Christian Spiritual Sponsorship

Christian Spiritual Sponsorship

 

George Barna, Josh McDowell and others have statistics stating that 85% of new Christians in churches across America stop attending church in their first couple of years following conversion. They are calling this a crisis in America. Is this happening in our church? This seems to be a universal problem across America and if we can agree that these statistics are true than we must believe that, we have a serious problem here in Payson.

In short, it has been well documented that approximately 80 to 90 of every 100 people who make “decisions” to follow Christ fall away from the faith a short time later. Modern evangelism, with its methods, are creating 80 to 90 spiritual “still born’s” i.e. False conversions for every 100 people who respond to salvation’s invitation.  Are new convert classes the answer?  Not really because many of the people who fall away are part of such classes.  Is leaving new members alone to grow at their own pace the answer?  No because most get frustrated and return to their former lifestyle.  So what is an answer that could work?

“Christian Spiritual Sponsorship” is a term that drives many men full-speed in the opposite direction! Why does the idea seem to make men weak in the knees and emotionally run from such an idea? It is probably a little different for each person, but speaking in generalities, here are a few reasons:

  A man’s pride tells him to journey alone.

  A man’s mind tells him that it is a girl thing.

  A man’s heart tells him to remain quiet.

  A man’s mind tells him nobody will understand.

  A man’s emotions tell him to keep it under control.

Maybe you can relate to a few of these.

Proverbs  27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (NIV)

 

The purpose of Christian Sponsorship is to “help develop Christian leaders, and to build up the local congregation of the church”. It is a method for living, sharing, and spreading Christianity; therefore sharpening each other for sustained work for the Lord.

 

 

A sponsor is someone who has been where we want to go in our Christian walk in life and knows how we can best get there.  Their primary responsibility is to help us become better Christians by applying the principles of the Bible to our daily lives. They lead by example as we see how to live a good Christian life as they strive to in their lives through sharing their personal experiences, understanding of God’s word and stories of where they were and where they are now.  We start to learn how to become a good Christian by listening and doing the footwork that our sponsor shows us on a daily basis by their example and suggestions.  In time, we make new changes and habit which helps us to remain faithful to the Lord one day at a time.

AA defines sponsorship in this way: “An alcoholic who has made some progress in the recovery program who shares that experience on a continuous, individual basis with another who is attempting to attain or maintain sobriety through AA” 

Christian Spiritual Sponsorship is a vital, biblical part of Christian life, fellowship, work and training.

 

1.   Jesus and Paul did both.   Christian spiritual sponsorship trains new church leaders the way Jesus and Paul did.

2.   A wise sponsor helps the sponsee reach out to new people similar concerns.  2 Timothy 2:2

Christian Spiritual Sponsoring is Biblical by Example

 

In the Bible, some sponsors coached only one, others sponsored several at once. The group was always small enough to listen to, and deal with, each trainee.  Jesus sponsored twelve, sometimes three and, on rare occasions, one. Biblical sponsoring results in ‘chains’ with several generations of sponsors, whose sponsees grow to sponsor others, and so on:

 

Jethro sponsored Moses,

 

Moses sponsored Joshua and the elders of Israel.

 

Joshua sponsored the other army leaders.

 

Deborah sponsored Barak.

 

Eli sponsored Samuel

 

Samuel sponsored Saul and David who became Israel’s greatest king.

 

Nathan the prophet also sponsored David.

 

David sponsored Solomon.

 

Solomon sponsored the Queen of Sheba, who returned to her people with his wisdom in the form of Proverbs that applied God’s laws.

 

Elijah sponsored Elisha.

 

Elisha sponsored king Jehoash and others.

 

Daniel sponsored Nebuchadnezzar, who humbled himself before God.

 

Mordecai sponsored Esther

 

Esther sponsored King Artaxerxes, which resulted in liberating God’s people.

 

Jesus sponsored the twelve apostles who established the Christian church.

 

The twelve sponsored hundreds of other leaders.

 

Paul sponsored Titus, Timothy and many others.

