The Week in Review

IT IS FINISHED

This was presented one Good Friday as the Seven Last Words of Christ was shared. I pray you receive a reminder about the wonderful gift we received in Christ as we draw closer to the Resurrection (Easter) season. God bless.

John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had receive the vinegar, he said It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”


I asked myself this question, “What did Jesus finish?” Before time as we understand it, before the very first man, God had a mission in place for his son. God’s mission was to redeem sinful man back into a right relationship with him through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross, paying for all of our transgressions. Therefore God originated the mission that Jesus came to fulfill. However, Jesus’ purpose did not start the day he was born, but his birth began the process of fulfillment, of finishing the mission.

It is imperative for us to understand that Jesus when he calls out, “it is finished”, that he finished everything required of him. He did not finish 50% of the job, or 99.9%, but 100%.


Jesus finished or fulfilled the prophetic words that pointed to him. He is the Lamb of God, The Son of man, the bread of life, the living bread, the light of the world, the gate for the sheep, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth and the life. He is the counselor; he is the true vine and so much more.

Jesus also finished any doubt about who he was and still is. He showed his authority over illness and diseases, over blindness, and leprosy, over sin and demons, over nature, over history, over space, over time and the future, over the wind and the water, over death, over Satan and even over his own future.

When he states it is finished, he is also saying, there is nothing left to be done, I have done it all, for now and forever more. And nothing was able to keep him from finishing his mission. Mockers, liars, betrayers, the power of men, nor physical pain. Not even the feeling of separation from his father and the emotional and spiritual pain that entailed, kept him from finishing his mission. Even when he called out like David did in Psalm 22:1, My God, My God, why have thou forsaken me?!”


Nothing stopped Jesus from calling out from the cross it is finished. And his words serve to let us know two things. First he finished everything the Father told him to and in the manner that God wanted it done. He did not do things his way, but Gods way. He was obedient to ALL that the Father asked of him. We know this because he said, not my will, but thou will be done, when he asked for the cup to be removed. And then secondly his words serve as a call to all believers to come after him.

What do you and I need to finish? Before you or I were born, God knew that we would be here this very moment this very day, and he had a mission ready for us to fulfill, to finish. He is calling us to be a living sacrifice and pick up our cross and follow his son. He is calling us to fulfill our mission not 50%, not 99 ½% but 100%. This can be done because it is not in ourselves that we do it. Jesus came to show us how to do it and his spirit will equipped us to do it. We can finish our mission in spite of mockers, liars, betrayers or nay Sayers. We can finish our mission even through the physical agony. Even through the emotional and spiritual pain, when we feel like calling out in a loud voice and saying, My God, My God why have thou forsaken me?!” When we want to put down our cross because it seems to hard to bear, yet we can carry on, because God’s spirit is there to lift the weight of it when it feels too heavy. Why? So that when you or I get to the end of our journey with a shout of victory we can say, It is finished!

And let us not forget this, Jesus finished his mission but he also took the time to take others by the hand and teach them how to follow after him, as he followed after his father. So as you and I set out to fulfill our mission, let us not forget to grab someone by the hand and teach them how to follow after Jesus, who did the father’s will. So we can say as Jesus did, not a saying of despair or one of failure, but in a shout of victory “It is finished”.

The Week in Review

Servant Leadership – Purpose for Today, Impact for Tomorrow (part 2)

Written by Minister Jewel D. Williams

Written December 2009

Biblical Examples of Servant Leadership

It has been established that a servant leader must be one that is willing to serve others. David S. Young, author of the book Servant Leadership for Church Renewal: Shepherds By the Living Springs, explains how servant leadership should be viewed from the Christian perspective. He states “The best leaders are servants – servants of God and servants of the people. To be a leader, one must first be a servant.”[1] Young presents seven characteristics of a servant leader from the Servant Songs in second Isaiah. He states a servant leader first feels a sense of calling (Isa. 40:2). The second trait of the servant leader is seen in the personal and humble manner of the leader. “The Servant experiences internal change to humility and does not cry aloud in public, making a big scene (Isa. 42:3).”[2] Third, the servant leader leads from a heart of peace. Much of leadership is connecting with what happens within people, that a leader must be able to “discern” or have discerning gifts (Young 1999, 33).


