Similarly, a minority of members use their spiritual gifts to serve in the Church. Many Church members, and even more nonmembers, are not involved in the work of the Church. Something must be done to generate interest in continued, active, gift-based service in the Church.
This goal was considered successfully met when at least 50 percent of participants begin serving in the church. The motivation for gift-based ministry in the church rests on accurate knowledge of God's purpose for man. According to God's Word, His purpose for man will be fully fulfilled in the new heavens and earth.
Salvation, God's purpose for man, began in the mind of God before day 1 of creation.
God—Glorious Creator
Man—God’s Apprentice
Satan—Ruler of Evil
The purpose of this teaching was to show that Satan is against God, God's word, and God's people. Satan is also shown to be a master of deception, but one who submits to God's sovereignty.
Testing—Who Will You Serve?
Although Adam, Eve and all their descendants are now in Satan's kingdom, God still offers their descendants a choice and invites people from all nations into God's kingdom. The purpose of this lesson was to show that God tests every person through trials and/or temptations.
Ruling—What Does Godly Ruling Look Like?
Spirit of God—
The entire Trinity is involved in the process of making man in the image of Jesus Christ. When God the Son left the earth, He sent God the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen His followers. This lesson covered the ministry of the Holy Ghost in the life of a follower of Christ.
The Holy Spirit is important in the life of every believer and in the life of the church. This lesson showed that the Holy Spirit gives believers motivation to serve, ability to serve, understanding of Scripture, and ability to obey Scripture.
Word of God—
Without the Scriptures, man would know nothing about Christ, God's grace, faith, or whether that man's purpose is to bring glory to God. The purpose of this lesson was to show that God's Word is sufficient for life and godliness. God's Word and God's Spirit are the primary resources for making God's people disciples of Jesus Christ.
God's word is truth, it guides, gives wisdom, sanctifies, protects and prepares God's people to serve him well.
People of God—
The purpose of this lesson was to show that the church is made up of all those whom God has chosen before the foundation of the world. Every follower of Christ has received a spiritual gift and has a role in the church. The purpose of the project, as explained in Chapter 1, was to motivate service in the church based on gifts.
The aim of the project was to focus on new believers and those who are inactive in the church. However, due to the difficulty of recruitment, only about 80 percent of the participants were new or unchurched. All participants were regular attendees, but due to the difficulty of recruitment, 4 of the 19 were already serving in some capacity.
The required number of regular attendees was successfully met, but not all participants were inactive in the Church. The third goal was to increase participants' knowledge, motivation, and gift-based service by teaching the curriculum. Five of the 9 started serving ministry, meeting the 50 percent target for inactive attendance.
After several weeks of teaching, it became clear that each of the original eight lessons contained more information than could be adequately covered in a one and a half hour meeting. In addition, the order of the material was changed slightly to improve the flow of the topics. Due to the length of the original lessons, it was difficult to follow the knowledge gained while doing the homework.
Would Do Differently
God’s Apprentice
INTRODUCTION: After introducing Himself in Genesis 1:1, and then briefly summarizing the creation of the universe, God introduces the second character in the Bible story, man. In one short chapter, God clearly explains the creation of the universe and the purpose of man. Man must be made in God's image and likeness to rule over creation as God would rule.
Man is completely in the image and likeness of God at the transfiguration in the new heaven and earth. In the new heaven and earth, the redeemed are sinless, have the name of Christ on their foreheads, and serve Him by ruling His creation forever. Everything contained in God's purpose for man (Gen. 1:26) is fully fulfilled in the new heaven and earth.
Christ's evangelistic call was "Follow me". To follow Christ means to be his disciple and to become like him. If you are becoming like Christ, you are made in the image and likeness of God. Evangelism is simply a call to fulfill God's purpose for those He has chosen to serve Him.
What the church calls evangelism and the great commission are simply statements that express God's purpose to make the elect in the image of Jesus Christ. As stated in the Old and New Testaments, "I will be your God, and you shall be my people." This happens in the new heaven and earth.
Satan the Rebel
Satan is mighty (prince of the power of the air, lord of this age, ruler of demons). Spiritual warfare exists whenever people are tempted to disobey God, either by trial or temptation. Satan enters Scripture in the 3rd chapter of Genesis and exits in the 3rd to last chapter of Revelation.
Everything that was begun in the first three chapters of Genesis is completed in the last three chapters of Revelation. Creation is made perfect, man is made fully in the image of God and serves Him faithfully, Satan is disposed, and all creation praises, honors and glorifies God. Read Eph 6:13-18) What are two practical steps you can take to put on God's Spiritual armor.
Testing Reveals Allegiance
Narrow/broad, blessed/cursed, smooth/crooked, obedient/disobedient, spirit/flesh, slave of God/slave of sin, light/dark. More education, more self-esteem and better jobs are not the answer to man's problems. Actions: Demonstrate the path a person walks, glorify God, form the basis of judgment, are created before time by God, are produced by the Spirit, and are the result of the use of gifts given by the Spirit.
Serving Illustrated
Christ's followers have God's Spirit, God's word, and God's people. The tribe of Levi was called to serve God and the other tribes (as disciples). Why does a culture have a completely different definition of rulership than the Creator of the universe.
What are some practical steps you can take to be a servant at work, home, and church.
Spiritual Power for Serving INTRODUCTION
Gifts are given for service, protection, building up the church, and testifying of Jesus Christ. According to Scripture, the Holy Spirit must be followed and His gifts must be fully used within the church. Knowing and listening to the ministry of the Holy Spirit will strengthen the church, sanctify believers and glorify Christ.
How does knowing that the Holy Ghost dwell in you motivates you to be an actively growing and ministering disciple? Does understanding the ministry of the Holy Spirit help clarify some previously puzzling passages of Scripture?
Instructions for Serving INTRODUCTION
Obedience to God's word results in blessing, growth in Christlikeness, effective service, true hope, encouragement, and building up and imparting eternal life. Disobedience to God's word brings a curse, calamity, calamity, discipline, separation from God, and ultimately death. The word of man and the spirit of the flesh are against God and His purposes.
The Bible enables man to understand the universe, God, God's plan for history, God's purpose for man, man's problem, the answer to man's problem, and resources to live in a way that honors God.
Context for Serving INTRODUCTION
God's purpose for man is to make him in the image and likeness of God. The church is the institution that God created to make man in the image and likeness of God. The Great Commission is how man cooperates with God to make man in God's image.
In fulfilling this mission, the church relies exclusively on the word of God and the Holy Spirit. Only God and His resources can make man in God's image (Let us do…). The remaining lessons describe the problem of man's heart, God's process for dealing with man's problem, and the resources God has provided to promote spiritual growth.
The lessons also show God's complete fulfillment of His purpose for man in the new heavens and on earth.
Col 1:13-14; 2 Pet 1:1-4
Prove that God's Word and God's Spirit are the primary source for God's people to become disciples of Jesus Christ. Recognize that God's word is truth, guides, gives wisdom, sanctifies, protects and prepares God's people to serve him well. Whereas the Holy Spirit fell selectively on God's people for a short time in the olden time.
The proposed solution to the problem is to learn God's purpose for man, a believer's identity in Christ, the purpose of the church, and the endowment of each believer in the church. God's elect must be created in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ so that they can serve Him forever in the new heaven and on earth. God's resources for believers are then introduced: God's word, God's Spirit, and God's people.
