As a past, and future, community group leader, I know that sometimes the discussion flows and sometimes it’s like pulling teeth. It’s the responsibility for all members of a group to participate fully in the discussion, but sometimes people don’t know how they should participate and what makes a “good” community group member. Coram Deo in Omaha has provided these helpful indicators in “evaluating your participation as a healthy MC member”

LISTENING

• Lots of people can talk, not many are skilled at listening. If people are listening well, the following indicators will come much more naturally.
• Do you find yourself easily distracted, thinking about other things, or pondering what you are going to say next?

SPIRITUAL INQUIRY

• Put simply, this is following up, digging in, and inquiring into how people are doing spiritually.
• Does the way that you respond to people draw them out and encourage deeper conversation?

ENCOURAGEMENT

• If you see that someone handled a situation in a spiritually mature way, make note of that by encouraging him or her. If you see that someone is taking a step of faith in a new area of their life, encourage them with words of affirmation.
• Do people feel encouraged by you during a Missional Community discussion?

PRAYER

• One of the ways to model the Gospel to Christians and non-Christians is by revealing your dependence upon God and the unique relationship you have with God as your heavenly dad.
• Do you stop in the middle of your MC discussion to pray for what is being shared?

CHALLENGE/REBUKE

• Speaking truth in love while confronting others with a spirit of humility, calling them to turn from sin and trust in the finished work of Christ.
• Is your Missional Community tolerating unrepentant sin?

STUDY SCRIPTURE

• 2 Tim. 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
• Do you talk about the Bible naturally in the context of conversation?

GOSPELIZE

• Helping each other apply the good news of Jesus and the work that was accomplished on the cross. The Gospel is for Christians and non-Christians alike and is a message that you will never outgrow or mature out of.
• When someone asks for insight or counsel, do you respond with good advice or good news?

Michael Mckinley recommends a booklet that helps people learn how to listen to sermons. It is written by Christopher Ash and is entitled Listen Up! A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons.The fact that society has many fewer opportunities to listen to spoken word for long times almost necessitates a book like this be required reading for all church attendees.

Jesus tells us to be careful how we hear (Luke 8:18).  Yet many Christians approach the Sunday sermon with little to no game-plan for listening well.

To address that problem, Christopher Ash has written and outstanding booklet: Listen Up! A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons.

The booklet is very accessible.  It is short (only 31 pages), well designed, and written in an informal, catchy style.  And the content is pure gold.

It is broken into several sections.  The first and longest part is devoted to seven ingredients for healthy sermon listening.  They are:

1. Expect God to speak.
2. Admit God knows better than you.
3. Check the preacher says what the passage says.
4. Hear the sermon in church (as opposed to solely listening to sermons on the internet).
5. Be there week by week.
6. Do what the Bible says.
7. Do what the Bible says today — and rejoice!

Each of these “ingredients” comes with practical examples and a list of “practical steps to take” at the end.

The second section deal with listening to “bad” sermons, particularly dull sermons, biblically inadequate sermons, and heretical sermons.

The final section reminds us that congregations often get the kind of preaching they tolerate and encourage, and then provides seven suggestions for encouraging good preaching,

I found this booklet very, very helpful.  If you are a preacher who wants to train your people to listen well to God’s Word, this is the booklet you want to use.  If you are a regular hearer of God’s Word, this booklet will give you a great perspective and a ton of practical strategies for improvement.

Sojourn Community Church in Louisville is doing great things for the glory of God. I really enjoy reading their SojournKids Blog. This was a recent post about changes to their programs.

Beginning with our Infants classes, our Sojourn babes will be prayed for and loved on intentionally through blessings we have been taught in the Bible.  Beginning Labor Day weekend, our servants will find prayers and blessings for children posted throughout the nursery for servants to say or pray while changing a diaper or when snuggling in a rocker (and especially to pray when children are wailing!).

Also, with our oldest Nursery group, the 12-24month class, we will introduce a curriculum that tells 4 basic Bible stories to the young children over and over again throughout the year.  Repetition is the key to learning–especially at this young age, and our teachers will also learn creativity as they tell the same stories over and over.  If you are interested, there is an opportunity to “adopt a story” by serving in the 12-24 months class once per month.  If  you are serving the first week of every month, for example, you will tell the first of the four Nursery stories every time that you serve.

Their focus on repetition is especially valuable as that’s the way young kids learn. It’s unfortunate that more church curriculum isn’t geared specifically to the different learning styles of age groups.

