1-2-12-Board_Skills

Has an external show of religion taken priority over your heart's condition?  How so?  How can you nurture the proper heart condition?

The Gospel of Matthew

Purpose: 

To prove that Jesus is the Messiah, the eternal King.

To Whom Written:

Matthew wrote especially to the Jews.

Date Written:

Probably between A.D. 60-65

Setting:

Matthew was a Jewish tax collector who became one of Jesus' disciples.  This Gospel forms the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments because of its emphasis on its emphasis on the fulfillment of prophecy.

Special Features:

Matthew is filled with Messianic language ("Son of David" is used throughout) and Old Testament references (53 quotes and 76 other references).  This Gospel was not written as a chronological account; it's purpose was to present the clear evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior.

Introduction:

As the motorcade slowly winds through the city, thousands pack the sidewalks hoping to catch a glimpse.  Marching bands with great fanfare announce the arrival, and protective agents scan the crowd and run alongside the limousine.  Pomp, ceremony, protocol-modern symbols of position and evidence s of importance-herald the arrival of a head of state.  Whether they are leaders by birth or election, we honor and respect.

The Jews waited for a leader who had been promised centuries before by inspired prophets.  They believed that this leader-the Messiah ('anointed one")-would rescue them from their Roman oppressors and establish a new kingdom.  As their king, he would rule the world with justice.  However, many Jews overlooked prophecies that also spoke of this king as a suffering servant who would be rejected and killed.  It is no wonder, then, that few recognized Jesus as the Messiah.  How could this humble carpenter's son from Nazareth be their king?  But Jesus was and is the King of all the earth!

Matthew (Levi) was one of Jesus' 12 disciples.  Once he was a despised tax collector, but his life was changed by this man from Galilee.  Matthew wrote this Gospel to his fellow Jews to prove that Jesus is the Messiah and to explain God's Kingdom.

As you read this Gospel, listen to Matthew's clear message: Jesus is the Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Celebrate his victory over evil and death, and make Jesus the Lord of your life.

The people of Israel were waiting for the Messiah, their king.  Matthew begins his book by showing how Jesus Christ was a descendant of David.  But Matthew goes on to show that God did not send Jesus to be an earthly king, but a heavenly king.  His kingdom would be much greater than David's because it would never end.  Even at Jesus' birth, many recognized him as a king.  Herod, the ruler, as well as Satan, was afraid of Jesus' kingship and tried to stop him, but others worshiped him and brought royal gifts.  We must worship him as king of our lives.

Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, directions for living in his kingdom.  He also told many parables about the difference between his kingdom and the kingdoms of earth.  Forgiveness, peace, and putting others first are some of the characteristics that make one great in the future kingdom of God.  And to be great in God's kingdom, we must live by God's standards right now.  Jesus came to show us how to live as faithful subjects in his kingdom.

Jesus was formally presented to the nation of Israel, but rejected.  How strange for the king to be accused, arrested. and crucified.  But Jesus demonstrated his power even over death through his resurrection, and gained access for us into his kingdom.  With all this evidence that Jesus is God's Son, we, too, should accept him as our Lord.

Jesus Christ, the King

Jesus cannot be equated with any person or power.  He is the supreme ruler of time and eternity, heaven and earth, humans and angels.  We should give him his rightful place as king of our lives.

The Messiah

Because Jesus was sent by God, we can trust him with our lives.  It is worth everything wee have to acknowledge him and give ourselves to him, because he came to be our Messiah, our Savior.

Kingdom of God

The way to enter God's kingdom is by faith-believing in Christ to save us from sin and change our lives.  We must do the work of his kingdom now to be prepared for his return.

Teachings

Jesus' teachings show us how to prepare for life in his eternal kingdom by living properly right now.  He lived what he taught, and we too must practice what we preach.

Resurrection

The resurrection shows Jesus' all-powerful life for us-not even death could stop his plan of offering eternal life.  Those who believe in Jesus can hope for a resurrection like his.  Our role is to tell his story to all the earth so that everyone may share in his victory.

Historical Background:

The first three Gospels cover many of the same events in Jesus' life in the same way.  For that reason they are often called the "synoptic Gospels" meaning that they are "able to be seen together."  It is generally assumed that Matthew and Luke used mark as their prime source in compiling their writings.  In Matthew nearly 90% of the material in Mark is reproduced.  These similarities, however, do not mean that the Gospels are merely a restatement of each other.  Matthew adds many teaching sections and other details not found in Mark.  Matthew slants his material to a Jewish readership as he cites numerous Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus' life and ministry.  His purpose was to show that Jesus is the promised Son of David, the Messiah, come to establish the kingdom of God.

When you were a child, what did you imagine Jesus to be like?  How did you come up with that picture?  What picture of Jesus comes to your mind now?

What makes a person a good citizen of his or her country?  How might those traits apply to citizens of God's kingdom?  How is God's kingdom different?  What do you hope to learn from Matthew that will help you more fully become a citizen of God's kingdom?

