PASSING ON THE VISION

PASSING ON THE VISION                      1-17-2000

        "Churches are short on Christian love, forgiveness, and vision for the future."  Do you believe this statement is true?  Jesus said: “But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Matt 9:13 (NKJV)

        David prayed: “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.  For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.  Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.”  Psalms 51:1-4 (NKJV)

        God responds to Jacob's prayer.  Notice what Jacob did in Genesis 30:37-43.  "Then he set up these peeled branches by the watering trough so Laban's flocks would see them...all of their offspring were streaked, speckled and spotted." 

        A visionary church stays on course, clearly knowing and communicating the vision God has for the whole Body for the long term.  The vision goes beyond the present leaders to a visionary people!

        Petersen expands Eph. 4:11-16.  “He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors.  God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.  He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.”  Eph 4:11-17 (MSG)

      Involve others in this work.

        "It is better to get ten men to work - than to try to do the work of ten men."  Have the vision, but it will take others to fulfill this vision.  A vision shared stirs others and gives them something to believe God for.  Leaders equip others to operate within the vision.  But, not all the vision comes from the leaders.  People are drawn to the local church by the Holy Spirit - either to be saved (obey the gospel) or to help fulfill the vision of the local church.  We want to see others saved and made followers of Jesus Christ [Matt. 28:18-20].

        Peterson expands this:  “God authorized and commanded me to commission you:  Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."  Matt 28:18-20 (MSG)

        When members share about a visionary church to others, they are sharing about a movement that will outlast a man or a woman.  Note 2 Timothy 1:5; 2:1-2; 3:14-15.  “I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim 1:3-7 (NKJV)

        1) A visionary church moves ahead.  People are not attracted to sterile and lifeless forms, but to that which is life-giving and relational.  Where there is relationship and spiritual life, there will be a natural numerical growth.  The old proverb: "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" is still true.  The honey is the Doing & Dying & Rising Again of Jesus Christ. 

        “The voice out of Heaven spoke to me again: "Go, take the book held open in the hand of the Angel astride sea and earth."  I went up to the Angel and said, "Give me the little book." He said, "Take it, then eat it. It will taste sweet like honey, but turn sour in your stomach."  I took the little book from the Angel's hand and it was sweet honey in my mouth, but when I swallowed, my stomach curdled.  Then I was told, "You must go back and prophesy again over many peoples and nations and languages and kings."  Rev 10:8-11 (MSG)

        2) A visionary church grows leaders.  Nehemiah went for a ride one evening to inspect the walls of Jerusalem [Nehemiah 2:12].  The following day he recruited priests, goldsmiths, rulers, merchants, families and farmers.  It wasn't about numbers or a perfect wall.  It was about instilling vision and working together in relationship for a common goal.

        3) A visionary church is kingdom-minded.  We believe the kingdom did come on Pentecost (Acts 2) and spread to cover the world (note PDaniel 2:44).  A visionary church is concerned beyond the local community to a vision of the World conquered for Jesus!  People are not a means to an end - but they are God's greatest love!  "God so loved the world..."

        4) A visionary church is authentic.  "New cars smell new for only a short time, and then the newness wears off."  Promotion attracts the latest church-hoppers, but prayer breeds close-knit relationships that experience spiritual vitality and a church of substance.  People are attracted to God's love manifested through relationships with people.  God's love is authentic!  Note Romans 5:5; 1 John 2:7-8.

        Older is not always better.   “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.' "

Luke 5:39 (NKJV)  The "new wine" of the Gospel must always be our first priority.  If the "old wine" of the past is not working for you, perhaps you need to "reload" the original program of the Book of Acts and drink deeply from the springs of living water.  The reality of the Holy Spirit in people's lives was evident.  Acts 2:42-47 describe the process of relationship in a church with vision.  "Praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people."  You must decide where you fit according to your own spiritual values and build accordingly.

CHOOSING ELDERS AND LEADERS

CHOOSING ELDERS AND LEADERS  Matt Proctor

     If it’s true the redemptive drama being played out here hinges on the quality of the church’s leadership, then each congregation must pay close attention to what makes for a good church leader. A fresh look at 1 Timothy 3:1-7 is needed.

