Spiritual Habits: Countermeasures in the War with Sin

Fall 2009 I went through one of the toughest periods of my life mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  On the outside, for people that didn’t know about external influences that I was dealing with privately, things might have appeared to be fine.  However, on the inside I felt lifeless and empty sometimes wishing for everything to end.  A big part that played into this feeling of dissatisfaction and malcontent was that I was going through a period of denial and rebellion.  I had half-heartedly turned to the Lord for help in my circumstances even though I knew deep down that most of the problems I found myself in were ones I had created.  I compounded this problem by refusing to accept responsibility for myself.  I also refused to turn scripture or come into accountability about my problems because at the time I felt justified in feeling angry at God demanding that He do what I ask while still refusing to submit to His will.  I felt like I deserved to get my way, like I was entitled to getting what I wanted because I had done this or done that.  Somewhere in November of 2009 I still didn’t really want to hear from God or obey Him but I figured that I should just keep reading the Word to say I did it.  I ended up reading through Job and somewhere in there things began to really click for me.  Not only was I able to relate to Job as I was reading it but God was setting up larger things at work in me that brought me to December 31 2009.  It was then that I had finished Job and come to realize how incredibly selfish I was.  I had forgotten who I was and more importantly who God is.  Suddenly remembering who and what the Lord has done for me and who I am snapped everything back into focus for me.

I then proceeded to systematically reflect on the past.  Spiritual markers, like the ones the Israelites set up when the crossed the Jordan, a sign of remembrance for the people to not forget what the Lord had done in their lives.  I went back through each one in my life and tried to encapsulate things that were characteristic of my life when I was submitted to the Lord and He was working in and through me.  This led me to create the Daily Question Template. (Joshua 4:1-9)

I recognized that this journey up out of the pit wasn’t going to be easy, nor would it be short.  I knew that I would face failure and discouragement.  Nevertheless, I was committed to real change.  I knew that the only way that this could be done was by living each day moment by moment with Jesus Christ.  I needed to just get through today.  Get through right now, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour because that’s all I have right now. (Matt 6:34) 

Three Basic Questions

If I were to illustrate how this whole process works the best one I can think of is a journey.  When you go on a journey you first need to know three things:

1.        Where you are

2.       Where you are going

3.       Why you’re going there

How Have I Sinned?

This is the “where you are” part of the journey.  I need to know where I am before I can plot a course from where I am to where I am going.  I need to identify things in my life that are hindrances to me getting to my final destination.  I need to spot out potential areas of danger and plot course around those things.  So the first question I ask is, “How have I sinned today?”  These are things that are derailing me on my journey.  Sins are distractions that keep me from pushing forward and in some cases turn me in the opposite direction.  They get me lost.  So a secondary question I ask is, “what will I do to prevent myself from repeating this sin tomorrow?”  Once I know what the dangers are the things that distract, derail, and turn me around I need to plot a course that keeps me away from these things.  I’m talking about the things I need to do to prevent myself from falling to sin.  These are practical proactive measures we take to fight against the destructive old sinful nature and continue walking in the light. (Galatians 6:7-8, Deuteronomy 30:11-20)  These are immediate measures that you can employ the very next day.  I do believe that you should set up longer term systems to aid you in the long term but we’ll get to that later.  Some examples would be if you sinned that day looking at porn here is a list of counter measures you can employ.

1.        Tell an accountability partner to call/text you throughout the next day and find out how you’re doing

2.       Memorize scripture/write it down and have it visible and available that talks about the long term consequences of sexual immorality

3.       Use the internet in a public place

4.       Only use your computer in a public area

5.       Give your computer to someone else at the end of the day so you can’t use it when your alone

6.       Pray through the scripture you’ve memorized

Three keys to effective strategies:

1.       Avoid-don’t bring yourself into a situation where you allow yourself to be tempted

2.       Replace-replace the sinful thoughts and desires you have with the Truth of God’s Word through meditation and prayer

3.       Confront-fight the deception of sin with the Truth of God’s Word by preaching it to yourself and bringing other people in to remind you of the Truth and to physically hold you accountable for your decisions

What has God been teaching me today?

Once you know where you are going we can now plot a course to where we want to go.  As a believer our destination is Jesus Christ.  He is ultimately our goal and standard for life.  In order to get to that ultimate destination to be made into the image of Jesus Christ, God requires our obedience to His will.  God knows our strengths and our weaknesses.  He knows what areas of our character, skills, and fruits of the Spirit that needs to be manifested in our life.  In my life when I sometimes felt like I was in a rut the reason was because I had failed to obey what God had last told me.  This was definitely the case when I came up with these questions.  So the first thing I wanted to know was, is God speaking to me?”  This might sound like a silly question, but what I’m really asking is, “Am I so callous to the Word of God that I can no longer hear Him?”(Romans 8:13)  So my first question is the answer to the second, “if I can hear God speaking to me then I know I haven’t grown callous to the Word of God."  A follow up question to the first is, “How is God teaching me the things I hear Him saying to me?”  Something I’ve neglected over the course of my life is to really live life with the recognition that I am at war with spiritual forces.  Therefore, I need to test the things that I think God is telling me.  Moreover, I recognize that sometimes I may be telling myself lies and trying to justify how I act with scripture. (James 1:13-14)  To guard against these two deviations from the straight and narrow I have three basic criteria that I use to screen all of the things that I think that God is saying to me and use them to determine if God is speaking to me.  Three ways that God has demonstrated He has spoken in scripture are:

