Introduction. The Pastoral Training Class (Grace School of the Bible)

Transcription

1 1 Sunday, January 26, 2014 Grace Life Schl f Thelgy Grace Histry Prject Lessn 124 The Life and Ministry f C. Richard Jrdan: The Frmatin f Grace Schl f the Bible Intrductin In ur last study we lked at Richard s decisin t mve frm Alabama t Chicag t wrk fr Stam at the BBS as well as the events surrunding the frmatin f Shrewd Bible Church. In this lessn we want t cnsider hw Grace Schl f the Bible came int existence. In additin, we will begin lking at hw the Grace Alternative dctrines came t be understd. Please nte that the cntents f this lessn are taken frm a recrded persnal interview I cnducted with Pastr Jrdan in my hme n Friday, June 21, The Pastral Training Class (Grace Schl f the Bible) Richard had dne sme traveling prir t 1983 but began his traveling preaching ministry in earnest in that year. It was Oscar Wdall wh prmpted Jrdan t begin a series f reginal Bible Cnference meetings arund the cuntry. These meetings were prmted in the Berean Searchlight. After attending Shrewd fr a while in early 1983, Chuck Wilcher (and separately Ted Fellws arund the same time) apprached Jrdan abut training them fr the ministry. Befre Jrdan wuld agree t d s, he had t get permissin frm Stam. Stam agreed as lng as they held the classes at the Bible Sciety. Jrdan arranged t meet with Wilcher and Fellws at the Spring Bible Cnference in Gena City, WI t further discuss the matter. By the start f the cnference in Gena City in the spring f 1983, the grup f men interested in being trained had increased. Given all the time it wuld take away frm his family, Jrdan required a firm, n their ath, three year cmmitment that they wuld see it thrugh t the end. What became knwn simply as the class and later pastral training class (PTC) befre it was called Grace Schl f the Bible began being filmed in September, Thrugh his cntacts at the Berean Bible Sciety, Richard had cme t knw Allen and Nancy Leach. In 1981 the Leach s started the tape ministry fr the BBS called Berean Lighthuse Tapes that was distributing abut 10,000 t 12,000 audi tapes a year. It was Allen Leach wh sent Jrdan a vide recrder and tld him t vide the PTC. Unknwn t Jrdan at first, the Leach s began t distribute the schl tapes t peple as far away as the Philippines. When Jrdan visited the Philippians years later he saw, in the hme f a Filipin man, an album f the Rmans tapes frm GSB. During , as Jrdan was traveling arund the cuntry, eight different men came t him and tld him that they wanted t preach and desired t be trained as well. Jrdan s prayer was fr the Lrd t send sme preachers that culd deliver the gds. Cnsequently, when Jrdan started GSB, a great emphasis was placed upn preaching. Jhn Verstegen agreed t be the first persn

2 2 t g thrugh the schl n vide. Once Verstegen prved that it culd be dne via vide, a schedule was set up and tapes began being mailed all ver the cuntry. Initially, Nancy Leach was the ne wh versaw that prcess and gt the ball rlling and kept peple supplied with vide tapes. Eventually the wrk lad became s strenuus that Jrdan had t enlist help with grading papers as well as ther aspects f administering the schl. The curriculum is based n the Pauline Design fr the Edificatin f the believer that Richard taught himself during the early 1970s while labring at the church in Selma, Alabama. The schl is nt patterned after the standard systematic thelgy apprach f mst mainline Bible clleges and institutes. Offering Bible Edificatin by Extensin, the PTC is nw knwn as Grace Schl f the Bible (GSB). The published curse catalg f GSB states the schl s purpse as fllws: Our main interest is in training men t teach and preach the Wrd rightly divided, with special fcus n "the preaching f Jesus Christ accrding t the revelatin f the mystery" (Rm. 16:25). T this end, emphasis is laid n three basic areas: 1) An intensive study f the English Bible designed t prvide a thrugh knwledge f the Wrd f Gd accrding t the dispensatinal methd set frth in II Timthy 2:15, thus giving an understanding f what Gd is ding in this age and preparing the student fr useful and effective service fr the Lrd. 2) Preaching, rather than n the executive and prmtinal branches and issues f the wrk. Classrm study plus practical tutelage and "n the jb training" in getting the message ut t thers are cmbined t balance the student's grwth. 3) The Refrmatin text f the King James Bible rather than n the critical theries that have been used t destry the authrity f that text. The King James Bible is presented as the Wrd f Gd fr the English speaking peple and this psitin will be clearly taught and analyzed (bth critically and histrically). Students enrlling in GSB will cmplete the fllwing curse f study in rder t be awarded a diplma. Please nte that GSB is nt an accredited institutin f higher learning and des nt desire t be. Receiving a diplma frm GSB wuld be the equivalent t graduating frm an unaccredited Bible Institute prgram. Curses include: First Year MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE (101, 102, 103): An in-depth study f the dctrines f inspiratin and preservatin f Scripture (101), fllwed by a survey f the histry f the transmissin f the Bible text (102) and the prductin f the English Bible (103). This curse gives the student cnfidence in the Authrized Versin as the English fruit f the prcess f preservatin.

