I am teaching two seminary classes for the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Extension Center in Birmingham this semester. The first class is Spiritual Formation, while the other class is Supervised Ministry.
Many of you are familiar with the text I am using in the Spiritual Formation class. The book is Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. At CrossPoint we are using Whitney’s tome as our course curriculum for our Sunday Bible Study groups this fall. It is an excellent resource for developing spiritual disciplines in Christ. The second class, Supervised Ministry I, is a fancy name for pastoral evangelism.
This will be my second occasion to teach both classes. Since I enjoyed teaching the classes before, I look forward to the opportunity again this year.
I benefit from teaching for NOBTS for many reasons. Teaching, I believe, augments my preaching. It also reinforces my service as a pastor. I grow spiritually and mentally as a result of teaching seminary students. And, I benefit from the relationships that I form with the students.
One of the great benefits of teaching the evangelism class is what it does to me personally. Already, in the first week of classes I have experienced an advantage.
Classes began last Monday, August 17. I spent a majority of our class time discussing the course syllabus. After answering follow-up questions, and before we dismissed, I challenged the students to share the gospel at least once a week, every week before they returned to the classroom. I made sharing the gospel a course requirement. That is the object of the class, isn’t it? The students are in weekly training to share the gospel.
A few students expressed delight in the challenge. Many others expressed concern through their expressions. After the class, I learned more than a few students had never shared the gospel with anyone. Now I was asking them to do something every week for 16 weeks that they had never attempted before.
Do you understand my motivation? There is no better to learn how to share the gospel than sharing the gospel. Sharing the gospel is the best on-the-job-training.
And let me add, if I am going to challenge the students to share the gospel each week before attending class, then I must accept the same requirement. I would be a hypocrite if I did not do as I required of my students.
This week I shared the good news of Jesus Christ with a stranger we will call “Tim”.
Tim grew up going to church every week. He confessed to being saved when he was in the fourth grade. Yet he admitted as an adult he was not faithful in his worship and service of the Lord. So, I probed deeper.
When I asked how he knew he was saved, Tim gave all the right answers. Yet something was missing. I could not put my finger on it. Tim never responded confidently. Thus I kept probing.
Tim never really settled on his salvation during our conversation. I continued asking questions and quoting Scripture, yet he never really hit the Scriptural understanding of what it meant to be saved. However, I do know the time I spent with Tim caused him to think of spiritual matters in his life. The proof came when Tim summarized, “I need to get back in church, don’t I? I’ve been away from church for too long.”
Now we were making some progress. Tim expressed a faith in Christ that he will have to determine whether it is real or not.
Whatever the case, he knows what he needs to do next.
Before departing, I asked Tim where he lived. (My conversation with Tim was on the opposite side of town from where I live). When he said he lived in a community near CrossPoint I lit up.
I immediately gave Tim my card and I invited him to be my guest at CrossPoint. When I asked if he knew where we were located, he described our hillside on the interstate just as if he’d been there.
I love what he asked before committing to come to CrossPoint. My new friend queried, “You’re not going to call me out, are you?”
I love it.
“No, I am not going to call you out,” I replied, “but I am expecting you to be there this Sunday.”
Now do you see why I enjoy teaching in the seminary, and how it augments what I do each week as your pastor?
Maybe I should issue the same challenge to CrossPoint – you cannot enter worship until you have shared the gospel with at least one person each week.
Fascinating topic!
Not to dissuade your challenge but to contextualize it. If these students who have chosen ministry and the pastorate for their vocation are daunted by your challenge; how much more will those souls in the chairs at CrossPoint be intimidated by it? Most of them fear the questions that sharing the Gospel bring and their ability to answer them correctly. They fear rejection and harassment in a world becoming more and more hostile to Christians. Much encouragement and a measure of training will be necessary to have many of them venture out in faith to share something as personal as the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ each week before they come to worship. And yet, how different would this community, country and world be if we all DID share the Gospel with one person each week…
Soli Deo Gloria!
You just did. Some one is coming to the house in just a few minutes and I have felt the need to talk to him for some time. Today you gave me the extra nudge to do so. Thank you.
I agree with Searching. Sounds like the making of a new course to be offered in CPU. I’d sign up!
JC – I pray it went well!
JC, let us know the result of your conversation.
We talked for about an hour and he promised that he is going to visit our church with his family. I am not going to quit pestering him. He will visit just to shut me up. If I can get him to visit Ryan’s teaching will have him coming back.
While talking to him I kept referring to Ryan’s lesson Sunday about God will give you second and third chances. Used myself as a perfect example.
I am proud of you, JC. Stay the course, and continue to pray for him as well.
I’d sign up for that class too. Maybe Searching could teach it??