[CCEF] Six ways we grow together
CCEF_Growing_Together_Workbook_Preview.pdf
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 GROWING TOGETHER CCEF DVD Curriculum: Topical Studies for Individuals or Groups DVD Curriculum Series A biblical approach to fruitful ministry in the body of Christ GROWING TOGETHER A biblical approach to fruitful ministry in the body of Christ with David Powlison, Edward T. Welch, Michael Emlet, Aaron Sironi, and Steve Midgley A biblical approach to fruitful ministry in the body of Christ CCEF DVD Curriculum: Topical Studies for Individuals or Groups ccef.org Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation 978-1-938294-20-4 GROWING TOGETHER As a Christian, you are inseparably joined to other people. Your welfare and your wisdom are connected to the welfare and wisdom of others in the body of Christ. You have an important role to play, both in giving and receiving help. The ministry of one-on-one conversations is part of God’s vision for maturing his people. Ephesians 4 shows how God calls you and every believer to do your part by speaking helpful, constructive words to others. So where do you start? What does fruitful interpersonal ministry look like? This study explores six ways we grow together as the body of Christ. • By expr essing true need for God and for others • By combining knowledge of people with knowledge of Scripture • By praying in ways that connect actual human need to the promises of God • By understanding the centrality of friendship in the Christian life • By keeping a close watch on ourselves in pursuit of integrity • By maturing together as each of us puts the Spirit’s gifts to work so that we grow up into the likeness of Christ. Growing Together identifies key ingredients of humility, spiritual friendship, and spiritual vitality that are prerequisites for relationships that honor God and help people. This study shows how vital daily relationships benefit from a foundation of pastoral care and biblical counseling. This curriculum has been designed for individuals and groups who want to grow as care givers in the body of Christ. Pastors, elders, deacons, missionaries, youth workers, small group leaders, and all God’s people who care about others will want to work through this study together. The vision the Spirit gives in Ephesians 4 can become a growing reality in your church. Permissions This workbook is intended for personal and group use. The Group Handouts may be reproduced or copied. Other parts of this workbook may not be reproduced or copied except with the prior written consent of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation. Requests for additional permissions should be sent to: Customer Service 1803 East Willow Grove Avenue Glenside, PA 19038 Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway and The Holy Bible: New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the curriculum developers. ISBN: 978-1-938294-20-4 The Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF) is a non-profit ministry founded in 1968. CCEF exists to restore Christ to counseling and counseling to the church by thinking biblically about the issues of living. We accomplish this mission through our teaching, writing, and counseling ministries. We are located in Glenside, PA. To learn more about our ministry, visit us at www.ccef.org. Growing Together—A biblical approach to fruitful ministry in the body of Christ Copyright © 2016, by Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. Speakers Edward T. Welch, MDiv, PhD David Powlison, MDiv, PhD Aaron Sironi, MS, LCPC Michael Emlet, MDiv, MD Steve Midgley, MA, MB BS, DipMin Curriculum Development Bruce E. Eaton, MDiv Rebecca Eaton, MA A biblical approach to fruitful ministry in the body of Christ TABLE OF CONTENTS Getting Started 2 Our Neediness is God’s Gift 5 Edward T. Welch How God Uses All of Us in the Lives of Others 19 Edward T. Welch Why We Pray and How We Pray 35 David Powlison Spiritual Friendship 53 Aaron Sironi Persevering in Ministry 71 Michael Emlet Helping Our Churches Become Communities of Change 87 Steve Midgley Group Handouts 102 About the Speakers 109 Copyright © 2016, by the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. GROWING TOGETHER 2 As a Christian, you are inseparably joined to other people. Your welfare and your wisdom are connected to the welfare and wisdom of others in the body of Christ. You have an important role to play, both in giving and receiving help. The ministry of one-on-one conversations is part of God’s vision for maturing his people. Ephesians 4 shows how God calls you and every believer to do your part by speaking helpful, constructive words. So where do you start? What does fruitful interpersonal ministry look like? This study explores six ways we grow together as the body of Christ. • By expressing true need for God and for others • By combining knowledge of people with knowledge of Scripture • By praying in ways that connect actual human need to the promises of God • By understanding the centrality of friendship in the Christian life • By keeping a close watch on ourselves in pursuit of integrity • By maturing together as each of us puts the Spirit’s gifts to work so that we grow up into the likeness of Christ Growing Together identifies key ingredients of humility, spiritual friendship, and spiritual vitality that are prerequisites for relationships that honor God and help people. This study shows how vital daily rela- tionships benefit from a foundation of pastoral care and biblical counseling. This curriculum has been designed for individuals and groups who want to grow as care givers in the body of Christ. Pastors, elders, deacons, missionaries, youth workers, small group leaders, and all God’s people who care about others will want to work through this study. The vision the Spirit gives in Ephesians 4 can become a growing reality in your church. About the Workbook Each section of the Workbook includes a Before You Begin activity. Immediately following is the Intro- duction which corresponds to the beginning of a video. Talks conclude with a Reflection Activity fol- lowed by Study Questions. Getting Started 3 A Note For Groups This curriculum can be used at two different levels for group study. For an in-depth study, both leader and participants will purchase and use the Workbook. Participants will have the time (2 hours per week) and interest (study and reflection outside the group) for in-depth study. For an introductory study, the group leader can purchase and use the Workbook as preparation for fa- cilitating group discussion in a small group setting or Sunday School class. The group leader will provide participants with copies of the Group Handouts. In this setting, we recommend selecting a few study questions or activities that can be discussed in your allotted time-frame that meet the particular interests of the group. 