The fourth trait is one of clear vision. “All through the Servant Songs in Second Isaiah, we see the tremendous vision of one called by God for a purpose, to establish justice and a right-ordered society (Isa 49:5 GNB).”[3] The fifth trait Young presents from the scripture is a servant-leader must listen. “In the third song, the Lord actually opens the servant’s ear every morning. Servanthood originates with attentiveness to God (Isa. 40:4b, NRSV).”[4] The sixth trait is that the servant does not have a dazzling appearance. The servant is chosen for good inner qualities rather than outward appearance (Young 1999, 35). The seventh trait builds on the other six. The servant leader as presented by Young experiences power in weakness (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9; 4:7). Young concludes by stating, “People who are willing servants are key in deliverance and renewal because they lift the spirits of others as they open themselves to God. They mediate the covenant of God through their very presence…Thus our mission is defined.”[5]


Lorin Woolfe presents the biblical basis for servant leadership. In the book, The Bible on Leadership: From Moses to Matthew: Management Lessons for Contemporary Leaders lists the biblical characteristics of a servant leader. The first of the biblical examples is honesty and integrity (Prov. 24:26; Ps.7:8). Woolfe writes, “…if you have failed to back them up in the past (or even if you simply lack a track record of trust and honesty), no one is going to line up to follow you through a deep mud puddle, let alone the Red Sea.”[6] Moses’ integrity helped him in leading the people of God.


Woolfe mentions purpose next (2 Cor. 4:16; Acts 20:22). “Noah, a novice shipbuilder if ever there was one, was spurred on by an ennobling purpose…to save enough of the sinful world so that is could continue to survive after the most catastrophic natural disaster it had ever experienced.”[7] Abraham had a purpose, to unify the entire universe. Moses’ goal was to lead the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery. Woolfe mentions kindness and compassion (Job 29:16; Dan. 4:27). Then he presents communication. “A leader who cannot communicate clearly, powerfully, and succinctly barely qualifies as a leader.”[8] Woolfe presents other examples of communication to consider such as, the Sermon on the Mount, the protests of the prophets against idol-worship, Moses’ exhortation to the Israelites as he led them through the desert and the delivery of the Ten Commandments (Woolfe 2002, 87). “Without frequent and appropriate communication of overarching ideas, mission, and vision, Judaism or Christianity would not exist today.”[9]


The other biblical examples include performance management (Prov. 12:1; Acts 20:18), team development (1 Cor. 12:12, Prov. 27:17), courage (Ezek. 2:6; Joshua 1:9), justice and fairness (Ps. 106:3; Amos 5:24), and finally leadership development (1 Kings 1:47, Deut. 3:27-28) (Woolfe 2002, 109-195). Woolfe posits, “Cynics believe that Jesus’ words, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ are an ideal that belongs only in an ‘ideal environment,’ such as a Sunday School or Monastery.”[10] Truly this is an unusual idea that one should lead the way the Bible sets forth, yet many modern leaders have been able to permeate their workplaces with kindness and compassion without them sacrificing the achievement of their business goals (Woolfe 2002, 50). The servant leader understands the principle of reaping what is sown. The servant leader knows how he invest in people today, determines the results he will receive tomorrow. If he is uncaring, he cannot expect to have people that care about his vision. An apparent question is how does the biblical example of leadership express itself in the characteristics of today’s servant leader? (Come back next week for the third installment and the section titled, “Characteristics of a Servant Leader”)

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[1] David S. Young, Servant Leadership for Church Renewal: Shepherds By the Living Springs (Scottdale: Herald Press, 1999), 32-33.


[2] Young, Servant Leadership for Church Renewal: Shepherds By the Living Springs, 33.

[3] Ibid, 34.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Young, Servant Leadership for Church Renewal: Shepherds by the Living Springs, 36-37.

[6] Lorin Woolfe, The Bible On Leadership: From Moses to Matthew: Management Lessons for Contemporary Leaders (New York: AMACOM Books, 2002), 2.

