Viewpoint Brief Bible Study #78 |
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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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Who Should
We Be Seek to be Like?
David Bayless inquires -- Date
sent: Tue, 04 Nov 1997
From: David Bayless <davidb@amazon.com.br>
Subject: What I think [as requested by Ray]
Brother Ray, After personal notes -- Here is what I think and what I practice.
At first (when I got here in 1959) I didn't know how to train leaders. This was the greatest necessity. My colleagues did not know how, either. So we imitated the American churches, starting the Belem Bible Seminary, which was no seminary at all. The churches didn't grow during the three years we had the seminary, which we changed the name of to Para Bible Institute. The churches began growing again after we closed the Bible institute in 1964, because we began working in them (the churches) again.
We decided to teach the men in the churches. This was an important step in the right direction. But we didn't know what the men needed to know. So we taught such subjects as Bible geography, Hebrews, Acts. What the men needed was how to evangelize, until they could do it without us. They needed to know how to train others to do the same.
The women needed this same training. But we didn't realize this. The people needed training in how to live the Christian life, but we didn't know how to train them. This is almost hard to believe, looking back on it now. In 1967 I took two men from the Outeiro Road church with me as I evangelized. Thirty-three people were baptized that year, but as soon as I left the church in December, evangelism stopped. I had been with them eight years and didn't return to the church after teaching at OBC while on furlough.
My error in the Outeiro Road church was not having an evangelism method which the men could imitate. I couldn't even imitate it; I didn't teach the same way twice. I learned in 1975 that everything I do must be imitable; otherwise it won't be. This should be self-evident, but it is usually not.
It is natural to imitate. If we train men and women to imitate us, doing biblical ministry, they will do it. This ease of imitation explains why my colleagues and I set up the "seminary" in 1961. We were trying to imitate the American church. It took several years for us to realize that we should imitate Jesus' ministry, not the American church. Any person who intends to serve God and the church should base his ministry on the ministry of Timothy. He was taught by the apostle Paul, who was imitating Jesus. But we have traditionally imitated the Protestant churches, which developed their ministry style by imitating the Roman Catholic church. This explains the origin of "the minister," who is not in the New Testament. The early reformers removed the priest, only to put "the pastor" in his place. We, realizing that this is not biblical, have named him "the minister." This doesn't make it any more biblical.
So, what was Timothy's ministry? Paul wrote to him that he should find faithful men and teach them the things he had learned from Paul, so that they would be competent to teach the same to others (II Tim. 2:2). This is what Jesus did. The apostles imitated him. Timothy imitated the apostles. But we have not imitated either Jesus or the apostles; we have imitated the Protestants, as explained above.
We must make everything we do simple enough that it can be imitated by those we teach. Jesus could be imitated in everything he did, by the apostles. They could be imitated by their disciples. If we could free ourselves from the ministry concept of the clergy we could train many people in the churches to evangelize and care for others. If each "minister" (this concept, as we practice it, is not in the New Testament) were to consider it his ministry to do what Timothy did, we probably would see great growth. We certainly would see more mature Christians (Eph. 4:11- 16).
In the Cidade Nova church, where we work in Belem, twenty-five percent of the members have been trained in evangelism, to the point of doing it at least once. Many continue to do it regularly.
Following the principles of Eph. 4:11-16 would produce more mature leaders for the church. Churches led by elders taught by biblical principles would be much less likely to go into other doctrines, as is happening today. Christians would be far less likely to fall away if taught to do all the work of the church.
Why is it so hard to accept a biblical concept of ministry? Why is it so easy to continue in the same tradition which we have grown up with? The problem is that the familiar is comfortable, just as a pair of old shoes. It takes courage to break with tradition, even to turn to biblical tradition. Paul commended this way, though, writing, "I praise you for remembering me in everything and for hanging onto the traditions exactly as I transmitted them to you" (I Cor. 11:2). So, each person who intends to be God's minister must examine his concept of ministry to see if it is men's tradition or God's ministry system.
I'm making plans to send something each week to some people, and you will be among them. I don't want to burden you down. Yours in Christ, David
Should your comments by added to this study?
Brief Bible Study #78 from Ray Downen. To go back to Viewpoint's first page, click < here. Or go on to Viewpoint Study #79. A second article on a similar subject is also available if you found this interesting.
For Ray's concluding remarks, click HERE.