NEW TERM OF DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING

The winter term of Discipleship Training will begin February 12th. This will be a 12 week term with four classes being offered. Read the descriptions below and choose a class. Sign up sheets are posted on the bulletin board outside the choir room.

 

God Built - The Book's author is Steve Farrar. He is a graduate of California State University-Fullerton with a master's degree and a doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also the author of Point Man a study we used in Discipleship Training last summer.

Our World is in desperate need of bold passionate men of integrity, such men aren't born; they're built, shaped and formed by God. The book is written using the life of Joseph as its base. In fact the introduction of the book is a chapter entitled. " The story of Joseph from 30,000 feet." This is a quick summary of Joseph's life. Each other chapter of the book uses a portion of Joseph's life as the basis for commentary

Joseph was a legitimate victim of abuse by his brothers. At the beginning, Farrar comments; "If he were alive today, his tragic story would have him on Oprah." But she would have him on just for a day; she would tell his story over the course of an entire week and psychologist would be brought in to explain Joseph's trauma. Using Joseph's life as an example, the author states that some chapters of our lives make absolutely no sense and we wonder where God is. It just doesn't add up! But Farrar explains this is part of God's plan, He is preparing us for greater responsibilities ahead (as with Joseph.) A further comment is made that often we blame Satan for our tough times when we get blindsided but really it's not Satan but God that brought it on. The author's theory is that God is in charge of all our life, the good and the bad. Another theory is that bad things that affect us come in cycles of three, and he compares it to waves of the ocean that come ashore in sets of three. Then it's calm for several minutes and then the next set rolls in. This theory is backed up by Psalms 88: 7, a lonely Psalmist wrote, "You have afflicted me with all your waves." If you read the context, he's talking about hardship, suffering and loss.

This is quite puzzling to us. Why would God allow devastating loss to come into our lives? If he controls everything, why doesn't he stop the loss from occurring? Think of Job. If He could stop the tragedy that came into Job's life, then why didn't He stop it? There is a term that explains this strange working of God. It is what you call a cross providence. God has told us up front that we're not going to understand Him. That's a biblical given. In Isaiah 55: 8 the Lord tells us "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways. "One of God's ways to accomplish his plan in our lives is through the medium of a cross providence. A cross providence is any event occurring in your life that looks like God is working against you. A wave of affliction is a cross providence. A divesting loss is a cross providence. There is more to what God is doing in a cross providence than our eyes can see or our small mind can grapple with. But again we don't understand his ways and we immediately think His ways are wrong. But they're not wrong?they are right. Psalm 119: 68 declares that "At the moment" we may not see the good. All we may see is hurt, pain, and wrenching grief. But the Lord is good. It may not even be on this earth that we see the good. But eventually we will see it.

Think of all the bad things that happened to Joseph but in the end good things happened to him. He became second in command in the land of Egypt and God used him to save the lives of an entire country during a famine. This study will be led by Jim Ramey. Jim would like this to be a men's Bible Study. Please support him in his first study for Discipleship Training.

 

When Faith and Decisions Collide-The author of the book for this study is Dan Schaeffer pastor of Shoreline Community church in Santa Barbara California. He is an award winning writer whose articles have appeared in Readers Digest. His books include: In Search of the Real Spirit of Christmas; A Better Country-Preparing for Heaven and Defining Moments.

The real message of this book is finding God's will for your life. You may ask, how can I know this? Have you ever found yourself looking for signs to tell you God's will for your life. Few things weigh more on the mind of Christians than the search for God's will for their lives. And there's a lot of confusion surrounding this subject.

