Equipping Institute at Trinity

leaderman or servant leader

2008-12-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

I read the following at http://www.flowerdust.net/2008/09/16/leaderman-or-servant-leader/

I am not sure of the author as I tried to follow the link that Anne Jackson credits. Anyway, it seems a good reminder of Servant Leadership whether you are in the EIT class on small group leadership or following along with the current series in Philippians 2.

LeaderMan: Wants a platform on which to say something

Servant Leader: Has something to say

———–

LeaderMan: You almost feel you know his family, because he’s your Leader

Servant Leader: You allow him to influence you, because you know his family

———–

LeaderMan: Wants you to know he’s a Leader

Servant Leader: You’re not sure he knows he’s a leader

———–

LeaderMan: Loves the idea of the Gospel, and the idea of The Church

Servant Leader: Loves God and the actual individual people God brings across his path

———–

LeaderMan: A great speaker, but self-described as, “Not really a people person.”

Servant Leader: Makes himself a people person

———–

LeaderMan: Helps you find where God is leading you in his organization

Servant Leader: Helps you find where God is leading you

———–

LeaderMan: Gets together with you to talk about his vision

Servant Leader: Just gets together with you

———–

LeaderMan: Resents “sheep stealing”

Servant Leader: Doesn’t get the “stealing” part, since he doesn’t own anyone to begin with

———–

LeaderMan: Wants the right people on the bus

Servant Leader: Wants to find the right bus for you, and sit next to you on it

———–

LeaderMan: Shows you a flow chart

Servant Leader: Shows you his whole heart

———–

LeaderMan: A visionary who knows what the future looks like

Servant Leader: Knows what your kitchen looks like

———–

LeaderMan: If it’s worth doing, it worth doing with excellence

Servant Leader: Not exactly sure how to even calculate “worth doing”

———–

LeaderMan: Talks about confronting one another in love

Servant Leader: Actually confronts you in love

———–

LeaderMan: Impressed by success and successful people

Servant Leader: Impressed by faithfulness

———–

LeaderMan: Invests time in you, if you are “key people”

Servant Leader: Wastes time with you

———–

LeaderMan: Reveals sins of his past

Servant Leader: Reveals sins of his present

———-

LeaderMan: Gives you things to do

Servant Leader: Gives you freedom

———–

LeaderMan: Leads because of official position

Servant Leader: Leads in spite of position

———–

LeaderMan: Deep down, threatened by other Leaders

Servant Leader: Has nothing to lose

Winter class 3

2008-01-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

Theological Foundations Course
Term 2: A Closer Look at Jesus
Class 3 Theme: Creedal Consensus at Chalcedon

Homework Due: Read HAMMER OF GOD (Pages 43-110)
 What charges are leveled against Savonius (60)?
 Who was Pastor Hafverman and why was he critical of Savonius (65-66)?
 Why does the Dean tell Helvig that she must "trust Jesus and wear her mother's brooch" (69)?
 How does the Dean confront Savonius with his growing legalism (86-88)?
 How does the law preached by Savonius also accuse him (91-95)?
 How did "the ancient words of the liturgy" bring comfort to Savonius' wounded heart (95)?
 How does the episode with Anders show the beginning of another change in Savonius (106-112)?
 What help is sent to Savonius in Linder (117-121)?
In 451 a general council of over six hundred bishops was convened at Chalcedon, and to this gathering Leo's letter on the two-fold nature of our Lord was read. 'Peter has spoken by Leo!' was the decision of the bishops. This famous letter has become a classic, setting forth the church's teaching on the nature of Christ. (http://www.cin.org/leogreat.html)
Definition of Chalcedon (451 AD)
Following, then, the holy fathers, we unite in teaching all men to confess the one and only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. This selfsame one is perfect both in deity and in humanness; this selfsame one is also actually God and actually man, with a rational soul {meaning human soul} and a body. He is of the same reality as God as far as his deity is concerned and of the same reality as we ourselves as far as his humanness is concerned; thus like us in all respects, sin only excepted. Before time began he was begotten of the Father, in respect of his deity, and now in these "last days," for us and behalf of our salvation, this selfsame one was born of Mary the virgin, who is God-bearer in respect of his humanness.
We also teach that we apprehend this one and only Christ-Son, Lord, only-begotten -- in two natures; and we do this without confusing the two natures, without transmuting one nature into the other, without dividing them into two separate categories, without con- trasting them according to area or function. The distinctiveness of each nature is not nullified by the union. Instead, the "properties" of each nature are conserved and both natures concur in one "person" and in one reality {hypostasis}. They are not divided or cut into two persons, but are together the one and only and only-begotten Word {Logos} of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus have the prophets of old testified; thus the Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us; thus the Symbol of Fathers {the Nicene Creed} has handed down to us.

