Bible

TREVIN WAX|12:10 AM CT

7 Arrows for Bible Reading

Matt Rogers is the teaching pastor at The Church at Cherrydale in Greenville, SC. His church has developed an interesting way to help their people read and understand Scripture within their small groups. I asked Matt if he would share about their tool and how it lines up with their discipleship objectives.

There is often a vast disconnect between the awareness of the need for disciple-making and practical tools that actually aid in this work. Three factors are essential: Scripture, relationships, and time. Discipleship happens when the life-changing truth of Scripture is infused into genuine relationships over an extended period of time.

Our desire was to create a simple, reproducible strategy that would facilitate this process. This led us to develop a simply strategy for small clusters (2-3 people) to meet together regularly and talk about the Scriptures and apply them to their lives.

The seven arrows of Bible reading were an attempt at developing a tool for proper hermeneutics to power these relationships. We did not want our people to simply talk about the Bible. We wanted them to understand the Bible and know how to apply it to their lives. Each cluster would read a predetermined passage of Scripture and discuss it using these seven arrows.

The goal was for the clusters to start by summarizing the main point of the passage as succinctly as possible, ideally in one sentence.

Next, the clusters sought to discern authorial intent for the passage by asking what it meant to its original audience. Since a text of Scripture can never mean what it never meant, it is necessary to begin by discerning what the text meant. Often this may require the clusters to consult other study tools or cross-reference other Biblical texts to arrive at the meaning of the text.

Thirdly, we asked what the text tells us about the nature and character of God and specifically His work through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Fourthly, the text was analyzed to see what it tells us about humanity. Bryan Chappell refers to this as the “fallen condition focus” of the text. What does the text reveal about sin and mankind’s need for the gospel?

Then we moved the clusters to application. Since we had now rooted the clusters in the meaning of the text, they were now positioned to rightly apply it’s meaning to their lives.

From there we wanted our clusters to apply the Scripture to their relationships with others. Ideally, they would discuss how the text shaped both how they related to other believers and how they lived on mission in the world.

Finally, the clusters rooted their prayers in the Scriptures. Hopefully, the previous six arrows kindled the flames of passionate prayer in the lives of the clusters – both for their own sanctification and for their mission to the lost.

With these model, we touched on three important areas for discipleship:

• Scripture - Disciple-making was rooted in a rightful understanding of Scripture and not in simply doing life together, unpacking another sermon, or dependance on classroom instruction.
• Simplicity – Disciple-making was simple enough for everyone to get involved. All believers could take these principles, a Bible, and a relationship with a young Christian and get to work.
• Stickiness – Disciple-making through understanding and applying Scripture was etched in the minds of our young church. They could use these same arrows to not only guide their cluster discussions, but also their personal Bible Study, small group leadership, and comprehension of sermons.

To further encourage and aid our people, we gave them bookmarks with the seven arrows on them. These arrows have proven to be a unique tool in our disciple-making toolbox that the Lord is using to call and build faithful and fruitful followers of Jesus.

165th ANNIVERSARY OF PRUDE'S CREEK BAPTIST

165th ANNIVERSARY OF PRUDE'S CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH In October, 1989 I submitted my resignation as Pastor Of Second Baptist in Bessemer to be effective Jan 1, 1990. We had served there 9 years and were sure it was time for us to move on even though we had no idea what the Lord had in store. In His timing, we were able to acquire The Master's Shop ( a Christian book store) from Bill Phares in Februaary of 1990. The store was established in 1967. We would continue in that ministry for 15 years until we closed the store in May of 95 due to health reason. During this same period we continue serving churches bi-vocationally. In May of 1992 I preached as a supply at Prudes's Creek Baptist Church and, on May 31 became the pastor. We had 3 services weekly. We remained as pastor a little over 3 years, until 1995. We were so looking forward to being with you today but, once again my health would not allow it. Here a few of my Memories: * There was no easy way to get here. You don't JUST GO BY THERE UNLESS YOU ARE LOST. * The MudCreek International Airport. * Finding THE CREEK. * The beauty of the Church and the Cemetery. * The love and warmth of God's Family at PCBC. * Wendall and Nola Hyche. Wendall was the only deacon and most energetic Sr. Adult I have ever known. Nola was indeed his helpmeet and I loved her CANDIED sweet potatoes, among many other sweet memories. I WILL FORGET SOME IF I TRY TO REMEMBER ANY MORE NAMES. * The Annual Mother's Day Celebrations with dinner on the ground. * In early 1993 we sold her house, Carolyn retired from teaching and we moved into the Church's pastorium. This was our first time to live in the COUNTRY and it was a delight. We loved the quiet, the wildlife (except the pesky armadillos). Our home being burglarized was not too pleasant. Overall this was a great experience. * Saturday, March 1993 we woke up to THE BLIZZARD OF 93. Also called THE STORM OF THE CENTURY and THE 93 SUPERSTORM. I think we may have been the very last to have power restored. * The many WATER MEETINGS at the Church. * In 1995 we moved to LAKE VIEW and later that year we left Prude's Creek. But Prude's Creek has never left us. With Paul I would say "I THANK MY GOD UPON EVERY REMEMBRANCE OF YOU" * I was thrilled to hear of Lord's increase at PCBC and that Bro Nolan Stinnett is your pastor Perhaps the Lord will allow us to meet together here once again. If not I will see you all in HEAVEN. ..............BE SURE YOU HAVE A RESERVATION. JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY, THE ONLY TRUTH AND THE ONLY LIFE.

CREATIVE MINDS BY JOE MCKEEVER

Joe McKeever

"Your words have stood men on their feet." Job 4:4

March 28, 2009

Creative Minds, Great Quotes

"Tragically, in most churches the pain of change is greater than the pain of ineffectiveness." -- Thom Rainer in "Simple Church."

