GSI Articles
Past Church Planting Newsletters of
"Family Bible Church"
* More newsletters from our 5 years planting FBC until it merged with another local fellowship will be uploaded as time allows
Graphics, Pics, Chart boundaries, etc have been removed to simplify conversion of these past emails, so some of the content may seem choppy.
© Sid Galloway BS, M.Div.
Just an old sheepdog of the Good Shepherd
Genesis 1:1
Communicating conclusions from 100's of PhD scholars (& children)
Supporting the authority of His Word
& the consistency of His character
Human Rights? Slavery? - Animal Rights? Cruelty?
What about God's right to command compassion for all of His creatures?
Feb 1, 2000
© God's Way Home - Hypotasso Faith
The Way of His Son - 1 Cor 15:1-28
A weekly source of encouragement & news from:
Family Bible Church & Biblical Family Soulcare
Sid Galloway, Teaching pastor, N.W.J (Nothing Without Jesus)
church@soulcare.org www.soulcare.org
"[We] bow [our] knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named."
Ephesians 3:14-15
How You Can L.E.A.D. Others:
Shepherding Your Flock To Restoration & Maturity in Christ
(Psa 19; Pro 22:6; 2 Tim 2:1-4; 3:16-17; Titus 2:4; Eph 5:25-26; 6:4; 1 Pet 5)
Whether you're a government leader, church elder, husband, mother, or just trying to train your new pet puppy, God's core principles for shepherding are simple. Remember that God prepared both Moses and David to lead his people by training them to shepherd a bunch of sheep. Over the past many months, you've learned from Scripture that the purpose of God's creation is to glorify (to reveal) Himself by sharing His life and love. And you've learned that The Great Commission of Jesus in Mat 28, which is our mission under His authority (sub-mission), is to make disciplined disciples for His Father's glory. All of the authorities God has allowed to rule on earth have a responsibility to shepherd those under their hand toward submissive restoration and maturity in Christ (Matt 20:20 ff). Most in the world misuse or abuse their authority. Some do it out of deliberate rebellion, and will answer to God on the judgment day. But many in the "Church" do it out of ignorance because they've never been taught how. As an authority, you represent God the Father through His Son Jesus. Please remember, failure to exercise His authority is rebellion.
So how can you L.E.A.D?
(by ... Loving, Equipping, Accountability, & Discipline).
We'll be studying this with lots of examples
during our practical study each Sunday after the meal.
Most folks do a fair job of loving, equipping, and even accountability at least by pointing it out when someone is doing wrong. But few know how to be a practical parakletos, called along side like a coach. The following seven steps can help you learn and practice the Biblical process of leading others toward respectfully follow the maturity of Christ:
1. Rules - First teach them what is right and expected.
2. Consequences - Teach what will happen when they do right and when they do wrong.
3. Command - When you're an authority you must at times give orders, not just suggestions.
4. Application - You must consistently apply the positive or negative consequences to match the response.
5. Overcome - You must win whenever your command is challenged with disrespect or disobedience.
6. Praise - You must eagerly reconcile whenever repentance and obedience occurs.
7. Rest - If you consistently practice God's principles, the fruit will always be peace in your heart, and often even peace with people on the outside. If others continue to rebel, you still must stand firm without giving up or blowing up (Rom 12:18; Eph 6:10-20; Philip 4:4-13).
Then it's time to pass the struggle up to higher authorities
(elders, police, . . . God).
Sermons Online - The Bible: One Bite at a Time
www.soulcare.org/articles.htm
Feb 6, 2000 Genesis 3 - "The Luciferic Lie"
Benevolent Shower: Ladies, please contact ________ for details about our effort to help _____________ relatives, whose home burned. She's planning a shower at 10 AM Saturday to collect items for the family.
Family Discipleship: Are you regularly reviewing the basics with your family members? Like the following printed Bible studies the website:
Who is God, How to Memorize, How to Meditate, A.B.C.'s of J.O.Y., The Days of Creation, 3 Levels of Problems, 66 Books of the Bible, The 3 Temptations, Ten Commandments, The Gospel, How to Pray, How to Worship, Outline of His-story, How to L.E.A.D., How to Follow, Communication, Peacemaking, Making Wise Decisions, How to Build a Home, What is Church
It's such a blessing to watch our Father orchestrate circumstances that are helping each of us learn to be more like His Son, our Lord Jesus. He lets us be squeezed so we can see and change what comes out of our heart. As I've shared before, the most important area of growth for any church must always be quality not quantity, and that has definitely been the case for 1999. Even though we've grown from one family to over 60 people, the increased maturity is evident by the fruit of the Spirit lived out in the relationships. Yet increased growth brings added needs and exciting opportunities.
When needs arise, please remember that it's your responsibility to let them be known and to minister to one another. You are the ministers (Eph 4:11-13). Elders are equippers. I'm working about 50-60 hours each week prayerfully studying our Father's Word, and then ministering it both privately (discipleship counseling) and publicly (preaching/teaching/writing). God needs you to take the initiative in volunteering, especially in the areas of administration and organization. I'm so severely limited in administrative abilities that when some of you have said you'd help, I don't even know how to transfer the responsibilities to you. What I need is for any "management" types to meet with me, examine the needs, and take on those tasks. If any of your wives have the gift of organization or administration, they too could help with many of the physical, logistical needs (after their home priorities are met).
