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VISITING PROGRAM
TRAINING CIASS
Fifteenth
Class
April 13, 1969
FORMAT:
1.
Open with prayer.
2.
World news discussion and drill
(5 - 8 minutes).
3.
Difficult scripture drill (30 minutes).
4.
Sermonettes arid evaluations (30
minutes).
5.
Recess (10 minutes).
6.
Lecture (one hour).
7.
Assignments for next class.
DIFFICULT
SCRIPTURES
I.
Disprove: Christ preached to
the spirits in prison while His body lay in
the
tomb (I Pet. 3:18-19).
A. This scripture does not say Christ preached
to the spirits in prison
during
the time He was in the grave.
B. These wicked angels followed Satan in his
rebellion against God (Isa.
14:12-14), and were put in prison (chains of darkness) for
their folly
(II Pet. 2:4; Jude 6).
C. But when did Christ preach to them? "When once the longsuffering of
God waited IN THE DAYS OF
NOAH, while the ark was a preparing" (I Pet.
3:20). That's when
Christ preached to the spirits -- in the days of
Noah, not during the time He
was in the grave.
D. Jesus died (I Cor.
15:3; Rev. 1:18). When He was dead, He
was dead!
The dead know nothing (Ecci. 9:5, 10).
Their thoughts perish (Ps.
146:4).
Jesus could not possibly
have preached to those wicked spirits while
in
His grave. Rather, He did this during the days of Noah.
II.
Are there some sins which one can commit and not incur the death
penalty
(I John 5:16)?
A. The wages of sin are death (Rom. 6:23). There are no
exceptions!
God does not categorize sin,
but Hebrews 10:26-27 shows that it is a
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willful
sin which brings "fiery indignation" -- eternal death. Any
other sin can be forgiven if
it is repented of -- if it is "confessed"
(I John 1:9).
B. A sin "not unto death," then, is
a sin for which forgiveness is available.
It is a sin committed by
someone who has not willfully turned from God.
A sin "not unto
death" might be the result of ignorance or weakness.
The sin itself carries a
death penalty, but it can be forgiven if the
person
repents.
C. If any of us sees a brother who is
striving to obey God and walk with
God "sin a sin which is
not unto death" -- sin out of ignorance or
weakness - - we ought to ask
God to help the brother recognize his error
and
repent of it. By doing so we will
"give him life" -- God will hear
our
prayers for him. This is the kind of
concern we ought to have for
one
another. This is one way that we can
"bear" one another's burdens
(Gal. 6:2).
D. On the other hand, if the brother has
sinned "unto death" -- if he has
willfully and viciously
turned from God's way and rejected God completely,
we should not pray for him
because God will not answer our prayer for
him. This, by the way, would not include all disfellowshipped people --
ONLY those where it is
determined that they have maliciously and totally
rejected God's Way so that
they could not be brought again to repentance
(Heb. 6:4-6).
III.
Disprove: It is a sin to drink
wine (Prov. 23:29-31).
A. This scripture does not say it is wrong to
drink wine. It does say we
should
not tarry long at the wine (Verse 30).
One who tarries long at
wine becomes a winebibber,
or in plain English, a drunkard and no drunkard
will
inherit God's Kingdom (Gal. 5:21).
B. Verse 31 says don't look upon the wine
when it is red, when it moveth
itself
aright. Of course the terms
"red" and "moveth itself" refer
to
wine
when it is in the process of fermentation.
This is before the wine
is fully fermented If at this time you "look on it"
so as to finally
drink
it, you will become sick and possibly even die. In fact, instances
are recorded describing how
winery workers have become asphyxiated by
merely leaning over the wine
vats "looking on" the fermenting wine
and being overcome by the
poisonous gases, falling into the vats and
drowning.
C. God's Word shows it is perfectly all right
to drink wine in moderation.
The first miracle Jesus
performed was to turn water into wine (John 2:1-10).
The Greek word here
translated wine is "omos." And it means fermented
wine.