[7] Ibid, 24.

[8] Ibid, 87.

[9] Ibid, 88.

[10] Woolfe, The Bible on Leadership From Moses to Matthew: Management Lessons for Contemporary Leaders, 50.

The Week in Review

Servant Leadership – Purpose for Today, Impact for Tomorrow

Written by Minister Jewel D. Williams

Written December 2009

Introduction

Ronald J. Burke and Carl L. Cooper in their book, Inspiring Leaders ask the question, what do leaders do? Their response is, “Leaders have two main activities: Create an agenda for change (vision and strategy) and build a strong implementation network (a strong motivated core group).”[1] A leader’s ability to create change is influenced by his or her leadership style, which can facilitate the motivation of others to embrace the vision and strategy for change. This writing will examine the leadership style of the servant leader.

Larraine Segil, Marshall Goldsmith and James A. Belasco in their book, Partnering: The New Face of Leadership, posit, “The concept of ‘servant leadership’ has become very popular in the last few years. As Confucius wrote, ‘To become the master, you must become the servant of all.’”[2] Servant leadership conveys the understanding that one must be willing to serve others in order to truly institute one’s power. This writing will define what it means to be a servant leader from a biblical perspective. Furthermore, it is this writer’s intent to explain the characteristics and the goals of the servant leader to understand how this impacts organizations today and how it will influence organizations for tomorrow.

What is Servant Leadership?

Charles C. Manz, writer of the book, Leadership Wisdom of Jesus: Practical Lessons for Today, defines what servant means. “Being a servant is fairly straightforward: look for others’ needs and try to help meet them. The Golden Rule – do to others as you would have them do to you.”[3] The concept of a servant leader is not a new one; it first appeared in the Bible, but how did the concept appear in the business world?


Authors, Larry C. Spears and Michele Lawrence of the book, Focus On Leadership: Servant-leadership for the Twenty-first Century, elucidate how the term began. Robert K. Greenleaf coined this term in an essay he wrote in 1970 called “The Servant as Leader”. “Since then, the servant-leader concept has had a deep and lasting influence on many modern leadership theories and practices.”[4] Spears and Lawrence further explain Greenleaf’s concept when they write, “Becoming a servant-leader begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.”


Authors David Caruso and Peter Salovey of the book, The Emotionally Intelligent Manger: How to Develop and use the Four Key Emotional Skills of Leadership, explain the emotional make up of a servant leader. “We have found that those higher in emotional intelligence tend to be more interested in developing and helping people.”[5] The finding that emotional intelligence contributes to one becoming a servant leader substantiates the necessity for one to understand the needs of others and utilize that understanding to lead.


Larry Spear in an article titled, “Practicing Servant-Leadership” further explicates Greenleaf’s servant leadership concept. “True leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is a deep desire to help others.”[6] Spear’s further explains that Greenleaf felt a need for a better approach to leadership, “one that would put serving others – including employees, customers, and community – as the number one priority.”[7]

So what is servant leadership? Servant leadership emphasizes increased service to others, which is a holistic approach to work, promoting a sense of community and the sharing of power in decision-making. A servant leader is emotionally motivated to care for others. This is in line with what God requires from his children that they care for one another. God calls his children to be “emotionally intelligent” and make others a priority.


Where can an individual obtain information pertaining to what makes one a servant leader? There are unquestionably many writers that are willing to lend their understanding to this subject, however this writing turns first to another source, the Bible (come back next week for the next installment).

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[1]Ronald J. Burke and Cary L. Cooper, Inspiring Leaders (New York: Taylor & Francis Routledge, 2006), 8.



[2] Larraine Segil, Marshall Goldsmith and James A. Belasco, Partnering: The New Face of Leadership (New York: AMACOM Books, 2003), 253.



[3] Charles C. Manz, Leadership Wisdom of Jesus: Practical Lessons for Today (San Francisco: Berkeley Berrett Koehler, 2005), 117.



[4] Larry C. Spears and Michele Lawrence, Focus On Leadership: Servant-leadership for the Twenty-first Century (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002), 18.



