Epistle for February 8, 2002
Posted by: ccfmo <ccfmo@...>
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Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation February 8, 2002
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In this Issue:
Sermon: I Peter 1:8
Bible Study: Philippians 2:1-17
Strategic Pastoral Counseling
Fellowship of Christian Educators
"Rejoice With Exceeding Great Joy!"
"Though now you do not see Him (Jesus Christ), yet believing, you rejoice with joy
inexpressible and full of glory." (I Peter 1:8, NKJV)
February, the month of Valentine's Day and weddings . . . of celebrations . . . of rejoicing! The word "rejoiced" in the text is a compound Greek word, combining "leap" with "very much." It suggests shouting and leaping with joy.
The word occurs a dozen times in the New Testament. For example, when the lame man was healed at the temple gate, he "leaped and shouted with joy" (Acts 3:8). The Philippian jailer also "rejoiced" that way after his salvation experience (Acts 16:34).
ABRAHAM AND DAVID REJOICED
Jesus, in John 8:56, told His listeners that "Abraham rejoiced to see My day." Luke records Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost. There he quotes David as saying that when he saw the Lord, "my heart rejoiced" (Acts 2:26).
Both these Old Testament characters "shouted and leaped with joy" because they saw Christ as a future reality.
MARY REJOICED
"My soul has rejoiced in God my Savior," sang Mary, as recorded in Luke 1:47. She "shouted and leaped with joy" because God was using her to birth a great spiritual blessing on the earth.
THE WISE MEN REJOICED
"When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy," Matthew 2:10.
What an incredible picture! Imagine these dignified wise men "shouting and leaping with joy" because they had been divinely led to find and worship the King.
JESUS REJOICED
Luke records in 10:21, "In that hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit." He had just instructed His disciples not to rejoice in victories won over Satanic forces, but rather to rejoice because they had eternal life (names written in heaven).
Then Jesus immediately rejoiced saying, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things (truths spiritually discerned or perceived) from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes."
Jesus "shouted and leaped with joy" because His followers were seeing spiritual reality and victory.
REJOICING IN PRESENT PERSECUTION AND FUTURE PROMISE
Matthew 5:11, 12 - "Revile and persecute . . . say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven."
I Peter 4:13 - "Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is
revealed, you may be glad with exceeding joy."
Revelation 19:7 - "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb
has come."
POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS
Fellow Ministers of the Gospel, these are days of celebration, of rejoicing, of "shouting and leaping with joy!"
1. With Abraham and David, let us rejoice because we can see
with eyes of faith the risen, glorified Christ.
2. With Mary, let us rejoice because we are being used by God
to birth a new thing, which promises to be a blessing to persons
in our churches and communities and around the world.
3. With the Wise Men, let us rejoice because we are being divinely
led to find and worship the King of Kings.
4. With Jesus Christ our Lord, let us rejoice because others we have
influenced are experiencing spiritual victories and seeing spiritual
reality.
PERSONAL WORD
I enjoy presiding over the annual graduation ceremony of the Pillsbury Institute of Applied Christianity. Those Commencement Day celebrations always are particularly meaningful and significant to me. In a small way on those days in May, I identify with Jesus as He "shouted and leaped with joy."
I rejoice because I have taught and encouraged and fellowshiped with those men for the preceeding two or three years. I rejoice exceedingly because I have witnessed remarkable spiritual (as well as intellectual) growth exhibited in those fellow ministers.
I also rejoice because, in a small measure, I shall share in their service and ministry for Jesus Christ in the days and years to come. As Jesus put it, there is no greater joy for a teacher than to observe his students doing "greater things." (John 14:12).
Having the Mind of Christ
(Philippians 2:1-17)
I. Concentration: on the grounds for Paul's pastoral advice (v. 1)
1. The consolation available in Christ
2. The comfort of mutual love between God and man.
3. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
4. The supporting mutual affection and mercy among believers.
II. Meditation: on Paul's plea for unity, which would fulfill his joy (v. 2)
1. Unity of spirit . . . "like-minded."
2. Unity of love . . . "same love."
3. Unity of purpose . . . "of one accord."
4. Unity of thought . . . "of one mind."
III. Revelation: on things Paul encouraged believers to do . . .
1. Exhibit true humility, v. 3.
2. Express concern and compassion for the interests of others, v. 4.
3. Have the mind of Christ, v. 5; What He experienced, we must experience.
(1) Humility vv. 6-8.
(2) Obedience, v. 8.
(3) Death, v. 8.
(4) Resurrection and exaltation, vv. 9-11.
4. "Work out our own salvation" (v. 12) . . . that is, allow God to work in us
"both to will and to do His good pleasure," v. 13.
IV. Application: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Be blameless, harmless, and faultless, v. 15.
2. Shine as a light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, v. 15.
3. Hold fast (study, proclaim, obey) the word of life . . . the Scriptures, v. 16.
4. Joyfully be poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of
my faith, v. 17.
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Wit and Wisecrack: Twain said, "There are those who scoff at the schoolboy, calling him frivolous and
shallow. Yet it was the schoolboy who said, 'Faith is believing what you know ain't so!'"