The Apostle Paul even
advised Timothy to drink some wine for his stomach
problems
(I Tim. 5:23).
D. God gave us wine and alcoholic beverages
to learn to use them properly - -
and
to develop character by the proper exercise of wisdom and self-control.
Prohibition is not God's way
-- and it does not develop character.
The
proper
use of alcohol is a great responsibility.
But it is only the wrong
use
which becomes sin.
HOW To COUNSEL
THE BRETHREN
I.
WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY
Before we get into actual
examples of how to counsel the brethren, let's
notice some of the principles
laid down in the Scriptures for those giving
advice. You men in this class need to understand
these basic principles
before
you try giving advice to others.
*NOTE: Turn to each of the following scriptures
with a very brief explanation.
James 3:1-2 Verse One could be translated, "Be not many
teachers,
knowing that we shall receive the
greater
judgment." This says teachers of
others
will be judged with
greater severity. Verse 2
cautions us about
offending others. So watch
giving
advice.' Be cautious and wise. This whole
chapter
shows that the tongue can do great damage
if it is
misused.
Matt. 12:36-37 "Every idle
word" means useless, careless, or
harmful words. We
must make sure that we do not
give careless or harmful advice. We will have to
give account to
Christ in the Day of Judgment.
Matt. 18:6 Christ is talking about little children here, but
let's
apply this verse to God's people who are
little
children spiritually. The principle
applies.
This
is a strong warning not to offend or cause to
stumble anyone who believes in Christ. Someone
who
does this carelessly and won't repent might
as well jump in a lake with a rock around his neck.'
I Cor.
1:26-27 In giving advice we need to
remember that God, in
most cases, has called the weak of the world. Most
of God's people are not able to make wise decisions.
They
have not been taught to think or use their
minds. It will be
up to many of you men in this
class
to teach God's people the principles of how
to make wise decisions for
themselves
I Tim. 3:2 Notice that one of the qualifications
of an elder
is that he must be "able to teach." You men should
be
able to explain God's Word and ways clearly to
God's
people. This is a great responsibility
and
yet
a great blessing because God inspired -- "Let
the
elders that rule well be counted worthy of
double
honor, especially those who labor in word
and doctrine" (I Tim. 5:17).
II
Tim. 2:15 The thing to do
then is study so that you know
God's
Word. You must know and understand
your
Bible
in order to give wise counsel.
II Tim. 2:23, 24 Verse 23 gives wise advice about avoiding
foolish
questions that cause argument and are not edifying.
And
Verse 24 points out the approach to use in
counselling. Be gentle and patient in your teaching.
Titus
3:9 also mentions that you should avoid foolish
questions because they are unprofitable and vain.
Be
alert to questions that are not profitable
Prov. 9:10 Wisdom comes from fearing to disobey
God's laws.
Understanding
comes with a knowledge of and
obedience to God's laws.
(Also Psalms 111:10.)
The
more you obey God, the more wisdom and
knowledge you will have to counsel God's people.
Prov.
10:20-21 Notice the first sentence of
each of these verses.
If
you are righteous (Keeping God's couimandments)
you will be able to feed many spiritually.
Prov. 12:18 The tongue of the wise brings
spiritual health.
Prov. 14:12 To give
wise counsel you must know the difference
between
the way that seems right to man and God's
way
(Prov. 16:25)
Prov. 15:22,23 Your counsel
should help establish purposes and
bring joy and goodness to the members' lives.
Verse
28 says, "The heart of the righteous studies
to answer."
Prov.
16:1 The answer of the tongue is
from God. God can
inspire you to give
right answers. Verses 23
and 24 show the effect of wise counsel.
Prov. 18:21 This is a
mighty important verse. The advice you
give can help a person toward eternal life
or
possibly
cause him to stumble and fall and end up
in the lake of fire.'
Prov. 27:5;
28:23 These verses show that it is
oftentimes necessary
to
point out a person's faults in order to help
him. You men who
visit will need to remember
that, "Open rebuke is better than secret love."