Biography of Faith: Leo the Great
Birth name Leo
Papacy began September 29, 440

Papacy ended November 10, 461

Born 400
Tuscany, Italy

Died November 10, 461
Rome, Italy

Leo I (440-461) and Gregory I (590-604) are the only two bishops of Rome commonly called "the Great." Leo, at a time when the capital of the Empire had been moved to Constantinople, and the government even in Italy no longer had its headquarters at Rome, was the most important official in the city. To him fell such prosaic tasks as supervising the distribution of grain imports and reorganizing the municipal fire department. When Attila and the Huns invaded Italy in 452, he negotiated their withdrawal, and when Gaiseric (or Genseric) the Vandal captured Rome three years later, it was Leo who prevented the total destruction of the city. It is perhaps not surprising that the theory of papal supremacy gained much ground in his day.
In his day there were disagreements about the correct way to state the truth that Jesus Christ is both God and man. In 449 Leo wrote a letter (known as the Tome of Leo) to Bishop Flavian of Constantinople, in which he affirmed that Christ has two Natures in one Person. The letter was read in 451 by the Council of Chalcedon (the fourth Ecumenical Council), and judged by them to be sound doctrine. It contributed much to the creedal statements of that council.
Leo's influence on church government will naturally get mixed reviews. But for his defense of the belief that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, all Christians may thank God. (www.Satucket.com)

PRAYER (traditional language)
O Lord our God, grant that thy Church, following the teaching of thy servant Leo of Rome, may hold fast the great mystery of our redemption, and adore the one Christ, true God and true Man, neither divided from our human nature nor separate from thy divine Being; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever

Works Cited:
Braaten, Carl E. Christian Dogmatics. Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1984.
Grudem, Wayne. Bible Doctrine. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 1999.
Lane, Tony. Exploring Christian Thought. Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. 1984.
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: an introduction. Blackwell Publishers, Malden, Mass. 1994.
Shelly, Bruce. Church History in Plain Language. Word Publishing
http://satucket.com/lectionary/Leo_Great.htm (prayer on Commemoration of Leo the Great)

Winter class 2

2008-01-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

Theological Foundations Course
Term 2: A Closer Look at Jesus
Class 2 Theme: Controversy

Homework Due: Read HAMMER OF GOD (Introductory Notes xxi-Page 42)
How did Johannes' conscience accuse him (18)?

Who is Katrina? What does she tell Johannes that Pastor Savonius failed to tell him (28-29)?

Katrina says "You do not lack repentance, Johannes, but faith. You have walked the way of repentance for thirty years." (28) What was Katrina trying to get Johannes to see? How does Katrina use Scripture to direct the dying man away from his sin to Christ (28-31)?