To get the most out of Matthew, what will you put into it?  How will you apply yourself to the disciplines (of study, prayer, shared leadership, outreach, confidentiality, accountability, etc.)?

If Matthew were dropped from the Bible, what would be missing from the story of God's redemptive work in history?

Board Skills

Formulate a Mission Statement

1. Why do we exist?

2. What is Christ's mission for us?

3. What is  the service we perform?

4. Who are we trying to reach?

5. Why do they come to us?

6. How have we changed in the last 5 years?

7. What are our unique strengths?

8. What are our major weaknesses?

9. What theological issues are most important to us?

10. What would be lost if we ceased to exist?

Duties of a Board Member

1. To exercise power for the benefit of the organization and all of its members with full honesty and reasonable efficiency.

2. To exercise greatest care, skill and judgment.

3. To act out of good faith and deal fairly with the organization.

4. To display highest loyalty, reasonable care and business prudence in regard to the interests of the organization.

5. Be fully aware of the duties and obligations of their positions.

6. Devote the time necessary to fulfill their responsibilities.

7. Actively take part in the Boards decision making process.

8. Actively oversee the action of the organization.

9. Scrutinize the official records and financial statements.

10. Attend Board and committee meetings regularly.

11. Be familiar with the minutes of Board and committee to which you are assigned.

12. Treat the affairs of the organization as you would your own.

13. Be familiar with your organization's goals, objectives and programs.

14. Insist that all committee meetings are reported to the board.

15. Know your organization's budget, budget process, and financial situation, as well as any committee.

16. Know who is authorized to sign checks and in what amount.

17. Avoid self-serving policies.

18. Monitor the community and religious image of your organization.

19. Be certain your organization is fulfilling all aspects of its not-for-profit and tax exempt status.

20. Avoid the appearance of conflict of interest.

Questions a Board might ask itself before looking for new members:

1. What do we need? (people with specific expertise, workers, etc.).

2. What do we expect? (spell it out-time, etc.).

3. Where are we going?

4. Why are we doing this?

Questions a prospect member might ask themselves.

1. What is expected of me?

2. What is the organization's purpose?  Do I believe in it?

3. What am I going to get out of this?

4. Is this the challenge I'm looking for?

5. Do I have the time?

6. Do I have the expertise?

7. Am I comfortable with this group?

Board Orientation

Information on How the Board Works

1. Existing jobs and responsibilities of each member.

2. Relationships which exist (Publicity guidelines, etc.).

3. How individuals and committees communicate.

4. How decisions are made, policies set, planning accomplished.

5. Current Board and committee responsibilities.

Financial Procedures

Office Procedures

Parliamentary Procedure

Board responsibilities/Committee Responsibilities

Board manual

1. Organization's purpose statement.

2. Constitution and Bylaws.

3. Organization's goals and current plans.

4. Annual Report

5. Budget and financial report.

6. Program description/goals and objectives.

7. Organizational chart (names and numbers)

8. Committees, their goals and plans.

9. Personal policies and expectations.

10. Meeting information: days, length of meetings, place.

11. Minutes from meetings for last fiscal year

12. Meeting procedures.

Board Packet (Each meeting-distributed in advance).

1. memo, brings up-to-date on committee report.

2. committee chairman reports, minutes, and financial reports as well as items that will come to a vote.

3. And action items appear with the proposed motion, background and pros and cons.

What you do:

1. Anticipate Board meetings-Plan your committee meetings so that recommendations or anything requiring Board action make the Board Packet deadline.

2. Come to the Board with solutions or proposals-not problems.  Include brief background and summary of pro's and con's.  Write out motions.

3. Type/print your material.  Put name of committee and chairman, your phone number and date at top of page.  Outline form is fine.  Be brief.

4. Deliver material to Secretary, or person assigned 10 days prior to Board meeting.

Integration

Principle: God expects you to integrate expression, provision, and mission, and to put mission at the center of your life.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).

Balancing Work's Demands

Expression, Provision, Mission.  For those of you who will be doing ministry on a part-time basis: Each dimension is God-given.  Each  serves a very real need.  And each dimension is vitally important.  In fact, since expression, provision, and mission all seem so crucial, the question might be, "Is any one of the three more important than the others, and if so, which?  Is the need for self-expression in my job more important than the reality of having to make a living?  Should provision play second fiddle to the role of mission?  Or is it the other way around?  And if all three seem equally important, then how can I hope to integrate them into a meaningful and practical understanding of my work as a Christian?"

Fortunately, there are answers to these questions, and they can be found by looking at Scripture.  Remember what Jesus told His followers when they asked what dimension of work was most important?  Did He say, "Set your mind on the desire to express yourself before everything else, and all the west will come to you as well"?  Maybe your translation reads, "Set your mind on providing for your needs before everything else, and all the rest will come to you as well."  No.  Jesus told His followers:  "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33).  There can be no doubt about Jesus' meaning.  When it comes to considering what the most important goal should be in your work,  the Christian's first priority must be God's kingdom.  And within our three dimensions of work, this means setting your mind on mission-first.  If you truly believe that Jesus is right when He talks about putting God's kingdom ahead of everything else in life, then mission must be "number one" in your life.