Strategic Pastoral Counseling
by: Dr. Bruce Morrison
Time is such a precious commodity in today's world! As a Pastor, your time must be divided between your sermon preparation, administration of your church, and the shepherding of your flock (which includes your pastoral counseling ministry). Most of us have not had the indepth academic preparation for long-term pastoral counseling nor do we have the time to devote to long-term therapy. So, what is the answer? How do we meet the counseling needs of our congregation and community, and at the same time, meet all of the other time demands we face?
Well, one answer might be to learn how to effectively implement, a short-term therapy model that will meet the needs of our people, and at the same time, conserve our time for other tasks. In this article, I would like to offer a "snap shot" of the book entitled Strategic Pastoral Counseling: A Short-Term Structure Model by David G. Benner (1992).
First we need to understand the principles of brief, time-limited counseling. These principles are; 1) The counselor must be active and directive in his approach; 2) The counseling relationship must be a partnership between the counselor and counselee; 3) The counseling must concentrate on one central and specific problem; 4) The time limitation agreed to must be maintained.
Strategic Pastoral Counseling identifies three stages involved in the strategic model. Each stage has several tasks associated with it. The following table gives an outline of the model.
Stages and Tasks of Strategic Pastoral Counseling
The Encounter Stage
1. Joining and boundary setting
2. Exploring the central concerns and relevant history
3. Conducting a pastoral diagnosis
4. Achieving a mutually agreeable focus for counseling
The Engagement Stage
1. Exploring the affective, cognitive, and behavorial aspects of the
problems and identifying the resources for coping or change.
The Disengagement Stage
1. Evaluating progress and assessing remaining concerns
2. Arranging a referral (if needed)
3. Terminating counseling
The model assumes a five or six session commitment (established in a written contract signed by both counselor and counselee) to accomplish the counseling. This can be accomplished by following the four principles outlined above. This does not mean that you see a counselee for one five or six session counseling contract and then never see them again. It does assume that, after a period of time where the counselee works on the issue that was the focus of the counseling, that they can come back to address another specific issue.
What this model allows for the counselee is the identification of a specific issue, the exploration of that issue, and the development of a plan of action to accomplish desired change, all within a set time frame. It also allows a period of time for the action plan to be implemented before moving on to the next issue.
For the counselor, it allows a predetermined expenditure of time, focused attention on a specific issue, and the satisfaction of meeting the needs of the counselee. All of this is accomplished without "bankrupting" the Pastor's calendar.
The hardest part of implementing this model in your ministry is the shifting from a more traditional model of pastoral counseling to this short-term process.
In this age of maximized demand on your professional services as a Pastor, coupled with the limited time available for pastoral counseling, this model makes a lot of sense. For more information, read Strategic Pastoral Counseling: A Short-Time Structure Model by David G. Benner, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI., 1992.
You won't regret the investment of your time!
Fellowship of Christian Educators
In 1998 FreeWay Foundation launched a new ministry to encourage and affirm Christians who teach in
public schools. The Fellowship of Christian Educators is a network of mutual support groups which get
together weekly in their school buildings for a regular prayer-share time. We suggest that these FCE
groups meet for a brief 20-minute devotional period before or after school one day a week to pray for
the administration, faculty, staff, students, and families of the community.
FCE is not a political action group nor is it an alternative labor union for teachers. It merely is a
regular, ongoing group of professional educators who are committed to Christ. Ideally, on each Monday
morning before the bell rings, these believers gather to worship the Lord, receive spiritual nourishment,
share burdens, and pray for spiritual strength for the coming week.
FreeWay Foundation has a vision of thousands of Christian teachers all across America joining
together in love and discernment, praying for fruitfulness, character, and excellence, as seen in
Philippians 1:9-11. Imagine the spiritual impact such concentrated intecessory prayer could make
on the public school systems of this nation.
Fellowship of Christian Educators Covenant
With the help of the Lord Jesus Christ, I covenant to:
a.. Pray daily for the students and faculty of my school
b.. Exemplify Christian love in my attitudes and speech
c.. Conduct myself always according to "The Golden Rule"
d.. Encourage and support other FCE members by meeting regularly in school with them for prayer and devotions.
Dr. Curt Scarborough, president of FreeWay Foundation, writes:
"We have discovered, during more than a quarter of a century of service to the public
schools of Missouri, that a high percentage of teachers, administrators, and school
counselors are Christians active in their local churches. They look upon their teaching
profession as a Divine calling, in spite of the increasing secularization of many public
schools and the "demonizing" they suffer from well-meaning (but often misguided)
Christians who characterize all teachers in all public schools as "secular humanists."
"Christians who teach in public schools often are targets of verbal fire from both sides.
From the left flank, they are shot at for bringing God and religion into public schools.
From the right flank, they are shot at for propagating atheism, situational ethics, and
anti-family values."
"The truth is, public school systems (as a general rule) indeed are more secular than a
half-century ago. But it is also the truth that a great many public school teachers are
professing Christians who are experiencing increasing frustration at the whip-sawing
pressures being exerted upon them."
"FreeWay Foundation is in a unique position to do something to affirm and encourage
these Christian educators. Our Board of Directors in 1998 launched a mutual support
ministry which was named "Fellowship of Christian Eudcators." Our goal is to establish
a FCE group in all 88,000 public schools in the United States."