Chart of Historical Christological Heresies

Biography of Faith: Theodore Mopsuestia
THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA, b. at Antioch about 350; d. at Mopsuestia, in Cilicia secunda, 423 or 429; one of the chief leaders of the Antiochian school of theology. As a preparation for a juridical career, he studied philosophy and rhetoric under the famous Libanius, but at the same time he made the acquaintance of Chrysostom; and the religious enthusiasm of the latter induced him to devote his life to Christian philosophy and asceticism. Soon after, however, he repented of the change, and meditated a return to his former occupation; but the reproaches and admonitions of his friend finally decided him (see Chrysostom: Ad Theod. lapsum). His biblical studies he made under Diodorus the presbyter, afterwards bishop of Tarsus: indeed, his whole character as a theologian was modelled by Diodorus. He was ordained a presbyter in the Church of Antioch, and as a teacher in the school he soon acquired a great reputation. John, afterwards bishop of Antioch, Theodoret, and perhaps, also, Nestorius, were among his pupils. In 392 he was elected bishop of Mopsuestia; and in 394 he was present at a synod in Constantinople, where the emperor, Theodosius I., is said to have been very much impressed by his preaching. Throughout the whole Eastern Church his name had a great weight: even Cyril of Alexandria, to whom he sent his Commentary on Job, felt the greatest esteem for him. It was not until the outbreak of the Nestorian controversy, and the clash between the christology of the Antiochian school and that of the Alexandrian school, that his name came into bad odor; but he died just as the controversy began.
W. Müller, "THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA," Philip Schaff, ed., A Religious Encyclopaedia or Dictionary of Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal, and Practical Theology, 3rd edn, Vol. 4. Toronto, New York & London: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1894. pp.2325-26.
Nestorius (c. 386–c. 451) was a pupil of Theodore of Mopsuestia in Antioch in Syria (modern Turkey) and later became Archbishop of Constantinople. He taught that the human and divine aspects of Christ were distinct natures, not unified. He preached against the use of the title Mother of God (Theotokos) for the Virgin Mary and would only call her Mother of Christ (Christotokos). He also argued that God could not suffer on the cross, as he is omnipotent. Therefore, the human part of Christ died on the cross, but not the divine.
His opponents accused him of dividing Christ into two persons: they claimed that proposing that God the Word did not suffer and die on the cross, while Jesus the man did, or that God the Word was omniscient, while Jesus the man had limited knowledge, implied two separate persons with separate experiences. (Wikipedia article on Nestorianism)

Works Cited:
Braaten, Carl E. Christian Dogmatics. Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1984.
Grudem, Wayne. Bible Doctrine. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 1999.
Lane, Tony. Exploring Christian Thought. Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. 1984.
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: an introduction. Blackwell Publishers, Malden, Mass. 1994.
W. Müller, "THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA," Philip Schaff, ed., A Religious Encyclopaedia or Dictionary of Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal, and Practical Theology, 3rd edn, Vol. 4. Toronto, New York & London: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1894.
Shelly, Bruce. Church History in Plain Language. Word Publishing

Winter class 1

2008-01-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

Theological Foundations Course
Term 2: A Closer Look at Jesus
Class 1 Theme: Christology Introduction

What is Christology?
The study of Christ Jesus. “Christology is the church’s doctrine of the person of Jesus as the Christ. It is always central in a system of dogmatics that claims to be Christian” (Braaten 469). “Means literally, the logos about Christos, thought and speech about Christ. Christ is a title and not the second name of Jesus” (Braaten 473).

How is Christology related to Theology?
“The more deeply theology probes the meaning of Jesus as the Christ of God, the more directly is it drawn to the very God of Christ” (Braaten 469). Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God! “The entire ministry of Jesus was radically theocentric” (Braaten 469).

Where do you start doing Christology?
The church has started “from above” and “from below”?

From Above: reflection beginning with the doctrines of the dual nature of Christ, Trinitarian doctrine, eternal deity, to his human nature here below. (Braaten 477).

From Below: Jesus of Nazareth, a historical figure. Evangelists, historical eyewitnesses, reporters, and historians. Early Church, historical movement with a truth claim concerning Jesus Christ.

