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VISITING PROGRAM TRAINING CLASS
Eleventh
Class
February 9, 1969
FORMAT:
1. Open with prayer.
2. World news discussion and
drill (5 - 8 minutes).
3. Difficult scripture drill
(30 minutes).
4. Sermonettes
and evaluations (30 minutes).
5. Recess (10 minutes).
6. Lecture (one hour).
7. Assignments for next
class.
DIFFICULT
SCRIPTURES
1. Disprove: God gave Israel laws which were not good (Ezek. 20:25).
A. This verse cannot be referring to God's
law. The law is holy, and the
commandment
holy, and just and good (Rom. 7:12). "The law of the Lord
is perfect, converting the
soul . . . the statutes of the Lord are right,
rejoicing
the heart . . ." (Ps. 19:7).
B. Then what are these statutes? They are man's laws and statutes. Speaking
about the same situation, God
says in Psalm 81:11-12: "But my
people
would
not hearken to my voice; and Israel would have none of me.
So I gave
them
~ unto their own hearts' lust, and they walked in their own counsels."
In other words, since the
Israelites would not follow God's laws and
statutes He gave them over to their own laws and
statutes, which were
not
good -- which ended in death (Prov. 14:12). The actual
translation
of Ezekiel 20:25 is better rendered "gave them over to statutes that
were
not good."
God did not give Israel or any other nation laws that were bad. God ' s
righteous law was Israel's wisdom and understanding in the sight of all
nations
(Deut. 4:5-8). He commanded Israel to keep His laws for their
good
always (Deut. 6:24).
2. Disprove: It was Paul's custom to observe Sunday
(Acts. 20:7).
A.
First of all, this scripture does not say Paul observed Sunday as a
day
of
worship. If this were an example for
us today, we would be starting
the
services on Saturday night -- not on Sunday morning. Verse 7 shows
Paul preached to them until midnight. Also services
would have to con-
tinue till dawn (Verse 11).
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B. Next, we need to realize that the
breaking of bread was not a religious
service,
but merely the eating of a meal. Acts
27:33-38 proves this.
Notice Paul1s situation. He was a Roman prisoner in the midst of
many
Gentiles on board a ship
(Acts 27:1-2). Obviously Paul was not
holding
a
religious service. The men ate for
their health (Verses 33-34).
C. Acts 20:3 does not describe a regular
service. Notice the context.
Paul was en route from Greece to Jerusalem (Acts 20:2-3, 16).
Since
he did not know when he would
see the brethren again, he wanted to teach
them
as much as possible. The people were
more than willing to listen.
So, after the Sabbath Paul
remained behind teaching the brethren, while
his
ship sailed around the peninsula (Verse 13).
He remained talking
with them till midnight and continued after a short meal until daybreak
(Verse 11). Then after Paul had stayed as long as he
could, he left
them
to walk across the peninsula to meet the boat (Verses 13-14). He
worked
on that Sunday by taking this long walk of some 19 miles.'
D. There is nothing in the above scripture
to indicate it was Paul's custom
to
observe Sunday. In fact, all through
the book of Acts we see it was
Paul's custom to observe the Sabbath
(Acts 17:2; 13:14-15; 42-44).
3.
Disprove: All meats are fit to
eat (Gen. 9:3).
A. This scripture does not say God made all
meats for human consumption.
God explained what He meant by the phrase
"Every moving thing that
liveth."
Genesis 9:2 shows that He was
referring to the four classi-
fications
of animals: the beasts of the earth,
the fowls of the air,
all that move upon
the earth, and the fish of the seas.
B. Genesis 9:3 shows that not every animal
is clean and good for food. A
qualification is added,
"even as the green herb have I given you all
things." Not all green herbs are good for food. You wouldn't think of
eating
poison ivy or poison oak. In addition,
oleanders (an evergreen
shrub)
are poisonous -- even though they have fragrant flowers.
C.
Just as all plants are not good for food, neither are all
animals. Noah
was
well aware of that fact. Genesis 7:2,
8 proves that God had revealed
which
animals were clean and which were not.
Here a definite distinction
was
made between clean and unclean meats.