1.        Through His Word

2.       Through His People

3.       Through His Creation

Another filter that I need to run is a matching test.  If what I think God is saying to me in one of the above 3 ways contradicts the commands of God as expressed in scripture then I can throw that out.  If something I think God is telling me runs contrary to the nature of God as expressed in the fullness of scripture then I throw that out too. (I say the “fullness of scripture for you proof texters)  If any of the things that I think God might be saying to me doesn’t meet the above criteria then I can chalk it up to deception from the enemy and wishful thinking which is a deception of self.  I try to be very specific when I answer this question.  There are a few categories that I put things because when God speaks there is a purpose to Him speaking.  Here are some examples of categories:

1.        Revelation about Himself

2.       Confirmation of His will

3.       Revelation of new direction/preparation

4.       Revelation of sin

Once I can identify what type of statement God is speaking to me I can adjust my life to come into line with what He is saying.  I say this because I believe that a word from the Lord requires a response.  It’s not enough to simply know God is speaking to me; I need to act in obedience to the things He reveals to me.  We’ll get more into that in a later section.  (Goals/Timeline)

Back to the secondary question:  “How is God teaching me the things I think He is saying to me?”  The reason I need to be specific in separating the types of things God is saying to me is so that I can test for internal consistency.  I check for internal consistency so that I can respond to God’s Word with confidence.  Here is an example of what I mean:

What is God teaching/saying to me?

I need to be faithful and patient in the tasks I have now because they prepare me for future tasks God will give me.  God doesn’t need for my skill to grow so much as He needs my character to grow through submission before entrusting me with more responsibility.  If I want to be used by the Lord I need to prepare myself now so that when the opportunity comes I’ll be ready to serve.

How is God teaching/saying these things to me?

a.       Exodus 2:11-4:20:  Moses tried to shortcut God’s plan by taking matters into his own hands wanting to be a liberator for his people before he was ready.  Moses had to go through a period of character development before he would be ready to lead God’s people.  Moses needed to learn humility and submission.  He also was given time to develop essential skills of leading God’s people through the wilderness.

b.      Luke 12:35-48:  No one knows when the Lord will return; therefore it is imperative that I live my life as if each minute were my last.  This way I will have nothing to be ashamed of and be found a good and faithful servant of the Lord.  If I know the masters will I must do it.

c.       Conversation/Testimony of Bob:  talking about journey he and his family had to go through before he was ready to accept the call to pastor the church he’s at now.

d.      Pastor John’s Sermon: Matthew 25:14-30  I need to be ready for the opportunities God gives me to join Him in His work and that means that I need to be a good steward of the time and resources He has given me now.

e.       Song “Ready Now” by Desperation Band(look it up on youtube)

So the above is what I mean by having internal consistency and confidence.  I don’t know if you’re like me but I have difficulty identifying the things God is saying to me sometimes.  But when I keep a record of all the things that I’m learning about Him and things that might be said to me I can identify themes.  I’m a pretty dense guy so often times God has to tell me the same thing over and over again.  Keeping a record helps me catch things I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise except through maybe screwing up and learning through my mistakes.  Keeping track this way helps me avoid having to go through a screw up experience.  I’ll make note that this is something you can also keep track of the things God teaches you daily helps you identify what and where God is moving you in the longer term. (Weekly and Monthly Questions)  I can also have a lot more confidence to act on what God is saying to me when I have repetitive confirmation in multiple forms.  In the example above I have 2 sources of personal bible study, 1 conversation with a believer that speaks to the situation I find myself, 1 sermon from a believer that reinforces the same idea, and 1 song that repeats the idea of preparation, submission, and responsibility.  Something to note about the confirmations that came from God’s people, the conversation and sermon, is that both used scripture to define what they were saying.  The things we think God is saying to us should always be biblically based.  Remember the above criteria about aligning with God’s commands and God’s character?  Those two things should be present in the things we think God is saying to us through His people.  We shouldn’t accept the advice of people if it runs contrary to God’s Word and common sense.  Advice we take into consideration should always be objective and free of emotion.  If we allow our emotions to guide our decisions then we fall prey to the second deviation from truth. (James 1:13-14) 

What Can I thank God for today?

The previous question, “What has God been teaching me,” leads to a series of check points along the path to our final destination which is to the foot of the throne of God in fellowship and communion with our Glorified Risen Savior.  The last question, “What can I thank God for today, is birthed out of a natural progression logic, which is, “why do I want to go to Heaven/be in fellowship with God?”  In the terms of our illustration of the journey, the question is:”Why do I want to get to my destination?”  You might ask, “what does having to be thankful have to do with wanting to be in fellowship with God?”  Well, in my own journey through life I’ve found that a characteristic of my life when I was submitted to the Lord was thankfulness.  I have to revisit the word submitted, because herein lies the key.  When I was in rebellion towards God and avoiding His Word I was not submitted to God.  I was in REBELLION!  Why?  Because I didn’t have a clear understanding of whom God is and who I am.  As a believer we acknowledge that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, became the atonement for our sins.  For the wages of ^asin is death, but the free gift of God is ^beternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ^[1]  I am sinner and what I deserve is death.  In and of myself I don’t deserve anything good.  It is only by the grace of God that anything good happens to me.  In fact, every good thing that happens to me is a gift of God. (James 1:15-18)  When I begin to reexamine the events of my life through this lens I have a lot to be thankful for.  This brings about a whole new attitude and spirit within me that helps me submit to God.  So the why of this question is simply this:

I want to be in fellowship with God because He loves me and has shown me kindness despite my sinful nature.  He came and gave His life for me freeing me from the penalty I deserved as a result of my sin.  I want to live my life to please the One who saved it. 

