2.  God's leadership is lived out in relationships.  

When Jesus set out to change the world, He did it by loving people one at a time.  Jesus' ministry grew out of the relationships He had with people in everyday life.

Jesus didn't have a complex program, or a media campaign; Jesus didn't use a set formula.  Jesus ministered to the people who crossed His path every day.

If you think of God's leadership as programs, you'll tend to overlook the opportunities in your everyday life-your neighbors, your family, your fellow workers.  These are the relationships God's given you, and that's where God's work should start for you.

3.  God's leadership is loving the whole person.

One of the most striking things about Jesus was His capacity to meet the total needs of people.  There was no concern for which He lacked compassion.  He gave sight to the blind man, and a new chance to walk to the lame.  he restored a sense of self-dignity to the woman at the well, and caused God's spirit to dwell within the poor soul who was once possessed by demons.  And the amazing thing is that by meeting these individual needs, Jesus changed the whole person.  For Him, the call to mission wasn't complete until He had met a person's entire needs-physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.

Jesus' mission of serving the whole person is your mission.  Wherever you go, whatever you do, you will meet people suffering from the pain of broken self-esteem. broken homes, broken marriages, and broken bodies.  They will be men and women hoping that there's still a way they can put the pieces back together.  And as a Christian who is committed to meeting God's agenda, you can touch them where they hurt and know that through you, Jesus Christ can touch their entire lives and make them whole.

4.  God's leadership is word and deed.

Today there's debate about whether it's more important to verbalize your faith, or to demonstrate your faith to people through acts of love.  

Jesus' life allowed no such dichotomy.  Jesus loved people through both word and deed.  He never told someone about God's love when they needed to see it in action.  He never showed them God's love when they needed to hear it.  Jesus integrated both word and deed, inseparably.

The early church was reminded constantly about the need to integrate word and deed: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:18).

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (1 Peter 2:12).

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give  an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).

This balance of word and deed characterized the early church.  The early Christians dedicated their lives to obeying God, to loving their neighbor.    They showed God's love like Christ did, by caring for the orphans, praying for the sick, giving to the poor,  visiting the prisoners, and by verbally proclaiming the good news of salvation and forgiveness of sin wherever they were.

God's leadership is carried out through both word and deed.  It was true for Jesus.  It was true for the early church.  And it's still true for you today.

5.  God's leadership is loving the whole world, beginning where you are.

Jesus' life and ministry were geographically confined to one country, but Jesus' mission was global.  Through strategically discipling a few lay people, Jesus prepared them to do Good's work worldwide.

There are three important lessons to be learned from Jesus' global view of mission.

First, God calls you to be a world Christian.  When Jesus commanded His followers to go make disciples, He didn't say "Canvass the city and be back by noon."  He could have been more bold and said, "Feel free to go into the next country, as long as you don't exceed our campaign's 50 mile radius."  Or in desperation, Jesus could have insisted, "Go as far as you want, but if you get any further than Rome, you're on your own."

Jesus didn't think this way.  He wanted God's mission confined to the neighborhood-a global neighborhood.  So, to the members of the first church He said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth"  (Acts 1:8).  World mission isn't the domain of a zealous few.  it's the business of every believer-this means you!

Second, you're to invest your life strategically in world mission.  Jesus focused on one country because it was the best way for Him to do His part in reaching the whole world.  Jesus specifically commanded the early church to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 25:19a).  Yet today, 2.5 billion people have not been reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are currently only less than 10,000 Christians working cross culturally with these 2.5 billion.  The shortage of missionaries worldwide has led some to rename the Great Commission, the Great Omission.  The command has been given, and never rescinded, that we as Christians are responsible for world evangelization.

In addition to financial support, what part can you play in reaching the whole world with God's love?  Could you befriend an international student living in the U.S.?  Should you consider a cross cultural assignment in your leadership?  Could you join a world Christian prayer group?

Third, you should love the whole world beginning where you are.  Jesus wasn't so obsessed with His worldwide mandate that He ignored the everyday people in His life.

Whatever part you're to play worldwide, you must start in your own house, your own neighborhood, your current job.

Where Ministry Starts
Charles Colson

The  believer's Ministry is being Christ's person right where He or She is, in the marketplace or the Home, every moment of the day.  This is the very Nature of Loving God.