Can only Christians do Christology?
JESUS IN ISLAM (Arabic: عيسى `Īsā) is a messenger of God who had been sent to guide the Children of Israel (banī isrā'īl) with a new scripture, the Injīl (gospel). According to the Qur'an, believed by Muslims to be God's final revelation, Jesus was born to Mary (Arabic: Maryam) as the result of virginal conception, a miraculous event which occurred by the decree of God (Arabic: Allah). To aid him in his quest, Jesus was given the ability to perform miracles. These included speaking from the cradle, curing the blind and the lepers, as well as raising the dead; all by the permission of God. Furthermore, Jesus was helped by a band of disciples (the hawāriyūn). Islam states that Jesus was not killed nor crucified by the Jews, but that he had been raised alive up to heaven. Islamic traditions narrate that he will return to earth near the day of judgement to restore justice and defeat al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl (lit. "the false messiah", also known as the Antichrist) and the enemies of Islam. As a just ruler, Jesus will then die.
Like all prophets in Islam, Jesus is considered to have been a Muslim, as he preached for people to adopt the straight path in submission to God's will. Islam rejects that Jesus was God or the son of God, stating that he was an ordinary man who, like other prophets, had been divinely chosen to spread God's message. Islamic texts forbid the association of partners with God (shirk), emphasizing the notion of God's divine oneness (tawhīd). As such, Jesus is referred to in the Qur'an frequently as the "son of Mary" ("Ibn Maryam"). Numerous titles are given to Jesus in the Qur'an, such as mubārak (blessed) and `abd-Allāh (servant of God). Another title is al-Masīḥ ("the messiah; the anointed one" i.e. by means of blessings), although it does not correspond with the meaning accrued in Christian belief. Jesus is seen in Islam as a precursor to Muhammad, and is believed by Muslims to have foretold the latter's coming.

What did Jesus believe concerning himself? What did he say concerning himself?
From Alpha Course…
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said wouldn’t be a great moral teacher, he’d either be a lunatic—on a level with a man who says he’s a poached egg—or else he’d be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse…But don’t let us come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He hasn’t left that open to us. He didn’t intend to.” CS Lewis in MERE CHRISTIANITY.

• Totally Human (John 4.6; Matthew 4.2; Mark 11.15-17; Mark 10.21; John 11.32-36; Mark 1.13; Luke 2.46-52; Mark 6.3; Luke 2.51)

• Totally God
o Indirect Claims (Mark 2.5; Matthew 24.31-32, 40, 45)

o Direct Claims & Teaching about Himself (John 20.28; John 10.33; Mark 14.61-62)

“The ‘Kingdom of God’ was the central theme in the entire message of Jesus. All three synoptic Gospels picture Jesus as an itinerant preacher from Galilee announcing the good news of the kingdom of God (Mark 1.15; Matt. 4.23; Luke 4.43. Rudolf Bultmann states, ‘The dominant concept of Jesus’ message is the Reign of God’” (Braaten 483).

Kingdom impact in the New Testament!
Message

Miracles

Parables

Connection to Earliest Christian Proclamation: JESUS IS LORD!

Romans 10.9; 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 2

Bo Harald Giertz “(31 August 1905 Räpplinge in Öland – 12 July 1998 in Gothenburg), was a Swedish Confessional Lutheran bishop and Christian novelist.
Giertz' characteristic combination of the pietistic type of care of souls with his High Church Lutheran theology, which can also be noticed in his novels, made him listened beyond boundaries. It also made his novels as well as non-fictional books about Christian faith popular in all Scandinavia.” Wikipedia
Family & School Life
Church Life
Writings
During his time as pastor in Torpa (1938-1949), Giertz authored four monumental theological works, Christ's Church (1939), Church Piety (1939), The Great Lie and the Great Truth (1945), and The Battle for Man (1946); two engaging novels, The Hammer of God (1941), and Faith Alone (1943); a retelling of the gospel events, With My Own Eyes (1947); and The Foundation (1942), a widely-used (225,000 copies sold by 1977) catechetical textbook - even translated into Tamil and Zulu! After retiring from Episcopal office, Giertz wrote: The ABCs of Our Christian Faith (1971); another best-selling novel, The Knights of Rhodos (1972) the devotional books To Believe in Christ (1973) and To Live with Christ (1974); a new translation of the New Testament with Commentary (1977-1982); and at age 90(!) The Living God - A Guide to the Christian Faith (1995). Most of Giertz's writings are not available in English.
“The Church Movement for Bible and Confession”
In his vision of the One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church, Giertz integrated a vibrant Evangelical-Lutheran orthodoxy, the Church's traditional liturgy, and sincere church piety into a harmonious and powerful wholeness.- Rev. Hans O. Andrae

Works Cited:
Braaten, Carl E. Christian Dogmatics. Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1984.
Grudem, Wayne. Bible Doctrine. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 1999.
Lane, Tony. Exploring Christian Thought. Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. 1984.
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: an introduction. Blackwell Publishers, Malden, Mass. 1994.
Shelly, Bruce. Church History in Plain Language. Word Publishing