Later God had Moses codify the law
of clean and unclean meats which had
been in
effect since Creation. Leviticus 11
and Deuteronomy 14 state which
animals may
be eaten and which may not.
D. God knew that man could find out for
himself whichherbs were good for
food
and which ones were not. But, He had
to reveal to man which animals
were fit to eat
and which were not. The Bible is God's
instruction book
for man, providing him with
the knowledge he could not discover for him-
self.
THE ROLE OF
AN ASSISTANT
I.
THE CRITICAL NEED FOR MORE MANPOWER
The Philadelphia Era of God's
Church has been given the most important job
ever entrusted to any group of
people in the entire history of the human
race. The very future of all mankind depends upon
our success in finishing
this
Work (Mal. 4:5-6).
Ever since the days of Jesus
Christ and the apostles, God's Work has been
hindered
by a critical shortage of qualified manpower.
Jesus Christ Himself
highlighted this urgent need
when He said, "The harvest truly is plenteous,
but the
laborers are few. PRAY YE therefore
the Lord of the harvest, that
he will
send forth laborers into his harvest" (Matt. 9:37-38). This need
has
never been greater than it now is.
God's Church has entered the home-
stretch
of its commission. We are now standing
on the very threshold of a
gigantic harvest of human lives
in the next few years, yet there just aren't
enough
laborers working in this harvest. Too
few are in the field.
While God's Work desperately
needs more ministers, all of these laborers do
not have
to be ordained in order to render an effective service. The office
of the ministerial assistant is
not merely a human concoction, but a divinely-
ordained
function within the Church. Notice the
various responsibilities
God has set in the Church: ". . . first apostles, secondarily
prophets,
thirdly teachers, after that
miracles, then gifts of healings, HELPS, govern-
ments, diversities of tongues" (I Cor. 12:28). The term "helps" could just
as
accurately be translated "helpers" or "ASSISTANTS."
Right now, God's Work needs
literally dozens of dedicated ministerial assistants,
working
either part time or full time. Within
the next few years, this critical
need
will swell to HUNDREDS. One of the
purposes of the Visiting Program
Training Class is to help fill
this need. You can personally become a
part
of the answer to the request for
more laborers Christ commanded His Church to
pray
for. But first you must learn how to
be an assistant.
II.
THREE BASIC KEYS TO SUCCESS
A. Develop a Spirit of Service
1. What is the accurate measure of true
greatness? The carnal mind
doesn't
know. Usually, we associate greatness
with wealth, power
or
prestige. However, these are not the
measure of greatness. Jesus
Christ rebuked His
disciples for their petty power struggle and then
went
on to show them the way to true greatness.
"Whosoever will be
great among you, let him
be your minister (servant); and whosoever
will
be chief among you, let him be your servant (slave)" (Matt.
20:26-27).
2. All too often, this is NOT the approach
among the leading men in
God's Church. Many times, there are power struggles and
jealousies
among
the deacons or Spokesman Club members.
Too many are seeking
an
office and don't have a real spirit of service. When someone is
appointed to a position by
the minister, others are jealous or upset
because
they weren't chosen. There is too much
of this in God's
Church,
and it must be STAMPED OUT. Anyone who
covets an office for
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carnal motives has automatically
disqualified himself as long as
he has
this approach.
3.
At this point, you may be thinking that this doesn't apply to YOU.
You may be saying to yourself,
"I want to serve. I want to help
in
God1s Work." Well, you need to realize that it is easy
to kid your-
self you
"want to serve." But WHY do
you want to serve? - What's
your
motive - - the hidden motive - - the REAL motive? Have you ever
taken
the time to probe deeply into your innermost motivations? Well,
now is a
good time to start.
4.
Before we go any farther in this lesson, you -- each of you -- need
to stop and honestly face the
fact that your motives for service
have not
all been pure and honorable. You need
to admit to yourself
that there has
been an awful lot of SELF involved.
You've thought
about how much you would be able
to GET out of the opportunity to
serve as
well as how much you might be able to give.