6.  God's leadership is full-time.

Intercristo is often asked, "Should I enter full-time Christian service?"  Their answer if always the same: Yes!-whatever your occupation.  Every Christian is already in full-time Christian work.  God's work demands a total commitment; there's no room in the world for part-time Christians.

For Jesus, mission was a full-time endeavor.  It had to be, because the needs were so great with the lonely, the despised, the young, the old, the religious and the pagan, the educated and the uneducated, the rich and the poor.  Jesus' mission to them consumed His total time and energy, His entire hopes and dreams.

Should mission be any less for you today?  The lame, the brokenhearted, the beleaguered, the kind of people Jesus sought to touch, still live in our global neighborhood.  If Jesus were here today, He would be totally consumed in their lives.  Despite rumors to the contrary, Jesus is still here today working through Christians who've made His full-time mission their own.

Doing God's full-time work knows no boundaries,  If your work carries you into the "secular" arena, then you have a great opportunity to be Christ's presence there.  If your work is at home with a family, then you can dedicate your life to God's leadership in your home and neighborhood.  Whatever the setting, live fully for Jesus there so that, in the words of Cotton Mather, "The blessing of God might show forth in every area of life."

7.  God's work is empowered by the Holy Spirit.

One of the vital principles of fulfilling God's mission is that God's leadership can only be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit.  You can work endlessly  and try to soar under your own efforts.  When you crash in mid-flight, Scripture has something to teach you: "I am the vine and you are the branches... Apart from me you can do nothing" John 15:5).  These words come from Jesus, Himself, who knew the source of His own power: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has annointed Me" (Luke 4:18).

A Church In Need
E. M. Bounds

What the Church needs today is not more machinery, not new organizations, or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use-men of prayer, Men might in prayer.

Fulfilling God's mission through your work means relying on the power of His Spirit and not your own human effort.  Why else did Jesus make this promise to the members of that first church: "But You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" (Acts 1:8).  This is a promise of enormous dimension, and for good reason; the needs of people in  today's world are enormous.  And the Spirit of God can be enormously powerful in you.

8.  God's leadership is your leadership.

The eighth characteristic of mission reminds us of who Jesus calls to reach His world.  That person is you.  You can thank history for this truth.  In Jesus' day, there were no seminaries, no teacher-training workshops, no conferences or films Jesus could rely upon to develop polished, professional helpers.  There was no such thing as full-time clergy.  There were only full-time servants, everyday Christians who wanted to pitch in and help Jesus change the world.

Jesus' plan from the start was that His leadership would be carried  on from generation to generation by ordinary people, discipled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, then set forth to show the world God's love in word and deed.

In the first-century church, we read of lay people having a tremendous impact on their culture: "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).

This bit of history teaches an important lesson:  If God can use a ragtag collection fishermen and other workers to change the course of history, then He can certainly use you and your leadership to make disciples of others.  Fulfilling God's agenda requires your willingness to see that God's mission work is yours as well. 

Cop-Out #1: "Let the Clergy Do the Work

The first temptation for Christians who weigh the cost of mission is to delegate God's work to the clergy.  And why not?  These professional ministers are educated men and women who have the training, experience, and calling to be in full-time Christian service.  So naturally, shouldn't they be the ones to turn to when we're concerned about getting God's work done?  Not necessarily.  Making the clergy responsible for God's entire work is not only unrealistic, it's also inconsistent with Scripture.

Paul makes it clear that God has gifted some "to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:12).

Clearly, God calls the clergy to prepare and equip lay people so that THEY, the laity, can do God's work.  Elton Trueblood describes the clergy/lay dilemma in a sports analogy: "There are 22 players on the field desperately in need of rest, and 80,000 people in the stands desperately in need of exercise!"

Cop-Out #2: "I Support Christian Organizations."  

There's a second common temptation for Christians who would rather not take on the responsibility of doing God's work.  If you can't pass on to a Christian organization.  Today, our culture is blessed with hundreds of parachurch organizations.  Working alongside the church, these groups are committed to doing God's work through youth ministry, drug rehabilitation, rescue missions, summer camps, overseas missions, media, relief and development, and evangelistic outreach.  Though these ministries do excellent work, the many people who support them financially have made their regular monthly gifts a substitute for personal involvement.  Example: Instead of volunteering to serve food at a downtown soup kitchen, the dutiful Christian today writes out a monthly check so that a favorite parachurch organization can do God's work.

