2-1-10-Internet/Email Ministry

Jesus was not known as a miracle-worker, at this time, so why does Mary approach him (v.3)?  What do you learn about Jesus and his mother from verses 3-5?

Given their social customs, how would you feel as the host (v.3)?  Also servant (vv. 6-8)?  As the groom?

What part does the function and size of the jars play in this story?  How does the quantity and quality of the wine demonstrate Jesus' glory?

How does this sign relate to the "time" he refers to in verse 4.

Where do you need to see the water turned into wine in your life right now?

How to Pray

Communication takes place when people talk to each other.  It is possible for the child of God to communicate with his Heavenly Father.  The two-parts of the believers communications with God our Father is that the believer should talk to the Heavenly Father, and Listen to God the Father when He talks to us.

If we wish to here what God is saying to us when he talks we must read the Bible as we learned to do.  The child of God must talk to his Father not just read the Bible.  The Bible calls for prayer.

What kind of attitude should we have when we talk to our Heavenly Father in prayer: trust and openness.  In any happy family, the children want to share all their interests and concerns with their Father.  Because they are his children, they are sure that he will be interested in the things which are important to them.  It is the same way with our Heavenly Father?  What kinds of things can we talk about when we pray to our Heavenly Father?

To "Pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) does not mean that believers must spend the whole day praying without doing anything else.  It does mean that we should take every opportunity we have to share our thoughts and our work with the Lord by talking to Him about them.

Although we can pray to the Lord at any time of the day; it is important to set aside a special time to pray also.  It can and should be when we do our Bible Study.

During this special time of Bible reading and prayer we must try to put all the thoughts of other things aside so that we can give all of our attention to our Heavenly .

We are now going to look at three different kinds of prayer:

1. Prayers of request.

2. Prayers of praise and thanksgiving.

3. Prayers of confession.

First we will look at Prayers of Request.  The word request means to ask for something.

Jesus said: "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"  (Matthew 7:11).  God has told us to ask.

Often, in our prayers of request something for someone else, for instance, we may ask God to heal someone who is sick.  They are called prayers of intercession.

We receive our salvation from God.  He also gives us many other good things each day.  We praise God fore who he is: that is, we praise him for his greatness, his love, his faithfulness, and so on.  We give God our thanks for all of the many things that he has given to us.

The Bible says: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise... the fruit of lips that confess his name." (Hebrews 13:15).

The Bible says: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)  It is important to know that the Bible verse you read above was written to people who had already believed in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  When we confess our sin to God, what does he then do?  God forgives our sin.

Spiritual Exercise

Focus the mind intentionally on God for one minute at a time several times a day, and your thinking will become better attuned to His presence and informed by it.  This makes new openings for God to enter your life and work through you:  Prayer is the work of God through man.

As you turn your mind to Him in brief moments of reflection, His work can begin to be more truly manifested in your life.  As you, continue seeking answers to your important questions, God's presence will be a force in your thinking.

One minute is not enough-not all by itself.  Life's are rarely changed on a minute, but prayer can transform a life one minute at a time.

Internet/Email Ministry

"That would never work for us!"

Those words reflect a frequent response whenever a new course of action is proposed in any organization.  That is the normal and predictable reaction to many new ideas,  However, that negative response should not be viewed as rejection, but rather as "No, not yet."  Sometimes people need more time to talk themselves into making a change.  On other occasions the decision makers want proof that the new idea has worked elsewhere.

The theme of these lessons is that the internet/email is a cost effective approach to new member enlistment available to churches.  It also is a efficient vehicle for expanding the financial base of the congregation.  It is a method of communication that goes back to the letters of Paul.

A another value of these lessons is the lucid "how-to-do-it" explanation for implementing a new idea.  In step by step terms, the author not only explains the many values of internet/email, but also leads the student through the process of adapting the internet/email approach to a particular congregation.