This selfish-
ness is
inherent within all of us. Even the
Apostle Paul had a
shortage
of selfless servants. Timothy was the
only one who was
more
interested in others than in himself.
Notice Paul's statement:
"I have no man like-minded,
who will naturally care for your state.
For all seek their own, not the
things which are Jesus Christ's"
(Phil. 2:20-21). Honestly admit the fact that you have been
selfish
even in
your approach to service. REPENT of it
and fervently pray
for God to give you the attitude
of SELFLESS SERVICE - - serving
without
any thought of what you might get out of it.
5.
Selfless service also involves SACRIFICE. Too many think of the
Ministry in terms of position and
prestige -- not in terms of hard
work and
personal sacrifice. But teal service
does involve sacrifice.
There have been men who have been
thrilled with the opportunity to
be on the Visiting Program but
have resented the sacrifices this
opportunity
demanded. Jesus Christ set us the
perfect example of
selfless
sacrifice. Here is the way he
described it: "Even as the
Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to
GIVE HIS LIFE a ransom for
many" (Matt. 20:27). Seivice is laying
down our lives -- our time, our
talents, our energies -- to help others
(I John 3:16; Phil. 2:3-8). An excellent example of this was one of
Paul's fellow laborers, Epaphroditus:
"For indeed he was sick nigh
unto death . . . because for the
WORK OF CHRIST he was nigh unto death,
not regarding his life, to supply
your lack of service toward me
(Phil. 2:27, 30). Are you willing to sacrifice personal
pleasures
and
even, on occasion, personal needs to labor in the Work of God?
Are you willing to miss sleep,
miss certain time with your family
and give up various things you are now
doing? A servant of God
does not
lead a normal life. He is called upon
to sacrifice a
number of things many would claim
to rightfully be theirs to hold
onto. What really is your attitude? Do you really have a spirit
of
service? Just how much are you willing
to sacrifice? This will
determine
how effective a servant you will be in God's Work.
6.
A servant of God needs to have a love and concern for the people he
is
serving. He serves not because it is
his job but because it is
his
life. But herein lies
another problem which all of us have.
We are victims of the age in
which we live. We have become hardened
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by the
events of our times. Paul describes
our time as being "with-
out
natural affection" (II Tim.
3:3). People today have been rendered
practically insensible to the
needs and sufferings of others by the
shock waves of events which
plague our world and which are continually
bombarding
us. This is an age of non-involvement
-- of people who
have pulled into their protective
shells and can't be bothered or
couldn't
care less. But a servant of God must
be sensitive to the
needs of
others. He must be concerned and
sympathetic -- able to be
moved
with compassion. Pray for God to give
you this attitude of
mind. And as you visit and work with people and
see firsthand the
tragic shape this world is in,
ask God to increase your capacity to
feel
deeply for others.
7.
A ministerial assistant needs to realize that his ability to serve is
very limited at first when it
comes to helping people in some spiritual
way. He should not, therefore, expect to
suddenly be called upon to
lead in visits, answer difficult
Bible questions or advise someone
who has
a serious problem. His primary
function will be to accompany
the
minister on visits. This is a
tremendous help to the minister
because it greatly increases his
visiting potential, since he is
not
permitted to visit women by himself.
(Note: Mr. Herbert
Armstrong has absolutely
forbidden any minister to visit women unless
accompanied
by his wife or another man. This is to
insure that our
ministers will be above reproach
in their conduct before the world,
as well
as to avoid any possible temptation from developing.) The
assistant also provides much
needed companionship during the many
long hours
spent each week in travel. He should,
therefore, strive
to be a
good conversationalist -- one who is enjoyable to be around.
He should not, however,
monopolize the conversation or always be
talking. He should know how to ask intelligent
questions as well
as being
a good listener.
8.
There will probably be other ways he can assist the minister and
thereby
increase his overall effectiveness. He
may be asked to drive
while
the minister studies. If you are given
this opportunity, be
alert at
all times and drive within the rules of safety. The assistant
may be
asked to fill out the visiting slips.
Make sure they are
filled
out accurately and legibly. Another
opportunity for service
may
involve certain kinds of office work.