This is better stated in God’s Word, Colossians 1:10-29, it also leads to the next section of the Daily Question Template. 

Goals

The thankfulness that I have for the mercy and grace of God sets me about the path of pleasing Him.  Before I move on I must make it very clear that salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and that no amount of good deeds or observance of religious traditions or commands is going to earn you a spot in God’s good graces.  God already loves you and has given you the ability to accept His grace only through His Son Jesus Christ. (John 14:6)

That being said, our entire perspective and view of life should be radically altered when we realize who we once were before Christ and what He has done for us.  We owe our lives to Jesus Christ.  We are His bond servants.  That Is we have surrendered our freedom to Jesus Christ because of the debt that we owe Him and that He paid.  This means that our time is not our own.  Our possessions, relationships, really everything we have the joy of experiencing in life all belongs to God.  (Romans 12)

The purpose of the Goal section of the template is to make sure that our goals conform to the ultimate will of God.  We need to constantly be evaluating the purposes of our life in view of the mission of Jesus, which is to make His glory known in all Creation.  In the goal section there are 4 sections:

Physical:  1 Corinthians 6:19-20  Are you bringing glory to God in your body?  For me this question typically revolves around my physical health, fitness goals.  However, this can be expanded to whatever it is that you struggle within your body and know that you need to improve.  Once again be specific.  Here are a few examples of goals you might put down:

a.        Run 2 miles in 14 minutes

b.      Bring my blood pressure down

c.       Drink 64 ounces of water

d.      Gain 12 lbs

e.      Do 40 push ups in 1 minute

Mental:  As I said earlier one of the ways to keep us from sinful behavior is to replace the sinful thoughts with thoughts pleasing to God.  (Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:8)  How are you pleasing God with your mind?  What are the things you are filling your mind with?  For me goals that go under mental have to do with reading Christian books.  But again this category encompasses a variety of things.  Here are some examples:

a.        Read 1 Chapter from Radical: Taking Back Your Faith

b.      Spend 30 minutes reading the bible

c.       Limit watching T.V. to 1 hour a day

You know the saying, “You are you eat?”  Well this is true in what we consume with our eyes and ears too.  If we continually fill our heads with the filth of this world then eventually those things are going to affect how we behave.  Actions are borne out of thoughts and our thoughts are influenced by the things that we see and hear.  Therefore, guard your mind! (Matthew 6:22-23)

Professional/Work:  If we truly are to live our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) we need to approach everything we do in life with the attitude of presenting our best.  In every project or assignment we do we should be giving our all.  After all Jesus Christ literally gave His all, the least we can do is give our best.  The way we conduct ourselves at work/school should point to one whom we represent which is Christ Jesus.  (1 Corinthians 10:31, Philippians 2:14-16, Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 3:10)  That being said the goals we set should be goals aimed at producing our best and not goals that help us skim by.  However, we shouldn’t have vague or grandiose goals.  The goals we set should be achievable and specific.  The following are examples:

1.        Write research paper(due Mar 10)

-find 3 sources(Feb 9)

-write outline by Feb 16

2.       Prepare for group presentation(April 10)

-delegate sections(March 5)

-research material(March 10)

-Write slides(March 20)

-rehearse presentation(April 1)

3.       Upload event plans to Google Documents

4.       Create Excel contact sheet

The goal section of all the templates essentially functions as a to do sheet.  So goals you list for daily are to be completed by the end of that day, goals under weekly by the end of the week, etc... 

Relational:  We are made to be in community.  God created us to be in relationship with Him and with others.  An essential part of Christian life is living life with other Christians.  We have to remember that we are in a war and none of us can be like Rambo, a one man army.  We need one another to fight in this spiritual war.  (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:1-27, 14:26; 1 Peter 5:8-9, Ephesians 4:11-12, 1 Thessalonians 5:11)  We need to be intentional in our relationships with fellow believers.  If we are gifted to aid a believer then we should be exercising our gifts to build up other believers.  As a believer we also have to remember that we are not of this world but ambassadors of the Kingdom of God.  A danger that all Christians face is getting sucked into a comfortability with Christian community.  In fact some Christians become so comfortable being around other Christians that they refuse to leave the community of believers and fulfill the mission given by Jesus which is to bear testimony of God’s grace to the all people bringing glory unto Jesus.  Therefore, we need to be intentional in pursuing our relationships with unsaved friends. 

Above all in both relationships with believers and unsaved we should bear in mind that the goal of our relationships is to show love mirroring the love God has freely bestowed upon us.  (John 13:34-35, 15:8-17; 1 John 3:11-24)

Timeline

This section of the template is an accountability and reality measure.  Sometimes we simply don’t have enough time to accomplish all of the goals we write down.  We have to remember that each of us is only given 1440 minutes each day.  So we need to prioritize our goals according to the time we have.  Measuring things out in timeline also helps us get the ball rolling on each of our goals.  It’s not enough to simply have a goal, you need to spell out the specifics and take the first steps to accomplishing the goal.  In other words make a plan then execute the plan. 