[5] David Caruso and Peter Salovey, The Emotionally Intelligent Manager: How to Develop and Use the Four Key Emotional Skills in Leadership (San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2004), 203.



[6] Larry C. Spears, “Practicing Servant-Leadership.” Leader to Leader 2004, no. 34:7-11. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed December 2, 2009), 8.



[7] Ibid.

The Week in Review

WHERE ARE WE GOING?

Poem Written by Minister Jewel D. Williams

Do you know where we’re going?

Have you any idea where this road is leading?

Sometimes this path gets lonely.

There’s no one around to talk to,

or that understands the things you do.

Every now and then,

you meet a friendly face.

Sometimes this road has deep drops and tall mountains.

They slow you down, but God is always there directing your path.

Sometimes the road gets long,

the further you go, the longer it gets.

That’s okay, you’ll reach your destiny in do time.

You lose those that didn’t want to make the journey,

they get smaller and smaller in the horizon behind you,

until they aren’t there at all.

Sometimes you get tired on this journey.

God is your fueling station,

ready to replenish your strength so you can go on.

Where are we going?

Have you any idea where this road is leading?

This is the path of life,

the path God gave you to take.

It’s hard at times, but it has its rewards.

For when we reach our destiny,

God is standing at the paths end,

welcoming his faithful travelers to there heavenly home.

So journey on weary traveler, journey on.

The Week in Review

Written by Minister Jewel D. Williams

Christian Education Ministry & Discipleship (part 3)

On September 29, 2006

One key finding of faith development is that it has the potential to grow throughout adulthood. Adult activities must be created to challenge an individual’s faith to grow. The development of faith is nurtured by encouraging Christians to understand and interact with other’s thoughts, feelings and behavior. The author Dennis Dirks, one of the contributing authors to the book, Introducing Christian Education: Foundations for the Twenty-first Century, states, “The insights of faith development theory have much to contribute to the Christian leader and the process of Christian education. Its principles enlarge our understanding of the human psychological aspects of spiritual development” (83). With all of these theories, there are positive aspects that can be used to help in teaching, however there are also weaknesses and limitations. The Bible must be the final determining factor as to how development of faith is measured. This must be based on sound doctrine and biblical imperatives.

I must determine how does this information help me to guide and instruct individuals? I must determine what my purpose and goal of teaching is in light of this new learning. I must find what my intended leadership style and teaching style is in light of this new learning. Every person is unique in the way they learn and this is true for how people lead others. It is important for one to review their personal style for its strengths and weaknesses. One should continue to nurture the strengths in their leadership style. The weaknesses should be evaluated to determine what needs to be changed and how to accomplish that task.

One step I took to better my ability to lead is to have a mentor that has gone this way before to help me. I have a spiritually healthy mentor. My mentor, Reverend Cynthia Thomas, has encouraged me just as Paul encouraged Timothy. “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:12).

As a leader one must first ensure their life is an example of Christian character. In teaching others, we must first model to them what is acceptable behavior. Joseph M. Stowell, the author of Shepherding the Church states, “First on the list is his speech – what he says about other people, what he says to people, what he is not willing to say, and what he is willing to courageously proclaim” (111). It is important that my speech is godly speech. It is also important that I know when to speak and when to be quiet. People are looking for people that are trustworthy to share their personal concerns and situations. If they feel you are a busybody, they will not trust you with their information. I try to make sure that even when requesting prayer for someone, I do not give more information than is needed so as not to release sensitive information that was shared with me. As the leader of a women’s cell group, I must show myself trustworthy if I am to have those I lead trust in me. The women share very personal things about their lives and relationships. They must feel comfortable to share without fearing they will hear that which they shared being gossiped about from others.

I also believe it is vital to mentor and show others how to live for Christ. We cannot expect a new believer to understand how to walk until they are taught how. The next step is to show them how to duplicate the process. I believe this is missing in some of our churches. New believers are being led to believe all they have to do is “get saved” and that is all there is. This is simply the beginning of the process, not the end. Robert E. Coleman, the author of The Master Plan of Evangelism states, “Surely if the pattern of Jesus at this point means anything at all, it teaches that the first duty of a church leadership is to see to it that a foundation is laid in the beginning on which can be built an effective and continuing evangelistic ministry to the multitudes” (36).