Here is the info for the Theo foundations course

2008-01-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

Theological Foundations Course

Theme Verse for the Institute: Ephesians 4:11-13
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Mission of the Institute: To equip the people of Jesus Christ, with the heart of the Father, for ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Theme Verses for the Course: 2 Timothy 1:13-14
Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [14] By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
2 Tim. 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Mission of the Course: j To strengthen and guard the good deposit of faith entrusted to us. k To rightly handle the word of truth in ministry to others. This is accomplished through rigorous individual, communal, and historical reflection, and the shaping of our individual and corporate identity in light of God’s identity.

Term 2 A Closer Look at Jesus
Doctrine of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ

Class 1 Theme: Christology Introduction
Biography of Faith: Bo Giertz

Class 2 Theme: Controversy
Biography of Faith: Theodore Mopsuestia
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Introductory Notes xxi-Page 42)

Class 3 Theme: Creedal Consensus at Chalcedon
Biography of Faith: Leo the Great
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 43-110)

Class 4 Theme: Christ’s Dual Nature and Kenosis
Biography of Faith: John of the Cross
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 113-153)

Class 5 Theme: Cross Purposes (theory’s of the atonement)
Biography of Faith: Anselm and Abelard
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 155-192)

Class 6 Theme: Cross Training and Theology (theology of the cross)
Biography of Faith: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 195-235)

Class 7 Theme: Case for Christ 1
Biography of Faith: John Bunyun
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 237-282)

Class 8 Theme: Case for Christ 2
Biography of Faith: Blaise Pascal
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 283-332)

Winter Term 08

2007-12-31T12:03:00.000-08:00

EIT gets going again on Sunday, January 13th--I hope you can join us.

1: Care, Healing, Deliverance:
6:15-7:30pm Trinity East
Using the Scriptures, as well as video teaching from Francis & Judith MacNutt, we will become equipped to “do the stuff.” This is practical course—get ready to practice!

$50/term--includes resources

2: Theo. Foundation: Jesus
7:45-9:00pm Trinity East
Looking deeply into the biblical teaching on the person and work of Jesus. We will draw richly on Scripture, as well as use Bo Giertz’s wonderful novel “The Hammer of God.”

$40/term--includes resources

EIT Fall Term Year 2 information

2007-08-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

WHO? Geared to the maturing Christian who wants to hone their skills for missional ministry. You want to be trained to the next level for effectiveness in the Kingdom of God.
WHAT? 2 Courses this year:
First Course: Care, Healing, Deliverance
† Intro to Care, Healthy Boundaries, Personality Inventory
† Fruits/Roots (Symptoms/Causes): guilt & shame; anger; Loss & depression; Anxiety & Fear; Conflict
† Sacramental ministry; Truly listening
† Ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit (Prophetic, intercessory, fruit)
† School of Healing Prayer
Second Course: Theological Foundations
† A Closer look at the Trinity and the Father: creation; personhood, intimacy with God; heresy & orthodoxy.
† A Closer look at Jesus: person and work; New Testament affirmations; heresy & orthodoxy.
† A Closer look at the Holy Spirit and the Church: Welcome Holy Spirit! Person and work of the Holy Spirit; Gifts of the Holy Spirit; fruit of the Holy Spirit; Nature and marks of the Christian Church.
WHEN? Sunday nights—3 (8 session) terms,
First Course* 6:15-7:30pm (Starts Sept 23rd)
*A Weekend retreat option is available for the first course, sometime in November.
Second Course 7:45-9:00pm (Stars Sept 23rd)
HOW MUCH? $75/per course term includes book; $125/if you enroll
for both; or for a married couple to enroll together in one course.
WHERE? Trinity San Pedro Room 3
HOW DO I SIGN UP? Download the application from our website www.TrinitySanPedro.org or pick up an app. in the church office and return by Sept. 16th (with first term’s payment).