3 3 ROMANS (101, 102, 103): The basics f "present truth" is prvided in a fundatinal study in grace truth. Fllwing Paul's design, this curse cvers the first fundatin principle fr the edificatin and establishment f believers in the dispensatin f grace. DANIEL (101, 102): An verview f the prphetic prgram is prvided by a detailed study f Daniel s basic utline. FUNDAMENTALS OF BIBLE STUDY (101, 102): A practical study f the basic fundamentals f hermeneutics with special emphasis n mid-acts dispensatinalism. GENESIS (102, 103): A detailed study f the fur divine institutins fr the establishment and rderly maintenance f the human race as set frth in Genesis 1-11 alng with an intrductin t the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New Cvenants. Secnd Year PREPARATION AND DELIVERY OF SERMONS (201, 202, 203): A practical study f the art f research and develpment f sermns with emphasis n expsitinal messages. Special interest is paid t "delivering the gds" in a clear and plain manner. ROMANS (201, 202, 203): Cmpleting a detailed study f Paul's design fr edificatin and establishment by cvering the final three fundatin principles set frth in Rmans. The Galatian and Crinthian Epistles are studied in cnjunctin with this curse. MATTHEW (103, 201, 202, 203): A cntinuatin f prphetic studies by fcusing n the earthly ministry and message f the Lrd Jesus. O.T. SURVEY (201, 202): A survey f the message and flw f each Old Testament bk designed especially t fcus n the histry f the natin Israel. Third Year AMBASSADORSHIP (301, 302): A pastral thelgy surveying the main issues f the wrk f the ministry. The Pastral Epistles are als surveyed in this study. EPHESIANS (301, 302, 303): Cntinuing t fllw Paul's design fr the believer's edificatin, advanced mystery truth is cvered in this detailed study f Ephesians. Clssians and Philippians are studied in cnjunctin with this curse.

4 4 ACTS (302, 303): A study f the ffer f the kingdm t Israel, the fall f Israel and the subsequent transitin t the dispensatin f grace. This imprtant transitin bk is studied in detail. It is imprtant t nte that thse taking GSB tday are sent the same vide that was sht when the classes were riginally taught by Jrdan in the mid-1980s when it was still knwn as the PTC. The schl was nt called GSB until after Jrdan resigned his psitin at the BBS in 1987 and struck ut n his wn. I (Bryan Rss) first began taking GSB curses in the fall f 1997 while still a student at Grace Bible Cllege. I watched the entire first year f the schl n the vide equipment in the media rm lcated in the basement f the Bultema Library n the campus f Grace Bible Cllege. This was a deliberate decisin n my part s that I culd gain a multiplicity f perspectives n the Grace Message. While I graduated frm Grace Bible Cllege in 2002 with a Bachelrs f Religius Educatin, I never prgressed beynd half way thrugh the secnd year f GSB. Trying t navigate the curse lad f bth schls at the same time prved t be a great challenge. In additin, it was in the summer f 2000 at the age f 24 that I began preaching weekly at West Side Grace Church in Muskegn, MI while still trying t finish my educatin. Suffice it t say that family, ministry, and wrk demands n ur time have nt yet affrded me the time t cmplete GSB. Members f Grace Life Bible Church wh are graduates f GSB include: Craig Hlcm (Ordained Elder) and Ernie Schierbeek (Sunday Schl Teacher). Our assembly has benefited greatly having these men, wh are graduates f GSB, be a part f the wrk f the ministry with us.

