1-2-10-Meetings

Who is the foundation of your faith?

How can you build on that foundation?

What gifts has the Holy Spirit given you?

use the gifts you have already been given.  This means trusting completely in Christ and his power.  he will give you strength to do his work.

If the church were to consistently follow this advice, it would expand geometrically as well-taught believers would teach others and commission them in turn, to teach still others.  Disciples need to be equipped to pass on their faith, our work is not done until new believers are able to make disciples of others.

Like soldiers, we have to give up worldly security and endure rigorous discipline.  Like athletes, we mus train hard and follow the rules.  Like farmers, we must work extremely hard and be patient.  But we keep going despite suffering because of the thought of victory, the vision of winning and the hope of harvest.

We will see that our suffering is worthwhile when we achieve our goals of glorifying God, winning people to Christ, and one day living eternally with him.

God speaks through the Bible, his Word, but we need to be open and receptive to him.  As you read the Bible, ask God to show you timeless truths and the application to your life.  Then consider what you have read by thinking it through and meditating on it.  God will give you understanding.

The Gospel of John

Origin

The Gospel of John is the most unusual and perhaps the most valuable member of the quartet of canonical Gospels.  The Gospel is strongly theological, and it deals particularly with the nature of Jesus' person and with the meaning of faith in him.

Traditionally it was written by John the son of Zebedee, the last surviving member of the apostolic band, while he was spending the declining years of his life at Ephesus.

Author

He was an eyewitness of the events he recorded.  Both in 1:14, "we beheld his glory..." and in 19:35, where he spoke in the third person, "he that hath seen hath borne witness, he claims to be stating what had been part of his personal experience.

The epilogue of this Gospel hints that he lived for a long time after the beginning of the Christian era, for an explanation of his long life would scarcely have been necessary otherwise.  The epistles show that he rose to a position of influence in the church and that he became a powerful expositor of the love of God as revealed in Christ.  His death probably took place at the close of the first century.

Intense in nature, he gave to Christ an undivided loyalty that at times expressed itself crudely and rashly.  As Christ tamed his ardor and purified it of unrestrained violence, John became the apostle of love whose devotion was not excelled by that of any other writer of the New Testament.  John is an example of a man who could have been a great sinner, but out of whom Christ made a great witness.

Date and Place

The date of the Fourth Gospel has been variously estimated from A.D. 40 to 140, or even later.

Content

The key to the content of the Gospel of John is the author's own statement in John 20:30-31.

"Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing ye may have life in his name."

These three words, signs, belief, life, provide logical organization for the Gospel.  In the signs is the revelation of God; in belief is the reaction that they are designed to produce; in life is the result that belief brings.

Outline

The Prologue (1:1-18) begins by using the term WORD to introduce the person of Christ.  This term differs from those used in the other Gospels, for it does not connote any particular religious background, Christ is Jewish; Lord is Gentile; Jesus is human; but Word or Logos is philosophical.  John thus makes the subject of his Gospel a universal figure, the incarnation of the Eternal Reason who is God, who came from God, and who reveals God as a son reveals a father.

Emphasis

John stresses the personal relation of Jesus to man.

Meetings

Guidelines for calling one

1. Stating the reason for the meeting (on an agenda form, post card, or at least in a call to the participants).

2. Setting the standard (by arriving on time and coming prepared).

3. Develop an awareness of group dynamics (and seeking to make everyone comfortable and feel a part).

4. Arranging for a written report of the transactions for the record (whether formal minutes, an interaction Memo or simply  a set of notes in a notebook).

Considerations

1. What are the needs, interests and expectations of the participants? 

2. What is the agreed upon purpose of the meeting? (to train, inform, plan, decide, etc.).

3. What materials are needed to facilitate the meeting?  (and who will handle them? agenda, handouts, visual aids, etc.).

4. Are additional resource people needed? (who, who will contact them?)

5. What activities can best be used to achieve the stated goal? (brain-storming, survey, discussion, buzz sessions, etc.)

6. Is there enough time before hand for everyone to prepare adequately?

7. How much time will be needed to deal with the issues?  (agenda should be planned with consideration for this).

8. What commitment do you seek and from whom?

9. Where could the meeting most effectively take place?

10. Who will be responsible for room arrangements, refreshments, clean up? (secure commitment).

Chairman Responsibilities

1. Plan meetings in relation to objectives.

2. Plan meeting in relation to what members expect.

3. Define and clarify goals during the meeting.

4. Appraise progress mid-stream.

5. Evaluate

6. Communicate

7. Determine "decision-readiness"

8. Create new assignments as needs arise.

9. Divide assignments and responsibilities.

10. Discuss problems openly.

11. Face tension frankly.

12. Set a climate of free expression.

Chairman Guidelines

1.  Provide an orientation session for your members

a.  Allow time for getting to know one another
b.  Discuss your purpose and policies.
c.  Clarify goals and agree upon objectives.

2.  Mail out a prepared agenda in advance of your meeting

a.  allow time for unfinished business
b.  list reports and who is responsible
c.  schedule time with flexibility
d.  consider the order of the agenda.

3.  During meeting

a.  Arrive early
b.  Begin on time
c.  Keep the meeting moving and be sensitive to the needs of the group
d.  Keep the discussion on track and clarify frequently
e.  Motions should state:

what is to be done
at what cost
by whom
time limit.