As believers we must remember that we yielded control of our time to Jesus.  Time is a resource that we need to manage wisely.  We need to be intentional in using our time because the truth is that our time is limited.  We can’t afford to waste time on frivolous pursuits.  There’s a ton of scripture that talks about planning and time management here are a few:

·         Ephesians 5:15-16

·         Matthew 6:33

·         Proverbs 16:3

·         1 Corinthians 9

·         Psalm 39:4-5

·         Proverbs 13:4

·         James 4:13-17

·         Proverbs 19:21

·         Proverbs 21:5

Everyone is prey to two dangers with time, both are budgeting issues.  Some people overspend their time.  They commit to doing more events than they have time to do.  In the templates there are sections that divide time into scheduled events and unscheduled events.  It’s helpful to write down things you know that you have to do so you can arrange to make time for all of your unscheduled events.  In the Daily Questions an example would be times you need to go to work, wake up, and meal times.  Examples of Monthly and Weekly scheduled events are regular appointments like church, small group, doctor’s appointments.  Keeping track of all these scheduled events helps to prevent us from over extending ourselves by planning too much.  It also helps to prevent making commitments to things we later have to cancel.  The second budgeting issue is wasting time.  The problem with time is that unlike money you can’t save it up and use it later.  The time is going to get spent whether you use it or not, however if you invest your time you will reap a benefit instead of wasting the time you have.  Some people have the problem of never planning anything and throwing away the time they have.  For “time wasters” writing down their scheduled events makes them face the reality of how little they actually do and keeps them accountable for how(in their case) waste time.

Prayer

The final section of each template is prayer.  The two major categories in this division are Answered Prayers and Continued Concerns.  I put Answered Prayers first to remind me of God’s faithfulness, goodness, and Sovereignty.  It also helps to refresh an attitude of thanksgiving in my life keeping me receptive to God’s Word.  The second section Continuing Concerns is essentially the ministry of intercession.  Intercessions first on the level of praying for the kingdom of God to be manifested on earth as people surrender their lives to Christ (salvation).  And the second would be praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to be working in the lives of believers as they submit to the Lord to do His work.  Again through this section be specific about who and what you pray for. 

Conclusion

Over the course of this past year I have been battling back daily struggling against pride, anger and apathy.  It hasn’t been an easy road and I wasn’t always faithful to completely fill out the templates.  Really the point of these templates isn’t to make anyone feel bad about not filling them out every day or make someone feel good about themselves for filling it out.  The point is to renew the mind and change the attitude of the heart by bringing into focus our identity in Christ and reminding us of the love, grace and Sovereignty of God.  It’s about making a decision everyday to pursue Christ.  To trust in the promises of God and really throw every hindrance aside to whole-heartedly, with reckless abandon seek to be conformed to the image of our glorious and loving King Jesus.

---

^a Rom 1:32; 5:12; 6:16, 21; 8:6, 13; Gal 6:8

^b Matt 25:46; Rom 5:21; 8:38, 39

^[1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ro 6:23.

Also See:

Daily Questions

Weekly Questions

Monthly Questions
Yearly Questions

Book Review:  Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Book Reviews

Book Reviews
*The following is a description of the intention of the posts under the label Book Review.
As I read through books I try to take book notes for my future reference. However, I doubt that anyone would want to scroll through all the notes for really long books. Moreover, I wouldn’t want to deprive you of the joy of reading the book. And even though I try to be objective as possible in extracting the content of each book, hey! It’s me! I’m sure that if you were to read the book you might extract something I will probably miss. That’s why I’ve decided to do book reviews for myself and others.
So the goal of the book review section is to provide:
1. Brief description of the Author
2. Identification of the thesis
3. Brief summary of arguments used to build thesis
4. Relevance of the book to Christian life

For books and articles under 100 pages the post will be 500 words or less. For books over 100 pages the post will be capped at 1500 words.
This obviously isn’t a whole lot of room to go into much detail about the specifics of each book so should you like a little more info leave a comment on the book posting you’re interested in. I’ll email you a pdf of the outline I made.

Tips for Event Planning-draft 1

Event Planning

A leader must be prepared to address several elements when planning an event to promote good attendance and ensure smooth execution. There are four preliminary questions that a leader must ask prior to planning an event.

1. What/Vision

2. Purpose/Goal

3. Organization’s purpose

4. Desired outcome

What/Vision

The what answers the question of what the leader intends to do. This is just an idea expressed in very rough form. When you seek to answer this question don’t begin to limit your idea to locations, financial or personnel restrictions. The what is a vision. When you ask this question you need to think about how your what would look like in an ideal world.

Purpose/Goal

Purpose defines the reason for your what. Purpose is a lens that focuses vision and forms the boundaries of the event. Vision/What are often times vague, unclear, and broad. Purpose narrows the scope of vision into a singular event. Purpose shapes achievable standards and goals that the event is designed to accomplish in accordance with the vision.

Organization’s purpose

Our vision and purpose might be good ideas and goals, however as a leader we represent a group of people and an organization. We need to make sure that the purpose and goals of our event are in line with the purpose and goals of the organization we serve. If the purpose and goals of our event do not match up with the purpose and goals of our organization then the event is not something we should waste time planning. However, if you feel very passionate about your what then look for another organization whose purposes line up with the purpose of your vision.

Desired Outcome/Measure of Success

When we plan an event our measure of success is usually contingent on numbers. Numbers are hard cold facts that are easily measurable. However, we must remember that we work with people not numbers. The human aspect should be a defining guideline throughout the planning process. It is fine to measure numbers when it comes to attendance and finances, but if this is our only measure of success we set ourselves up for disappointment. Moreover, measuring in finite and concrete terms is a one dimensional measure of success. Defining success in these terms limits the scope of achievement to a singular event. The purpose of answering this question is to re-expand the scope of the event into vision. You need to frame the event within the context of long-term goals defined by the Organization’s purpose.