I believe that no amount of programs or activities will take the place of well-trained believers. Jesus calls us to disciple others. This is the vital point of my leadership style. Whether it is in my Sunday school class, Junior Church or as the leader of a Cell group, I want to ensure all are trained in righteousness. I also understand that others will not follow my lead, if I am not doing what I am asking of them. I believe it is important to lead by example. This is what Jesus did with his disciples.

Jesus took aside his twelve disciples and showed them how to pray, how to “be” what he was calling for them to be. “It was an indispensable part of their training, which in turn they would have to transmit to others. One thing is certain. Unless they grasped the meaning of prayer, and learned how to practice it with consistency, not much would ever come from their lives” (Coleman, 72). If I want my students to know how important prayer is, I must show it to them. I also must teach them why prayer is vital to their lives.

I am still developing my style of leadership, but on these points I believe I am following Jesus’ example, as he would call for me to. I am first an example to those that I lead. I show them by my life how important it is to study and live the word. I also stress to those I lead the importance of sharing with others. I give them assignments that allow them to test the things they have learned. I believe this is in line with what Jesus did. He taught his disciples and then he sent them to do what they had learned. I can also take the new learning and use it to see if I am preparing lessons that are appropriate for the age group I am teaching. Am I being aware of the different learning styles and making sure all are receiving the information in a way that is understandable by them?

My desire is to be a leader that is in line with the example given through the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus was creative in his messages. He used things that people were familiar with to share important messages. I must be willing to do the same. I must be creative in my teaching style and be willing to use the things that are common to people to explain the deeper things. Jesus calls us to follow him as he followed after his Father. So I call others to follow me, as I follow after Jesus with the intention of going into the world and preaching the Gospel. Understanding ones purpose and setting goals to obtain that purpose is the first step to realization. After the purpose is understood, one must then understand and learn how to accomplish this goal. Once one has developed the strategies to accomplishing the how, it is time to understand one’s personal commitment and dedication to the purposes. When one has completed that task, it is with the help of the Holy Spirit that one can be a vital contributor to the mission of the church, which is to reach the lost and equip the saved.

Work Cited

Anthony, Michael J, et. al. Introducing Christian Education: Foundations for the Twenty-first Century. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005.

Coleman, Robert E. The Master Plan of Evangelism. Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell Company, 2005.

McBride, Neal F. How To Lead Small Groups. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Navpress, 1990.

Mintools.com/Christian Education Ministry Overview. 2006. 14 September 2006.
http://www.mintools.com/christian-education.htm.


Mintools.com/Christian Education Ministry Philosophy. 2006. 14 September 2006.
http://www.mintools.com/christian-education-2.htm.


Rheenen, Gailyn Van. Biblical Foundations & Contemporary Strategies: Missions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.

Stowell, Joseph M. Shepherding the Church. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1997.

Thompson, Frank Charles, D.D., PH.D. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, 5th ed. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbridge Bible Co., Inc., 1988.

The Week in Review

Minister Jewel D. Williams

World Religions and Cults (part 2 of 2)

Written on June 4, 2007

The Bible and The Koran: Are They the Same Truth?

They also do not believe that Jesus died therefore he was never raised. “What matters is that people thought that Jesus died, when he didn’t” (Emerick, 232). The Koran teaches that it is a falsehood against Mary, to say that Jesus has been put to death. The truth of Scripture does state that Jesus was crucified and was raised from the dead. “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him” (Romans 6:9).



Muslims and Christians also differ in their belief about eternal judgment. Emerick states, “Will there be Christians and Jews in Paradise? According to Islam the answer is yes. The Qur’an states that any follower of those religions who ‘believes in God and the Last Day and does what is right will have nothing to fear or regret.’ Does this mean that Islam accepts Christianity and Judaism as valid paths to salvation? Yes and no. The Islamic principle is that you will be judged by what you knew. If a person only knew about Christianity or Judaism or whatever and never heard of Islam, then God will take that into account on Judgment Day and judge the person fairly by it. If a person finds out about Islam, then it becomes incumbent upon him or her to accept it and leave behind the former religion. This is because Islam is considered to be God’s last and, therefore, most complete message to the world” (233-234).