86 How is the church to grow together, as one body of Christ? • By expressing true need for God and for others. • By combining knowledge of people with knowledge of Scripture. • By praying in ways that connect actual human need to the promises of God. • By understanding the centrality of friendship in the Christian life. • By keeping a close watch on ourselves in pursuit of integrity. • By maturing together as each of us puts the Spirit’s gifts to work so that we grow up into the likeness of Christ. 87 Helping Our Churches Become Communities of Change Steve Midgley BEFORE YOU BEGIN So where do we go from here? How do we grow together in the body of Christ? So far in this study we have looked at a variety of ways this happens: • By expressing true need for God and for others • By combining knowledge of people with knowledge of Scripture • By praying in ways that connect actual human need to the promises of God • By understanding the centrality of friendship in the Christian life • By keeping a close watch on ourselves in pursuit of integrity How is God encouraging you through this study? ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ What goals do you have for your participation in the life of your church? ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 88 INTRODUCTION We end this curriculum with this question: What are you taking home with you? If what you have stud- ied has been beneficial for you, then you ought to take something home that will make a difference to your life in Christ and to your life with others in the church. Here is the concern: it is easy for pastors to take away good ideas from this study for their congregations, and for church members to take away good ideas for their pastors. Yet God never gives anyone the gift of having good ideas for other people. So the take-away from this study is this: What is it that God has in store for us? What is the change that he might have us accomplish in our own lives? Ephesians 4 helps answer that question. It is a wonderful place to discover what it means for us to minister side-by-side in the body of Christ. CHANGE BEGINS WITH US Ephesians 4 provides the turning point for Paul’s letter. For three glorious chapters Paul has been setting out God’s great vision for his people. • God will bring all things together under Christ. • God has made known to us the mystery of his will—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth, under Christ. • God is creating a new humanity. One new people out of two, who will be a dwelling place in which God lives by his Spirit. • This new humanity will reveal—even to the heavenly places—the manifold wisdom of God himself. This is God’s great plan; a glorious picture of everything that God will accomplish through his people. In Ephesians 4 Paul turns his gaze upon us, the church. What would Paul have us do? What would he have us be in order to fulfill this great vision that God has in mind? Paul begins in a way we might not expect in Ephesians 4:1–2. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble. As Paul turns his gaze upon the church, his very first instruction is to be humble. That is where change begins. Consider how a pastor might cast a vision for his church. Steve recounts his own ex- perience of needing to begin with humility and confession as he considered the vision for his church 100 2. Do you struggle to embrace this vision—to rely upon everyone in your church to be part of how God will mature you? 3. Revisit this diagram from lesson 2. How can you grow in your knowledge of people and your knowledge of God so you can be part of God maturing other people in your church? Take time to sit quietly before the Lord and ask God to speak into your heart and mind. After you have prayed to God, answer this question: What will you take away from this study? ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ _________________ 1 How People Change is a book and group study published by New Growth Press. It was developed from Dynamics of Biblical Change , a course offered in CCEF’s School of Biblical Counseling, taught by David Powlison. Fruitful Personal Ministry Knowledge of Person Knowledge of Scripture GROWING TOGETHER CCEF DVD Curriculum: Topical Studies for Individuals or Groups DVD Curriculum Series A biblical approach to fruitful ministry in the body of Christ GROWING TOGETHER A biblical approach to fruitful ministry in the body of Christ with David Powlison, Edward T. Welch, Michael Emlet, Aaron Sironi, and Steve Midgley A biblical approach to fruitful ministry in the body of Christ CCEF DVD Curriculum: Topical Studies for Individuals or Groups ccef.org Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation 978-1-938294-20-4 GROWING TOGETHER As a Christian, you are inseparably joined to other people. Your welfare and your wisdom are connected to the welfare and wisdom of others in the body of Christ. You have an important role to play, both in giving and receiving help. The ministry of one-on-one conversations is part of God’s vision for maturing his people. Ephesians 4 shows how God calls you and every believer to do your part by speaking helpful, constructive words to others. So where do you start? What does fruitful interpersonal ministry look like? This study explores six ways we grow together as the body of Christ. • By expr essing true need for God and for others • By combining knowledge of people with knowledge of Scripture • By praying in ways that connect actual human need to the promises of God • By understanding the centrality of friendship in the Christian life • By keeping a close watch on ourselves in pursuit of integrity • By maturing together as each of us puts the Spirit’s gifts to work so that we grow up into the likeness of Christ. Growing Together identifies key ingredients of humility, spiritual friendship, and spiritual vitality that are prerequisites for relationships that honor God and help people. This study shows how vital daily relationships benefit from a foundation of pastoral care and biblical counseling. This curriculum has been designed for individuals and groups who want to grow as care givers in the body of Christ. Pastors, elders, deacons, missionaries, youth workers, small group leaders, and all God’s people who care about others will want to work through this study together. The vision the Spirit gives in Ephesians 4 can become a growing reality in your church.   
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