|
NOTE: These classes were given by the local minister to
trainees who were candidates to become local elders. This is a great tool for training men for
the ministry.
VISITING
PROGRAM TRAINING CLASS
Introductory Glass
September 8, 1968
INSTRUCTIONS:
Here
is an outline of the first class for the Visiting Program Training Class.
A
time limit has been given for each major section to serve as a guide in your
preparation and delivery of this material. Notice that the format for this
first class is different from the regular format. After opening the class with
prayer, begin with the Introduction and proceed through
the outline.
You
should use the framework of this class in its entirety. That is, you should
cover
all the points which are labeled with a Roman numeral and with a capital
letter. You should
also use the concepts that are briefly expounded under each
major heading, but you can, of course, put these concepts
in your own words.
For
section III, which is the lecture, you can add additional scriptures under
any
of the headings, keeping in mind the time limit, or you can delete any
scriptures that are given.
The scriptures given under each heading are ones
which
we thought were particularly appropriate, but since the choice of scrip-
tures is sometimes a matter of preference and style, feel
free to make substi-
tutions if you would like to do
so.
As
the material is expounded to the men, you should have them turn to some of
the scriptures, and other scriptures will only be referred
to. Again, you
should
determine this based on your own particular delivery in view of the time
limit.
You should spend at least an
hour in preparation for the class. It
would probably be best to mark the outline with a colored pencil and add your
own comments
and
notes right on the outline as given.
Remember that the men will be
tested over the major points and the concepts as
outlined. Be sure that you thoroughly cover them and
exhort the men to take
good
notes on the material.
Format for First Class:
1. Open with Prayer
2. Introduction and Purpose of Class (30
minutes)
3. How to Give a Sermonette
(30 minutes)
4. Recess (10 minutes)
5. Lecture (1 hour and 20 minutes)
6. Assignments for Next Class
7. Dismiss the Class
VISITING PROGRAM TRAINING CLASS
Introductory
Class
I.
INTRODUCTION -~ (30 minutes)
A.
Why This Class Is Needed
Within the past several
months, God's Work has shifted gears.'
Every
phase of the Work has
undergone drastic changes to keep pace with the
stepped-up
demands being made upon it. We have
entered the final few
years
of this Work.' Christ's earthly
ministry lasted just 3 1/2 years,
and this is a very likely
parallel in view of the transition which has
recently
occurred in God's Work.'
The signal of this new era was
the unprecedented breakthrough in the
field of
advertising during this past June. It
was precipitated by the
acceptance
of our ads for the foreign editions of the Reader's Digest.
For years this door had been
closed, but God miraculously OPENED this
door --
and many others.' Suddenly Britain was being reached again, and
our office there was inundated
with responses to our ads in the Reader's
Digest, as well as those in
the four-million circulation Drive magazine,
the four-million circulation
London Sunday Express, the London Daily
Times and their weekly
supplement, the Sunday Times Magazine.
In the Reader's Digest we are
now reaching all of Europe in the English,
German, French and Dutch
languages; Australia, New Zealand and all of
Southeast Asia in the English language; Canada in the English and French
languages;
and Latin America in the Spanish language.
Here in the United States, mass-circulation advertising was begun in
the nationwide circulation of
the T.V. Guide and later in many editions
of
Life magazine. This will later be
expanded to all editions of Life
as well as other large
circulation magazines such as the Saturday Evening
Post, Look and the Ladies'
Home Journal.
New television stations in Shreveport,
Texas and Bellingham, Washington
have brought the total number of
stations carrying The WORLD TOMORROW
to
six, and nationwide network telecasting is in the planning stage.'
God is opening fantastic doors
for the carrying out of the FIRST commission
of the Church, and to meet the
overwhelming response as a result of that
growth, we have made and are
now making provision for the handling of
hundreds of thousands of
additional requests for The PLAIN TRUTH and
other
literature. Our new printing plant
will be the second largest
west
of Chicago. Our 360 Computer
is the latest and best computer that
money
can buy. The new Administration Building -- which should be
ready in January -- will
provide a modern, efficient base from which to
direct this worldwide Work --
and on and on we could go:
In every way we are gearing
for the final push to FINISH THIS WORK:
-2-
B.