5 5 Addendum Added Tuesday, January 28, 2014 The fllwing infrmatin did nt riginally appear as part f Lessn 124 when it was taught at Grace Life Bible Church n Sunday, January 26, These details were added t Lessn 124 after the fact, upn receipt f tw s n Mnday, January 27, 2014 frm Debbie Keable (RJ s hme ffice secretary) and Richard Jrdan. Fr the sake f accuracy and cmpleteness we will present this infrmatin in print here at the end f Lessn 124 as well as in the Intrductin/Review sectin at the beginning f Lessn 125. When Lessn 125 is taught publicly n Sunday, February 2, 2014 at GLBC this infrmatin will be included fr the benefit f ur viewers and listeners. Tuesday, January 21, 2014, I sent an t Pastr Richard Jrdan and Debbie Keable asking the fllwing questins regarding GSB. Hw many cuntries wrldwide have utlets f GSB? What are the names f these cuntries? D yu knw apprximately hw many peple have graduated frm GSB ver the years? Mnday, January 27, reply frm Debbie Keable We have nt been answering yu abut hw many GSB students there have been, because we dn't really have an answer. Hw many hundreds (r maybe ne r tw thusand?) ver 30+ years is hard t say. Many have cme and gne ff ur mailing list, but we currently have 700 n ur U.S. mailing list. We als have at least a few hundred students studying GSB in prisns, either as a grup r individually and d nt have applicatins n file fr the majrity f them. We have, r have had, students in ther cuntries as well: Canada, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Sctland, Switzerland. Des Strydm has students studying under his directin in a few cuntries in Africa. Bb Barlw had sme GSB classes translated int Mandarin and has students studying in China, sme in English and sme in Mandarin. Jhny Varghese has his Grace India website and has a few hundred Indian students studying there in English and Malayalam. There may be a grup studying in Belize but we are nt sure, and we just fund ut that a believer hpes t start a grup in Haiti nce classes are translated int Haitian Crele (whether that will ever happen we can't say). Mnday, January 27, reply frm Richard Jrdan We currently have abut 700 active units in the US. The difficulty knwing the exact number f students is that a gd number f these are grup classes. Fr example, Rick has a grup in his church: it is his branch; he perates it t fit his needs, we simply prvide the curriculum; individual students are verseen by/respnsible t him and the leadership there. Because f ur cnvictin that training shuld be lcal church based, this has always been ur visin fr the schl. When there is n lcal church, we f curse versee students frm ur ffice.

6 6 By the way, I dn't recall if we discussed this paradigm at any length, but the Pauline Ministry Mdel f lcal - church - based - training is at the heart f what I have sught t d in this ministry. Mving away frm this pattern, in my mind at least, is a majr unnticed factr in the fractured and dysfunctinal nature f what nce was called the grace mvement. Our first freign graduate was in Singapre. The cuntry with the mst is the Philippines, with ver 100--here again the abve class structure issue is invlved, as we have prvided at least a dzen sets f the class t varius churches there... Canada, New Zealand, Australia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sctland, Germany, Ireland, India, Dubai, Israel, Lithuania, Suth Africa, Kenya, Ethipia, Puert Ric, Belize, Mexic, Guatemala, Fiji can be added as f nw. Mst f these are individual students but at least six are multiples. And hw d we cunt China. Over 10,000 sets f the Rmans class alne has been distributed thrugh the huse church netwrk, Bbby Barlw reached (this is his figure give t me a cuple f years ag). I gave them three sets f the whle schl t use as they thught best. Obviusly we are nt statistic driven. But this shuld give yu sme idea f what the trail lks like.