|
VISITING PROGRAM TRAINING
CLASS
Third Class
October 20, 1968
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. We
should not plan ahead or save for the future (Matt. 6:25).
A. This scripture does not say we should not
prepare for the future.
B. The center reference column of the
National Bible shows that "thought"
could better be rendered
"anxious thought" according to the Greek.
Christ was telling His followers not to
worry about the future. Main-
taining
a tranquil mind is one of the seven laws of good health.
C. Christ was certainly not advocating that
Christians make no plans
at all for the future. God knows we have need of certain physical
things (Matt. 6: 31-32). He tells us
to follow the example of the
ant who saves and plans
ahead for the future (Prov. 6:6-8) and even
specifically states in I Tim.
5:8 and Prov. 13:22 that a
man who
does not provide for his
family is derelict.
D. The point is we must not be presumptuous
in making plans for the
future. James said, "Go to now, you that say,
Today or tomorrow we
will go into such a city,
and continue there a year, and buy and
sell, and get gain: Whereas YOU KNOW NOT what shall be on the
morrow..
For that you ought to say,
If the Lord will, we shall live, and do
this, or do that" (Jas.
4:13-15).
Jesus is saying that you should not
waste time making elaborate, in-
tricately
detailed plans that you may never use.
Keep your life
simple and concentrate on
the basics. It's a matter of emphasis.
"Seek ye first the KINGDOM
OF GOD and his righteousness, and all these
things (material possessions
and physical needs) shall be added unto
you" (Matt. 6:33).
-2-
2.
It is all right to eat any meat as long as you ask God's blessing upon
it.
(I Tim. 4:4)
A. The subject in question is not clean and
unclean meats but vegetarianism.
B. Some were teaching to abstain from meats
-- which Paul described as a
doctrine of demons (verse
1).
C. Paul was pointing out that meat is good
-- if it be received with thanks-
giving of them which know the
Truth. What is Truth? John 17:17 -- Thy
Word is Truth. God's Word shows which meats are to be
received with
thanksgiving -- in Leviticus
11 and Deuteronomy 14.
D. Notice verse 5. Certain meats are sanctified or "set
apart" by the Word
of God and prayer. We could not, in faith, give God thanks and
ask His
blessing on meat that is not
set apart for food by His Word.
E. Verse 4 is telling us, then, that all
meat is good if we who know God's
Truth - - who know Leviticus
11 and Deuteronomy 14 -- receive it with
thanksgiving.
Is the "baptism of
fire" something we should seek?
(Matt. 3:11)
A. Notice the context. John is not speaking to Christians. He is
reproving the Pharisees and
Sadducees for their self-righteous attitudes
(verses 7-9), and he is
telling them to bring forth fruits meet for
repentance (verse 8).
B. John explained that he was baptizing with
water unto repentance (verse 11),
but Christ would baptize with
the Holy Spirit and with fire.
C. Notice verse 12. This fire is described as an unquenchable
fire that
would burn up the chaff.
D. Malachi 4:3 describes this also. The wicked are to be ashes -- completely
burned up -- under the feet
of the righteous.
E. This is speaking of the second death, as
described in Revelation 20:6,
14-15.
-3-
HOW TO STUDY AND
MARK YOUR BIBLE
AND
HOW TO GET THE MOST
OUT OF
WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY AND
SABBATH SERVICES
I.
INTRODUCTION --
A.
God's Word is Spiritual Food
Our physical bodies are constantly running down. Minute by
minute they
are literally dying, but at same time, they are
being revitalized
and renewed by physical food
which nourishes and sustains us. What
would
happen if we were to stop taking
food into our bodies? We would begin a
process which -- if not
interrupted -- would result in the END of our
physical life!
In the same way , our Spiritual life is sustained by
Spiritual food.
God describes HIS WORD as that life-giving
spiritual food. It is the
staff of our spiritual
life! (Matthew 4:4.)
John 6:63 -- Christ's words
are spirit and life. He was,in the flesh,
the Word of God personified
(John 1:14). He described
Himself as the
LIVING BREAD (John 6:51) which -- if we eat of it -- will enable us to
live forever.
Romans 8:5-6 -- To be
spiritually-minded is life and peace.
We can be
spiritually-minded only if we are regularly putting into our
minds
spiritual thoughts -- God's
thoughts!