Term 3-Blog 3

2007-05-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,
Jesus' peace. What a treat we had to welcome Julia Anderson to teach us last week. No need to blog this week--just do what Julia asked you to do. Put some real thought and prayer into your work, for Julia will be able to help us identify gifts as well as growth areas.
Lord bless you all!
in Jesus,
Nathan

Term 3 Blog 2

2007-05-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

Dear EIT friends,
Jesus' grace and peace this week. Thank you for the great discussion last week.
This week we look forward to welcoming Julia Anderson to teach us practical helps in proclaiming the Gospel.
Julia comes to us with much experience--in and out of the church. She teaches at Harbor College www.lahc.edu and Marymount College www.MaryMountPV.edu. Please come prepared to receive what she has to give us.
Lord bless,
Nathan

EIT 3rd Term 1st Blog

2007-05-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome back friends,
In our reading for the week, Stott quotes Professor Ian Pitt-Watson,

Every sermon is stretched like a bowstring between the text of the Bible on one
hand and the problems of contemporary human life on the other. If the
string is insecurely tethered to either end, the bow is useless.

Is that really true?

Term 2 last blog!

2007-03-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Chapter 5 in Stott's book is our grand finale for this term. It was very helpful (and convicting) to me. I hope you can read it before our last class on Saturday.

Comment on one of the following quotes:

We have to open our minds wide enough to risk hearing what we do not want to hear. For we have been taught to come to the Bible for solace. Does not Paul himself write of 'the encouragement of the Scriptures' (Romans 15.4)? So naturally we cherish the hope that through our Bible reading we shall be comforted; we have no wish to be disturbed. Hence we tend to come to it with our minds made up, anxious to hear only the reassuring echoes of our own predudice.

or...

From David Read, "It remains and axiom of Christian preaching that the road from study to pulpit runs through a living, demanding interrupting manse; out into the noisy street; in and out of houses and hospitals, farms and factories, buses, trains, cinemaa...up between rows of puzzled people to the place where you are called to preach...For the living Word there is no by-pass road from study to pulpit."

or...

Humble listening is indispensable to relevant preaching.

See you Saturday--everyone speaking on Good Friday (7 last words) will have time to do their practice proclamation.

Term 2 Blog 6--Pr Mike Bradley Coming!

2007-03-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

I hope you can come to EIT this week. We will have the pleasure of receiving teaching from Mike Bradley. Mike will teach on...Building Bridges in Communicating the Gospel in 2007. EIT homework for the week? Bring a friend or bring a written question to class this Saturday at 7. Even better come hear Mike speak at 5-7pm beforehand about his work at Master's Institute and on the Leadership Team of the Alliance of Renewal Churches. Bring a dish to share--POTLUCK!

Rev. Michael Bradley is the President of The Master's Institute. He graduated from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN with a B.A. in Youth and Family Ministries: and from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA with a Masters of Divinity (Mdiv). Mike brings over 20 years of leadership experience in Christian ministry to MI, having served in a variety of ministry positions and functions in both para-church and congregational contexts in the Midwest and on the West Coast. He has authored a book on pursuing God's vision for your life as an individual or as a corporate body entitled, The Ongoing Journey!, and writes and speaks extensively on the topic of "Being a Safe Place and A Dangerous People" and on equipping God's people for ministry. Mike has a passion to see leaders being equipped to faithfully serve the Lord and His Church with vision, daring, and integrity in today's ever changing cultural and world scene.

Term 2 Blog 5

2007-03-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

From Reading Stott, pages 50-85.
On page 58, John Stott quotes former Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan:

To preach, a man must know the authority of being under Authority.

What do you think Coggan (and Stott) mean by this point? Is there any Scripture to support this thesis?

Term 2 Blog 4--Jesus' false tomb

2007-02-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

On the third day he rose again, and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God.

Christians, Jesus' bones are not in Jerusalem, no matter what James Cameron proposes. He is directing pure fiction. Check out this link, and Paul L Maier's letter, and respond to this question: What if Christ Jesus' bones lay in a tomb in Jerusalem? Would that matter?
Ben Witherington's Blog
http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/02/jesus-tomb-titanic-talpiot-tomb-theory.html

Paul L Maier's Letter
Paul L. Maier, Ph.D., Litt.D
Department of History
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI 49008

February 25, 2007

Dear Friends and Readers,

Thanks for the profusion of e-mails I’ve received over the last two days regarding the Talpiot tombs discovery in Jerusalem, a.k.a., “the Jesus Family Tomb” story. Some of you also suggested that “life seemed to be following art” so far as my A Skeleton in God’s Closet was concerned. Believe me, this is not the way I wanted my novel to hit the visual media!