From LeadershipJournal.net. All use Matthew 4:1-11 as the passage

Subjective questions

Some small-group leaders unintentionally transfer authority from the Bible to group members by instructing them to look inward for meaning rather than investigating the text.

Poor question: What does verse 11 mean to you?
Better question: How does verse 11 show God the Father’s sensitivity to the Son?

Long-winded questions

Questions get long when a group leader attempts to stuff several facts into a question so that group members will give the appropriate answer. But that kind of information is more easily assimilated by group members when it is put in the form of introductory statements.

Poor question: Looking at how the devil tempts Jesus in the wilderness, what specific qualities and strategies of spiritual warfare does he demonstrate that could also be used against us?
Better question: The tactics Satan used against Jesus will also be used against us. What strategies did Satan demonstrate in this episode?

Leading questions

Rather than inciting curiosity, these questions may insult the intelligence of your group members. A leading question sags under the weight of your own opinion or predetermined notion, and the way you ask such a question actually reveals the answer that you want to hear. They usually call for a yes or no response that kills conversation. “Don’t you think … ” or “Isn’t … ” are typical ways of beginning a leading question.

Poor question: Don’t you think the timing of Satan’s attack on Jesus was significant?
Better question: This episode occurs immediately following Jesus’ baptism and right before the launch of his public ministry. What can we learn about our enemy from the timing of his attacks on Jesus?

Compound questions

Resist the impulse to fling back-to-back questions at your group without waiting for a reply to the first one. Either they will be confused about which question to answer first, or they will forget the first question by the time you finish the second. One question at a time!

Poor question: What did Jesus experience right before the first temptation, and what does this timing tell us about Satan?
Better question: What did Jesus experience right before the first temptation? [Pause for replies.] What does the timing of this first temptation tell us about Satan?

Compulsory personal questions

We want small-group participants to reinforce biblical truths with anecdotes from their lives. We want them to reveal needs exposed by God’s Word so the group can pray specifically for them. Yes, transparency is a vital sign of small-group health. But it’s a bad idea to drop a question that requires transparency in the lap of an unsuspecting person.

Poor question: Marge, you’ve been a Christian for a few years. Can you tell us how you’ve experienced Satan’s warfare against you?
Better question: Can anyone illustrate the persistence of Satan’s attacks from your walk as a Christian?

From Thom Rainer. This is excellent advice of things I should do when, Lord willing, I pastor.

1. I would spend more time in prayer.
2. I would spend more time in the Word
3. I would spend more time loving my critics than worrying about their criticisms.
4. I would spend more time with the people of the church.
5. I would spend more time with the unchurched.

From Colin Adams via PJ Tibyan.

“Preaching through Bible Books -  This is from a conference in 2003 called, “Katoomba Christian Conference Centenary (Sydney, Australia).”  D.A. Carson lectured on 12 points in preaching through a book of the Bible.  You can listen to the audio by downloading the message here (left-click).  This is taken from The Gospel Coalition website.

1. 1. (1:38 ) – Read and re-read and re-read and re-read and re-read the book. – It’s a mistake to read the book once and then start reading commentaries (Read it in English and the original language).(3:11) – Ideally start the process early. Give time to re-reading, meditation, and saturation.
   2. (4:58 ) – Eschew the division of head and heart.
   3. (6:14) – Early on attain sufficient grasp of the book that you can succinctly state
      1. what the book is about,
      2. what this book contributes to the canon that overlaps with what other books bring to the canon,
      3. what distinctive things this book brings to the canon. (All these things need to be thought about simultaneously. This is what brings clarity and precision). Scan biblical theologies on the book to get a large scale picture of the book.
   4. (11:10) – At roughly the same time determine
      1. the number of sermons you’ll devote to the book
      2. the large scale outline of the book insofar as it impinges on your text boundaries for each sermon (11:10).
   5. (19:27) – Start working on individual sermon preparation (either in advance or week by week). Ideally work on the text first.
      1. (23:26) – Ideally develop note taking techniques. This keeps your tools sharp and keeps your files for resources for future ministry (writing, preaching, evangelism, etc.);
      2. (29:32) – from these detailed exegetical notes (Note for young preachers: you must determine and discipline yourself to leave stuff out). You need to know what to leave out. The sermon is the best of the material and the highlights of what you learned. The aim is to think through what contributes to the burden of that text;
      3. Work on the text’s structure. Work on it so that it is fresh and appealing and helpful.
   6. (32:27) – Each sermon must simultaneously stand alone and constitute a part of the series.
   7. (33:34) – Remember the different contributions of a Paul House (corpus/book) biblical theology and a Charles Scobie (thematic) biblical theology.
   8. (38:11) – Recognize that there may be special study and focus necessary for certain books (historical, cultural, literary genre, etc).
   9. (42:32) – Ideally try to make your sermon material reflect in some way the genre of the book you are treating.
   10. (44:24) – Remember constantly that this is not an exercise in artistic creation. The sermon is not an end in itself, but it is a re-revelation of God to his people. This means that as you prepare you ought to be thinking about the people to whom you are ministering.
   11. (50:28 ) – ideally keep revising, praying, preparing so that it is not so much that you have mastered the material as that it has mastered you. There is a way of preaching that projects an image of being an expert and an image of being captured by the text.