My longtime friend, Max Youngblood of Bessemer, Alabama, sent us a delightful thing from the Birmingham area. The Jefferson County Commission is proposing a "non-user fee" for residents who do not use the county sewer system. Well, sir, that gave restaurant owner Tasos Touloupis an idea. The owner of Ted's Restaurants -- one at 328 12th St. South and the other at 1801 4th Avenue South -- has proposed a "non-diner's fee."

The way it works is this: Ted's will maintain a record of customers. At the end of each month, his bookkeeper will send a $12 NDF invoice to all residents of Jefferson County who did not eat at Ted's during the month.

Sounds like a deal, doesn't it.

In these times of economic uncertainty, our churches will need to become more creative in generating income. How does a "non-member's tithing" system sound?

Up in Alexandria, Louisiana, my friend Devona Able was at her computer the other evening. Her wonderful eight-year-old Grace Anne, looking over her shoulder, noticed an e-mail from "Dr. Joe McKeever." She asked, "Is he a doctor?" Mom answered, "Yes, but not like Dr. Marzullo (her pediatrician)."

Grace Anne said, "Oh, so he must be a doctor like Dr. Brooks (Calvary, Alexandria). They're like doctors of love because they teach people what love really means and that it comes from Jesus."

"Yeah, baby," mom said. "Something like that."

Out of the mouths of babes. (So, just call me "Doctor Love." Wait, on second thought, that sounds like a rap artist.)

Plundering the office closet, I ran across my scribbled notes from the one time I attended the annual pastors conference at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago (that would be May 30-June 1, 1978). I had already "latched onto" (preacher talk for "I really, really liked this guy!") Warren Wiersbe who was soon to transition from pastoring Chicago's Moody Memorial Church to becoming the on-air teacher for the Back-to-the-Bible broadcast.

Wiersbe's message, based on Psalm 78, was titled "What a Difference the Right Man Makes!" It's great stuff, and wears well three decades later.

Introduction: When God wanted to

--start a Jewish nation, He called a shepherd (Abraham).

--Build the Jewish nation, He called a shepherd (Jacob).

--Protect the Jewish nation, He called a shepherd (Joseph).

--Straighten out the Jewish nation, He called a shepherd (David).

That's still God's answer to the basic needs in the ministry today. Psalm 78:72 goes: "So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands."

I. God's people have a need: feeding and leading.

That's why shepherds exist for the flock. David's predecessor, Saul, was not a shepherd, but a hireling. (See John 10:12-13) The opposite of feeding is exploiting. 
If you don't feed the sheep, they start eating things they should not.

II. God has a need: a man to be the shepherd for His people.

But not just any man. David was "a man after God's own heart." God is a shepherd, Jesus a shepherd, Paul and Peter were shepherds.

--A shepherd is a servant. No one has the right to lead who hasn't learned how to serve. Novice's profession is louder than his possession.

--a shepherd is compassionate. Psalm 78:71 "following ewes with their young"

--a shepherd is skillful. "the skillfulness of his hands" (vs. 72).

III. God's man has a need: "integrity" -- 78:72

"Integrity" means united, wholeness, oneness. It is the opposite of a divided life. (James 1)

--Jesus spoke of this in the Sermon on the Mount. "Seek first the Kingdom of God." A united heart. "If the eye is single." A united mind. "No one can serve two masters." A united will.

--Put to death the alternatives. Make the decision once and for all.

--The result is the integrity of person, purpose, preaching.

Jerry Jenkins spoke at that conference. This was years before he and Tim LaHaye made history in Christian publishing with their "Left Behind" series. Two quotes from Jerry:

"Most people do not want to write; they want to have written."

"Writing a book is like giving birth to a bale of barbed wire." (And that's what I'm trying to do this year! Triplets even!)

And the inimitable Vance Havner spoke. (This veteran evangelist, in a class by himself in every category imaginable, always made me think of something Alice Longworth Roosevelt said of Calvin Coolidge: "He looks like he was weaned on a pickle." He was a prophet in many ways.)

Dr. Havner gave us four tests for preachers: truth, temptation, trouble, time. He said, "These don't get much attention from pulpit committees, but the Lord puts a lot of value on them."

Truth: Most of our preachers think of truth as a body of doctrine, but it's actually the Lord Jesus Christ.

Temptation: There's no sin in being tempted. Jesus was tempted.

Trouble: The storm tests the house. "If your faith is no good in the dark, it's not worth much in the daylight."

In Hebrews 11, in the summary toward the end of the chapter, there are two groups: those who won great victories and those who died for the Lord. Be ready for either.

"God did not die to make us happy, but to make us holy."

Problems will either make you better or bitter.

Time: Steadfastness. Can you see a job through? (Dr. Havner spoke of wanting to die before he lost control of his faculties. Asked us to pray for him to that end. He died in 1986, but I do not know the details.) He said, "The Lord preserves the saints, not pickles them."

The lineup of other speakers that week included Howard Hendricks, John MacArthur, David Howard, Erwin Lutzer, S. M. Lockridge, and Ross Rhoads (seven years later, Ross and I became neighboring pastors in Charlotte). I heard as many as I could.

What was I doing traveling all the way from Columbus, Mississippi, to Chicago for that conference? Frankly, I had become bored with all the SBC conferences I had been attending. The same speakers were on all the programs. So, I decided to go somewhere different. It was a grand week and its memory is fresh today. As I recall, the fee for the conference was around $60, and on the last day, they gave us that amount in books from their publishing house. These folks do know how to bless a preacher!