship? ~
Jonathan L. Perz
|
|
How to Lead Prayer...
G. E. Watkins
A note to all of you men that are experienced in leading worship:
You should know that the young men and new converts are in awe of
you. They don’t know how you can be asked at a moment’s notice and
be ready to lead a prayer. All they know is that if THEY are asked
they will melt into a pool of fright. They think that you must have
a special talent from God. And they KNOW that they don’t have it.
I’ve been on both sides. I’ve been the scared-to-death,
cotton-in-the-mouth, jelly-legged, brain-blocked young man trying to
utter a prayer that made sense and now I’m one of those who can be
asked on a moment’s notice and not break into a cold sweat. I’m not
saying that the congregation says, “Wow” when I’m done, but I can do
a credible job. Do I have a special talent from God? No, I’m afraid
not. My history doesn’t bear that out. Did I have special training?
No, it was all on the job training.
I don’t have a clear memory of the first time I led a prayer, just
impressions. Those impressions are of fear, failure and shame. I was
baptized when I was fifteen or so and I was big for my age (near six
feet and over 200 pounds). This is all just to say, I know what
you’re going through, I’ve been there. I’ve felt the dread, the
sweaty palms, all of it.
What can I say to help you get through it? There are things you need
to understand before you stand to lead a congregation in prayer.
No one expects you to be a Bible scholar at this point. Are you
afraid you’ll say something wrong? You will say something wrong at
some point. If not, you do have a gift from God. Just keep the
prayer simple and from the heart and if someone comes and points out
a misunderstanding you may have that was revealed in your prayer,
thank them for pointing it out and go on. You won’t be the first nor
will you be the last.
The congregation is grateful that you have the courage to lead. This
is most sharply felt in very small congregations. Picture a
Wednesday night when five women and one man make it to Bible study.
If the preacher was one that didn’t make it (it’s happened to me)
then the service is led by someone who may not be proficient at all
(or any) of the things that need to be done. I’ve heard sincere
gratitude expressed to the man who put duty before his personal
comfort. He led the prayers, and the songs, and he did some Bible
readings, maybe for the first time. Even if he did some things badly
the ladies made him think he prayed like Elijah, sang like David,
and read like Ezra. The idea is that the congregation isn’t waiting
for you to slip up so they can titter at you. They are grateful that
you stood when called upon.
No one expects you to lead a prayer like an elder or a preacher.
Elders and preachers have led hundreds, maybe thousands of prayers.
Don’t try to sound like someone else and don’t worry that your
prayer is not long enough. Try not to frame thy prayer in the
language of King James unless thou art truly acquainted with it. In
the future, if you become acquainted with it, and you truly feel
that using it is the most reverent way to approach God then by all
means do so. Just don’t feel that it is a requirement to be heard by
God. Simple and modern is just fine.
The following are some recommendations I give to men who express to
me that they don’t feel prepared when it comes to public prayer:
Pray at home. In order to train to pray publicly you’ll need to stop
saying quiet prayers within your mind. You’ll need to verbalize.
This forces thoughts to become words. When you pray privately at
home, verbalize. When you pray alone in your car, verbalize. When
you pray at the dinner table, verbalize. Use words and be careful
with your diction.
If you’re in a small Bible class let the teacher know that you could
use opportunities before a smaller group.
Study prayer to know what God would have us to be concerned with in
prayer. Too many men learn to lead prayer solely by the examples of
those whom they have heard pray. You should go to the source. You
should ask what God would have us pray about. God has specific
concerns for which we should pray. These include the spread of the
kingdom, the holiness of Christians, the forgiveness of sins,
praising God, thanking God and making petition for personal needs.
Get out a Bible concordance and look up the words “pray,” “prayer,”
“prayed,” “praying,” etc. and you’ll begin to get a good idea of
what God’s concerns are. Pray about those.
Pray for those things appropriate at the moment. When you lead
prayer, don’t feel obligated to include everything that might be
God’s concern in every opportunity for prayer. An opening prayer
should include things that a closing prayer does not and vice versa.
Prayers at the beginning of a Bible class should not be just like a
prayer before a meal. Prayers at the Lord’s table should be about
the element about to be served.
Forget about making yourself look good or sound good. Conversely,
forget about not making yourself look like an idiot (which is what
beginners usually fret about). Put your mind on God, on His grace,
His mercy, His holiness.
It’s a privilege to lead the Lord’s people in prayer. It is humbling
and faith-building. More men should prepare themselves to do it.
More men should accept the responsibility. Zero men become preachers
who don’t lead public prayer. Zero men become deacons who don’t lead
public prayer. Zero men become elders who don’t lead public prayer.
As a Christian man it is a necessary step in your Christian
development. You can do it. ~
|