The Faithful Way

Notes, Chapters 1-3

June 12, 2013

Introduction

Canoeing illustration

Chapter 1: God Has a Plan!

God Pre-Selected You

i.     Acts 17:26

ii.     Eph 2:10

iii.     Jn 15:16

Only One Life to Give

i.     Illustration: “infinity” cable with the scratch

God’s Reason for Saving Us

i.     Getting you to heaven

ii.     Getting something done here on Earth

His Plan-Our Responsibility

i.     “God healed you, now it’s your turn to find out why!”

Personal Application

i.     We exist for his purposes, not the other way around.

ii.     Why has God created YOU!

Study Guide

Read John 15:16.  God chose each of us for a reason.  If God were to tell you six things that He would want your life to stand for, what would they be?

1.  ______________________________

2.  ______________________________

3.  ______________________________

4.  ______________________________

5.  ______________________________

6.  ______________________________

Why do you think God gave you certain gifts and placed you in a specific church?

What is one thing you would want to accomplish before God takes you home?  Write it below as a prayer:

Chapter 2: Don’t Forget Who You Are

Illustration of the Rabbi and the Russian soldier

i.     Who are you?

ii.     What are you doing here?

Just Like the Israelites

i.     Deuteronomy 8:11, 19-20

Forgetting Who We Are Should Scare Us!

i.     Aaron’s Barrel Roll

ii.     Every Member is a Minister

1. Eph 4:11-12
2. Saints, 1 Peter 2:9
3. The clergy and the consumer Christian
4. The Source of All Our Provision

i.     Mistaking the channel for the source

Deuteronomy 8:18

ii.     What’s the Best Way to Reach People?

Acts 17:26b-27

That helpless feeling. . .

None should perish, 2 Peter 3:9

What is the ideal method of reaching people?

“My call is no better than your call.”  WC

Matthew 5:13

Study Guide

Who are you and what are you doing here?  If you were to answer this question, what would your answer be?

The Israelites had a recurring problem of forgetting who God called them to be.  Even with all the miracles and with all the feast days, still they would wander off.  What do you think caused this?

Do you agree that “every member is a minister?”  Read Eph. 4:11-12.  What will it take for the people in our churches to catch this and rise to the challenge?

Whether you are a schoolteacher or a college student, whether among your family or friends, God can use you where you are!  Each of us is a full-time minister.  What are some ways God is calling you to minister within your unique sphere of influence?

Write down three names: one of a coworker or a fellow student, an unsaved family member, and an unsaved friend.  Take a few minutes to pray for their salvation.  Then ask God for an opportunity to share the gospel with them.

Chapter 3, The Gifts: Commissioned Beyond Ourselves

Everyday, ordinary vessels

i.     He supplies the will (Phil. 2:13)

God Promise to Us

i.     1 Cor. 12:1

ii.     Pastor doing 100 things or 100 people doing one thing each?

iii.     Rom. 12:6 & 1 Peter 4:10, Everyone has a gift

The Office of Gifts

i.     Eph 4:7-8, 11-12

ii.     Specific gifts, equipping

iii.     Equipping as “mending” in Greek, Mark 1:19

iv.     Mended nets have a purpose!  Throw them back in!

v.     Purpose: the body of Christ is built up, 1 Peter 4:10

Serving Gifts

i.     Romans 12:6

ii.     The responsibility is yours!

iii.     “The ministry and assignment of any church belongs to the people.”[1]

Serving in Your Passion

i.     Where shall I use my gift?

ii.     Where do I feel most motivated to serve?

iii.     Where do I sense a calling toward or an attraction for?

The Charismatic Gifts

i.     1 Cor 12:4, 8-11, “The gifts that look like us.”[2]

ii.     A balance of gifts managed by the Holy Spirit in each church.

iii.     These are for the “common good.”

iv.     Also see Rom. 12:6-8, “The conservative corner.”

v.     What is our measuring rod?  When they look like us or do the things we    want to see them do?

vi.     Don’t look for a church that looks like you![3]

Neta’s Gift

The Danger of Comparing Gifts

“Our own creative energies start to dry up.”[4]

Animal school, page 64

Everybody is a “10” somewhere.

Watching it All Come Together

What does it mean to “preach the gospel?”

Study Guide

Each Christian has at least one spiritual gift.  Look up the following scriptures.  What does each one tell us about the gifts?

i.     1 Cor. 12:1

ii.     Rom. 12:6-8

iii.     1 Cor. 4, 8-11

iv.     Eph. 4:7-12

Why do you think the issue over spiritual gifts has divided the church so much?

What is your understanding of how the gifts should operate together in any one church?  Should they be segregated?  Why or why not?

What are your spiritual gifts?  List them as best you can tell.

With your gifts in mind, what possible ministries would you fit well in?

If you could do any ministry at all in the church that would make it like “Christmas everyday” for you, which one would that be?

Bibliography

Cordeiro, Wayne. Doing Church as a Team. Rev. and expanded ed. Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books, 2004.