Thanks!! Your brother and fellow servant of the Lord,
Sid Galloway, N.W.J. (Nothing Without Jesus)
Feb 6, 2000
© God's Way Home - Hypotasso Faith
The Way of His Son - 1 Cor 15:1-28
A weekly source of encouragement & news from:
Family Bible Church & Biblical Family Soulcare
Sid Galloway, Teaching pastor, N.W.J (Nothing Without Jesus)
church@soulcare.org www.soulcare.org
"[We] bow [our] knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named."
Ephesians 3:14-15
Our Father is so Good & Faithful, in spite of us all !
Sometimes I wish all of you could see the hundreds of things our Father is doing "behind the scenes" in the hearts, marriages, and families among our church fellowship. He is so awesome. Every time a need or a potential conflict has arisen, He has orchestrated circumstances which have opened opportunities for many of us to minister to one another. He is faithful and His simple design for family and church really do work, in spite of us all.
We will need to work very hard to ensure that our families and our church don't fall into the Devil's traps as so many others have done. So I encourage each of you, especially heads of household, to ensure that we all practice Biblical communication patterns (Prov 18:13, 17; Mat 18:15-20; Gal 6:1-3), and make an active effort to get to know one another accurately. Satan's strategy is to divide and conquer, and he uses assumptions, gossip, back biting, silent stewing, uncontrolled anger, hurt, isolation, and division to destroy families and churches.
Folks, as we grow individually and corporately, many small (and some not so small) differences in preference, doctrine, and practice will arise. Actually, these are wonderful opportunities for us to deny our flesh, learn to communicate in open love, iron sharpen about what is best Biblically, and make Spirit-led decisions for His glory. In the short-term, it would be easier to build a Christian Country Club, where various small groups just naturally flock together according to their various likes and dislikes. But that kind of "church" never stands. It either dies out or splits apart in unloving, hurtful division, that brings shame to the LORD.
Our Father and His Son, Jesus, have commanded us to build a local ekklesia, not a Religious Recreation Center. The good news is that His design and strategy are sufficient to fulfill His goal for His glory (Eph 3:10). They will work. But we humans far too often fail to stay consistent in the uncomfortable and vulnerable work of building a church "family". Pastor-elders experience the temptation as much or more than the rank and file believers. The constant process of serving as a Biblical trainer adapting the Word to each individual, and a mediator both within families as well as between families is exhausting. But it is necessary, exciting, and rewarding (1 Kings 3:9). Many pastors tend to avoid this vital, personal ministry of God's Word. Instead the pastor becomes a general lecturer to the large group, or a CEO administrating the "activities", or a ringmaster of a Christian "Circus". God's way for His people to handle this great need for personal ministry of His Word is to share the load as Moses did in (Exo 18:13-27). A group of elders oversee the process, handle the major needs, and train equippers (1 Tim 2-3; Titus 1), equippers train the people to minister (Eph 4:11-13), and the people then minister to "one another" (Rom 15:14).
Romans 15:14
"Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren,
that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge,
able also to admonish (noutheteo = counsel) one another."
In a fellowship our size now (60 plus souls), there are many, many needs for "one anothering". For example, older couples guiding and encouraging courting couples; helping new believers (gender specific); discipleship counseling for those wrestling with discouragement - depression - fear - bitterness - destructive habits - etc.; older women teaching younger women to be wives and mothers; men who L.E.A.D. men to be disciplined disciples through loving, equipping, accountability, and discipline. The following are some questions for self-examination regarding your goals, priorities, plans, and current efforts to cooperate with our Father's design. These are always very convicting to me:
Is your goal as a church member personal happiness or is it personal holiness for God's glory?
Do you really understand our Father's Biblical design for a local church family (its purpose, structure, & function)?
Do you understand and practice consistently the communication rules of Prov 18:13, 18:17?
Are there barriers (questions or concerns about preferences, doctrines, or practices) that you need to discuss with anyone in the church family - 1 Cor 10; Mat 18:15-20?
Have you gotten together separately (man to man, woman to woman, or family to family) with each of the other families, in order to get to know how to pray for them, encourage them, help them, disciple them, exhort them, etc.?
Have you appropriately let your needs be known so that the Body can meet them?
Have you given in to the temptation to be a spectator Christian, where your church life consist merely of coming to the weekly meeting, or only a part of the meeting?
Are you worshiping the Lord alone on a daily basis through song, prayer, Bible study, memory, meditation, etc.?
Have you kept your heart pure (morally), so that your mind will be clear to see and follow our Lord's Scriptural will?
If you're a head of household, are you modeling the character of our Lord to your family members in your conversations?
Are you reaching out through personal evangelism and home hospitality to the lost and lonely who do not know our Father and His Son (John 17:3)?
I'm so grateful that our Father has allowed me the opportunity to serve together with each and every one of you, as your brother in His Family. The package of complementary gifts God has assembled in our ekklesia is a wonderful balance for effective, Christ-honoring ministry to one another and to the lost in this area. Remember 1 Cor 12-13 and its warning that Jesus's submissive love is the only bond that can unite our gifts for His glory, the edification of the Body, and for the attraction of the lost (John 13:34-35).
Thanks!! Your brother and fellow servant of the Lord,
Sid Galloway, N.W.J. (Nothing Without Jesus)
* More newsletters from the 5 years we planted Family Bible Church until it merged with another local fellowship will be uploaded as time allows . . .