From Colin Hansen at ChristianityToday.com

Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God by Bruce Ware

Your beach companions will think you’re prepping for Sunday school or family devotions. You’ll actually be learning plenty yourself from an unusually gifted theologian equally adept at teaching seminary students and young children.

Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church by Michael Horton

Maybe you should wait to read this book on a rainy day when you can’t go to the beach. Horton, a discerning and clear-thinking theologian, diagnoses what ills American believers, including consumerism, individualism, and nationalism.

Fearless Pilgrim: The Life and Times of John Bunyan by Faith Cook

Biographies make for a quick, engaging read. Cook explores the times that gave us Bunyan, the pastor and prisoner whose best-selling The Pilgrim’s Progress brought theology to the masses.

The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith by Mark A. Noll

Venerable historian Noll expands on the contributions of missiologist Andrew Walls to show how American Christianity has shaped the rapidly expanding global church.

Politics for the Greatest Good: The Case for Prudence in the Public Square by Clarke Forsythe

The senior counsel for Americans United for Life advocates the neglected virtue of prudence for fighting abortion. His timing is impeccable for Christians dealing with the ramifications of George Tiller’s murder.

When Athens Met Jerusalem: An Introduction to Classical and Christian Thought by John Mark Reynolds

Theology has always confronted and conformed to the intellectual trends of its cultural context. Like some early Christian apologists, Reynolds draws connections between Hebrew theology and the Greek philosophy so popular in ancient Rome. He even dares to recommend cooperation between faith and reason in order to save Western civilization.

Justification: God’s Plan & Paul’s Vision by N. T. Wright

Read for yourself what all the fuss is about. Bring along the handy chart from the June issue of Christianity Today to compare Wright with his chief critic, John Piper. Justification is too important to be left to professional theologians, so bring your Bible, too, and trace the sometimes-complex arguments.

Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

The authors of the award-winning Why We’re Not Emergent return to tackle another set of theological innovators. Whether committed, disgruntled, waffling, or disconnected from the local church, this book will help you love the bride of Christ.

Predestination: The American Career of a Contentious Doctrine by Peter Thuesen

Want to celebrate the summer of John Calvin’s 500th birthday? Then read about the history of the doctrine most closely associated with him. You’ll see just how far theology can stretch over space and time.

Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches by Russell Moore

Readers rave at Moore’s ability to link important theological concepts with contemporary concerns. But you better handle this book delicately. You might return home from the beach with a new calling that will change your family’s life.

From FeedingonChrist.com comes this article which provides links to articles by both Ligon Duncan, of First Presbyterian of Jackson, MS, and Tim Keller, of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan, NY.

Here is the audio from the discussion that Ligon Duncan and Tim Keller had at the 2009 PCA GA concerning the role of women and the deaconate. One of the most significant points in the discussion, in my opinion, was Ligon’s brief exposition of Acts 6. While there is some debate as to whether deacons are in view there or not, Duncan made the observation that men were ministering to women (i.e. the widows mentioned there). This is significant because many egalitarians insist that women need to be the ones ministering to women. Duncan followed up his observation with a strong pastoral note, calling men to care deeply for the needs of the women in the church. It is certainly true that Acts 6 is not prescriptive, but it is certainly descriptive. One cannot argue that there were women chosen from among the seven, but you can most certainly assert that men were. This only serves to strengthen ones understanding of the prescriptive passages.There were many other helpful observations from both Duncan and Keller in the discussion.  I’d love to know what  you think after you listen to it.

You should also look at the aritcles that these men submitted to By Faith Magazine on the subject.Tim Keller’s article “The Case for Comissioning (Not Ordaining) Deaconesses” can be found here. Ligon Duncan’s article “The Case for Our Current Policy on Women Deacons” can be found here.