Romans 12:2 -- Our minds must
continually be renewed. A spiritual
mind is
not permanent in a physical
body. EVERY DAY our minds must be
renewed
by the study of God's
Word.
God spoke personally to Adam,
to Enoch and Noah, to Abraham, Moses
and all
His prophets in the Old
Testament times, but today God speaks
to His ser-
vants
through His Word! If we are not letting God speak to us
regularly
and consistently through
diligent, wholehearted and often prayerful Bible
study, then we are not learning to think as God
thinks, and we will
STARVE TO DEATH
spiritually.
B.
Purposes of God's Word
II Timothy 3:16 -- All scripture is given by
inspiration of God -- "God
breathed" --and this verse summarizes the purpose of
God's Word. It
is profitable for:
l. Doctrine
A doctrine is merely a "teaching." We refer to the doctrines of God's
Church as "the
Truth" and these doctrines explain God's plan for mankind,
-4-
how He is working it out and
our part in it. Our understanding of
the
Truth of God will depend
directly on our personal Bible study.
2. Reproof
This word could better be
translated conviction (see Strong's
Concordance).
God's Word convicts us.
James 1:23 -- It reveals to us our shortcomings and sins, and
convicts
us of them.
Romans 7:7 -- Just as Paul
came to understand what "lust"
is, we all learn
what sin is through the Word
of God.
Heb. 4:l2 -- It is a
two-edged sword that cuts both ways!
It plainly
shows us our thoughts and
real intentions. God's Word convicts
us and
brings us to deeper and deeper
repentance. Job was finally convicted
of
what he was by God speaking
to him personally. Unless God is speaking
to you through regular
personal Bible study, you won't SEE
yourself, and
you won't qualify to be used
of Him.
3. Correction
This is the only place in the
New Testament that this Greek word is used.
It means literally "a
straightening up again" (see Strong's Concordance).
God's Word "sets us straight!"
Let God's Word correct
you, change you and clean you
up. All of us, to
one degree or another, are
affected by our past sins. What we
have done
in the past -- 0ur habits and
our ways of life -- and what we have thought
affects our minds and our character today.
Psalms 119:9 --
Looking into and heeding God's Word will clean us up!
(John 15:3 and Ephesians 5:26.) Regular, intensive Bible study washes
and cleans up our minds. It FLUSHES OUT the spiritual filth that
accumulated in our minds
before conversion.
4.Instruction in
Righteousness
Psalm 119:172 -- God's commandments are
righteousness, and God's Word
lists, expounds and magnifies
the commandments so that we will understand
how to obey them in the spirit
of the law.
Just as any machine comes with
an instruction book to show how it is to
be operated, God has given MAN
an instruction book to show us how we
are to be
"operated." That Instruction
Book is HIS WORD! Following
those instructions will give
us happiness, peace and joy in this physical
life as well as insure that we
will experience these things for all
eternity in His Kingdom!
C. Why WE Should Study God's
Word
Deuteronomy 17:15, 18-20 --
Notice that God commanded the king of Israel
-5-
to write out the law and to read it every day of his
life! Verse 19 --
In this way he would learn
to fear God and keep His commandments and
statutes. Verse 20
-- It would give him a right perspective of himself
and keep him humble. It would
direct him in God's way an give him a
long, happy life. How much MORE should we -- who will be
kings in the
World Tomorrow -- study God's
Word every day as a way of life.
Hebrews 5:12-13 -- But as shown by the Entrance Examinations for the
Visiting Program Training
Class, some of you who should now be teachers
need to be taught the beginning principle
of God's Word! Those of you
in this class need to really DIG IN and go on a crash
program to deeply
study and learn God's Word.
II.
HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE
A. Have
a Proper Attitude
1. Go
to God for help for the right attitude. Pray first, asking for
a right attitude.
2. Be positive toward Bible study. Don't look at it as something you
must "get
in." Study with zeal.
3. Have intellectual curiosity in studying.
4. Hunger and thirst after righteousness --
after a knowledge of God's
Word
B. Provide a Regular Place and Proper Environment
1. Have a definite area or place to study
2. Never study in a place not
conductive to a proper mental attitude
3. Select a quiet area
4. Select a time when you will have peace and
quiet
5. If you think that you can study successfully
and comprehend com-
pletely
what you are studying with a lot of noise and outside
interruption, you are
kidding yourself!