Don't worry -- he isn't
going to
ask you to become a "chief flunky."
However, be willing to
help in any way
possible. Don't resent assisting in
some physical
duty. Remember, God's way is that the physical
precedes the spiritual
(I Cor.
15:46). If you are a willing servant
in the small things you
are given to do, God will see
that you are given greater opportunities
of
service (Luke 16:10). If the minister
should ask you to run an
errand for him, don't consider it
to be a menial task which is
"beneath
your dignity." Orient everything
you are asked to do toward
the WORK
OF GOD. Look on them as opportunities
of building the
WORK in your area If you can do some physical duty which
frees the
minister
to serve someone spiritually, rejoice in it.
This is the
very reason deacons were
appointed originally: "It is not
reason
that we (the apostles) should
leave the Word of God, and serve
tables . . . But we will give
ourselves continually to prayer, and
to the
ministry of the Word" (Acts 6:2,
4). Make it your goal to
assist
the minister and make his work more effective. Continually
have a
spirit of service.
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B.
Be Loyal to the Minister
1. Respect the minister over you. Resist all temptations to disrespect
him. This will not be easy. It is natural (which means carnal) to
disrespect
anyone who is over you in authority.
For some weird
reason, the carnal mind tries
to build itself up by tearing others
down.
2. Since many of you are physically older than
the minister in charge
of the area, you will have to
resist the urge to disrespect him
because
of his youth. Even Timothy had to cope
with the problem
of
others disrespecting him because of his age (I Tim. 4:12). How-
ever,
here is something that will help you overcome this temptation.
True maturity is not merely
determined by the number of years a
person
has lived. There are some people who
are thirty, forty or
fifty years of age
and have never really "grown up."
In fact,
unless a person is converted
and has the Spirit of God dwelling in
him,
he is not mature -- no matter how many years he has lived!
The Greek word usually
translated "perfect" in the Bible could just
as
accurately be rendered "mature" or "complete." Therefore, ONLY
GOD IS PERFECTLY MATURE. God is the Ancient of Days. His Spirit
is
ageless. So all of us are mature to
the degree God's Spirit
dwells
in us. We are all in the process of
growing up "unto a
perfect (mature) man, unto
the measure of the stature of the full-
ness
of Christ" (Eph. 4:13).
3. No man is ordained to the Ministry unless
he is a SPIRITUAL ELDER,
which means he is spiritually
older than others in the congregation
he
is serving, even though they might be older in physical years.
It is even possible that some
in the congregation have been in God's
Church longer than the
minister. Wouldn't that make them
spiritually
older
than he? No, not at all. Once again, age -- either physical
or
spiritual -- isn't solely determined by the number of years. How
could someone who has been
converted for a shorter period of time
still
be spiritually older? Most of the
ministers of preaching elder
and above
have been trained directly at God's College.
They have
received intensive, personal
training throughout their College
careers from Mr. Herbert
Armstrong himself and other of God's top
ministers. Not only have they received the finest
possible training
and instruction on earth
today, but they have also been subjected to
a
great deal of pressure. Ambassador College has been humorously
called
"God's spiritual pressure cooker."
Just as a literal pressure
cooker greatly accelerates
the cooking process, so does the training
at Ambassador College accelerate the spiritual growth rate of its
students. It is possible for a man to grow more in
one year at
Ambassador College than he would grow over a number of years in a
local
Church area. The intensive and
concentrated training program
at
the "West Point" of God's Church really pays off. So respect the
minister
over you. Look up to him as your
spiritual elder and appre-
ciate what God has done in his life.
4. However, despite the fact that he is an ordained
minister and your
spiritual elder, you will
soon learn as you work closely with him
that
he is not yet perfect. The more and
more you are together,
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the more
of his weaknesses and flaws you will discover. Since you
will be spending many hours
together, you will see more of the minister's
imperfections than any other
member of the congregation - - with the
exception of his
wife. Are you going to focus your
attention on
these
and begin to disrespect him?
5.
It often comes as quite a shock to people to find out that the min-
ister isn't really perfect after all. For some reason, people tend
to view the minister as having
already attained perfection - - no
longer
subject to the weaknesses of human flesh.