But
also remember the powerful effect of what you
say. So always
speak in love and consider the
person's eternal life.'
The above verses show the awesome
responsibility of visiting and counselling
God's people. Let's find out now how you can be sure to
give wise counsel
and not be
a stumbling block or offense to those you are trying to serve.
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II
HOW TO GIVE WISE COUNSEL
1. Ask God for Wisdom
The real key in giving wise
counsel is to have the wisdom of God.
God
says
He will give you wisdom if you ask in faith (Jas. 1:5). Go to
God then in believing
prayer. Know that He is there and more
willing
to
give than you are to ask. Men, God
wants you to have wisdom, but
He will give it only to those
who will use it to serve others. If
you
are
God's servant, trying to help others, God will back you up. He
will
guide your mind and inspire you. You
must believe this in order
to
be a wise counselor. You must know
that God will guide and direct
you
as you strive to serve His people.
2. Draw Upon Biblical Examples
The Bible is filled with
examples for us to use in making right decisions.
Some examples show the
results of wrong decisions. Many
others show the
positive
results of following God's way. Paul
was inspired to write,
"For whatsoever things
were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might
have
hope" (Rom. 15:4). The
Scriptures were written to teach us God's
way
-- to show us His decisions. And in I
Corinthians 10:11 Paul said,
"Now all these things
happened unto them for examples: and
they are
written
for our admonition? upon whom the ends of the world
are come."
The Scriptures give examples
for our admonition. They warn us
against
wrong
decisions by showing the results of disobedience to God's way.
As Christ said, we should
live by every Word of God. So strive
to give
counsel
based upon examples in God's Word. The
result will be wise
counsel.
3. Get All the Facts and "Read Between
the Lines"
If you don't have all the
facts, you will be giving counsel based upon
limited
knowledge. Wise counsel can only be
given after you have taken
time
to obtain as many facts as possible.
Don't be hurried or pushed
into
giving your advice without getting the facts.
This is not wise.'
It is up to you to draw a
person out before you give. your advice or
recommendation. Wise counsel can only be based upon true
and adequate
facts.
Don't be naive.' Many times people put forth surface
"facts" which don1t
reveal
the true reason behind their problems.
For instance, some men or
women talk about their family
arguments - - being too embarrassed to
acknowledge that the root of
their problem is actually sex frustration
and
ignorance. Others, of course, may have
far worse problems involving
alcoholism, dope addiction or
perversion of some sort -- yet, in spite
of a
"nice" facade, you sense something is deeply wrong. Ask God for
discernment. Ask Him to bring to light thoughts,
tendencies and facts
which will help you solve
problems people desperately want and need help
with, but somehow CANNOT make
themselves "vomit up" and fully bring out
in
the open until you have the discernment to trigger this response.'
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4. Consider Attitude and Personal
Problems
The attitude and problems of
an individual must definitely be considered
if
you want to give wise counsel. A
person in a wrong attitude might
not
be receptive. You may need to advise
him to repent before you can
even
try to help him with his problems. Try
to discern each person's
attitude
and consider this in what advice you might give. If you don't
know their personal
problems, visit with them until you do know their
main
problems. Wise advice that will be
specific and helpful can only
be given if you know the
main problems and attitudes of the person you
are
counselling.
5. Give Personalized Advice
After praying for wisdom,
using Bible examples, gathering all the facts
and considering the person's
attitude and problems, then you should give
your
advice on their question or problem.
You should think about that
particular
person and his individual need. Tailor
your advice to fit
his
circumstances. Make your advice
personal. Really try to help.
Put yourself in his shoes
and try to understand the way he feels.
Have compassion -- be soft
hearted. But don't be soft
headed! Give
that person the advice he
needs - - not necessarily what he might want
to
hear. Remember the proverb that says,
"Open rebuke is better than
secret love."