It is also stated in this writing by the author, Abu-Hamdiyyah, “God instructs Muhammad in the Qur’an: Say: [Thus speaks God] O you creatures (servants) of Mine who committed excesses against your own selves, do not despair of God’s mercy, for God forgives all sins. It is He who is the forgiving One, the Merciful. Hence, turn towards your Lord and submit [your faces, direction] unto Him before the suffering [of death and resurrection] comes upon you, for then you will not be helped. (Surah 39: 53– 54) Reading the Qur’an, one gets the certainty that God will not wrong human beings on Judgment Day, but other than that we cannot circumscribe God’s actions; after all, He is Sovereign Subjectivity, as is clear from Surah 21: 23: ‘He is not accountable [to any one] for what He does, but He questions others for what they do.’” (120).



It is also stated by Fisher this way, “Basically, Islam says that what we experience in the afterlife is a revealing of our tendencies in this life. Our thoughts, actions, and moral qualities are turned into our outer reality. We awaken to our true nature, for it is displayed before us. For the just and merciful, the state after death is a Garden of Bliss. Those who say, ‘Our Lord is God…shall have all that your souls shall desire…A hospitable gift from One Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful!’ (Sura 41:30-32) (346).


This belief regarding judgment is vastly different from the Christian belief. While there is a time of judgment where all will stand before God, it is not based solely on self. Scripture does not agree that men that have done good deeds will receive a good reward. Salvation and its rewards are only given to those that have accepted Jesus Christ as savior and not by works, lest any one should boast. Those who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and submit their lives to him will enjoy the benefit of heaven; where there is no more sickness, sorrow, disease or death.


Scripture gives Jesus’ own words on his purpose in this world, “Doest thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and they that which see might be made blind…Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should not have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth” (John 9:35b-39, 41). Jesus was speaking here of his purpose to offer mankind lost to sin, the free gift of salvation. Yet, if one refused his offer, they would remain in their state of sinfulness and would be found guilty in the judgment. It is not based on one’s own trying to do what is right. These are simply a few areas of difference between the Muslim and Christian faith, to do a fuller comparison would call for more than can be covered in this short paper.


“Although Muslims also accept the Bible as a holy book, they believe that the Koran is the ultimate source of divine instruction and information. Many familiar biblical events and people, such as the creation, the flood, the Exodus, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus, are also found in the Koran” (Bashir, 346-347). This would make one ask, why are they so different, after reading the last quote? There is a vital point to understand and it is stated, “The caveat is that all other religious books have had their integrity compromised, and therefore the job of the Qur’an is to correct the mistakes of previous scriptures. ‘These are the verses of the Book that make things clear.’ (Qur’an 12: 1) Islam does not accept the Bible that was created in the fourth century as being authentic revelation. The Qur’an accuses Christians and Jews of inventing their own scriptures and mixing them with the authentic words of the prophets” (Emerick, 214).


While Muslims accept some of the prophets, they do not accept that the Bible is accurate and therefore, it is rejected as the true word of God. This is what creates the greatest difference between the Muslim and the Christian, the accuracy of the Bible. It is what the Christian faith is founded on. So when the Muslim takes from the Word of God and adds to it or takes away from it, they are in fact calling down the curse of God. Revelation 22:18 reads, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book”.


The Muslim and the Christian agree that there is one God, but it is in the application of faith that the differences are evident. Muslims believe they have the true word of Allah and that Christians are in error. Yet, as a believer, I am confident that God’s word is without error. When man is no more, God’s word will still endure. I end with this statement on inerrancy from the word of God, “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:24-25).

Cited Work

Abu-Hamdiyyah, Mohammad. Qur’an: An Introduction to its Message. New York, NY: Routledge, 2000.

Bashir, Shahzad. The New Book of Knowledge: Islam. Danbury, CT: Scholastic Library Publishing, Inc., 2006.

Emerick, Yahiya. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Islam. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2001.

Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1997.