These groups deserve faithful support, yes.  But a Christian can't delegate responsibility for mission by simply giving money.  Samuel told King Saul, "Obedience is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22).  God wants you to offer you to offer your body, not just your wallet, as a living sacrifice.  And that truth can surely come to life when you decide personally to make God's work your work.

Called To Something More
Nora Watson

I think most of us are looking for a calling, not a job.  Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirit.  Jobs are not big enough for people.

The new Reformation

For God's agenda to be met, for His work to be done, for the world to hear about and see His love, you need to be involved personally in God's work.  Lay people have been described as God's "frozen assets."  What a tragedy!  In the Reformation, lay people were given God's Word.  Could it be that we need a second Reformation that gives today's lay people God's LEADERSHIP?

How can you discover your part in God's work?  Here are four simple suggestions with profound implications:

1.  Look Up!

Nobody has ever discovered God's perspective in leadership without becoming intimately acquainted with God and His Word.  Before sending the disciples into the harvest, Jesus told them to pray (Matthew 9:37-38).  Before Isaiah offered himself for service, he received a clearer vision of the holiness of God (Isaiah 6); before Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, he fasted and prayed (Nehemiah 1:4).

Reading God's Word prayerfully and carefully will help you gain God's perspective on yourself and the world around you.

"The Call of God": Clearing Up Some Misconceptions

One of the reasons that there aren't more lay Christians actively doing God's work in the world is because they believe they haven't been 'called' to serve.  The 'Call of God' is probably the most common phrase associated with the Christian's discovery of Mission.  Unfortunately, many Christians today are wondering if their line is busy because God's call never seems to come!  The reason is simple: God hasn't promised a specific 'Call' for the believer.  Let's take a minute and clear up these misconceptions about the Biblical use of the word 'Call.'

The first definition of this word is 'To beckon,' or 'to summon,' the Greek word, Kaleo, is most frequently used in this sense.  It simply means 'to call out to someone, to get their attention, to ask them to come and talk.'  The word has no religious overtones.

Paul developed a secondary and religious use for the word by using 'calling' to refer to the Christian way of life. In Ephesians 4:1 Paul urges Christians to 'live a life worthy of the calling you have received.'  Here, 'calling' refers not to a specific mission or activity in life, but rather to a new quality of life characterized by humility, gentleness, patience, love, and unity (Ephesians 4:2-3).

It's important to note that the Greek word for 'Call' used in this verse was translated 'Vocare' in the Latin Biblical texts.  This is the same word from which we get 'Vocation,' a word that has now become interchangeable with the word 'Occupation.'  This Etymological evolution has resulted in a incorrect merging of the word 'Vocation.'  Paul's use of the word refers to summoning a Christian to a new Quality of Life, not to an occupation.  However, when associated with the word 'Vocation,' the same Greek word has been misunderstood to imply a specific occupation.

There's a third use of the Greek word for 'Call.'  Paul uses it to refer to a specific mission or task that was part of his 'calling' as an apostle.  This is a very specific application in which Paul contrasted his own apostolic calling to the general calling of his Christian readers.  Paul DID receive a specific, audible summons from God to a mission.  But he didn't apply the word in this way to other Christians simply because Paul didn't expect that God issues such a specific 'Calling' to every believer.

"From this brief Biblical overview, there are two things we can conclude about how the 'Call of God' relates to your own call:

1.  God can issue an audible summons to a Christian to do a specific task or mission, but it's not the norm.  Paul joined the ranks of a select few in history, who received such indisputable directions for their Leadership (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel).

2.  There's a distinction between a Christian's general calling to a new quality of life, and a specific responsibility for mission.  All Christians are called to a Quality of Life, and ALL Christians have certain tasks in common for instance, ALL believers are called to be witnesses of the new life in Christ.  ALL believers are called to be salt and light to the rest of the world.  This 'call' to a new life in Christ, however , is not to be confused with a Christian's 'Call' to a specific mission.

2.  Look Around!

Involvement in God's work begins with a deep awareness of the needs around you.  Usually, as you get God's perspective, you'll begin to identify certain needs that you are particularly concerned about meeting.

What in your world needs doing?  The way you answer that question is often an important clue in discovering what burdens God is placing on your heart.