4.  Set meeting dates well in advance

Role of Recorder

1. Record and produce the Minutes

2. Write down basic ideas on board/sheets

3. Make notes of Action Items and persons responsible

Minutes

1. At the beginning identify the group, kinds of meeting, date, time and place

2. Identify chairman and recorder

3. List those in attendance and state whether quorum was present.

4. Acknowledge the acceptance of previous minuets

5. Record/attach financial report

6. Record motions

7. Note points of discussion when at least 2 members request it.

8. Cite key points of committee reports

9. Cite vote counts and vote items

10. Give time of adjournment

How to handle problems

1.  Late-comers

a.  Make sure extra seating is closest to door

2.  Committee Reports

3.  Lengthy Speakers

4.  Difficult meeting area

Integrity

Principle: God expects you to live a godly life while you minister.

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.  (1 Peter 2:12)

Up to this point, we've looked primarily at ministry as an activity that a Christian is called to perform.  But any discussion of the Biblical foundations of ministry would be incomplete if we didn't take into account THE PERSON you are while you minister.  God cares very much about the activity that occupies your talents, abilities, and skills.  He cares about what you do through integrating your expression, provision, and mission into purposeful activity.  But ultimately, God is concerned about the person you are and the person you'll become through your work.  Who you are and the person you'll become through your ministry  Who you are as a Christian should be reflected in at least four personal characteristics of your ministry:

1. A commitment to get the job done

2. A dedication to excellence

3. A desire to follow Jesus Christ

4. A readiness to share Him with others.

In a word, these qualities combine to make up your "integrity."  Integrity is the respect you are able to earn from others who see that there's something that seems to distinguish you from other people.  After all, shouldn't there be an obvious difference between the Christian who claims to serve the Lord of the universe, and the worker who simply wants to get by, get done, and go home-before it gets too late?

How do you describe that difference, that measure of integrity that distinguishes Christians not only by WHAT they produce but by WHO they are in their ministry?  Let's find out.

What Do Others See in You?

In his book, Pagans and Christians in an Age of Anxiety, E. R. Dodds makes a striking discovery.  He concludes that Christians flourished in the first century because they out-thought, out-lived, and out-died their pagan counterparts.  

Integrity in Ministry

Integrity

The best argument for Christianity is Christians; their joy, their certainty, their completeness.  But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians-when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.  Sheldon Vanauken

From God's perspective, faithful Christians are those men and women who exhibit their work and themselves in a way that makes others want to know, "What's different about you?"  When others observe you at work, what are they going to see?  Will they notice what Paul calls, "The acts of the sinful nature: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like?" (Galatians 5:19-21).  Or will people look at you and see that "the fruit of the Spirit and see that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control"? (Galatians 5:22).  Whether you're called into a Christian or a secular work environment, your integrity as a worker and as a Christian will either stand or fall on the quality of life you exhibit.  Integrity, how you are respected by others, is the pivot point that can turn your Christian faith into an opportunity that either honors God or embarrasses Him.

Exhibiting Your Integrity

1.  You exhibit integrity through your ministry by getting the job done.

2.  You exhibit your integrity at ministry by doing excellent work.

Doing a job is one thing.  Doing it with a commitment to excellence is quite another.  And it's this commitment to quality that should be the hallmark of a Christian's work.  Paul reminds us that a Christian's ministry.  Paul reminds us that a Christian's commitment to excellence reflects his integrity through his relationship with God.  To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, "... whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).  Should it be any other way?  How can slipshod work glorify an excellent God?

When a person decides to live for God, it seems only natural to want to minister to reflect the excellence of the Creator and Lord.  That's why, if you choose to see your career from God's perspective, you'll want to produce the highest quality of work you know how.

3.  You exhibit integrity in the quality of life you lead at ministry.

This is integrity that is lived out through the relationships you have with others.  The Apostle Peter will never step into your ministry setting, but he knows exactly what it means for you to be a Christian who displays integrity to all around you: "live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (1 Peter 2:12)

Can you see how a Christian's integrity is able to take shape in the ministry world?  It starts as you commit to do your ministry.  It grows as others see the excellence you put into your work.  And a Christian's integrity really begins to shine when others see that WHAT you do is really a reflection of WHO you are.  Your integrity becomes not only a trademark of your work, but also a hallmark of your very life.

Live the Life

Your walk talks, and your talk walks, but your walk talks faster than your talk walks.

4.  You exhibit integrity at work in communicating your faith to others.

This principle is described in 1 Peter 3:15: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect."  The ideal way to share your faith is to earn the right to be heard, and then to respond to the questions others ask about your life and faith.

Integrity: What Do YOU Think?

How does integrity fit into your ministry life?  Look at the following questions and write down your responses to each before going on.

1. In what ways are today's Christians "out-thinking, out-living, and out-dying" unbelievers in our generation?  In what ways does this phrase describe you in your ministry?

2. Can you think of any Christians who live an exceptional life in their ministry?  What characterizes their behavior?  Their ministry?

3. How does a Christian "earn the right to be heard?"  In what ways are you earning the right to be heard in your workplace?

4. "Your walk talks and your talk walks, but your walk talks faster than your talk walks."  How does this saying relate to the Biblical Ministry Principle of integrity as explained in this section?

5. Set an "action goal" to help you apply the principle of integrity.  Make it measurable and specific.  Example: "Since my hot temper is my trademark at ministry, I'm going to make a long-needed appointment with a Christian counselor and begin resolving this problem that's obviously a hindrance to my Christian testimony."

Homework

1. Explain your lifeline with it's up's and down's, highlights and disappointments, from the time you can remember to the present.

2. Write three things about yourself.

3.