     In that hope, I’ve tried to summarize Paul’s description of the ideal spiritual leader in a list of 10 questions a congregation could ask of potential elders. Keep your Bible open to the text as you read through the following descriptions. As you seek those men who will lead your church, perhaps these questions will serve as a helpful test:

     1. Is this man respected in the community? The first quality listed is above reproach, literally meaning “not able to be held.” In other words, if charges were leveled against this man, he wouldn’t even be held for questioning because his reputation is so solid. He’s Teflon, not Velcro. His integrity is such that accusations just won’t stick.

     By the way, in verse 7 Paul bookends this list with another call for a good reputation with outsiders. Why this emphasis on how well others think of a man? Simply this: the reputation of Christ is tied to that of the church, and the reputation of the church is tied to that of its leaders.

     2. Is this man committed to his wife? A husband of but one wife literally reads “a one-woman man.” It describes a man completely devoted to his wife not only in body, but also in mind and heart. Why is this important? A strong marriage helps protect an elder from moral failure, provides needed support when he faces draining church challenges, and offers a powerful example to younger believers (1 Peter 5:3).

     3. Has this man shown wisdom in decision-making? Temperate means “clear-headed,” and self-controlled could actually be translated “prudent or thoughtful.” These words picture a man who has his head on straight. Why? Because an elder must often think his way through thorny relational, financial, and doctrinal questions—all of which can have eternal consequences. (Perhaps this is why spiritual leaders are called “elders,” suggesting a certain amount of life experience. Wisdom doesn’t always come with age, but it rarely comes without it.)  Look for evidence that a man is mature enough to avoid shoot-from-hip, impulsive, or careless decisions.

Whether you call it common sense, horse sense, or “coon dog sense,” you want your spiritual leaders to demonstrate wise decision-making.

     4. Has this man shown the ability to keep his temper in check? Paul describes an elder as a man who is not violent, but gentle and not quarrelsome. Church leaders will face volatile situations in which a soft word will turn away anger, but a harsh word will stir up wrath (Proverbs 15:1). If a man is known to have either an explosive anger (“losing it”) or a slow, simmering anger (“carrying a grudge”), the church will suffer. When conflict and criticism arise, the man who will make a good elder will have a tough skin, a tender heart, a short memory, and a long fuse.

     5. Is this man willing to be inconvenienced for others? When we hear the word hospitable, we picture inviting someone over for an evening of lasagna dinner and conversation. In the ancient world, where inns were notoriously filthy and even dangerous, the word pictured someone opening his home for guests to stay days or even weeks on end. Hospitality involved sacrifice and cost a great deal in time, space, money and effort. In other words, Paul’s question is: will this man think of others before himself?  After all, an elder is to shepherd the flock of God, and having raised sheep, I can tell you these frustrating animals need constant care. Their problems always seem to come at inconvenient times—I’ve spent a late night or two in the sheep barn. Plus, they smell baaaaad. (Sorry.) In other words, sheep require unconditional love.  A good elder recognizes, however, that these frustrating folk are beloved of God and are “bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

     6. Is this man capable of teaching Scripture to others? An elder must be able to teach. Why? Biblically, the primary strategy for personal and corporate transformation is not excellent programming or even quality relationships, but rather the patient teaching of Scripture (2 Timothy 4:2). Is Paul telling Timothy to look for effective public speakers? Not necessarily. While delivery matters, the first requirement of a good teacher is not presentation skills, but mastery of content. Has this man given himself to study of Scripture and to filling himself with the Word of God?  You’re not simply looking for a man who knows how to say something, but rather a man who has something to say—something from God

     7. Has this man established wise personal habits? The word respectable pictures a man who is self-disciplined and orderly in his behavior. It describes the ancient church father who once prayed, “Father, help me be master of my self that I may be servant of others.” To serve the church, an elder certainly must not be given to drunkenness, but he must also avoid other habits that can damage reputation and distract focus—workaholism, gambling, smoking, overeating, or even watching too much television.  Ask of a potential leader: Do his habits reveal a man who is able to supervise his own life well? Self-control is not only the fruit of the Spirit, but also the mark of a good elder.

