10/11/2012. A. Three Views of the Bible

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1 EPC Officer Training: Lesson Two The Bible Vow #2: Do you believe the Scriptures of the and Testaments to be the Word of God, totally trustworthy, fully inspired by the, the supreme, final, and the only of and? Lesson Two Learning Objectives A. Three views of the Bible B. The Five Solas of the Reformation C. The Church Officer s private study D. Rule of FAITH and PRACTICE E. Seven models of Session leadership F. Lesson Two Review A. Three Views of the Bible 1. The Bible the Word of God 2. The Bible the Word of God. 3. The Bible the Word of God. 1

2 A. Three Views of the Bible PCUSA Officer Vow # 2: Do you accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be, by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God s Word to you? (W ) EPC Officer Vow # 2: Do you believe the Scriptures... to the Word of God, totally trustworthy, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, the supreme, final, and the only rule of and. B. The Five Solas of the Reformation 1. Sola 2. Sola 3. Sola 4. Solus 5. Soli (LTG pp ) C. The Officer s Private Study As Evangelical Presbyterians, we are deeply committed to the Bible. But sometimes we can love the of Scripture more than the actual, words of God. How is our level of faith impacted by time reading God s Word? Our maturity? Our prayers? Our humility? Our wisdom? (LTG p. 43) 2

3 C. The Officer s Private Study Do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2) The primary role of an EPC elder: to the mind of Christ. C. The Officer s Private Study II Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is out by God and profitable for, for, For, and for training in, that the man of God may be, equipped for every good work. D. Rule of FAITH and PRACTICE 1. What is rule? 2. What is faith? 3. What is practice? actions... traditions... orthopraxy 3

4 1. Tradition-driven Decisions are usually driven by a strong commitment to institutional selfpreservation. The driving force of decision-making is to maintain the status quo. New ideas are typically dismissed without careful and prayerful consideration. 2. Committee-driven The committees of session deliberate about their respective responsibilities and then bring their recommendations to session for approval. These committees are rarely challenged as session typically approves those recommendations with little or no prayerful discussion. Membership on those committees is typically repetitive. 3. Power players-driven One or more elders with strong personalities tend to dominate the discussion and decision-making process of session. These elders serve repeatedly and believe themselves to have the experience and wisdom to lead the church. 4

5 4. Business model-driven Decisions are typically made based on the priorities and procedures of a typical secular business model. Pragmatism reigns (the bottom line is what works, not what God wants). Little time and prayer is spent on seeking the will of God. 5. Conflict avoidance-driven The perceived peace of the congregation is the controlling factor in decisionmaking. Discussions are often laced with comments such as: I don t think our members will like this or this is not going to fly with so-and-so and they are very big givers. 6. Pastor-driven Typically, the elders sanction the decisions of the pastor who often has private discussions with powerful session members so that his agenda will be supported by session. Little effort is made by the pastor to achieve a common vision held by all. 5

6 7. Biblical Principle Driven: The elders believe that their primary call is to discern the mind of Christ for the congregation. Decisions begin with a discussion of biblical principles and are typically bathed in prayer. Fear, tradition, and secular approaches are rejected and there is a consistent effort to lead with humility and dependency upon God. The thoughts of all elders are respected and simple majority votes on issues are subordinated to a desire to arrive at a Spirit-led unity. Classroom Exercise: 1. Complete your personal evaluation of your current church session using the Seven Models of Survey. 2. DO NOT write your name of it. 3. DO write at the top your officer status: a. seated elder/deacon b. Unseated elder/deacon c. Elder/deacon officer candidate 4. Have a trusted person tabulate the results and docket 2 hours for Session discussion. EPC Officer Training: Lesson Two Vow #2: Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to the Word of God, totally trustworthy, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, the supreme, final, and the only infallible of and? 6

7 F. Lesson Two Review A. Three views of the Bible B. The Five Solas of the Reformation C. The Church Officer s private study D. Rule of FAITH and PRACTICE E. Seven models of Session leadership F. Lesson Two Review 7

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