"And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you..." Genesis 12:3
Today I had some help mowing my yard. I didn't have tons of money. But I paid them what I could afford. And later, I remembered this verse. And I prayed a blessing on those who helped me today.
The blessing of God can be conferred on people through prayer. Whether you lay hands on them or not.
God will bless those who blessed me in like manner as they blessed me. Amen!
I want to change my name. I want to be called Micah or Obadiah or some other minor prophet's name. I want to wear rustic clothing and I want to eat strange food. I want to behave in bizarre ways. Laying on my side for a year, marrying a prostitute, etc.
But the most important reason for being a minor prophet is so that I can be mean to everyone and talk trash to everyone and blame it on God. I don't want to be courteous and kind. I want to be critical and harsh. I don't want to speak the truth in love. I want to pronounce doom and gloom and destruction on people in need.
Being a minor prophet is a great job for men who do not like people. For men who think that everyone is a loser. Say thus saith the Lord and anything you say is validated.
God help us.
"...I have learned , in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Phil. 4:11
First of all, contentment has to be learned. It is not a gift of God. It is not something that just happens.
Contentment takes personal effort. You learn to be content by the experiences of life. Going through hard times can teach you how to live on less. Learning how to prosper can teach you how to handle wealth. Either way, it is something that life will teach you. You have to put in the effort and the work to learn to be content no matter your state.
Contentment also takes instruction. This is where the local church can help. Through preaching and teaching we can be instructed on how to be content. A sermon can address covetousness. A sermon can address giving. A sermon can address fear of not having enough. A Sunday school lesson can teach you how to handle money. There is a top-down component in learning to be content.
The word content is interesting. It is not used often in the new testament. It literally means self sufficient. It means someone who needs no assistance. It describes someone who can adjust their life to live on what they have. It describes someone who has their desires under control. It describes someone who lives by their budget, not by advertising or credit cards. Contentment is a mark of maturity.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13
"But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19
Jesus will help you if you will just try. He will strengthen you in your effort to be content.
Some days the Bible comes alive. Some days it's just words. Some services are exciting and uplifting. Some services are just an hour of time that passes with no impact. And that is alright with me. I do not need every day to be a holiday full of excitement. I don't need every service to be the Friday night of Prescott conference. I enjoy the times when I get something useful or interesting. And I ignore the blah days and times when nothing is happening.
You will know when you have grown up and matured as a believer when you can have a mediocre time and not be discouraged by it. When you can hear a sermon and know that you are not the only one in the building that needs help. Character is formed when you do the right thing because it is right, not because it feels good.
I enjoy the times when God speaks to me and I hear the still, small voice. I do not lose heart when I hear nothing at all. Neither should you.
Teaching adult Sunday school is a unique experience. It is not preaching. It is teaching. But it is a special kind of teaching that is usually only found in churches. The rules that apply to teaching adult Sunday School are not the same rules for giving a TED talk or giving a business lecture. We are not talking about a product, we are dealing with God's word.
One big problem I have noticed in big churches is how most people are reluctant to read or to participate. Most people are afraid of microphones. Most people are afraid of public speaking. So only a small group usually participates in the lesson. Add to that the pastor is up on stage behind the pulpit and it becomes just another sermon. Smaller churches do not have these problems. Small group studies do not have microphones.
Some lessons from secular teaching are: the idea that people in the pews need to believe that studying God's word is important to them, and that it will help them in their day to day lives. A well taught class generates a sense of curiosity about what is next. And a few will even dare to share their experiences.
It's not just dispensing Bible information that makes adult Sunday School work. It is finding out what your pastor knows and what he thinks.
One more thought. Preaching and teaching are performance art. You set yourself on fire and people will come to watch you burn. So said John Wesley. And, don't worry if you do not cover all of your material. We don't care if you leave some notes untaught. If you don't tell us, we won't know if you finished or not.
I just spent 30 minutes looking up how to be a better teacher of adults. I found some very useful information. For example, I discovered a new word. Andragogy, which is the word for teaching adults. I also learned something about preaching and teaching. It is part performance. One other thing that I learned is that adults learn differently than children, and that they need to be taught differently.
One thing that really jumped out at me is the idea of need to know learners. These are students who must have a reason to learn or to study. They need to know why learn in general. They need to know why is this necessary for me to know. They need to know if this subject is important to me today.
Newly planted seeds take a different method and regimen of care than a mature trees. A tree needs things that a seed does not yet understand or need. We have children's Sunday School for seeds. Adult Bible study is for more mature saints who have experienced some things in life.
One thing a teacher needs to do is to create some level of curiosity in his students. They need to not only make it true, but make it interesting as well.
So in thirty minutes of study online, I learned more about teaching adult Bible study than some pastors who have been teaching and preaching for years know now.
You can be a better preacher. You can be a better teacher. Put some work in on it.
Most Fellowship pastors think that teaching adult Sunday School is just another sermon except you get others to read your scripture references for you. This is not teaching, this is still just preaching. For example, why not get off the stage and stand down on floor level with a podium. Ask questions and take answers. Teach doctrine since the bible is full of doctrine and lists. If you teach and no one learns anything upon review, go back to school and learn how to teach effectively.
Pastors must teach. If you do not know how or if your teaching isn't working get help. Watch You Tube to learn how to teach. Teaching is valuable to get sinners saved by grace into Heaven. It is profitable.
"And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." Eph. 4:11
We have pastors in our Fellowship. Our evangelists we call missionaries (I guess). We have no apostles or prophets at all. In discipleship we have gone from creating pastors out of converts to making sure the couple follows our pattern of outreach and evangelism. A good Bible teacher would teach on these ministry gifts and explain them to us. And they would know why we have pastors but no apostles. They would know why pastors teach as well as preach.
Take the word office off of the door, and replace it with Study. Study to show yourself approved.