     8. Does this man have a strong sense of stewardship? Phrased differently, he is not a lover of money. Phrased positively, he is a lover of God with his money. Paul is describing a leader whose life will be marked by generosity and simple contentment. (See 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19.)   Why? A man who lives under the love of money might let in the door of his life such sins as embezzling, extravagance, or even hoarding, and I’ve seen spiritual leaders who then let these sins in the door of the church. On the other hand, a man who lives under the love of God will steward his own money and the church’s finances with God’s glory and the church’s mission always in mind.

     9. Does this man have a track record of discipling leadership? Has this man shown the ability to lead others to greater maturity in Christ? To answer that question, look at his family first. When Paul says an elder must manage his own family well, he means a man’s family is his first little congregation, and “whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (Luke 16:10). But if three of his four children have no use for the church, what does this say of his spiritual leadership?

     10. Has this man been a Christian long enough to maintain humility? Paul says he must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited. The chief occupational hazard of spiritual leadership is pride, and too much visibility too soon in a man’s Christian pilgrimage can inflate his ego.  You’re looking for a man who won’t believe his own church newsletter press clippings and instead has the humility that comes when you’ve walked a ways with Jesus.

The Bible Study New Testament

PREFACE TO THE BIBLE STUDY NEW TESTAMENT

A STATEMENT OF PURPOSE  July 1974

The motto of World Radio, West Monroe, Louisiana, is: “Preaching Jesus Christ to every man in his own language.” My purpose is to do just that in the type of American English in use today. As one of the Pioneers said: “It would be just as reasonable to require men to worship God wearing long beards, with Jewish or Roman clothes, as it is to hand them

the Bible in archaic language which is less intelligible and more easily misunderstood.” [A. Campbell 1826] An accurate translation will transmit the message of the original writers in the usage, style, and idiom of the language of translation. In other words, one who reads a translation today should receive the same understanding from the language that a citizen of the First Century world did from reading the original manuscripts in Koine’ Greek.

In this book will be found the thinking of the Pioneers of the Restoration.  The People’s New Testament by B. W. Johnson serves as a pattern, but this is not a revision or even a paraphrase, it is completely new. Almost a century has passed since Johnson completed his work. Manuscripts more ancient have been discovered since then (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls).  More is known about some questions. A strong case can be made linking the thieves crucified with Jesus to the Zealots, who were armed terrorists.  Some new study gives light to the thorny problem of 1 Cor. 14:34-35.  More emphasis has been placed on the sacrifice of Christ extrinsic to ourself, and how we reach out through faith to seize it and make ourselves part of it. Some new thinking on the Book of Revelation penetrates the veil which the Middle Ages placed over this book. I have adopted the overall view called “synchronistic,” which to me seems the most logical and reasonable explanation of this book [which was obviously written to suffering Christians in the last ten years of the First Century].  Twenty-five years of my personal ministry, over five hundred books (many by the Restoration Pioneers), plus thousands of papers, tracts, magazines, etc., of widely varying religious communities, have been distilled in this book. I have made a conscious attempt to avoid the language of any one group, and as much as possible, to avoid “technical church language.” The style grows out of spending three and a half years trying to pack as much meaning as possible into a daily five-minute radio program. I have used a conversational approach, and you will sometimes find an unusual grammatical construction, either to conform to current usage, or to stress some special fact. I have made an effort to conform to the vocabulary of the Today’s English Version, Third Edition.  In this book are the two most important translations of our time. When Good News for Modern Man first came out, I recognized in it the same empathy as the Authorized Version of 1611. This makes it unique among the new versions. I believe that Good News for Modern Man (The Today’s English Version) has already become the New Authorized Version, and that this is God’s will. It has had its “baptism of fire,” survived, and gained strength. This same phenomenon has taken place in many other languages, and we have the counterpart of “Today’s English Version’’ in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, etc., - a flood of new versions making God‘s Truth available in spoken language of common people. I believe God is using these new versions to call men to himself - just as He used the German version by Luther, the English version by Tyndale, etc.