6. Encourage and Exhort Them to Follow Your
Advice
Sometimes when the advice
given is not what the individual wanted to
hear
they will be disappointed and discouraged.
You will need to
follow up your advice with a
"pep talk" encouraging them to apply your
advice. Explain why you gave what advice you
did. Help them to under-
stand
what is best for them. Exhort them to
take action and do something
about
their problem. This point could make
the difference in whether
or
not your time and counsel is wasted or used.
If you don't inspire
them
to want to do right, they may do nothing.
7. Let Them Make Their Own Decisions
Notice that you have been
instructed to give your advice based upon
God's Word, not to tell them
what to do. Let them decide whether or
not
they will follow your advice. Don't
make their decisions for them.
Let them build their own
character Your job will be to show
them what
God says. Let them decide whether or not they will
follow that way.
They must choose by
themselves which way they will go! As
mentioned
above, you should certainly
encourage them to follow your advice and
make a right decision based
upon God's Word, but don't tell them
exactly
what decision they should make. This
is not God's way. They
will
not be learning to make wise decisions unless you let them. So,
let
the brethren live their own lives. Let
them make their own decisions.
III.
QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED AT MINISTERIAL CONFERENCES
In order to illustrate the
above principles, the following examples may be
helpful.
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Q.
Some antagonistic wives still run their families and have control over
Christmas trees, activities of
the children, doctors and medicine for
children
when sick, etc. The husbands, even
after years of conversion,
often remain weak or gain back
little of the ground lost in the previous
years of
marriage.
How far should a man go? How long should he continue to "give
in"? When
should
he put his foot down and take a stand, even if it means separation?
A.
Ministers must not run a member's life for him. This man may be too
weak to
put his foot down and make any changes.
We must teach what
God says and let the man make his
own decision. The general principle
is that the man, as the head of
the home, should not permit paganism
in his
home. Don't encourage the people to
become weak. The minister
needs to perceive what manner of
man he is working with and his ability
to act
with tact, wisdom and power and advise him accordingly. He should
not allow it, but if he is too
weak or tactless, we do not condemn him
for not
being able to do that which the mature Christian man should do.
This is not compromising God's
principles or laws, but giving advice
within
the scope of the man's ability and understanding.
Q.
Isn't it true that the man should throw out all leaven (during the
Days
of Unleavened Bread) in spite of
vehement opposition and divorce threats
from an
unconverted wife? Or is the kitchen
the wife's "part of the
house"
and under her jurisdiction?
A.
This is the same principle as the one above. Ideally, he should throw
it out,
but all men cannot. The ministers are
to teach the Church
until we
grow up to the measure and stature of Jesus Christ.
Q.
What should we do about weak brethren who resort to drugs and
operations
for
healing?
A.
A few of our people have thought if they went to a doctor they would
be
excommunicated
from the Church. We don't need to be
in such fear of
the doctors as we have been, but
should certainly not look to them for
healing. Whether or not a person calls a doctor is
his own business.
Never advise a person not to call
a doctor -- it is his decision:
Can God heal you? Definitely yes: Will He?
That depends on whether
or not
you have the faith. It is strictly a
personal matter. The Church
does not
dictate your faith -- it simply explains God's Word. Watch old
wivest tales and home remedies. There are times to call a doctor in
order to
find out what is wrong. People have
died because of a lack of
knowledge. Concentrate on Matthew 8 and 9 -- Christ's
broken, beaten
back,
not the affliction.
The minister should comfort the
people, buoy them up, encourage them
and
point them to God in. their hour of trial.
Don't put them in fear if
they
weaken. If they weaken and have a
major operation, we do not put
them
out. It may not be a major sin, but a
weakness as long as their
attitude is right Work with them to help them build more
faith later
and
trust God for healing. We must teach
what is sin and what is righteous-
ness. It is up to the people what decision they
make. The brethren must
live by
their own faith. Obviously, a new
member probably won't have
reached the same high plateau of
faith in God to heal that, say, a long~
time
deacon should have reached.'