Such is not the
case. Every minister of God has to battle his
human nature just as
much as
anyone else. He has his weaknesses he
is working on. Now,
in order to be qualified to
become a minister, he cannot have any
huge, obvious, glaring character
flaws which everyone in the congre-
gation could
easily detect and which would set a wrong example and be
a stumblingblock to others.
However, he is a long way from perfection.
But so was the Apostle Paul. Notice what he said about himself:
"Not as though I had already
attained, either were already perfect
Brethren, I count not myself to
have apprehended: but this one thing
I do, forgetting those things
which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are
before, I press toward the mark for the
prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12-14).
Paul was still battling his
carnal nature. He hadn't perfectly
overcome.
6.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say a man has to be perfect before he
can be
used by God. In fact, a minister is
able to sympathize with
the weaknesses and imperfections
of others because he is having to
battle
the same problems himself (Heb. 5:2).
Instead of focusing
your attention on his weaknesses
and disrespecting him for them,
concentrate on his many strong
points (which every minister of God
does have) and respect him for them and learn to
follow his good
example
as he follows Christ (I Cor. 11:1). Love and respect him
for his WORK'S SAKE -- what
Almighty God is doing through him in
spite of
his weaknesses. Pray for him that he
might become a more
effective
instrument in the Work of God.
7.
Never discuss any of his weaknesses or problems with anyone -- not
even
your wife. This is not your
responsibility. Never listen to
criticism
about him from disgruntled members of the congregation.
You will soon learn that not
everyone in the congregation has the
right
attitude toward God's minister. There
will always be a few
who will resent the minister or
dislike him for some reason or other
They will always be armed with
their list of gripes and complaints.
Sooner or later, this type of
individual will try to bend your ear
and get you to side with them
against the minister -- to persuade
you that
the minister is wrong or unfair in one way or another. Never
give
this type of person an audience for airing his bitterness.
Always uphold the minister. Let all know by your attitude and actions
that you
are 100 percent behind him. If someone
comes to you with an
accusation against the minister,
let him immediately know that you
will not discuss it with him but
that he should talk to the minister
about it.
Then make sure you tell the minister about the incident.
You will learn that a man cannot
be a true minister of God and please
everyone. Jesus Christ warned, "Woe unto you,
when all men shall
speak
well of you.' For so did their fathers
to the FALSE PROPHETS"
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(Luke 6:26). People naturally resent authority. They don't like to
be
corrected. Often, they will become
offended and become bitter
toward
the minister. This is their fault --
not the minister's.
8. Be dependable in everything you are given
to do. This is another
way
loyalty is expressed. Listen carefully
to instructions and then
faithfully
follow them. Don't insist on doing
things your way.
If you have what you feel is
a good suggestion, offer it, but never
go ahead and do it your
way if it is different from the way
you were
told
to do it. You will soon learn that
generally speaking the min-
ister's way is better than your way, because it is
based on Ambassador
College training and years of
experience in the Ministry. Jesus
Christ set the perfect
example of dependability and loyalty.
Notice
Christ's approach: "verily, verily, I say unto you, The
Son can do
nothing of himself, but what
he seeth the Father do: for what things
soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise
. . I can of
mine
own self do nothing . . because I
seek not mine own will, but
the
will of the Father which hath sent me" (John 5:19, 30). Jesus
Christ didn't try to be
original. He didn't insist on doing
things
His own way. He perfectly followed His Father's
example. What a
lesson
for us to learn. When given anything
to do, make sure to do
it
and do it exactly the way you know the minister wants it done.
This is an absolutely
essential quality in any ministerial assistant.
C.
Listen and Learn in preparation for Greater Service
1. While there are some who may be called to
serve permanently as
ministerial assistants, there
are others who will ultimately qualify
to
serve more fully as ordained elders in God's Church. The time
spent serving as a
ministerial assistant can be a valuable training
period -- a time of spiritual
apprenticeship - - for greater opportunities
of service.