 

Timothy sponsored “faithful men” such as Epaphras.

 

Epaphras and the other faithful men sponsored “others also” (2 Timothy 2:2) which led to a chain reaction that resulted in dozens of new churches in Asia.

 

Philip sponsored the Ethiopian official who received Christ and was baptized in the desert.

 

Priscilla and Aquila sponsored Apollos, for a much-improved ministry.

 

The Paul-Timothy Spiritual Sponsorship Chain:

 

1) Barnabas began a chain of events that saved Asia Minor from sin.  He sponsored Paul and brought him to Antioch, Acts 11:22-26.

 

2) Paul was sent by the Antioch church and sponsored Timothy whom Paul left in Ephesus to train “faithful men,”  Acts 13:1-3; 1 Tim. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:2.

 

3) Timothy helped train Epaphras who worked in Colosse, Col. 1:1-8; 2 Tim. 2:2.

 

4) Epaphras trained “others also” in Hierapolis and Laodicea, of which area Paul wrote, “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing.” Col. 1:6; 4:12-13.  This sponsoring chain quickly reached all of that part of Asia Minor (Acts 19:10)

 

So just What does a sponsor do?

In some ways, a sponsor is like a :

• good friend
• teacher
• example
• tutor
• experienced guide
• older brother/sister

Tip’s to Christian Spiritual Sponsorship:

Tip One: Get started

Find a sponsor for you and someone you can sponsor. The sooner you start the sooner you will reap the rewards.

Tip Two: Be creative

Regular times and days suit the chronologically challenged but there is always room to include something different. Go out for coffee, meet for breakfast, etc. . . .

Tip Three: Share a hobby

There is no point stressing yourself out by cramming in yet another appointment into an already over full schedule. What are the things you can share?  Christian sponsoring is not about being intensely spiritual all the time, it’s about building relationships, giving encouragement and helping each other get to heaven.

Tip Four: Share a task

Share tasks with each other.  Be a role model.  This can involve bible study, leadership training, role modeling, listening, sharing or simply enjoying each other’s company. 

Tip Five: Listen

God gave us two ears and one mouth as a sign that we should listen twice as much as we talk.  Being there is part of listening.  Praying together is part of listening.  Being there to encourage is part of listening.

Tip Six: Be real

Honesty makes you vulnerable. Much as we like to present ourselves as having it all together; most of us don’t. Moreover, that is OK. In Christian sponsorship, the grace of God gets the job done, through us and despite us.  By our example to the new Christian, they do not have to reinvent the wheel.

Tip Seven: Experiment

Who knows what is going to work? You and your sponsor, you and your sponsee are unique individuals. So have fun working out what works as you seek to encourage each other to grow in God. The main thing is you share in each other’s lives. 

Tip Eight: Keep a record

Write down what you talk about each week, prayer needs, suggestion action, topics discussed. Every now and again, read back over what you have written. You will be able to track progress or perhaps track recurring themes. Written records help when you are evaluating yourself.

 

Let’s get honest with our dishonesty

Definition false:  1: not genuine <false documents> <false teeth>2 a: intentionally untrue <false testimony> b: adjusted or made so as to deceive <false scales> <a trunk with a false bottom> c: intended or tending to mislead <a false promise>3: not true <false concepts>  www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

 

Definition teaching:  1: the act, practice, or profession of a teacher 2: something taught  www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

 

Definition doctrine:  1archaic: TEACHING, INSTRUCTION 2 a: something that is taught b: a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief: DOGMA c: a principle of law established through past decisions d: a statement of fundamental government policy especially in international relations e: a military principle or set of strategies www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

 

Definition teacher:  1: one that teaches; especially: one whose occupation is to instruct2: a Mormon ranking above a deacon in the Aaronic priesthood www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

 

So false doctrine:  Not genuine teaching.

 

So false teaching:  Something taught that is not genuine.

 

So false teacher:  A person who is not genuine in what they teach.