3.  Look In!

After looking to the Lord and looking at the world around you, look within yourself.  Look at your heart.  Often, your unique experiences in life have sensitized you to particular needs in the world.  Perhaps you were an orphan.  or you've been divorced.  Or you were raised in a foreign country.  Or your sister is handicapped.  These experiences, and others like them, can give you a heart for particular needs in your world.  Listen to your heart.

4.  Look at your talents.

After you identify your particular burden, you need to determine what specifically you can do about that burden.  You may have a burden for feeding the poor that came from reading Scripture, watching BBC film footage of Ethiopia, and becoming aware of your own life of plenty.  By assessing your skills and talents, you can decide how to maximize your life in addressing that need.  An administrator, an advertising executive, and a social worker would each bring important and different skills to the task of meeting the need of world hunger. 

God desires to advance His kingdom in this world of need.  He intends to accomplish His kingdom leadership through His followers.  Through Christians like you, God intends to change the world.  Jesus is your model in mission, and through Jesus you learn that you can be in full-time service every day, right where you are.  God's leadership can't be delegated to paid professionals or Christian organizations.  God's leadership is your leadership.

Mission: What Do YOU Think?

Take some time right now to see how mission applies to your life.  Respond to these four questions.

1.  Read again the section describing God's agenda on earth.  Who are some people you know now working to accomplish God's leadership?  Why are they motivated to do God's leadership?  What are their rewards?  In what ways can you picture yourself meeting God's agenda on earth?

2.  When you look at your world-your neighborhood, nation-what three items would you put at the top of God's agenda in order to further His kingdom here on earth?

3.  If you only had one year left to live and wanted to invest it in God's leadership, what would you choose to do in that year?  What keeps you from doing that now?

4.  Imagine you were leaving one week from today to go overseas on a five-year mission.  What things would you have to sacrifice to fulfill this calling?  Based on your knowledge of actually having been a missionary, or of having know others who were missionaries, what things would you gain from such an experience?

5. Set an "action goal" that will help you apply the principle of mission.  Make it measurable and specific.  Example: "I'm going to volunteer one evening a week this month to lead a Bible Study group."

False Leadership

Read 1 Timothy 1:1-11

Paul warned the Ephesian elders of false teachers who inevitably would come after he had left.  (Acts 20:17-31).  Paul wrote this letter of encouragement and instruction to help Timothy deal with the difficult situation.

Paul calls himself an apostle meaning one who is sent.  How was Paul an apostle "by the command of God?"  In Acts 13:2,  the Holy Spirit, through the prophets said, "Set apart for me Barnabus and Saul (Paul) for the work to which I have called them."  From Romans 16:25, 26 and Titus 1:3 it is obvious that Paul regarded his commission as directly from God.

The false teachers were motivated by there own interests rather than Christ's.  They embroiled the church in endless and irrelevant questions and controversies, taking precious time away from the study of the truth.  Stay away from religious speculation and pointless theological arguments.  They expend time we should use to share the gospel with others.  You should avoid anything that keeps you from doing God's work.

How can you recognize false teaching?  (1) It promotes controversies instead of helping people come to Jesus(1:4).  (2) It is often initiated by those whose motivation to make a name for themselves (1:7).  (3) It will be contrary to the true teaching of the scriptures (1:6, 7; 4:1-3).  To protect yourself, you should learn what the Bible teaches and remain steadfast in your faith in Christ above.

The false teachers were motivated by a spirit of curiosity and a desire to gain power and prestige.  By contrast genuine Christian teachers are motivated by sincere faith and a desire to do what is right.

We should know what the Bible says, apply it to our lives daily, and teach it to others.  When we do this, we will be able to evaluate all teachings in light of the central  truth about Jesus.  Don't focus on the minute details of the Bible to the exclusion of the main point God is teaching you. 

The false teachers wanted to become famous as teachers of God's law, but they didn't even understand the law's purpose.

This past week, what was more important to you than love:  The desire to be "on top"?  To be right?  In control?  To look good?  What else?

In your church, what seems to be lacking:  Sound doctrine, clear conscience, pure heart, or sincere faith?

Which of these do you lack?  Why?