Additional Considerations

If you can answer all of the preliminary questions and the event is still a go then now is the time to start thinking about the who. The who is usually predetermined by the organizational goals and the composition of the organization itself. Things to consider when defining the who would be target age group, special interest group, skills, financial standing. Essentially you want to know why these people will be attracted to your event. Who and why are you doing the event. If you are doing a fundraiser then you want to target people that have a lot of money. If you are doing an evangelistic event you are targeting people without relationships with Jesus. If you are doing a community service event then all the people helping are united by the common desire to serve people. And the people being served are united by having a common specific need that must be met. As stated before, most of this will be determined by the goals of the organization.

Every event needs a place to be held. Determining where an event will be held is linked to the who. You want the place to be accessible to your who. The where also needs to match the mood or atmosphere of the what. All locations have a character about them and set the attitude and mood of the event so it is important to make sure that the location contributes to the goals of the what. For example, if you were to plan a memorial service for a fallen soldier then you probably wouldn’t want to hold the service in an amusement park that has a bunch of anti-military posters hanging around. I know it’s an extreme example but it underscores the importance of where you hold an event. Other things you may need to think about would be cost. If you can find a venue that is cheap or free and contributes to the type of atmosphere you need for your event then that’s awesome. However, this is rarely the case. You will need to make concessions to fit your budget. You have to decide which things you are willing to concede in order to put the event on. In all your planning you need to constantly be evaluating the decisions you make in view of the purpose of the event and the purpose of the organization. There will be several things you think about that are great ideas but aren’t necessary to accomplish the purpose of the event.

Take an instance in which an evangelistic event is planned and the purpose is to preach the gospel and bring people to make a decision to follow Christ. You have to choose between two venues. One location is a softball field, it has the ability to house a lot of people, but is really expensive. Moreover, there is no privacy or place for people that do make decisions to congregate privately and meet with a counselor to talk them through their decision. The other location is a church with an auditorium that doesn’t have the seating capacity of the softball field, but it does have several rooms people that make decisions can go to and meet with counselors for follow up.

In this example there are several things the planner must consider. The goal of the event is to preach the gospel and bring people to a point of decision. This will happen in both venues. Which one is better? If the organization values large numbers then the softball field maybe a better location. If the goal and value of the organization is to do discipleship and follow-up then perhaps the church is the better venue. All of this to say that you need to always base all decisions your event planning in view of the goals of the event and of the organization.

Event Planning Outline

What:

Who:

Where:

When:

Purpose:

Organization’s Purpose:

Desired Outcome/Measure of Success:

Timeline:

Creating Dynamic Small Group Bible Studies-Draft 1

Characteristics of a Dynamic Small Group Bible Study

Three dynamic things you want in a Small Group Bible Study:

1. Friendship: fellowship, fun, accountability

2. Study: Serious and intensive study of the Word of God

3. Application. People living out the Word of God in their lives showing evidence of transformation

*Each of these things is equally important, one is not more important than the others. If you have only fun and friendship without the Study of God’s Word what makes your group any different from a bunch of friends getting together? If you have only intensive study of the Word of God with only one person talking and without the friendship and accountability what makes your small group any different than a lecture class?

Friendship:

You want the people in your group to care about each other. You want them to challenge one another to live out the things they study together in the Bible. You want them to encourage one another with scripture. You want them to enjoy each other’s company; you want them to look to the needs of the people in their group. You want them to hold one another accountable to the goals they set and the things they struggle in sin with. You want to them to take possession of their group and build a team mentality. You don’t want someone in the group to be excluded. Everyone should be encouraging one another to become more like Christ and challenging one another to be people of integrity.

Study:

You want to get your people into the Word of God. You want them to have the confidence to know they can go to the Word of God for the wisdom they need for life’s decisions. You do not want them to become dependent on you or anyone else to feed them. You want to teach them to study the Word for themselves. You want to teach them to work through the text to understand what the text is communicating. You want them to read the bible holistically and not proof text what they already think. You want them to have confidence in the transforming power of God’s Word for their lives. You want to get them into the habit of turning to God first when encountering various trials and temptations.

Application:

This is what really sets apart your small group from just being a group of friends or a lecture. Application is the hinge around which study and friendship revolve. The Word of God has a transforming effect on the hearts and minds of people. You want your people to being using God's Word to encourage one another. You want the advice they give to their friends to be biblically based. You want your group to be challenging one another to pursue the standard set by Jesus. You do not want them to be disconnected from the Word. You want it to be the thing that motivates them to pursue brotherly love in their friendships. You want them to know and feel like they offer something valuable to the group.

*When the factors of Friendship, Study, and Application are mixed into an appropriate blend your small group progresses from being static to dynamic. Each factor feeds into the other encouraging deeper and accountable friendship. The desire to intensively study God's Word comes out of confidence in God's Word and love for one another. The aim of our Small Group Bible study should ultimately be love for God, and love for others.

Skills for Successful Small Group Leadership

Personal Preparation

When you prepare to lead a small group bible study, you should not neglect to read the Word for yourself. Don’t place yourself in a position where you are constantly trying to extract for others that you miss what God is saying to you. You should strive to read the Word of God confident in its power to transform your life and speak truth. God’s Word should challenge you and reveal what parts of your life need continued work so that you can go to the Lord in prayer. Go to the Lord in prayer so that your will is conformed to the will of God and so that the unrestricted power of the Holy Spirit will flow through your life. To present the timeless truths of God’s Word to others, you first must seek to understand what God’s Word means so you can present with integrity and authenticity. If we are not showing consistency in the things that we say and the things we do we have no integrity. Why should anyone listen to what we say if we do the exact opposite of what we teach? We must lead our group by example striving to live out the biblical principles we hold to be truth.