Thompson, Frank Charles, D.D., PH.D. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, 5th ed. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbridge Bible Co., Inc., 1988.

The Week in Review

Written by Minister Jewel D. Williams

Christian Education Ministry & Discipleship (part 2)

On September 29, 2006

It is important also for the church to understand that if this great task is to be successful, all must be involved in the process. The resource Christian Education Ministry Overview states, “The Christian Education ministry of the church is not a one person job. It takes many people working at different levels and in different capacities…Listening to a sermon in the corporate worship service is not enough to facilitate true growth. Discipleship also needs to be happening on the personal level, one-on-one with fellow believers, in small groups, and in midsize groups. Each of these levels offers a different dynamic to the growth process” (Mintools.com, 1).


One of the strategies a church can examine is the use of small groups for example. Julie Gorman, one of the contributing authors from the book, Introducing Christian Education: Foundations for the Twenty-first Century states, “In the race to survive, many churches have responded to this phenomenon by developing small group programs with a specific focus on accomplishing biblical mandates…The challenge for the church is to find a way to integrate the benefits of small group ministry in such a way that it is done with theological integrity and programmatic quality” (176). The author Neal F. McBride in his book, How to Lead Small Groups, adds some fundamental input when he states, “Jesus Christ is pictured as the greatest small group leader in history. He is our model. Ephesians 4:1-2 (NIV) admonishes us, ‘Be imitators of God…and live a life of love.’” (15).


When a church has established programs and strategies, it must not forget the importance of understanding “who” they are teaching. It is important for a church to understand the beliefs regarding how people learn and grow in the Christian faith. The church must take the time to understand what effects cognitive, moral, and faith development have on the learning process. There are different learning styles one may utilize in teaching. All of these things must be considered when trying to teach in a way that is developmentally appropriate.


In the book, Introducing Christian Education: Foundations for the Twenty-first Century, the contributing author, Ellery Pullman states, “Piaget maintained that there are four major periods of cognitive development. Each period is age-related and has certain characteristics that permit various types of knowing and understanding” (68). According to the author, understanding these stages will help one better prepare for teaching different ages in an appropriate way. In the Sensorimotor Stage (0 – 2), for example, children learn about themselves and their environment through handling and experimenting with things around them. During the Preoperational Stage (2 – 7) children become more and more capable of thinking, using words to represent the objects and events they experience. The child’s imagination becomes more exposed during this stage. In the Concrete Operations Stage (7 – 11), the child develops the ability to think operationally. “An operation is a thought or mental action. Children are able to think more logically about their environment and execute mental operations that they previously had to carry out physically” (Pullman, 69).



The last of the stages, Formal Operations (11 – 15) is when children/youth are able to manipulate abstract ideas. Thought arises from a combination of maturing and experience. “A distinguishable feature of formal operational thought is the ability to think outside the box – to think of possibilities, not jus present reality” (Pullman 69). Understanding these stages, allows programming that is appropriate for each stage that will help the teacher meet the needs of the student. “There are several guidelines for applying Piaget’s concepts. First, the teaching of biblical concepts needs to focus on what learners at each stage can do and avoid what they cannot meaningfully understand. This implication needs to be understood very carefully, as recent research has shown that children in the preoperational and concrete operational stages can do more than initially believed by Piaget” (Pullman, 70).


The author’s James Riley Estep Jr. and Alvin W. Kuest, contributing writes in the book, Introducing Christian Education: Foundations for the Twenty-first Century states, “What is moral development? This question is often asked throughout society. Interest in the development of morals in children and adults has even reached into the arena of public education” (73). The authors inform the reader that the theories with the most impact on education have relied on cognitive development.


When theories are used in creating appropriate programs, the teacher has more tools available to them to provide what each group needs to grow. “Moral development is a critical concern for Christian educators, both in theory and practice. By gleaning insights from Scripture and the social sciences, we are better able to fashion a more complete understanding of moral development as well as provide more effective ministries in our local church… Understanding the development processes associated with moral development will allow us to be better educators in the classroom, in our Christian schools, and in our homes” (Estep, Jr. and Kuest, 81). (Come back next week for the next installment)