The Training Connection

Goals

Participants may:

1. 1.  Understand "cups of cold water" as Christian resources of equal worth with the other more explicit and traditional resources.
2. 2.  Understand the limitations involved in forcing a false dichotomy between cups of cold water and traditional resources.
3. Experience a broader conception of Christian training.
4. Experience God's claim on their whole life.
5. Develop skills in administering cups of cold water with the class.
6. Explore together the connection between training and sharing.
7. Discuss the factors that can lead to success or failure in training.
8. Practice the skill and develop the art of sharing God's good news with others in the class.
9. Gain increasing sensitivity to daily opportunities for training.
10. Practice fitting the good news to the situations  of others (making the good news, good news for them).
11. Experience the benefits of an sharing-training community in the class.

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, by becoming human and by suffering and dying in our place, you have laid claim to our whole lives.  By virtue of our union with you, you cause every act of caring we do to testify to the greatness of your love.  Give us the freedom that comes from knowing all acts of kindness we do are acceptable to God the Father, through you.

Lord Jesus, you came among us as good news alive.  You never confined the gospel to what you said; it burst out in every deed you accomplished for the entire human family.  Help us to live our lives in such a way that all we do or say is good news to those around us.  Amen.

Lead-In

An axiom of good writing is, "Don't merely tell them; show them!"  Much the same thing could be said of good-that is effective - sharing.  Good sharing both verbally relates a message of good news and seeks to be good news.  It doesn't only tell people gospel; it is gospel to people.

Our Christian calling to share is closely connected to our calling to train others.  We show others God's love when we love them ourselves.  Our concern for the needs of others helps them to believe in God's love.

In this lesson, we will talk about sharing.  We will learn what makes effective sharing.  We will discover how we can better share God's love through what we say and do.

Matthew 35 contains Jesus' teaching on the last judgment.  On that day, Jesus will commend his chosen ones for reaching out to meet his needs - reaching out, not just with prayer and Bible reading but with visits, caring conversations, giving our clothing, food, and drink (all of which Jesus elsewhere calls "cups of cold water").  We tend to consider these demonstrations of love something less than distinctively Christian.  What a refreshingly different attitude Jesus displays!  Let's try on the mind-set of Jesus and examine just what makes an act of caring sacred in the first place.

Training for the Christian Life

As a great amount of training is needed for athletic activities, so we must train diligently for the Christian life.  Such training takes time, dedication, energy, continued practice, and vision.  We must all commit ourselves to the Christian life, but we must first know the rules as prescribed in God's word (2 Timothy 2:5).

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27) we learn that we must train ourselves to run the race of life.  So we keep our eyes on Christ-the goal-and don't get sidetracked or slowed down.

In Philippians 3:13, 14 we also learn that living the Christian life demands all of our energy.  We can forget the past and strain for the goal because we know Christ promises eternity with him at the races end.

In 1 Timothy 4:7-10 we see a lesson of as we must repeat exercises to tone our bodies, so we must steadily repeat spiritual exercises to be spiritually fit.  When we do this. we will be better Christians, living in accordance with God's will.  Such a life will attract others to Christ and pay dividends in this present life and the next.

In 2 Timothy 4:7, 8 we see the Christian life is a fight against evil forces from without and temptation from within. If we stay true to God through it all, he promises an end, a rest, and a crown.

The Value of a Cup of Cold Water

God's supportive presence makes every aspect of your training relationships distinctively Christian from the start.  Jesus calls these actions of love flowing from God's promptings "cups of cold water."

"And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward" (Matt. 10:42).

Explicit God-talk might or might not accompany these actions, but they are nonetheless vital aspects of total Christian training.

To be sure, when you pray, speak words of guidance, and talk about God, you are being distinctively Christian.  But that's only one part of the picture.

Jesus Christ does not stand on the sidelines waiting for us to use the right signal words for him to step in and be there.  Rather, he is already in the middle of thee situation.  He's only waiting for us to see that.

The distinction frequently drawn between sacred and secular is more destructive then beneficial.  It is just one way humans try to keep God boxed up and out of their everyday affairs.  But God refuses to be put into any sacred boxes.  He claims all of life - also the "secular" - - to be his own.

This is the idea underlying this lesson: whatever training you give or relating you do - even on days other than Sunday and in any life situation - that training and relating is, by virtue of whose you are, distinctively Christian,

The Umbrella of Training

We should envision the entirety of Christian training as an umbrella.  That umbrella covers such things as prayer, talk about God, using the Bible, and "cups of cold water."  Giving a cup of cold water is not subservient or superior to any of the other more explicit Christian resources.  It is part and parcel of Christian training.