Communication

The time we spend with our group is limited. Therefore, it is important to concisely communicate the biblical truths found in the text. As the leader of the small group we are giving voice to the text, God’s Word. We must make sure that God’s Word is heard! God must be as much a part of our small group as any other member. The Holy Spirit is the teacher of our small group speaking through the Word of God. It is the responsibility of the small group leader to present the facts of the text. This is done through our personal preparation. If we are personally being spoken to by the Word of God and understand what He is saying then it makes it easier to communicate the truth of God’s Word to others. We want to take that which difficult to understand and break it down into its simplest form so that even a child can understand what is being said. Another useful way of communicating or expanding on the “facts” of the text is to learn how to use effective analogies or personal experience that clarifies the biblical truth’s within the text. The practice of using analogies or personal experience serves two purposes. First, it clarifies the biblical text and explains things that might be difficult to understand in laymen’s terms. Second, it teaches our group member how to tie God’s Word into everyday life. It teaches them how to meditate on God’s Word. Moreover, it teaches them how they can use the ordinary everyday experiences to introduce biblical truth to believers and unbelievers.

Facilitation

Part of the job as facilitator of the small group is to draw out discussion. This is a small group bible study so that means that the group should be talking, not just one person. You do have a responsibility to put out the facts of the text but you don’t and shouldn’t talk the entire session. You also should not allow one person to control all of the conversation. You want to engage your group with the text and engage them with one another. The best method of drawing out is to learn how to ask good questions. You must learn to ask questions that get your people to search the text for the answers. You also want them to connect the text to real life. Therefore, you must learn to ask questions that connect real life to the biblical principles found in the text. As facilitator you are responsible for monitoring and controlling the discussion. Many times people in your group will bring things up that don’t relate to the primary text. Take control of your group and keep the discussion focused in on the primary text or discussion about real life that relates to the text. Remember that you only have a short time with your group so it is very important to focus your time with your group. Keep the discussion focused in on the text and how the text applies to life.

Community/Team Building

This aspect of small group is very difficult to balance. You must walk the fine line between becoming a group of friends that is aimless and unfocused and a group that doesn’t connect at all outside of the small group. You want your people to care for one another. You don’t want your group to fall into either one of those categories. You want to develop a learning community that strives to improve in every aspect of life. Above all you want to build a community that desires continual transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word. In order to build a vibrant and Christ centered community it is essential that you lay a good foundation. The first level of this type of construction lies in building trust between the people in your group. It is important to devote a certain amount of time in your small group to getting to know one another. You want the people in your group to know what each person desires to do (goals), what they like to do (good things), and what troubles them (prayer requests and concerns). Typically the time focused in on prayer is a natural time when people will share goals, good things going on in their life and concerns that they have. During prayer group members can affirm their support of one another through prayer for each other. This is also a natural method of accountability as group members are likely to remember concerns and goals from the past week that were prayed for. The second phase to building team is to get your people to spend time with one another outside of the weekly appointed time. You want this time to be enjoyable. It should be something physical and something that requires group collaboration and contribution. This can range from any number of community service events to team sports. This can even consist of something as simple as sharing a meal. Once the people in your group have become more accustomed to one another then hopefully the final phase will set in. There really isn't anything you can do to affect the 3rd stage. The only thing you can really do is pray. The third stage is really an act of God and that is your people enjoying spending time with one another. Our final goal is to have a community and team that desire to live life with one another encouraging, challenging, and reproving one another because of the love they have one another.

Assessment tool

In order to improve we must know what to improve. We need to identify our strengths and weaknesses. To have a clear view of our strengths and weaknesses we have to take into account our personal view of our perceived self and the view of how others perceive us.

See Johari Window:(Complete Test)[1]

http://www.noogenesis.com/game_theory/johari/johari_window.html

http://kevan.org/johari

The Johari Window depicts four quadrants. Each quadrant represents depicts knowledge of self. There are things that we know about ourselves and allow others to see about us. There are also things that we keep to ourselves and don’t allow others to see. Then there are things that others see about us that we don’t see in ourselves. Finally, there are things that we don’t know about ourselves and things that others don’t see in us either. Although these things are not known to us yet, God knows what aspects of who we are lay in that area.

The Self Assessment and Peer Assessment forms are designed to help give leaders a more complete view of who they are. It allows the leader to compare how they view themselves and their skill to how others view themselves and their skills. Sometimes we are more critical of ourselves in areas that others perceive us to excel. Likewise, there are things that we think we excel in that others think we perform poorly in.

For these tools to be useful it is imperative that the leader honestly answer the self assessment form and seek out peers that will objectively answer the peer assessment forms. Additionally, the peer assessment form will not be beneficial to leadership development if the peer is not also receiving training in small group leadership. If the peer has never led a small group then they will not be the most accurate or reliable source of feedback.

In addition to the self and peer assessment forms developing leaders should also be receiving guidance from an experienced supervisor. There are simply some elements to leadership that are only learned through experience and time.