Alas, this whole affair is just the latest in the long-running media attack on the historical Jesus, which – we thought – had culminated in that book of lies, The Da Vinci Code. But no: the caricatures of Christ continue.

Please, lose no sleep over the Talpiot “discoveries” for the following reasons, and here are the facts:.

1) Nothing is new here: scholars have known about the ossuaries ever since March of 1980. The general public learned when the BBC filmed a documentary on them in 1996. James Tabor’s book, The Jesus Dynasty, also made a big fuss over the Talpiot tombs more recently, and now James Cameron (The Titanic) and Simcha Jacobovici have climbed aboard the sensationalist bandwagon as well. He

2) All the names – Yeshua, Joseph, Maria, Mariamene, Matia, Judah, and Jose -- are extremely frequent Jewish names for that time and place, and thus most schol-ars consider this merely coincidental, as they did from the start. One-quarter of Jewish women at that time, for example, were named Maria.

3) There is no reason whatever to equate “Mary Magdalene” with “Mariamene,”
as Jacobovici claims.

4) So what if her DNA is different from that of “Yeshua” ? That particular :Mariamme” (as it is usually spelled today) could indeed have been the wife of that particular “Yeshua.”

5) What in the world is the “Jesus Family” doing, having a burial plot in Jerusalem, of all places, the very city that crucified Jesus? Galilee was their home. In Galilee they could have had such a family plot, not Judea. Besides all of which, church tradition – and Eusebius – are unanimous in reporting that Mary died in Ephesus, where the apostle John, faithful to his commission from Jesus on the cross, had accompanied Mary.

6) If this were Jesus’ family burial, what is Matthew doing there – if indeed “Ma-tia” is thus to be translated?

7) How come there is no tradition whatever – Christian, Jewish, or secular -- that any part of the Holy Family was buried at Jerusalem?

8) Please note the extreme bias of the director and narrator, Simcha Jacobovici. The man is an Indiana-Jones-wannabe, who oversensationalizes anything he touches. You may have caught him on his TV special regarding The Exodus, in which the man “explained” just everything that still needed proving or explaining in the Exodus account in the Old Testament! It finally became ludicrous, and now he’s doing it again. – As for James Cameron, how do you follow The Titanic? Well, with an even more “titanic” story. He should have known better.

There are more arguments, to be sure, but I want to get this off pronto.

With warm regards,

Paul L. Maier

021707 Session recording

2007-02-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

See shortcut for last weeks session.

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30041.WMA

Term 2 Blog 3

2007-02-21T21:45:00.000-08:00

John Stott begins the body of his book with these words:

Preaching is indispensable to Christianity.

Is this true or is this an exageration?
Why?
No brownie points for saying what the teacher wants you to say!

C. S. Lewis rules

2007-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

I personally find all of them hard to follow; to follow his rules, you have to really think before you talk and that is difficult to do well in the heat of the moment. However, when you do have time to think, then the rules are very helpful.

PS: I thought this was one of the best parts of the reading assignment.

Charlie Orr

Term Two Week Two

2007-02-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

How not to commit "verbicide" (CS Lewis) From Page 235 of Between Two World
(Stott)

What really matters is:
1. Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean, and make sure your sentence couldn't mean anything else.
2. Always prefer the plain direct word to the long vague one. Don't 'implement' promises, but 'keep' them.
3. Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean 'more people died', don't say 'mortality rose'.
4. Don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want to feel about a thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was 'terrible', describe it so that we'll be terrified. Don't say it was 'delightful', make us say 'delightful' when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only saying to your readers 'please will you do my job for me'.
5. Don't use words too big for the subject. 'Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.

Answer one of the following:
1. Which rule do you find broken
or do you break most often? How?
2. Would you add any rules for today? What
is it?

021007 Audio file

2007-02-11T22:31:00.000-08:00

Session 2 audio file, missing about 10 minutes of Olie's talk.
http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30040.WMA

Second Term First Blog

2007-02-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

Welcome back everyone!