Purpose of This Class
As a result of the growth God is
giving the first commission of His Work,
we are expecting a corresponding increase in manpower needs for the
carrying
out of the second commission -- which is to "feed the flock."
We must make provision to train
the hundreds of additional qualified,
dedicated, knowledgeable servants
of God who will be needed to personally
visit with, counsel, guide, and
help those who request to be contacted as
a result
of this tremendous growth. More
accurately than ever before in
the history of God's Work, we can lament
that "the harvest is plenteous,
but the
laborers are few."
It is evident that the men we
need must be older, more mature, deeply con-
verted men from local Church areas who have yielded
themselves to God. Men
who are willing to diligently
study God's Word, fervently pray, regularly
fast, and who are willing to
discipline themselves and sacrifice to qualify
as sharp instruments Christ can
effectively use to serve His people these
last few
years. This is why God has established
this Visiting Program
Training Class. The purpose of this class is to develop men
for positions
of
leadership in God's Work.
All of you are here to develop
and qualify as effective Visiting Program
leaders
and IF CALLED BY GOD, some may become local elders in His Church.
Since the leaders in the local
Church are in this class, a few elders may
come out
of this class, but most of you will probably not become elders.
The class has been designed,
first of all, to work intensively on the man
to insure deep conversion and to
teach him self-discipline, leadership
and
service. Secondly, the class has been
designed to teach the man the
practical knowledge and
application of scriptural principles for the Work
of the
ministry.
C.
The Overall Approach in This Class
The overall approach in carrying
out these goals will be that given in
Matthew 7:5 -- IN ORDER TO TEACH
AND HELP others, WE MUST FIRST CLEAN UP
OUR OWN LIVES AND PUT OUR OWN HOUSES
IN ORDER. This class will be tailored
to help you do what you know you
should be doing, and to help you overcome
and
qualify to be used to help others.
We were called to do the Work of
God -- not just to become members of His
Family. All of us, as members of God's Church, have
a direct part in the
first commission through our
tithes, offerings and fervent prayers for the
Work. All of you men here also have an opportunity
to have a direct part
in the second commission of the
Church -- if you will set yourself to
overcome and qualify to be used:
D.
Format of the Class (Explain the regular format of the future classes)
1. Discussion of world news -- (5-8
minutes). All of you should be alert
during the week and think
about events that can be discussed at these
classes. You need to learn to properly read and
analyze a daily news-
paper. Also listen to newscasts and telecasts and
read the U.S. News
and
World Report if you can afford it.
-3-
2.
Drill on difficult and basic scriptures and questions most often
asked
during visiting (25-30 minutes).
3.
(Two ten-minute) sermonette-type speeches
with evaluation by the
minister
(35-40 minutes).
4.
Recess (10 minutes).
5.
Lecture on basic doctrines and other topics (1 hour).
pass
out schedule for the Visiting Program Training Class.
6.
Certain material will be assigned at the end of each class in pre-
paration for the next class.
7.
You will be tested once each month over basic concepts and overall
knowledge
covered by the class. You will take
these tests at home
and
hand them in to the minister at the next Sabbath service. These
will
be graded at Headquarters and returned within a few weeks. After
six months you will have a
mid-semester exam which will be taken in
class, and at the end of the
year you will have a final exam which
will
also be taken in class.
II.
HOW TO GIVE A SERMONETTE -- (30 minutes)
Use the following outline in
instructing the men on how to give a
sermonette.
A. Purpose of Sermonette
1. It is an introduction to the services to
get the minds of the people
off the physical and on
the spiritual and to prepare their minds for
the
sermon.
2. It serves to edify the congregation on a
limited subject.
a. Never rebuke or correct. Within the short time limit you would
only offend
the congregation.
b. Do not make the sermonette
into a big production. No matter how
eloquent you are, the sermonette will be a flop if no one is
helped
by it.