Resources like prayer and Bible reading are important, but giving a cup of cold water is important as well.  It is not an either/or proposition.  It is a case of both a cup of cord water and traditional, explicit resources.  Both are distinctively Christian tools.  Both have their place.

The person who attempts to train others without appropriately using traditional resources is like a person trying to swim with one or both arms tied behind one's back.  And conversely, the person who only uses traditional resources and consistently neglects the cup of cold water is left with only a caricature of true Christian training.  Anyone who makes this an either/or proposition necessarily offers less than complete Christian training.

The Sharing Connection

The word evangelism/sharing arouses mixed emotions among Christians.  For some it represents the positive, forward thrust of sharing God's love, perhaps accompanied by a growing Christian community.  But others have the impressions that only preachy, fanatical Christians engage in evangelism/sharing.  I am convinced that sharing should evoke nothing but positive reactions and attittudes.

Sharing/evangelism is the act of bringing good news to someone.  Originally, it had the connotation of bringing news of a battle won or of a fallen enemy.  It is the action of onw who witnesses a victory, and then runs to tell others about it.  So, evangelism/sharing is the communication of good news that you yourself have witnessed to others.

Christian sharing is communicating the surprising and beautiful fact that God truly loves us, and that he showed it by winning the victory over sin and death through the death and resurrection of His Son.  God calls us to share the gospel message with all people.  Jus as I am called by God to be a Christian trainer, so I am also called to share.  But I need to look at how I share, how I communicate this good news.  True Christian sharing is training, distinctively Christian training is one vital aspect of sharing.

Sharing is Training

Sharing is training because the message you proclaim is the most precious message you possess.  What greater gift could you share with others than love and life in Jesus Christ?  Indeed, when I witness to what Jesus Christ has done for me - I show that I truly care about them.  You show interest in their present and future.

Sharing is also training because the gospel of Jesus Christ is shared person to person.  A true Christian witness is not a computer spewing out a canned message to people in general.  He or she is a warm human being who has been personally touched by God's redeeming love and is now personally touching others.

The statement that sharing is training has a number of important implications.

Bearing all this in mind, you will also discover that there are limitations to your responsibility in sharing.

If you are a diligent sharer, if you have spoken and concretely demonstrated the love of God to another, and if in spite of all that, the other will not receive the love of God, then you have done all you can.  You have communicated God's love, and good sharing has taken place.  The criterion for good sharing is your communicating God's love as best you can, regardless of whether the other person receives it.

Training is Sharing

If sharing is training, is training sharing?  At first glance, it might not seem so.  Actions of training might appear to be quite removed from the work of sharing.  Certainly many people show love and concern in this world.  Many who train are not Christian.  Those who are Christian might not be identified as such.  Thus, training in and of itself might not seem on the surface to witness to the love of Jesus Christ.

But holistic training is always sharing.  Sharing with another person involves meeting the needs of that whole person.  Through actions of love, God reaches down and touches people with his power.  His healing activity can renew all aspects of  an individual's life.  I am wrong if I try to limit God to what I might define as "spiritual."  Your training provides a channel through which God's love can flow.  Your words and actions of love concretely demonstrate the good news.

This is particularly true of a good training relationship.  A quality Christian training relationship is a concrete embodiment of the gospel, a model for the love that God wishes to communicate to people.  It is God's mercy and grace that can now show forth in your relationships as you serve others, as you go the extra mile, as you go beyond justice and give of yourself to those in need (1 John 4:7-16).

Training is sharing when in an imperfect would you actively live Jesus Christ.  This does not mean that words are unimportant, but what you say and what you do must never be separated.  Together they constitute a dynamic whole the Holy Spirit can use to transform the attitudes and beliefs of people, helping them to be made whole themselves.

The sharing-training connection works!

Good sharing and good training are inseparable: each embodies the other.  Sharing shows forth a love for people, and a love for people shows forth the good news of Jesus Christ.  This sharing-training connection presents an enormous challenge to you as a Christian.  The work of sharing-training / training-sharing cannot be accomplished if you restrict yourself to your church area, or if you speak the gospel without being the gospel.  You need to get out into the world where people desperately need the love of Jesus Christ.  May the Lord enable you to get on with the task at hand.