Does this mean, then, that your needs for expression and provision are no longer important?  Not at all.  God takes all three dimensions seriously, and so should you.  He wants you to see that expression, provision, and mission are complementary-not competitive- elements of your work.  In fact, the last thing God wants is for you to dedicate yourself to one dimension to the exclusion of the other two.

Why is Mission "Number One?"

When you make mission your number one priority, you don't neglect the need for expressing who you are, or for providing the things you need.  The life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shows how this is true.

The most important thing for Dr. King wasn't to become a great public speaker (expression).  As a Christian, he decided that his first priority was to help bring God's justice to all races of people.  This focus on mission allowed Dr. King to use his gifted oratory as a tremendous means to express his vision for fulfilling God's agenda.

You can see now what made King's work so significant, why his victories on behalf of America's minorities must have brought him and his supporters so much heartfelt satisfaction, and brought him and his supporters so much heartfelt satisfaction, and brought God immense joy.  It was because this Christian activist made God's mission the core of his life and work.  For King, and the others who embraced his cause, making disciples wasn't something they did "after hours."  Instead, once they set their minds to fulfilling God's mission, their needs for self-expression and provision followed.

King is just one example of a Christian who successfully integrated the three dimensions of work in order to faithfully work to further God's kingdom.  He made mission  his top agenda and shaped history in the process.  Deciding to center your career on mission does not guarantee that you will have the same impact of a Marten Luther King.  Making mission your prime focus will, however, help you appreciate how hard but ultimately rewarding it really is to serve God, and not yourself.

A Conflict of Culture

If you truly want to integrate the three dimensions of your work in order to fulfill God's mission, then you need to resolve a very real and obvious conflict of values.

If you conform to this culture's values, then you'll echo the same cry of so many success-seekers in society: "I want the money.  I want the status.  I just want to make it to the top."

Jesus Christ wants you to take a different course than the fast-lane, high-octane life that has our culture running on empty.  Whether you're being called to the mission field in Burundi or to a downtown law firm, Jesus says, "Seek first the kingdom.  Take my values of obedience, self-sacrifice, forgiveness, and reconciliation.  Take them into your home, your school, your work."

What set of values do you choose to live by?  This is probably the single most important question that you, as a Christian, will answer as your consider your own lives future.  Will you intentionally order your lifestyle around working for God's kingdom?  Or will you become absorbed by the materialistic desires of your contemporary culture?

Life Choices

The choice between life and conscience may be removed in two ways: By a change of life or in a change of conscience.  Leo Tolstoy

In a society that upholds money prestige, and personal power as the most coveted virtues, you, as a Christian, must ask yourself, "What are my values, and how will they shape my life?  As a Christian out in the world, which set of values will my life reflect-those dictated by my culture, or those commanded by Christ?"

Resolving these questions in a way that's consistent with your own faith will take generous amounts of careful thought, prayer, and the wise counsel of trusted friends.  Though many verses of Scripture can guide you, one particular passage may be especially helpful.  In the second chapter of his letter to the Philippians, Paul says this: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in Human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8).

How does Jesus' attitude compare to people who base their self-worth on their careers?  These are professional men and women who have made advanced education, personal development, and a proven track record their ticket to greater success and prestige.  In some cases these same people are Christians who, when challenged with investing their lives in mission, have been heard to say  things like this:

"I didn't get an MBA to go out and take some low-paying job."

"I really can't consider mission now.  I'm at the peak of my career and in line for a big promotion."

"My husband and I are both going all out in our jobs, so we have no time for mission.  After all, we have to work like this to pay the mortgage on our brand new home."

As a Christian, can you simultaneously claim to follow Jesus Christ and think more highly of yourself than He did of Himself?  Integrating the three dimensions of your life around mission requires that you make life decisions in light of the values of your God, not those of your culture.  When you are able to do this, you will no longer feel driven to earn big bucks or attain a big title.  Instead, as a faithful servant, you'll be content to see the reward that God reserves for those who work to fulfill His calling on earth: "Well done, good and faithful SERVANT" (Matthew 25:21).

Continued in next lesson.

Homework

1. As a minister my greatest asset is?

2. I'm uncomfortable when?

3. I usually try to make people think I'm?

4. I'm really concerned about?

5. The kind of person hardest for me to get along with is?

6. I love working with people who?

7. In this group I have felt?

8. If I had it to do all over again, I'd?

9. I wish I could?

10. It concerns me that?

11. Two thing you like about yourself?

12. One skill you feel you have?

13. One of your most satisfying achievements?

14. Share with the group the last thing you did before starting this lesson.  

15. Where would you like to be if you could be anywhere?

16. Take 1 minute to tell about yourself (not job, family, town, hobbies-but attitudes and values)?

17. Take 1 minute to tell of your happiest moment?

18. Write a press release about yourself.

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