3. It gives men with. potential ability an
opportunity to speak before a
congregation and will
show whether they should be used further in a
speaking
capacity.
B. Length of Sermonette
1. For Sabbath services, unless the minister
in charge gives you extra
time,
10-12 minutes is a good length, and 15 minutes is the maximum.
2. For the VPTC, 10 minutes is the time
limit. (The minister should
have someone time these
and give the speaker a one-minute signal
after
nine minutes.)
4-
C.
Selecting a Topic
1. Select a topic that can be covered within
the time limit.
2. Don't come up with a new topic that you
have not heard expounded
before. (It may be heresy.')
3. There will be three basic types of sermonettes given in this class.
You will be assigned a
particular type each time you are scheduled
to
speak. (The emphasis will be on the
first one since training in
how to explain and expound
God's Word is an important part of this
class.) These types of sermonettes
and some examples of each are:
(1.) Explanation of a difficult scripture
a.
I Timothy 4:4 -- Does it justify eating unclean meats?
b. John 14:2 -- Does it
prove Heaven is the reward of the saved?
C. Luke 17:21 -- Is the Kingdom
of God in the hearts of men?
(2.) Instructive
a. How to use your
second tithe
b. Should you accept
birthday or Christmas gifts?
(3.) Exhortive -- (to
correct a minor problem or exhort in a posi-
tive
way) such as:
a. Be on time to services
b. Too much noise during
services
c. Get in your prayer at
the Feast of Tabernacles
D.
Organization of a Sermonette
1. S.P.S. -- After deciding on a topic,
write out the Specific Purpose
Statement which states the
one point that you want to get across to
your
audience.
2 Body
-- Organize the body into two or three points which are part of
the
main point.
3. Conclusion
a. Summarize by giving the
S.P.S. in different words or by phrasing
it
differently than you did before.
b. Make an appeal for action on
the exhortation or instructions you
have
given.
-5-
C. Plan your last sentence --
memorize it if necessary.
4. Introduction -- After planning the
S.P.S., body and conclusion, now
go
back and plan an appropriate introduction.
a. It must be related to your
main point in such a way that it
logically
leads to the S.P.S.
b. It must grab the audience' s attention and make them want to listen.
c. Some types of effective
introductions are:
1.) Use a short anecdote
or cite a recent happening or news event
2.) Give some startling
facts or figures
3.) Ask a moving question
or questions
4.) Present a challenge
E.Delivery
of the Sermonette
1. Show zeal and interest by being lively
and enthusiastic in your pre-
sentation.
2. Be warm. and
friendly.
3. Use intensity to drive a point home, but
don't overdo it.
4. Strive to be natural and sincere, not
affected.
5. Don't try to impress everyone with your
speaking ability. You are
not
an evangelist and cannot speak like one.'
Don't think you should
try to save" the entire congregation in a
ten-minute sermonette:
(Recess -- Ten
Minutes)
III. HOW TO BE A SUCCESS IN THIS CLASS - -
(one hour and 20 minutes)
A. Have a Right Attitude:
Your success in this class
depends to a large degree on your attitude
toward
it. Do you view this class as a
stepping stone to an exalted
position
-- perhaps to the ministry? If so, you
will be sorely dis-
appointed.' Our goal must be the Kingdom
of God and the righteousness
of
God (Matt. 6:33) -- Nothing ELSE.'
All of us have the very
nature of Satan the Devil -- human nature.
Humanly, we all want to be
worshipped. That is the strongest
drive in
human nature: We need to understand this and not kid
ourselves about
our
motives and our sincerity. We often
deceive ourselves into thinking
that our motives are pure,
but our minds are deceitful above all things
(Jer.
17:9). Know your own mind. If you don't realize that this applies
to your mind, you are the
very one it applies to the most:
-6-
All of us carnally, humanly want
to be exalted. That is what really
appeals
to our human nature. It isn't natural
to want to be in God's
Kingdom and to want the spiritual
rewards God has promised us. We want
our reward now -- and we equate a
position or an office in this physical
life as
a reward from God.