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[1]
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window

Pastoral Counseling Lecture, David Terault

The Art of Leadership-draft 1

The Art of Leadership

Tools for Leaders

If you are a leader then by definition it is implied that you are leading someone in something. Leadership consists of 6 key elements that all factor into creating a dynamic leader. No one person will excel perfectly in each of these areas, however a wise leader will strive to keep appraised on how they perform in each area so that they can maintain things they perform well and improve things they are weak in. The following evaluation forms are designed to help leaders gain an accurate view of how they perceive themselves and how others perceive them. Think of the self evaluation form as a first person camera shot. You are right in the action of all the things you are doing. Only you know why you make certain decisions and what factors influence you. Think of the peer evaluation form as a wide angle camera shot. You make decisions and other people are supposed to follow, however there may be factors you are not aware of that may derail your plans. Sometimes what we say doesn't come across to other people the way we thought it would in our heads. When you combine both views you create a more accurate story of a specific leadership event. These assessment forms are meant to help a leader learn how to improve after leading a specific event. It covers the vision/received vision, planning, communicating/training, and execution phase of a specific event.

Personal Preparation

Personal preparation is the often times the most neglected element of leadership, however this factor is the most important. The two words that should be foremost in a leaders mind are competence and teachability. If a person is a leader it is assumed that they have a certain degree of proficiency and aptitude equal to or higher than their subordinates. The aspect of competence plays a larger role in leadership events that are specialized. If the event you are leading is a soccer game you should at the minimum have a basic understanding of the rules. Moreover, you should have a good handle on the basic skills required to play. You should know the different positions that play in a game and how to perform the tasks required of each position. If you are leading a small section such as the defenders or forwards then you better know the ins and outs of playing that position. You should be competent in playing the position yourself and able to give advice to the other people in your section. When the event you are leading requires several tasks be performed and it is impractical/impossible to be a specialist in each task then you need to be knowledgeable enough to know whether the person you've delegated a task to is doing a good job.

Teachability is probably the greatest downfall to most leaders. The refusal to ask for help when they reach the limits of their abilities and knowledge is the undoing of not just the leader but the organization. No one likes to work with a “know it all”, especially when he really doesn't know what he's doing. When we are unsure how to plan or perform a certain task it is always better to err on the side of caution. A wicked man puts up a bold front, but an upright man gives thought to his ways.[1] We want to set a good example as leaders, and if our people see that we are willing to put the good of the team and event ahead of our personal pride then they will follow suit. We aren't going to be good at everything or know everything; however that should not deter us from striving to be the best we can be. We should strive to have a teachable attitude so we will be competent. Teachability is easily applied to things that we have little or no knowledge in, however teachability should play a role in things we are good at too. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.[2] In everything we do we should give it our best. We should never settle in our efforts. We should always be seeking to improve fully invested in our tasks as though we were giving to God.[3]

Communication

Communication is the oil that keeps the organization functioning. Our groups and teams are made up of component parts that by the work and power of the Holy Spirit are made to fit together for the purpose of accomplishing His work. However, just like a car engine, if there isn't a little lubricant that relieves friction and allows each part to work in conjunction with each other then the engine will chew itself apart. A leader is part of a complex set of individuals meshed together to accomplish a single unified task. These individuals when brought together need to be given direction and purpose. The need to have boundaries set and a clear idea of what their individual tasks are. They must also know how the task they perform fits into the larger picture. This is all done through effective communication. Four things that will ensure a leader is effective in communication are clarity, brevity, understanding, and attitude.

When we communicate we need to be clear. There should be no doubt in our mind about what we are going to say. This implies that we will prepare what we say before we communicate. We also need to make sure that what we end up saying comes across clearly to our audience. We need to be brief with what we say. People don't remember long speeches. They pick out key words that give them a basic understanding of what you are trying to communicate. Therefore, communicate what you’re going to say with the least amount of words as possible. Keeping things brief will force you to be clear and keep to the facts. This in turn leads to increased comprehension for our subordinates. Although a leader communicates things to subordinates a proficient communicator knows that understanding is a two way street. Seek first to understand then be understood.[4] We need to be students of our people. We need to know what is going to be the most effective way of communicating ideas to different people under our authority. If we try to communicate unity of purpose to Betsy the baker in football terms we've done her a disservice and open the doors for miscommunication. We need to learn to communicate our ideas in the language that people will understand us. So communicating to communicate to Betsy unity of purpose we might talk about ingredients that go in a cake and how they all are different but when combined work together for the sole purpose of being a delicious cake. Although a leader is in charge of subordinates, many times the leader is under the authority of someone else. In this case there are three levels of communication. We must receive, interpret/understand, then put out the information that our superiors give to us. When we have no person in charge of us we all ultimately fall under the authority of God and must have clear knowledge about what He is saying to us. When we do fall under the authority of someone else then we have to understand what their purpose and goals are so we know what our part is in the grand scheme and so we can communicate purpose and vision to our subordinates. The way we communicate tasks and vision must be done with appropriate attitude. We should be excited when we have clear purpose and focus. Purpose is fulfilling and gives us peace of mind. When we are serving the Lord, there should be clarity and purpose so that we can confidently and joyfully carry out His work. Part of the role of Leader is the role of encourager. Regardless of the situation we find ourselves in we need to have clear vision and focus on our purpose. We need to cling to the Word of God and be immovable so that when things become difficult we point our people to what they should keep their eyes on which should be the rock and hope of our salvation Jesus Christ.