C. Bible Helps
1. The best Bible help is a good Bible. Get one if you don't have one.
Three basic types are
recommend:
a. Oxford Wide Margin with India Paper, No. 58-S8.
b. National Crystal-Clear Type, No. T3.
c.
Cambridge Turquoise, 24KD4.
d. A thumb index is all right if you want it, but robs you
of vital
margin
space.
2. Useful helps that you need:
a. A Cruden's Concordance.
b. A Bible Dictionary such as one of the following:
1) Peloubet's
2) Hastings' (One Volume)
3) Unger's
-6-
3. Useful helps if you can afford them:
a. Strong's or Young's Concordance
b. A
Bible commentary, such as one or more of the following:
1)
Clarke's (for Old Testament)
2) Critical and Experimental by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
(for New Testament)
3) Soncino's Books of
the Bible (Jewish -- for Old Testament)
D.
Study Methods
1. By subject -- faith, Sabbath, sin,
etc.
a.
Use Concordance, Correspondence Course, and other helps to get
information on one subject.
b.
Memorize a key scripture on a subject and write in other scriptures
in the margin of that scripture, or chain
reference the scriptures
beginning at the key scripture.
2. By books of the Bible
a.
Use Bible helps to learn:
1) Who
wrote the book
2) To
whom it was written
3) When
it was written
4)
Circumstances under which it was written
5) Geographical location of and individual
or individuals to
whom it was written
6)
Historical and geographical background of the area
7)
Summarize all this background
at beginning of the book in
your margin
b.
Read from chapter one to end of book, about three chapters at a
sitting
c.
Use Bible helps as you read
d.
Review previous three chapters each time before beginning with
next three
3. Reading for inspiration
a.
Good when you have only a few minutes or at night before bed
b.
Some examples of good chapters for this are:
1) I
Corinthians 13
2)
Hebrews 11
3) I
Corinthians 15
4) John
13-17
5)
Matthew 5, 6 and 7
6)
Philippians 2-4
7) Many others, including any of the
Psalms
4. Frequently
used scriptures -- Peruse the marked scriptures in a well-
marked Bible, noting their location in the book and
position on the
page
5. Studying
difficult scriptures -- Col. 2:14; Eph. 2:15, etc.
a. Read articles or booklets for the information
b.
Write basic explanation in the margin
c.
Use a modern translation
-7-
III. HOW TO MARK YOUR BIBLE
A.
Simplest method is best
B. Suggest red and blue pencil
C. Write clarifying thoughts, other scriptures in margin
D. Mr. John Portune's article in December 1965 Good News is helpful
E. Marking is no substitute
for knowing God's Word well!
IV.
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY
AND
SABBATH SERVICES
A.
Get plenty of sleep and rest
beforehand
B. Pray and study beforehand
C.
Have a right attitude as you listen
1.
God speaks through ministers
2.
Listen, be alert and concentrate
3. Don't let your mind wander
D.
Apply to self
1.
Don't apply to others
2.
You will learn and profit only if you apply to self
E.
Take good notes
1. We
forget 90% within 24 hours
2.
Take good notes and review them as soon as possible and then once
more later
V.
CONCLUSION
Remember that your spiritual growth
will depend on how much you are deeply~
drinking in of God's Word and
making it a part of you. Only by
knowing
the Bible can you "let
this mind" be in you Phil. 2:5
that is in Christ.
Our every thought and action
should be tempered by the knowledge and under-
standing of GOD'S WORD!
Your future in this physical
life -- the extent to which God will be able to
use YOU -- as well as your
future for al1 eternity will depend a
great deal
on how faithful and diligent
you are in your study of God's word!
ASSIGNMENTS FOR
NEXT CLASS
1. The Answer to Unanswered Prayer
and The Power of Prayer -- Reprint #130
(both combined), by Mr.
Roderick C. Meredith.
2. Vital "Keys" to
Success in Prayer -- The PLAIN TRUTH, November 7, 1964,
by Mr. Roderick C. Meredith.
3. Should You Fast? -- The GOOD
NEWS, November 1964, by Mr. William
Dankenbring.
4. Meditation -- A Vital Key to
Your Spiritual Life.!-- The GOOD NEWS,
February, 1968, by Mr. David
L. Antion.
|
