COTV Leadership Training - Practical Applications

Theological Background (Joe R)

Eph 4.7-11.

Titus 1.5.

1 Peter 4.10.

Acts 6.1-4.

Spiritual Formations - the lifelong process of being shaped into Christlikeness

Rom8.29, predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son

2 Cor 3.18, being transformed into greater Christlikeness from now until the day of the Lord

Phil 2.12-13, the Spirit initiates this formation and brings about change in us. We work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Gal 2.20, I have died and He is living in and through me.

Rom12.1-2, Our aim is being like Christ.

At our disposal

2Tim3.16-17, the Word

Phil 4.6-7, Prayer

Jn 4.23-24, Worship

Heb 10.24-25, Each Other

Matt6.16-18, Fasting

Dangers of Legalism

Isaiah 29.

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COTV Training Goal

Since the Word of God is sufficient for all things pertaining to life, faith, and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-11), we aim to present biblically-based training for the discipling of COTV members into future leaders and equip them for every good work in the body of Christ (2 Timothy 3:16).

Part 1 Theme : Spiritual Formations

What does this look like practically in the life of the believer?

FORMATION - the act of creating something, the process of something coming into being or being shaped.

New Creations in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

So… we have come into being (we are new creations in Him)… AND… our Lord’s desire is for us to be shaped, molded into something that is pleasing to Him who is the founder and perfecter of the faith that we proclaim.

What shapes or molds us as believers?

What does our Lord desire us to be?

What pleases our Lord?

How is our faith perfected/strengthened?

These are the questions I am hoping we can answer together by examining a handful of spiritual disciplines that contribute to our spiritual formation.

PRAYER: Wisdom, Blessing, Strength in the Lord

Part 1 Sub-Theme : Feeding Yourself

What we mean is that we cannot effectively make disciples of Jesus if we are not being personally fed by the Word.

Psalm 34:8–10 “8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

Psalm 19:7–11 “7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

We need to live like these words are true! But too often we do not. Too often we are distracted, entertained, blinded by everything else in this world and we cast aside the one thing (The Word of God) that is truly life giving and will bring infinitely unmatched joy into our lives.

God-Glorifying Patterns of the Christian Life

Full Disclosure - These patterns we are going to walk through together are not revolutionary ideas. These are not new tricks that Joe and I have discovered for the Christian life. These are simple disciplines exercised out of love for our Lord and devotion to His will above our own.

1. Patterns of Personal Study

As followers of Christ, we have the Spirit of God that dwells with us and we have His Word.

For anyone that has received Him, believed in His name, God has called them His son or daughter (John 1.12), and He has sealed them with the promised holy Spirit, whose presence with us is the guarantee of our inheritance one day with Christ (Eph1.13-14).

Now…we are here with the Spirit of God dwelling with us… What comes next? We have been delivered from the bondage of sin, we have been given a new heart, we are new creations in Christ, the old has passed away the new has come… How do we live after being justified before God?

Psalm 19:7–11 ESV

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Establishing a pattern of personally studying the Word of God will revive your soul when you are weary, it will bless you with wisdom, it will bring joy to your life, and it will reveal something that is infinitely more valuable than this world has to offer.

How do I study the Bible?

Answer the “Who?” and “Whom?”

Who is the author and to whom are they writing. Learning about the background of the author and the audience will bring a personal context to the teaching.

Answer the “When?”

When was this narrative, letter, gospel originally written. The historical context behind a text helps us understand certain cultural aspects that may be reflected within the writing.

Answer the “What?” or “Why?”

What is the author writing about or why was this text written. There can be some overlap to these answers. These questions specifically can have a great influence on how we interpret/understand the application of the text today.

***Write these things down as you study! I cannot emphasize this enough. Just sitting down and reading the Word is a great use of your time, but if you do not note what you are learning in some way you will likely not retain much of the information.***

Write in your Bible and journal what you are learning.

Study Resources: Study Bible (ESV, MacArthur), Got Questions, Hebrew or Greeks dictionaries.

Hosea 14:9 (ESV)

9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;

whoever is discerning, let him know them;

for the ways of the Lord are right,

and the upright walk in them,

but transgressors stumble in them.

We cannot walk in the ways of our Lord if we do not know Him. If we do not know Him, we will stumble in our sin and transgress His commandments. The Scriptures are God’s special revelation to us.

Psalm 119:9–11 ESV

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

The Word of God gives new life, reveals God to us, and keeps us from sin.

Exercise: Psalm 23

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

What does Psalm 23 teach?

(v.1-3) The Lord is our protector, our provider and in Him we lack nothing. In Him, we have all we need. Our souls are restored and we walk in righteousness to bring Him glory.

(v.4-6) Our God is the Comforter was comforts those in need and disciplines those whom He loves. We are His sheep and we will dwell with Him today and forever.

2. Patterns of Personal Prayer

“Prayer is as necessary to the Christian as breathing is to the human body.” - 9Marks (Back Cover)

For myself, I can confidently say I do not view prayer in this way - just as necessary to my life as breathing. But i think this quotes reveals a profound idea for us - Prayer is integral to our spiritual life.

What should we pray? (New City Catechism)

The whole word of God directs us in what we should pray.

Catechism are not just for kids! As we learn from the Word of God, we grow more confident and prepared in our prayer to God.

Learning How to Pray

Prayer is a learned discipline. No wonder the apostles even asked our Lord Jesus to teach them how to pray.

Instruction for Prayer

Matthew 6:5–6 ESV

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Firstly, this does not limit us from praying in public. The caution here from Jesus was against the selfish intention of prayer. This also does not mean prayer should only be done in your room with the door shut. The general principle here is removing yourself from others/distractions in order to remain focused on the Lord.