UNDERSTAND THIS! When Christ said in, (Matt. 23:12), "Whosoever humbles him-
self
shall be exalted," He did not mean in this life -- in the flesh!
(Rom. 7:18 -- In this flesh dwells no good thing!) He was not saying
that if
you humble yourself you'll be ordained.
God will N~R exalt us
while we
are human! Our reward is reserved in
heaven for us (I Pet. 1:4)
and will
come with Christ when He returns (Rev. 22:12).
In Philippians 2:5-9 we are
pointed to the example of Christ. We
need
to have
this mind! Verse 7 -- He was a
servant. Verse 8 -- He humbled
Himself. Verse 9 - - God has exalted Him -- at His
resurrection -- not
before.
Colossians 3:1-3 -- We must set
the Kingdom of God before us as our goal
and keep our eyes on things
above, rather than lusting for position or
status
in the sight of men here below.
B.
Seek To Serve!
All offices in God's Church are
offices of service. Set your heart on
ser-
vice --
not on an office. God will then give
you an office when and if
you
should have it -- not as a reward, but so that you can serve more fully.
Let God decide whether you should
have it.
Matthew 20:25-27 -- The chief will be the servant.
Luke 12:48 -- Our reward will be based on what we do with the
abilities we
have. Since you are in this class, more will be
expected of you.
Seek to serve as a "doulos" -- a bond slave -- of Jesus Christ (Rom
12:1).
Don't be concerned about who sees you
serving. God sees you. Apply
Matthew 6:3 -- Don1t let your
right hand know what your left is doing.
God will reward you with a
lasting reward in His Kingdom.
C.
Get Rid of Vanity!
Ecclesiastes 1:2 -- All is
vanity. Vanity is anything that does not lead
to an
eternal end.
Psalms 39:5 -- Man at his best
state is altogether vanity. Envying, compe-
tition, comparing
the self with others, self-exaltation, self-righteousness
-- these
are all forms of VANITY. God hates
it! Do you see it in yourself
and
abhor it? Are you overcoming it? It is not a question of whether we
have vanity -- it is a question of
whether we recognize it, are repenting
of it
and are overcoming it!
I Corinthians 1:26-27 -- Do you realize deeply and personally that this
applies
to you? Of ourselves we are utterly
useless to God. He didn't
-7-
call us because of our abilities,
and He won't use us because of any
ability
we may have. Any of you who feel you are
God's gift to His
Church will find that God can't
use you until you get rid of your vanity
and
humble yourself before Him.
I Corinthians 10:12 -- Many of you, by virtue of being a deacon or being
in this class,
think you have it made.
Isaiah 66:2 -- To this man will
God look.
Matthew 18:3-4 -- We must learn
to have childlike humility.
Earnestly beseech God to reveal
your vanity and to help you get rid of
any feelings of self-importance,
self-exaltation and self-confidence so
that He
can use you in His Work.'
D.
Discipline Yourself.'
It isn't easy to discipline ourselves when we are accustomed to living
in
a soft, "take-it-easy"
society and when life around us seems to be going
on as
usual. The world does not recognize
the signs of the times, but we,
of all
people should discern the signs. Just
as this Work has "shifted
gears,"
we as a Church must shift gears in our personal lives.'
Romans 13:11-14 -- The time has
come to WAKE UP, to stop seeking to please
ourselves
and to stop gratifying our senses.
We were called to strive to enter
the strait gate (Matt. 7:13-14) and
to
endure
hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (II Tim. 2:3). With
3 1/2 years left, we must become
the faithful, disciplined, dedicated ser-
of Jesus Christ, not the
self-indulgent, weak-willed, lethargic servants
of our
own carnal desires. This requires
self-discipline and self-denial.'
E.
Seek and Accept Correction
John 15:2 -- Realize that
correction is necessary for growth.
Hebrews 12:6,12
-- God corrects us out of love.
Correction hurts for the
moment,
but it produces fruit in us.