Professional Ethics

Part of being a leader is having attention turned to you. When leaders are given an official assignment, all eyes turn to the leader to see what they are doing. They are either doing right or wrong, it doesn't matter people will watch you regardless. People will also criticize or follow you. Most of the time people will criticize leaders when they are doing wrong. So hopefully, before you were given an official title you were already practicing doing the right thing. Hopefully you have been conducting yourself in such a way as not to bring discredit upon yourself. Now people will criticize you even when you are doing right, but they are less likely to be critical if you have been honest and humble about the mistakes you have made. Moreover, you will gain respect and honor if you simply accept responsibility for your actions both the good and bad. You have to also recognize that as a leader people follow you. So if you are doing the wrong thing they will do the same. However, often times the difference between the leader doing wrong and the subordinate doing wrong is that the leader knows better and the subordinate doesn't. Most of the time when a leader is doing wrong they are fully aware of the negative consequences of their wrongful actions but the people they lead into wrong don't. When you are guilty of leading people into actions you knowingly understand to be wrong you become a butcher leading innocent sheep to the slaughter. This is why it is imperative that a leader strive to be an example of good, and when he does wrong to quickly and openly resolve the matter so as to deter subordinates from making the same mistakes. As leaders we must recognize God's authority over us, thereby submitting ourselves to the moral code set forth in His guidebook. We are accountable to God's Word, therefore we should be avid students of His Word so that we are careful not to bring destruction to ourselves or others.[5]

Decision Making/Planning

The character and quality of a leader is determined by the decisions he makes. The negative aspect of this topic is that often leaders fail to make any decisions or they make poor and rash decisions. To guard against making poor decisions the leader must be adequately prepared. They must intimately know the details regarding a decision. They must weigh out the pros and cons of each decision. Do not let this process lead to the negative aspect of failing to make a decision. You cannot be crippled by indecision. One can and should spend time considering the consequences of a decision, however at some point in time a decision must be made. Having clear goals and priorities will help leaders make decisive decisions. If a leader knows what the desired end goal is then preparing a course of action to meet the needs of desired goal becomes clear. There are many ways tasks can be done but establishing clear priorities help to limit the range of decisions focusing and honing all tasks into contributing to the desired end goal. Therefore it is imperative that an adequate amount of time is spent defining the desired goal and communicating vision so that all intellectual contribution in planning relates to the accomplishment of the desired end goal. It is necessary to incorporate the input of our subordinates ultimately because they are the ones that are going to be executing tasks that contribute to creating an event. You want them to take possession of the task but give them clarity of purpose so that individual tasks contribute to the accomplishment of the desired end goal. It is impossible for anyone to do the absolute best they can if they are trying to do their best in more than one thing. Performance is going to suffer somewhere; therefore a dynamic leader needs to learn how to delegate. Leaders must know what they lack and where others excel. Leaders should delegate responsibilities to people whom they recognize display proficiency in the task required and leadership skills. When we delegate we are not simply passing of tasks. We are entrusting vital elements necessary for the accomplishment of the mission to someone else. When we delegate we are imputing our authority to someone else. We will ultimately be responsible for the actions of the individual we choose to entrust tasks to.[6]

Supervision

Supervision is probably one of the most misunderstood tasks of leading. There is a fine line to tread between lack of direction and micromanagement. To keep from falling into the former you must have established goals, a clear plan, set tasks and objectives, and excel in communication. You want your people to know exactly what to do, how to do it and why they are doing it. Don't make them guess or leave things so open ended that results will fail to meet the objective because of lack of communication and purpose. When the desired end state fails to be achieved the only one to blame is you. To keep yourself from falling into the pit of micromanagement you need to learn how to instill confidence in your subordinates and you must learn how to trust the people to whom you delegate responsibility. No one wants to have a hawk watching them as they work. You don't want your people to feel like your hanging around just waiting for them to mess up so you can swoop in for the kill. You also don't want to become too involved in a task that you've assigned to someone else. Then you will make the person feel as though you don't trust them to do an adequate job. Just as you are a leader, when you have subordinates, part of your job is to raise up and train future leaders. You will make mistakes, but if you are teachable and humble you will learn from your mistakes. You grow from your mistakes. Give your subordinate leaders the opportunity to grow too. You should never act as though you are irreplaceable. The moment you step into a position of leadership, you should already be thinking about finding and training a replacement. There are complications and unexpected distractions in life that may keep us from being in the picture. We don't want an event or an organization to fall apart because of the absence of one person. The event and mission are bigger than one person and must go on. A true leader who understands the vision/mission will do everything in their ability to ensure that the desired end goal is achieved regardless of their presence. They will put the good of the mission and team ahead of personal fulfillment.

Team/Community Development

The quality of a leader is measured in part by the success of his missions, however a deeper and more lasting measure of a good leader is found in the relationships he has with his people and the relationships his subordinates have with one another. This doesn't mean that everyone has to be best friends, what this does mean is that there is a sense of unity and possession with every member of the team. There must be a sense of community and cohesion. While building is community is an important aspect of being a leader it is not and should not be the primary focus. Community should not be built for the sake of community; it must be community with a purpose. Purpose and vision is the gel that holds the community together. If vision is not cast to every member of the group, then there is no reason for an individual to stay when faced with adversity. Everyone must have an understanding that the purpose and vision is about something bigger than one individual. They must feel a part of something important enough that they will set aside personal difference in favor of accomplishing the mission. While the desired end goal and mission should be placed above the individual needs of team members, you must not take this to an extreme. You must also make every effort to ensure that every member of the team feels like they belong. You want to make them feel like they matter and let them know that their contributions are vital and necessary.

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[1] Proverbs 21:29(NASB)

[2] 1 Corinthians 10:31(NASB)

[3] Colossians 3:23(NASB) "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord, rather than for men"

[4] Stephen Covey. "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

[5] Joshua 1:8 (NASB) "Do not let this book of law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

[6] 1 Timothy (NASB) 5:22 "Do not lay hands on anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others, keep yourself free from sin."