Homework

Discussion Questions

1.  What positive feelings do you have about the word sharing?  Any negative ones?

2.  What different forms, if any, might sharing (or training) take in:

3.  Are there opportunities for training/sharing in our neighborhood, your work community or circle of acquaintances?  How could that training/sharing be carried out?

4.  What do you think about this statement: "All that we have been learning, discussing, and doing in our study of Christian Training has been sharing?

5.  Have you ever been in a "formal" sharing position (evangelism committee, church visitor, deacon or deaconess or the like)?  What about those situations was satisfying?  Dissatisfying?

6.  How would you evaluate your "informal" sharing contacts?

7.  "The distinction frequently drawn between sacred and secular is more destructive than beneficial."  What do you think about that statement?

8.  What are some of the ways we "try to keep God boxed up and out of our everyday affairs?"

9.  The class states that anyone who makes the distinction between cups of cold water and traditional, explicit resources an either/or proposition necessarily offers less than complete Christian training.  Why might this be so?

10.  At what point does our training become Christian?

11.  god claims all of our lives, both sacred and secular, as his own.  How might this realization change common perceptions of worship, church, stewardship, and the like?

12.  Can you think of a time when you gave a "cup of cold water" to someone?  How was that experience "Christian" for you?

13.  Sharing: Yay!  Boo!

Spend 15 minutes sharing.  Share examples from your own experience of sharing done effectively as well as ineffectively.  After each example, discuss what factors made the sharing helpful and what factors hindered its helpfulness.  Keep a list of the positive and negative factors to be shared with the class as a whole.  You may begin.

14.  Good News That Worked

12-15 minutes-I would like each of you to think about one or more times when good news was communicated effectively to you.  If a specific act of training was involved in that sharing, think of how it tied into the experience.  Take a minute alone to think of such a time and perhaps jot some notes if you like.

15.  Fears

Giving "a cup of cold water" can, at times, be frightening.  It can be risky in several ways to stop and offer help and comfort to someone who is injured, imprisoned, or trapped in painful circumstances.

Spend six to eight minutes discussing any fears each of you might have about being a "good Samaritan."  Try to determine the reasons for these fears which can be rational or irrational.

16.  A Time for Everything

For the next 15 minutes, please share at least one situation in which a "cup of cold water" might be more effective Christian training/sharing than the use of traditional resources.  Discuss what form the "cup of cold water" might take and how other Christian resources might be used later on.

17.  In Your Shoes-7 minutes

Close your eyes and use your imagination. Imagine yourself driving home from work, school, or shopping.  Put yourself in the scene.  Go ahead, take a few seconds to imagine it.

Now imagine your car breaking down.  You try to fix it, but no luck.  You're on a lonely, deserted stretch of road.  It's getting dark, and you're starting to worry.  Nobody is coming by.  Finally, a car comes by and stops.  Three people get out and approach you, but something in their manner sets off danger signals in your brain.  You start to run, but they grab you and knock you to the ground.  Two of then kick you while you're lying there.  The pain is terrific.  You lose consciousness.

Now, You're awake again, but you hurt too badly to set up.  You crawl to the road so the passing cars can see you.  A car comes by and slows down.  The driver is looking at you:  you can tell by his clothing that he's a minister or priest.  But now he's speeding up.  He's not stopping!  A few minutes later, another car comes by.  It's a prominent member of your church who lives down the street from you,  She know you, so you know that she'll stop.  But she doesn't even slow down; with just a glance in your direction she speeds by."

Your thirst and pain by now is terrible.  You no longer have the strength to crawl.  A stranger comes by.  She stops, approaches you.  She doesn't leave!  She gives you a drink of water she has while administering first aid.  Taste the water;  You've never tasted anything like it.  The pain seems to decrease.  She helps you into here car and takes you to the hospital.  Your relief at arriving there changes to fear as the admitting clerk tells you that since you have no money or identification, you cannot be admitted.  You are too weak to argue, but the stranger offers to sigh the admittance form as a guarantor for all the bills.  You are then admitted and she leaves.

Now slowly read James 2:15-17; and then write out your thoughts.

Closing

God Almighty, grant us grace to do, speak, and be good news among our families, neighbors, friends, fellow workers indeed everyone in our community and our world.  Amen.