Instruction for Prayer

Matthew 6:7–13 ESV

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Our Model of Prayer

P - Praise

R - Repent

A - Ask

Y - yield

Exalting Jesus in Luke Applications

True prayer is not bringing God in line with our plans but rather submitting our plans to the Lord’s designs.

Be Prepared

If we are aimlessly walking into a time of prayer, then we are unprepared for a meeting with our God.

Plan out your prayer. Church Families. Missions. Needs. Spiritual Growth.

Let your study of the Word also inform your time of prayer

Resources:

Learned disciplines need regular exercise.

Read the Word in your study and praise the Lord for what you have learned.

Exercise - Psalm 23.

Read and Pray

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

3. Patterns of Personal Rest

Personal rest is something pretty much everyone could use more of. Our days are long and busy, and we look forward to an opening in our evenings or weekends where we can take a few minutes to rest.

When it comes to our sanctification and growing as leaders in the church body, REST is often put to the side as not needed compared to the importance of study and prayer.

Establishing patterns of planned rest in our weeks and months is healthy and good for us.

Example: Seth

I am not good at this. I am quick to sacrifice my times of rest in light of my responsibilities as a pastor. My desire is to faithful shepherd this COTV family, and my natural response has been in the past - Less sleep means more sermon, community groups, or discipleship preparation time.

I do not recommend this.

Dalton was a huge help with Community Groups preparation over the past year, alternating weeks with me. Seeing that the day was approaching where Dalton would no longer be able to help out, my lovely wife helped me start planning my weeks better.

Within this planning is specific evenings of rest. This his been extremely helpful and I am so grateful.

Rest is not always physical!

We often think this way bc it is natural, but true rest is found in our Lord. When we are tired, stressed, anxious… we can naturally think that our best approach is taking time for ourselves. Long days and busy weeks can actually be temptations for us remove ourselves from the Word, prayer, and gathering with the body and being together

This does happen in the church family, so today I really just want to encourage you that the worst days and the longest, busiest weeks are all the more reason to prioritize time with our Lord and with the body because true, lasting rest is found in Him.

Matthew 11:27–30 ESV

27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

4. Patterns of Personal Fasting

Of these spiritual disciplines, I would be willing to bet that FASTING is likely the most under appreciated and not often exercised in our lives.

What is fasting and its purpose?

In the Scriptures, fasting is the abstaining from food “an expression of remorse for wrongdoing, as an expression of mourning for a loss, or as a spiritual discipline meant to help one focus on spiritual matters.” (Got Questions, https://www.gotquestions.org/fasting-Christian.html)

Across the OT, we primarily see this exercised in times of mourning (Judg 20, 1 Sam 7, 2 Sam 1, 2 Sam 12), but in the NT we also see fasting accompanied with prayer as the people of God seek deeper fellowship with Him.

Luke 2.37, Anna the prophetess does not depart from the temple but worshipped through fasting and prayer.

Matthew 6.16-18, Jesus teaches on fasting as an expected part of people’s life.

Acts 13.2, The church at Antioch fasting before making the important decision of setting apart Paul and Barnabas for missionary work.

Is fasting required of Christians?

I think this is the wrong question, actually. When we are mourning or seeking the Lord’s will for an important decision, a period of fasting and dedicated prayer is beneficial for the believer.

How should I fast?

Start small (a few hours, part of a day). Set aside food (a necessity for our lives) and meditate on the Word and be in prayer. Through this time we will find satisfaction in Him.

Increase the time and frequency. A regular pattern of setting aside dedicated times of fasting and seeking the Lord is a good practice for our lives.

Do not broadcast your fasting. This time is about Him and our will being shaped by His will. It is not designed to let others know how much we are suffering through it or broadcasting our “righteousness”.

5. Patterns of Evangelism

This is likely the pattern that challenges us the most since it requires our engagement with other people around us in a way that could possibly generate confrontation or rejection. We tend not not like confrontation or rejection as humans, so we sometimes let these fears cast a shadow on this responsibility.

Evangelism is more than a singular conversation where we share the gospel fully. We engage the relationships we have in our lives with the intent of sowing gospel truths and helping others follow Jesus better.

EVANGELISM - Teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade (9Marks, p27)

1 Corinthians 9:19–23 ESV

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Exercise - What is the Gospel?

How do I establish this pattern?

Pick a person or person(s).

Pray for this person or person(s)

Invest in these relationships.

Weave in gospel truths with an aim to encourage and persuade concerning the Truth.

6. Service, Hospitality, Generosity, Humility

Simply put, these are things that should be evident in the life of the believer. Such things reflect the heart of our Lord Jesus who gave fully of himself to the point of death on the cross.

Philippians 2:3–7 ESV

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

How do I practice these things?

Slow down our decision making. Given that our nature is to take care of number 1, let’s slow down our process of making decisions and purposely ask ourselves “How does this affect others around me?”

Give more of ourselves. Sometimes we are hesitant to serve others or to give to others because of what it will cost us. Schedule. Time. Money. These are valuable things, but let us more freely use them in the building up of the body of Christ and in loving the culture around us.

Remind ourselves that it is Him that we proclaim and not us (Psalm 115). In all these things, we will naturally try to take the glory for ourselves. Any good in us and any good that we do is only because He has redeemed us from the pit and given us new life.

Welcome people into your home.

All of these things are evidenced in the life and ministry of Jesus. Read the Gospels and observe how he lived. If He is our aim, our prize, our example…then let us walk as He walked and do as He did to the praise of God our Father.