Part 2 of Viewpoint Brief Bible Study #078. |
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JESUS calls US to be |
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The Christian religion is the worship and service of Jesus Christ. It’s not Mary we worship, but her Son. We worship neither saints, angels, a law code, nor even God’s Spirit. It’s JESUS who is to be honored. The Bible is our guide. |
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How Should
We Teach? How Can We?
Last revised on 12/19/97
Far More Than A Matter of Style
David Bayless inquires -- Date sent: Thu, 18 Dec 1997 10:03:27
From: David and Carol Bayless <davidb@amazon.com.br>
To: Ray Downen <outreach@sofnet.com> Subject: What I think [as requested by Ray]Greetings from Belem, Para, Brazil -- This is for preachers and elders and other serious church leaders. Please get it to them all.
A couple of weeks ago I finished teaching Christian Evidences in the Seminario Biblico Nacional, and so am a lot freer. A missionary heard that I knew something about evidences and asked me to teach a week of classes on creation the first week in March at a little Baptist seminary a block from our house. I agreed to do it. I have enough material prepared; I'll just have to finish organizing it. Way back in the early 70's Lonnie Bennett and I wrote a programmed textbook on hermeneutics.
He left, and Carol and I finished it in 1974-75. She helped me test it, which involves extensive trials with students. Then it got put away and only thought of once in a while. It was when I was working with it again eleven years ago, to put it on a computer disk, that I thought of Carol and got in touch with her. I got it ready and published it three or four years ago, and it has been used in several places.
Mozambique is a Portuguese-speaking country. Cecil Byrd works there, with others. We have gotten to be good friends through e-mail. I've been able to help him with some ideas which ought to save him several years. He heard about the hermeneutics text and asked me to send it to him, which I did. He printed it out and has taught a group of young men with it. It's satisfying to know that all that work is bearing fruit half way around the world!
About three years ago I started studying Romans on my own and making notes. I decided to do them in Portuguese, just in case they might be of help to anyone else. I made them very complete, and before I had finished I was designated to teach Romans in the seminary. So I got my comments ready, and printed them up for the students. My 85-page commentary was the only book the students had when two years ago I taught Romans to over thirty people.
Most of the students are evangelists, preachers, counselers of the newer Christians they have won. This is a great satisfaction — seeing people who are out there doing it, now getting deeper Bible knowledge. Cecil Byrd asked for the Romans commentary, so I sent it to him, and he plans to teach Romans to the budding leaders over there in the near future.
So there is another satisfaction.
I was going through some files a couple of weeks ago and found my commentary on First Corinthians, which I had wondered if I would ever find again. I made it when I taught Corinthians at Ozark Bible College, and translated it and added to it here, to teach First Corinthians last year. So I sent it to Cecil, who had asked about it. He says he's going to use it. There we go again!
The evangelists (those who evangelize others) in the Cidade Nova church set a goal to grow fifteen percent this year. Well, we aren't there, but growth so far has been a little over ten percent. Not bad. For every ten we bring in we have lost four this year, but we have kept six.
A father of teen-agers, younger than I, comes frequently for orientation since he was put into leadership in a church ten miles away. The church has begun having progress with training in how to work in the kingdom and train others.
I usually have discipleship once a week with five or six men in the church. Two of them are not married, but are serious. They all evangelize when they have someone to teach. They also give orientation to others they have won. One of our young men, the one through whom our evangelism explosion began several years ago, moved to the next capital down the coast and influenced the new missionary team there to start the church with biblical evangelism (showing the new converts how to do it) and discipleship (continuing teaching after baptism) by the same one who brought in the new convert. Now he's having the opportunity to influence a college in the U.S. He was my student while he was here, so I had the opportunity to help him develop.
Another one of our young men moved south of here about 500 miles and is working to plant biblical evangelism and discipleship in the church. He's trying it by evangelizing a nominal Catholic young man, and plans to train him in evangelism later on. There could be some opposition from traditional, non-biblical ideas of leadership. So we're praying for him a lot. He also was my student here, so it's another opportunity to influence other places without even having to travel. I got started writing to a missionary in Russia, because of e-mail. He considers me a "legend." This means he seems willing to accept some ideas, which he has commented might put them years ahead over there. So here I go to Russia, without even leaving home.
The ideas I've been sharing are that we need to prepare people to build the church and lead this way before we give them the deeper knowledge which a college can give. Leaders can't be prepared in a college; they can only be prepared in on-the-spot experience, as Jesus did it, and the apostles did it. It took me a long, long time to learn this. But it's been right there in the Bible all this time. What's good is that I don't have to retire and stop doing this. So I don't plan to, the Lord willing. David
Should your comments by added to this study?
back to Viewpoint's first page, click < here. Or go on to Viewpoint Study #79. An earlier article on a similar subject is also available if you found this interesting. And a later one.For Ray's concluding remarks, click HERE.