2. A full-time ministerial assistant has the
opportunity of working closely
with one of God's ministers
-- spending hundreds of hours observing
him
in all kinds of circumstances. Be a
walking sponge. Soak up all
the wisdom, maturity and
experience you can from the minister over
you. Be eager to learn. Be observant. Closely observe how the
minister
conducts the visit, answers questions and handles problems.
Learn by asking
questions. If you don't understand
something, ask
about
it.
3. Become an expert in understanding human
nature -- how it works, its
various
disguises and deceptions. Develop
insight and perception.
Ask God to help you discern
attitudes. Look beneath the facade to
the
heart of the problem.
4. Learn how to give clear, concise, accurate
answers to Bible questions.
Too many of you give fuzzy,
generalized answers instead of crystal-
clear
specific answers. Make your Bible an
effective tool. Develop
a
system of marking and cross-referencing.
Make sure your "sword"
is
sharp and readily accessible. Really
become a student of God's
Word (Col. 3:16; II Tim. 2:15).
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5. Be completely open with the minister. Don't be afraid to let him know
your
weaknesses. Ask for correction. Remember, the minister is 100
percent
for you. If you have a problem you're
battling, ask him for
help. You have nothing to lose by being open and
honest. If you
try to hide or cover up some
problem, you can rest assured it will
ultimately
come out sooner or later. The later it
comes out, the
harder
it will be on you. To the degree, the
minister really knows
you, he will be able to help
you grow so you can produce more for
God's Work.
6. Resist the temptations of vanity. Don't begin to think of yourself
"more
highly than you ought to think" (Rom. 12:3). Don't
start com-
peting with the minister or become jealous of
him. Don't try to
keep
up with him by purchasing certain physical "status symbols."
When given an opportunity to
explain a scripture or give a sermonette,
be
basic and to the point Don't try to
make a "big splash." It may
end
up revealing that you are "all wet." Don't be pushy or hint
around
for opportunities. Just be ready for
them when they come.
7. Finally, strive for humility. "Before honor is humility" (Prov.
15:33). "Be
clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud,
and
giveth grace to the humble. HUMBLE YOURSELVES therefore under
the
mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (I Pet.
5:5-6). Don't set your heart on some
office. Be willing to do
whatever
God sets before you. God sets every
member in the body as
it
pleases Him (I Cor. 12:18). Be pleased and
thankful for whatever
opportunities
God opens for you. Be WORK-CONSCIOUS
-- not office-
conscious. And whether or not you ever become an
ordained minister
in this phase of the Work of
God, if you grow in the real SPIRIT OF
SERVICE, you will be
qualifying for an infinitely higher position in
a
much bigger phase of the ever-expanding and eternal WORK OF GOD.
III.
WE ARE ALL ASSISTANTS
Many of you older men will not
be used as ministerial assistants, and God
is not
calling most of you to be elders in His Church. But we all need
to learn to develop the
attitude and approach of an assistant -- of a
totally
trustworthy and yielded servant.
Satan lost his position,
because he didn't want to be an assistant; he
wanted
to be the boss! He didn't want to
serve or assist mankind, so he
rebelled. This same nature is in each of us -- we
chafe at being under
authority. We want to be the one giving the orders,
responsible to no
one.
In God's government, none of us
will ever be the "boss." We
will be
assistants
forever -- true for all eternity.' The
higher one goes in
God's Work,
or any work, the more he assists.
Jesus Christ is an
assistant
-- the very best assistant of all!
So, regardless of where God
decides to use you as a part of His Body
to finish His Work, set
yourselves to become the most loyal, yielded,
dedicated,
responsible assistants possible. By so
doing, you will
enhance the success of this Work
and make your calling and election
sure
as an assistant to Jesus Christ in His Kingdom for all eternity!
- 10 -
ASSIGNMENTS FOR NEXT CLASS
1. "The Plain Truth About
Child Rearing," by Mr. Ted
Armstrong,
booklet.
2. "Train Your Children
for Sabbath Services," by Mr. Ron
Kelly, August
1965 GOOD NEWS.
3. "The Mother's Place in Child
Rearing," by Mr. David
Antion, June 1967 GOOD NEWS.
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