The New International Version is described as a worthy successor to the American Standard Version of 1901. Pat Patterson calls it: “A careful new translation.” It is an “evangelical” version, made in scholarly style.  This makes for both strengths and weaknesses. This version has yet to undergo its “baptism of fire,” but will certainly survive to take its rightful place.

The name of this book shows its purpose: “The Bible Study New Testament.” There can be no “short-cut” to spirituality! God has revealed himself to us in a book - the Bible - and we must STUDY to find him.  Paul said (in the language of King James): “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. ”

Written from Lynchburg, Virginia, July 1974.

R. D. Ice

Bible Study New Testament - May 27, 2003.

                Greetings from Wild & Wonderful West Virginia, the scene of much history.  This has been my home since 1986.  I am the preacher and an elder of the Union Church of Christ, about five miles SW of Philippi.  I will be 74 on June 25th, 2003.

                I wrote the final material for the Bible Study New Testament from 1974-1976.  College Press in Joplin, MO, was the publisher.  Thanks to brother Don DeWelt and others.  It was originally planned as a paperback for the mass market, and some language and style was aimed that way.  I got permission from the American Bible Society to use their TEV Good News Bible; and from the International Bible Society to use the NIV.  These were quite popular at the time, and the NIV has since been widely used among the brethren.  The Good News Bible also continues in wide use.

                I followed the general outline of Johnson's Notes [The People's New Testament, B. W. Johnson], but the material is all my own.  I did careful research from the original languages and made careful comparison with what others have written.  [I wrote, commenting on James 4:1.  "For this reason I have not relied on my own scholarship, but have drawn heavily from the minds and abilities of many individuals.]  I used Young's Analytical Concordance, The Expositor's Greek Testament, Alford's Greek Testament, La Sankta Biblio translated by Zamenhof, many other writings, plus my years of experience.

                I did a poor job of proofreading.  I had onIy a typewriter, no wordprocessor or spellchecker.  I wrote waste for water in one reference (waste and the Spirit); and cased for chased in another.  Please excuse such errors.  I could plead that only someone who has dealt with writing and printing can appreciate all that goes into searching for printing errors, misspellings, and wrong words.  Yet the Lord allowed me to get this into print.

                A one-volume edition of the BSNT was printed shortly after the two-volume, and some of the errors were corrected.  Also I wrote a new introduction for the one-volume edition, and added a longer word-subject list.

                I have written extensively in brotherhood publications, especially The Bible Herald, Parkersburg, WV (when Clifton Inman was editor) and The Firm Foundation, Austin, TX (when Reuel Lemmons was editor), the Gospel Advocate, and others.  Through the electronic medium and the Internet, much lives on - which I hope the Lord will approve of and bless, as He has continued to bless me over the years.

                Yours in Christ, R.D.Ice.   Written from Barbour County, West Virginia, 5-27-2003.

                P.S.: I have included a copy of the Adobe 5 reader to read the books in .pdf format.  I am also including some things I found of interest and use.  P.P.S: Church of Christ Ministry Manual.  http://cofcministrymanual.blogspot.com/

                P.P.S:  College Press has now made the Bible Study New Testament available as a PDF download.

BSNT vol 1  http://www.collegepress.com/cp/pdf/New%20Testament%20Vol%201.pdf

BSNT vol 2  http://www.collegepress.com/cp/pdf/New%20Testament%20Vol%202.pdf  

DISCOVERY

It's OK To Let Go!      R.D.Ice  6-04

        This is a composite, but it is based on true events which took place in two large metropolitan areas plus some other places.  Names are of course changed.  I have borrowed ideas from other writings and filtered them through my mind.

        "Through the years, Central Church of Christ [not the real name] in Mytown, PA, gradually declined in attendance, from 200 to 45 or 50.  Looking out over her 80-year-old pews, you saw only beloved senior citizens, and they were dwindling fast."

       "What to do???  The gates of Hell cannot destroy the Lord's One Spiritual Church.  But individual churches can lose their candlestick.  After talking about money and trying to raise support, another patch to a leaky roof, and seeking advice from respected brethren, the church hired a young (very young) preacher who knew nothing of the difficulties.  He made plans, hired an architect and contractors, built some new classrooms, and added a second Sunday morning service."