 

False doctrines are used twice in the New Testament.  1Tim. 1:3-4 “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia–remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.”  And in 1Tim. 6:3-5 “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”   The false teaching referred to by Paul is found in verse one to be “God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.”

 

False teacher(s) is found once in 1Tim. 6:3-5 “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”   Again, the false teaching referred to by Paul is found in verse one to be “God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.”

 

Definition blasphemed: 1 a: the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God b: the act of claiming the attributes of deity2: irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable.   www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

 

If a person is not willfully insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for or towards God then I would say they have not blasphemed nor falsely taught and might be more like Apollos.  So this would not be false teaching.

 

False teaching has nothing to do with going against tradition or doing thing differently then we have always done them.

 

False teaching has nothing to do with having a different understanding of what scripture says as this leads to enlightenment and growth because none of us know it all.  Our own personal understanding of scripture is based on the baggage we each as individuals bring to the table learning. 

 

False teaching has nothing to do with one person’s opinion being different then another person’s opinion and who can debate the best.

 

False teaching has nothing to do with trying new things as technology improves in the worship assembly.

 

False teaching has nothing to do with “Speaking where the Bible speaks – Keeping silent where the Bible is silent.”   We do a whole lot of things that the Bible is silent about in our lives and formal worship and find ways to justify what we like and put down what we don’t like which others do.  So are we really being silent where the Bible is silent? 

Sound doctrine is defined by scripture in Titus chapters 2 and 3.

 

Let’s get honest with our dishonesty folks.

 

I will miss her greatly.

In June of 1999, the Human Society was going to have this (less then a year old) Blue Tic Coon Hound put to sleep because she has a hernia.  When she and I first saw each other we both knew she would see more days and not have to be put to sleep.  I adopted her that day and took her to the Star Valley Vet and had the hernia removed.  I named her Pippie after Pippie Long Stocking because of her big floppy ears.  She seemed to take to the name right away.

 

Pippie went on trips with me, camping with me, to Alcoholic Anonymous meetings with me, and to the park with me.  She loved to ride in the front passenger’s seat with the window rolled down and her nose sticking out into the wind.

 

Pippie treed two raccoon’s through a fence and up a neighbor’s tree one night.  She would chase elk and deer out of her year at night and she was the best alarm of approaching people to the hose that did not belong there a man could ever ask for.  Her bay of a bark could be heard all over the local community:  but no more.

 

Pippie had liver cancer which caused liver failure.  The blood test showed extremely high levels where they were not suppose to be.  Some were so high they could not be counted.  Her red blood cells were so low (0.5) that they could not carry enough oxygen to keep her alive many more days and her breathing was much labored.  I made the decision to put her to sleep while she was on the pain meds the Vet had given her so she would not have to return to the pain of the liver failure.

 

Yesterday, March 18, 2009 at 2:45 pm, was a sad day for me.  My very dear friend of the last ten years passed away.  Maybe she was my closes friend in the whole world.  She was always there to listen without expressing her opinion or correcting me even if she thought I was wrong and many times I was wrong.  She just listen and when I was done rambling about what ever; she would give me a kiss as if to say it will be alright or this too shall pass.  I will remember that she never judged me by my past but accepted me as I was today.  She never thought ill of me because I was not as well off as others were but was continent with what we shared together.  She never asked me for much but she gave everything I ever requested of her.

 

I will miss her greatly.

 

 

Thoughts about what is really important in the Church

When I read the New Testament, one thing stands out, and that is that not all the 1^st century churches were alike.  The church at Jerusalem was not like the church at Troas and Troas was not like Corinth and Corinth did not seem to be 100% like the churches in Galatia.  It is clear that at Troas and Corinth the church met on Sunday and yet the church in Jerusalem was meeting daily.  The church in Ephesus met in a school if I remember right and the church in Jerusalem met in homes and in the Temple court.  From the writings of Paul, some of the gentile churches had similar problems with Jew trying to make Jew’s out of gentile Christians by forcing them to keep the old Law.  So not all of the 1^st century churches were the same in likeness but they were the same in purpose.  That purpose being the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

 

The foundation of all the 1^st century churches were the same and that is Jesus Christ.  No they did not all look alike and they did not all have the same problems; otherwise one letter could have been passed around to resolve the problem. 