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Q.
In regard to children who have parents opposing God's truth and try to
make them do things contrary
to God's laws: Suppose a child in his
early teens understands the
truth of the Sabbath Day but the parents
"make" that child do chores on the
Sabbath. How far can a child of this
early
age go in refusing to obey his parents "in the Lord"?
A. If the Church tells the child to disobey
his parents, the Church is
liable. We must be very careful in advising these
children. Once a
child is old enough to really
understand, he must decide whether or
not he will obey God rather
than man, and be willing to take the conse-
quences. It is a matter of the child's faith and it
is strictly the
child's
decision. We cannot legislate for
him. Often the young child
may
be using the doctrines of the Church as an excuse to rebel. The
Church's position is extreme caution
and we must never directly teach
children
to disobey parents. If we are sure the child is not mentally
mature, we should advise him
to continue to study and obey what he knows
as
his parents permit.
IV.
ADVICE GIVEN ON COUNSELLING AT MINISTERIAL CONFERENCES
"Let people live their own
lives. We should be wise, gentle, easy
to be
entreated,
not psychologists who analyze and tear apart people. Never back
down in
the face of a wrong attitude though.
Another thing, all of us are
advisors
in one way or another. We need to be
very careful about what we
advise.
"Many of us have an exclusivist
attitude and are wary of outsiders.
Jesus
Christ never had a converted
person to deal with. Some people can
be little
ones
spiritually and look like way-out ding-a-lings. We shouldn't flee in
horror. Many of us are far to
Pharisaical. With regard to disfellowships,
instead of lambasting them, we
should leave them in sorrow, expressing deep
hope and fervency that they will
repent and change and return -- not making
them
angry at us personally. Stop treating
people with fear or
Don't go to the other extreme
and start hobnobbing with the world and being
like
them. A servant of Jesus Christ has a
true humanitarian spirit" (Jas.
3:17).
V.
SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS
A. Take the job of counselling
the brethren seriously. Don't be rash
or
careless
with your words. Don't give advice if
you are not sure it is
right. If you can't give wise advice based upon
facts, then be honest
and
say you don't have an answer. Tell
them you will check with your
superiors
and try to get an answer for them if it is possible. Most of
the brethren will take your
advice seriously, so be careful -- their
eternal
life is at stake.'
B. Follow the seven points on giving wise
counsel. Especially ask God for
wisdom. This is a key point. Wisdom is a gift from God and you must
have
it in order to give wise counsel.
C. Don't make decisions for the brethren. Give them godly advice and
encourage
them to make their own decisions. This
way they will build
character
and learn to stand on their own two feet.
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D.
Use the approach brought out at the Ministerial Conferences. Don't
involve
the Church in their personal problems.
Let them know we want
to help them, but don't put the
Church on the spot by "telling" or
"commanding"
people to do this or that in their private lives. Just
show
them what the Bible teaches. Try not
to give advice that some irate
"member"
might later use against you or the Church.
In other words,
always think about whether or not
you are endangering the Church by
your
advice.
E.
On the other hand, don't be afraid to be specific and pointed where
spiritual
advice is given. On matters that are
absolute, like obedience
to God (keeping His
commandments), be dogmatic and strong with God's
people. Their salvation is at stake.' There is a fine line here and
you must have discernment to know
when to give specific and pointed
advice,
when to be strong and when to just suggest.
Much wisdom along
this
line comes from experience in visiting and counselling. It will
be
gained in time.
F.
Have faith in God. Visiting and
counselling God's people is an awesome
responsibility. It is also one of the most important and
needed ways
to
serve. Some of you men in this class
who have real faith in God
will apply this lesson and gain
the wisdom you need to be a counselor
to God's
people. You will be richly rewarded --
"they that be wise
(or teachers, see margin) shall
shine as the brightness of the firmament;
and they that turn many to
righteousness as the stars for ever and ever"
(Dan. 12:3):
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