        "But, as we found out, Central Church had wonderful facilities, but no children left to enjoy them.  The day was coming, and could not be postponed.  The candle was about to sputter out."

        Closing One Door to Open Another.  "Turn it around or close it down."

        My computer has a "refresh" button.  It resets to the original default program.  But how to do it in this case???  We could imagine the Lord saying, "OK.  You did a good job.  But the inning is over.  It is time to move on and restart anew."  It was time to abandon the past and move on to the future to accomplish the Lord's purpose.

        Central sold the building, liquidated all the assets, and gave the money to a church-planting group overseen by a large church in the Midwest.  Leadership and planning was to be completely in the hands of the church-planting group. This sort of church-planting had been done in Bay Shore, Long Island, NY, some years ago.  Begin something new and fresh, free from the past and with a new identity. 

        This new church began meeting in a movie theater.  Discovery Church of Christ spends no money on building upkeep, and rent is not all that expensive.  Some who would not come into a church-building did come to the movie theater church.  The bulk of those who came were young, skeptical, and curious.  To them the established church was irrelevant, bureaucratic.  But these same young people were, however, hungry for truth and starving for a spiritual connection with God.

          Things are happening.  Our challenge is: How do we connect with a generation starving for God but disillusioned with what little they know of the church?  How do we eliminate barriers between a dying world and a living Savior??? Every Sunday morning the lobby of the movie theater is transformed into a meet-and-greet area for the Discovery Church of Christ.  Like Paul, we preach Christ Crucified, Risen, Coming Again!  The church went back to basics, not "issues".  Sermons focused on the purpose and mission of believers in Christ (the church).  We studied fundamental doctrines (the apostles' teaching).   We set about to discover and use our spiritual gifts.  Evangelism classes and evangelistic methods were taught.  A home-cell group was begun - meeting from house to house just like in Acts.  In the first six months, Discovery Church of Christ is averaging more than 250 in worship attendance. 

        Some times a computer must be restarted.  It shuts down and then reboots.  Central shut down and then restarted in the same community - but with a new identity and a new future.  Discovery Church of Christ is just the first phase.  Additional seed money left by the Central Church of Christ will be used to start two more new churches in 2007 and 2010.

        "Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23 NKJV).

        [Note: Mytown, PA, is near a large population center and in a fast growing area.  But this fact did not help Central Church of Christ to this point.  Something drastic and new was needed.  Discovery Church of Christ was that new beginning.]

         There is more than one way of doing things.  Paul tailored his approach to fit those whom he was trying to reach (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).  We can do no less.  What Central Church did would probably not work in the rural area where I live.  But we ourselves are experiencing a time of renewal following a fire in our church-building (and we do have a younger generation coming on).  We praise the Lord and ask Him for wisdom and vision for the future.

         What can we learn from “Central - Discovery”???  How can we step away from the past and reach out to the future?  Paul said: “but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14). 

         First, a quotation from Augustine.  "Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence."  And, as we say: "Keep on keeping on!"

         1. Why did this work?  The gospel is the same.  What really changed to make the difference in reaching out to the community?  What can we learn from this?

         2. It is always our intention to worship God and obey Him!  But we might have been more focused on "the building" than on the Lord Jesus.  Perhaps we have been trapped by the past.  Paul wasn’t.  Phil. 3:9-11; 1 Cor. 9:19-22.

         3. Someone said: “Success is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.”  Someone also said: “Life is what happens while you are making other plans.”

         4. We always remember that Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God made the plant grow.  Compare Psalm 127:1

         5. It is dangerous to allow the recent Past to be an albatross around the neck of the church.  We always look back to Jerusalem, which is right, but we also look forward to the future.  We are not to allow the world or the Past to squeeze us into its mold.  We are to be transformed (Romans 12:1-2).

         6. Truth cannot change!  But methods may change, and may need to change.  Paul was all things to all men, “that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:19-23).

         7. When we stand before Him, might He say: “If you knew it would draw the people in to meet Me, why didn’t you do it?”