 

It should be noted that my statement does not even consider what the Ethiopian Eunuch’s church must have looked like.

 

So this topic of discussion now brings me to three distinct but related questions: 

 

1) Is the Apostles Doctrine a matter of salvation or is the Gospel of Jesus Christ what matters for salvation? 

 

2)  Did Ethiopian Eunuch have the benefit of the Apostles Doctrine or just the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

 

3)  Were the 3000 who were baptized at Pentecost saved before or after they started following the Apostles Doctrine?

Likes and Dislikes

Quite a few times over the last three years, I have been asked what I like or dislike in life.  The following a list I have come up with of things that are important to me as either good or bad.

 

I love the God Head, Church and A.A.

 

I love to study the Bible and ask “Why?” in my search to understand.

 

I love to do Big Book studies and history studies in A.A.

 

I do not like to accept all the traditions of the Church especially when I can not find them in the Bible.

 

I love to eat at very fine restaurants.

 

I like to drive with my seat belt on and normally use cruse control.

 

I love and miss my children a lot.

 

I love and miss my parents.

 

I like bubble bathes with soft music and Apricot Cream candles.

 

I do not like people who try to control others.

 

I like women in dresses and skirt’s the best.

 

I like to travel to new places and meet new people.

 

I am thankful to God for giving me to A.A.

 

I am thankful for A.A. for giving me to God.

 

I like Dragonflies, Angels, Fairies and Humming Birds are cool.

 

I do not like people who abuse other people.

 

I like to try new things before I make up my mind if it is good or bad for me.

 

I like long hair on women best of all.

 

I like to kiss, hug, hold hands and cuddle when I am in a relationship.

 

I do not like people who lie and are dishonest.

 

I do not like people that are rude, belittling or hateful to others.

 

I like to set in coffee shops and chat with friends for hours.

 

I like going to movies and eating popcorn.

 

I like to listen to music or speaker cd’s when I am going for a long drive.

 

I do not like spiders, cockroaches, crickets, snakes, etc…

 

I like when people share their deepest honest emotional thoughts with me.  I know they are being real.

 

I like people who are honest enough to admit when they were wrong.

 

I like people who are strong enough to do the right things.

 

I do not like people who hold a double standard for their actions and those of others.

 

I do not like people who find fault with others but never with their own actions.

 

I do not like it when people engage in sex outside of the boundaries of their relationship.

 

I like birthday parties (belly button, re-birthday and sobriety).

 

I don’t like the heat, traffic and crowds.

 

I like helping others get sober.

 

I do not like math or spelling.

 

I love my two un-professionally trained dogs.

 

I like to do my morning prayers and meditation every morning shortly after I wake up and I like to do a nightly reflection and prayers before I go to sleep.

 

I do not like to be a budgeter when it comes to money.

 

I like to make sure I do at least one dumb or silly thing each day.

 

I do not watch a lot of TV but I do have two of them just in case.

 

I do not like to read unless I have too.

 

I love to slow dance because fast dancing hurts my knees.

 

What are some of your Likes and Dislikes?

 

 

Kingdom Dog Movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKohJ1k4oKA

Diet Progress Up-Date 2

Diet Progress Up-Date 2

Today was my third official weigh in for the diet I am on.

So far since Feb. 8, 2009 to Mar. 2, 2009 I have:

Weight = loss 20.0 pounds. 

Chest = loss 2 inches.

Waist = loss 3 inches.

Hips = loss 1 and ½ inches.

Bottom = loss 1 inch.

Arms = loss 1 and ½ inches.

Thigh = no loss or gain.

Total inches lost = 9 inches.

For more information on the diet I am on, call Healthy Perspectives at 928-472-7120 and ask for Cindy or write to healthyperspectives@gmail.com