Too often, the author says, we ignore what scripture tells us about God's will and relay instead on our emotions, human counsel or circumstances for direction. As Christians, we are also sign watchers. We're constantly looking for signs to tell us what God's will is. We have the idea that God speaks today as He spoke in Old Testament times in the life of Gideon. Gideon had a unique way of determining God's will by putting out a fleece and asking God to miraculously give him a sign through it. God does not often work through that method today. The book's author said he knew a young man who was praying for a job, but that was also the place he stopped. He did not check the "Help Wanted" newspaper ads or job search firms. He was expecting God to simply "bring" him a job. He felt it was a true test of his faith and spirituality. A young woman might pray, "Lord if you want me to accept this man's proposal of marriage, let him call today between four and five O'clock." We can see the foulness in seeking God's help in this way.  At stake is more than just finding the elusive will of God. Again, the author says, "I have spent many hours counseling with several disappointed and disillusioned Christians who feel God either "led them on" or "let them down." Hurt and deeply disappointed, their belief in God's goodness, mercy, and care has been dashed. There are no easy answers or guaranteed formula in finding God's will for your life. We should look at the will of God as a journey in time, rather than arriving at a destination.

Seeking God's will, can be like looking in a car's rear view mirror. You see where you have been rather than where you are going. Rev. Schaeffer says, I was thinking about this recently when we invited some Christian friends over for dinner. As we talked about our background and some of the traumatic experiences we had encountered- we shared experiences we had lived through, twenty or thirty years ago, and how hard and unwanted they had been at the time. But now we realized how significantly these experiences had impacted our lives, in a positive way. In retrospect they now made sense to us, though none of us would want to repeat these moments again. We all agreed they had been necessary for our growth. But only from the rearview mirror of life could we see that. In summary, how God has worked in your life previously may be your best way to see his will for your future. There is much to be learned from this study. Give it your consideration. Led By: Colin Bailey

 

An Introduction to the Book of James

Max Lucado is the writer of this study. Lucado is a popular modern day Christian author who has written many books. Several have been used in Discipleship Training over the years. This study is not written in book fashion, but in a Bible study fashion. He has published studies for several books of the Bible. This one is for the New Testament book of James.

The study begins with this illustration. Francis of Assisi once invited an apprentice to go with him to a nearby village to preach. The young monk quickly agreed, seizing an opportunity to hear his teacher speak. When they arrived in the village, Francis began to visit with the people. He stopped in on the butcher, the cobbler, then to the home of a woman who'd recently buried her husband. After that, a stop at the school to chat with teachers. This continued through the morning. After some time Francis told his disciple that it was time to return to the Abbey.

The student didn't understand. "But we came to preach" he reminded. "We haven't preached a sermon." "Haven't we?" questioned Francis. "People have watched us, listened to us, and responded to us. Every word we have spoken and every deed we have done has been a sermon. We have preached all morning." Not just with words but with our lives. Then, St. Francis is noted as saying. "Preach without ceasing. If you must, use words." James, Jesus' half brother, would have liked that.

The book of James deals with the practical side of faith, which means trusting God in hard times. Like many in the early church, James served under a constant threat of persecution and violence. The Roman Empire and Jewish leaders had persecuted as many Christians as possible. To the Roman Empire Christians were troublemakers: to the Jewish religious leaders Christians were blasphemers. James wrote to his brothers and sisters about the benefits that could result from enduring hardships and the importance of living genuine lives of faith.

For Christians today, if we assume that life is trouble free, we will realize that life involves a mixture of troubles and blessings. Trouble may not be here at this minute, but it's coming. James changed his tone toward the end of his letter and spoke again to his "brothers and sisters" encouraging them to have patience and hope. Jesus will return! James reminded them that other people of faith had endured and made it; so would they. No matter what their present circumstances, they could count on God's compassion and mercy.

This study is led by Mark Brown. Mark always does a fine job with his studies.

 

Adult Discipleship Training Materials - This class uses the adult Discipleship Training Quarterly as the study guide. Monthly themes: February; Signs of His Glory: March; How to get the most out of Bible Study: April; Salt and Light, Making a Difference in your World. You will feel welcome as you attend this class. Usual attendance will include both young and older members. Discussion is welcomed by the study leader. From the written Word and Bible study materials we can learn much about living life and our relationship with others.

Led By: Rocky Green