An obvious question is what will be the impact on the small congregation that cannot afford this technology?  One answer is that few congregations can afford to ignore it.  Earlier in previous centuries most churches rejected electric lights and telephones, but they eventually concluded that these were essential.  In comparative terms, the cost of installing a Internet/Email system in your congregation is far less than the cost of wiring a building for electricity earlier in church history.  The big differences are that electricity (a) was primarily for the convenience and benefit of today's members, (b) increased annual expenditures, and (c) was part of a larger was part of a larger plan to bring electricity to the entire neighborhood, while Internet/Email can be a means (a) of reaching tomorrow's prospective new members, (b) of expanding revenues rather than simply increasing expenditures, and (c) of pioneering a new channel of communication not yet widely  used by other churches in your community.

In other words, the small congregation should be looking at benefits rather than worrying about costs.  For many smaller churches, the choice may be between (a) ignoring the potential values of Internet/Email and watching the congregation gradually grow older and smaller and utilizing the values of Internet/Email to enable that congregation to contact, reach, serve, attract, and assimilate a new generation of members.  That choice, rather than the cost, may be the critical issue in this debate.

Jesus commissioned his church to function as the light of the world and the salt of the earth.  In the context of his teachings the meaning of these figures of speech is clear:  The church is to bear the message of the good news of the gospel to all people everywhere.

There was a time when this was comparatively simple.  One merely shared the message of God's love and grace with one's family, neighbors, friends, and associates.  Now, however, our world has suddenly changed.  Our circle of daily contacts has become radically larger and far more complex.  Through simple one on one witnessing is still important-and always will be-it is not enough.

It is not enough for three reasons.  First, because of the way in which the world's population is so rapidly increasing, it is impossible for the church to keep pace with this growth by merely making individual contacts by word of mouth.  Unless the church begins to change its methodology it will not be able to fulfill the Lord's great commission.

Second, the technological advances of the last few years have put new tools at our fingertips that can enable the church to reach multitudes rather than people individually.  Relatively few churches will be able to afford many of these tools, but there is one that is within reach of all-the computer.  Many churches have already become computerized.  Many others will be shortly.  The computer is an instrument that can assist the church in its effort to accomplish efficiently and effectively the evangelization of the world.

Third, discoveries made in the area of the behavioral sciences, when applied to the mission of the church, will enable the church to reach possible.  For example, during the last generation many insights were gained into the ways people are motivated.  Likewise, at the opposite end of the behavioral spectrum, many discoveries have been made relating to what affects people negatively.  For the church not to make use of this information would be not only conter-productive but foolish.

One group that has recognized the truth of this observation is known generally as "televangelists."  Whether nationally known or recognized only in their own communities through the use of local cable channels, these TV ministers have reached tremendous numbers of people.  Whatever one's judgment may be regarding the value of these ministries, the fact is that their outreach has been quite effective.  These television evangelists, having captured their audiences visually, maintain a regular-usually monthly and sometimes more often-contact with them via direct/e-mail.  Statistics reveal that the amount of money received as a result of these "mail" solicitations is phenomenal.

Probably most of us would not want to emulate these well known personalities because of the excesses some of them have been shown to be guilty of.  However, as the saying goes, we ought not to throw the baby out with the bath water.  The fact that certain methods have been misused ought not to lead us to discard those methods.  We should discard only their misuse.

By combining an overwhelming desire to fulfill the great commission with both the advent of certain technological advances and the motivational insights provided by the behavioral sciences, the church will be better able to fulfill its mission in this world.

One area in which the church is able to effect just such a combination is Internet/email.  By a serendipitous prodding of the Spirit, which took place many years ago.  Many are led to experiment with the use of Internet/Email as a means of building the church.  I am convinced that it represents a tremendous untapped resource available to the church.

I encourage you to use any or all of the ideas presented in these lessons.  If you do, you will come to realize, as I have, that the use of Internet/Email will enable you to multiply the effectiveness of your ministry.

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