II Timothy 3:16 -- Seek correction as you study. Ask God for it and ask
Him to help you accept it.
Expect correction in this
class. Don't justify yourself in the
face of
it --
even in your mind. The correction may
not apply exactly as given,
but the
principle ALWAYS applies.'
God has, in His Word, corrected
us in principle for every fault that a
human
being can have -- and it all applies to us.
We haven't literally
fallen down before an idol,
perhaps, but we have and all too often DO
make an
idol of some thing. Accept and profit
from correction; don't
resent
it -- take it and CHANGE.'
-8-
F.
Put First Things First.'
Matthew 6:33 -- You must seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness
first.
In Matthew 16:19, Christ referred
to the "keys" of the Kingdom.
We under-
stand that among these keys are
the knowledge of the Sabbath and the Holy
Days. These keys unlock to us the understanding
of God's purpose for man
on earth
and the understanding of how He is working it out.
We USE these keys: We schedule all our activities around the
Sabbath and
the Holy Days, and as a general
rule, we let nothing interfere with that
schedule. Only in rare, ox-in-the ditch circumstances
do we deviate from
the regular observance of these
days, and even then, it is within God's
Law.
In the same way, God has given
us, in His Word, certain principles of
Christian living which
are KEYS to our success as a Christian.
We must
not only know these keys, but in
order to succeed, we must also PUT THEM
TO USE.'
These keys are regular prayer,
study, meditation and fasting. They
unlock
to us the understanding of God's
purpose for us personally and what we must
do to
bring it about. Through the use of
these keys we learn what we are,
how to overcome what we are, and
we receive the spiritual strength to over-
come
what we are.
To be successful as a Christian
-- in short, to grow and overcome -- we
must
diligently and faithfully use these keys.
Set yourself to let nothing
interfere with your prayer in the morning.
To really grow, pray at least
30-40 minutes every day, and 45 minutes to
an hour
most days.
Set yourself to study your Bible
an average of 45 minutes to one hour
every
day. God compares His Word to physical
food (Matt. 4:4). Without
regular
Bible Study, we would starve to death spiritually. Don't have a
superficial
approach to the Bible. Drink in of it
deeply, asking God for
wisdom
(James 1:5), and meditate on what you are learning.
We must become skilled experts
and artisans in the use of God's Word.
is like a fine instrument whose
effectiveness depends on the skill and
experience
of the one using it. If you men are to
be spiritual Leaders,
you must go above and beyond the
average Church member in your knowledge
and understanding of God's Word
-- and in your ability to explain it
clearly.
Set yourself to fast at least
once or twice a month. Fasting teaches
us
humility and helps us to draw
closer to God and get our minds on spiritual
things. Regular fasting requires discipline, but it
pays off in real
spiritual
growth when it is done with a right attitude.
Don't just starve
yourself. Make it a profitable fast, and take extra
time for study and
prayer. Use the time you normally would have eaten
if you cannot set
aside an
entire day to pray, study and meditate.
-9-.
G. Use God's Spirit.'
Realize that your success in this
class depends not on yourself, but on
the
Spirit of God.' Use that Spirit. It is the Spirit of power and of
love and
of a sound mind (II Tim. 1:7).
John 5:30 -- As a physical man, Christ could do nothing of
Himself.
John 15:5,8
-- We can do nothing -- apart from Christ. God is glorified
by our
fruit. His Spirit produces that fruit.
Zechariah 4:6 - Not by might but
by My Spirit:
SUMMARY:
To be a success in this Class:
1.
Have a Right Attitude
2.
Seek to Serve
3.
Get Rid of Vanity
4.
Discipline Yourself
5.
Seek and Accept Correction
6.
Put First Things First
7.
Use God's Spirit
Assignment for next lecture on How
to Organize Your Time: "Here's How to
Get More Out of Your Time"
-- by Mr. Dennis Luker in the February, 1967
GOOD NEWS. Assign two men to prepare 10-minute sermonettes for the next
class on
a difficult scripture of their choice.
|