From Keith Mathison via Justin Taylor

OLD TESTAMENT:

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy
• Joshua
• Judges
• Ruth
• 1 & 2 Samuel
• 1 & 2 Kings
• 1 & 2 Chronicles
• Ezra & Nehemiah
• Esther
• Job
• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Songs
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Lamentations
• Ezekiel
• Daniel
• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi

NEW TESTAMENT:

• The Gospel of Matthew
• The Gospel of Mark
• The Gospel of Luke
• The Gospel of John
• Acts
• Romans
• 1 Corinthians
• 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians & Philemon
• 1 & 2 Thessalonians
• The Pastoral Epistles
• Hebrews
• James
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter & Jude
• The Epistles of John
• Revelation

From Pat Aldridge via Jared Kennedy at SojournKids.com

Since coming back from the Children Desiring God conference, I’ve been doing a lot of reading about helping kids develop a passion for God and His Gospel. Mostly “how-to” type stuff. The books I have been reading all start by making two things very clear: 1) The importance of family devotions, and 2) The importance of personal growth. I want to explore these issues in reverse order.

Personal Devotions

The reason I want to start with personal devotions is because apart from them, family devotions won’t have as much, if any, impact on our kids. Our kids need to SEE us spending time reading our Bibles, praying, and handling life in a godly way. They need to SEE grace in action. Whether you understand it or not, parents have the most influence over their children. Two things to keep in mind about that: 1) parents are the people that spent the most time with their children, and 2) kids are like sponges – they absorb a lot from those they spend the most time with. What are we teaching our kids about the value of God, that it’s a private thing not to be disturbed, or that it is in the things of everyday life?

Another reason I start with personal devotions is that you as the parent/teacher need be growing in the graces and mercies of God. If we as the parents/teachers are growing ourselves our teaching will be more mechanical (”going through the motions”) and less life transforming.

Finally, personal growth as a parent means at least one more thing; we need to let our kids SEE us deal with our sin, especially when that sin is against them. We are sinners, just like they are, and we need to deal with that sin openly and honestly if we expect them to do the same. They struggle with the same sins we do – selfishness, stubbornness… do I need to go on? The bottom line in all sin is pride. If our kids don’t see us deal with sin, they won’t understand its devastating power.

Family Devotions

I like to think of family devotions as a kind of “small group” for your family. Most churches have small groups and when they are done well, this is where a lot of spiritual maturity happens. It shouldn’t be different with our families. At this point I must confess that I (like I suspect most of you) struggle with making this a habit. Our current schedule (my wife and I work opposite shifts with just a little overlap) compounds the problem. What we are learning is important in all aspects of child rearing; be intentional. We need to use the time God gives us to the best of its ability. Something I’ve had to say to myself is, “Stop making excuses, and just do it!”

I know what you may be thinking at this point, “Now that I have decided to do it, what should I do?” Here are some great resources to start you down the family devotions road. I have decided to start with a booklet put out by Children Desiring God called Helping Children Understand the Gospel by Sally Michael, Jill Nelson, and Bud Burk. I choose to start here because the Gospel is foundational. If I get this wrong it doesn’t matter what else I teach, it could (and probably will) be corrupt. I want my kids to cherish the richness of the message of the Gospel. Once the foundation is set we are planning on moving on to Bruce Ware’s book Big Truths for Young Hearts. It’s a great devotional that breaks down theology and helps kids (and parents as well) understand (as much as we can this side of heaven) how big God really is. From there we will probably us one of the many Catchisms that are out there. One of the ones we have is the Truth and Grace Memory Bookby Thomas K. Ascol put out by Founders Press. There are a lot of good resourses out there, ask people you trust they can probably recommend more, these are the ones I have come in contact with and will work for me.

Conclusion

Keep the following things in mind:

1. As parents we have the PRIMARY responsibility to raise our children in the ways of God. It’s not the church’s job to see that our kids get God. We spend the most amount of time with our kids and they learn a lot from watching what we do, say, and how we handle life.
2. Help your kids see God in the mundane, everyday situations of life.
3. Let your kids see you deal with sin. Don’t hide it or rationalize it away. Deal with it. This will teach your kids volumes about how dangerous sin is.
4. If you need help, ask. It doesn’t matter what stage you or your kids are at, start working to deepen their faith (yours will be deepened in the process).
5. Be intentional. We don’t know how much time we have so use it wisely.
6. Always have the heart in mind. Work on the heart not the behavior.