Psalm 1:1-2 [1] Blessed is the man that walketh not in
the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in
the seat of the scornful. [2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in
his law doth he meditate day and night.

Of course reading the Bible and meditating on it are not particular to preachers. After picking a portion of Scripture to preach on, John Stott says, step two is, "Meditate on it."

Stott uses a few word pictures on page 220 to explain meditation. Which is your favorite, or would you add a different one? If you have a helpful practice, how do you meditate on God's word?

2/3/07 Equiping audio file

2007-02-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

I have placed the audio file for the Sat night (2/3/07) equiping session on the following web site:

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30039.WMA

Note: This is a very large file (26 Mb), so if you need me to break the file up, let me know.

Eighth Assignment

2006-11-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

1.) Have a great Thanksgiving.
2.) Do whatever homework you need to do to catch up.
3.) See you on Saturday at 7pm!

Seventh Assignment

2006-11-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

Equipping Institute at Trinity Seventh Assignment is to read Psalm 19: 1-14.

Key Words---Glory of God:LAW Key Point:To tell of God's Glory in creation and the LAW. God's Glory is proclaimed in the first six verses. In a paradox God's wisdom and knowledge are declare without speech or words. " Day is equal to speech and night is equal to knowledge. Yet it goes to the end of the world." The sun is a special object of God's Handiwork.Verses 5&6 declare the Sun's movement across the heaven's. In the Ancient near East the sun god was a god of justice. Nothing could hide from him. He had insight into all things. Verses 7-10 tell how perfect, sure, simple and desirous God's law really is. Verses 11-13 tell us that even with the warnings in God's word, we can't avoid sin. It is our nature. We need God's forgiveness. Verse 14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer." is a prayer of dedication and offering. ADVICE/Reason: The LAW of the Lord is perfect. Desired more than Gold. Emphatic statement: verse14 Literary form: Poetic. Synonymous parellelism. Meaning that the 1st line is paralleled by the second. Atmosphere----awe, wonder, positive, uplifting. Comparisons----God's glory is compared to the heavens and the movement of the Sun from sunrise to Sunset. No repetitions or questions. Grammatical construction is present tense----are and is. FrannieT

Sixth session

2006-11-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

I put the recording of the sixth night of the institute on my web site at specialcreation.com See files under Nathan Hoff in the Charasmatic page/tab.

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30032.WMA

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30033.WMA

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30034.WMA

6th Assignment

2006-11-16T16:25:00.000-08:00

Don't Miss Andy Noch This Saturday Night at EIT!
Homework: Come with either a friend (for free) or a question.

Andy oversees the Adult Ministry team and ministers to married couples at Rolling Hills Covenant Church. Significant among his numerous responsibilities are reproducing leaders within the small group ministry and “One to One” discipleship.

Andy graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. While working full-time as a surgical nurse, he ministered on the weekends to troubled youth through a coffeehouse ministry he developed. Andy served part-time as guest minister at a local community church while continuing his nursing career.

It was during this time he felt called by God to pursue full-time service in Christian ministry.
Graduating from Westminster Theological Seminary, Andy received his master’s degree (divinity). In 1995, he received his doctorate of ministry degree from Fuller Seminary.

Andy’s prior experiences include two years as a youth pastor at Church in the Canyon in Calabasas, California. He was ordained in 1986 in the Pacific Presbytery and was called to plant New Hope Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California, where he served as senior pastor.

He has a keen interest in international missions and has visited and/or preached in over 17 countries. The Nochs spent two and a half years with Mission to the World training spiritual leaders in Ethiopia by teaching at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Andy met his wife, Susannah, when her parents began attending New Hope Church in San Diego. He proposed to her during a brief Christmas Eve message that was aired on local television. Susannah was born and raised in Ethiopia as a "missionary kid," where her family lived for 17 years. Susannah and Andy live in Rancho Palos Verdes with their three children, Kayla (16), Sarah (14), and Stevie (12).

Andy loves music—starting as a 9-year-old “Beatle fanatic,” he taught himself guitar, keyboards, and flute. He continues his interest in music and has written a number of songs, a few of which are routinely sung at various churches.