TRAINING FOR PERFECTING OTHERS TO UTILIZE OPTIMALLY THE NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS FROM GOD
TEXAS WESTERN JURISDICTION CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST, INC., LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2012
CONFERENCE THEME: TRAINING FOR PERFECTING OTHERS TO UTILIZE OPTIMALLY THE NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS FROM GOD
SCRIPTURES: MATTHEW 25:14-30; II TIMOTHY 2:2; HEBREWS 6:1
AT THE ONSET HERE, I MUST DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN TEACHING AND TRAINING. TEACHING INVOLVES IMPARTING INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE–EDUCATING. TRAINING INVOLVES DEVELOPING ONE INTO PROFICIENCY FOR PERFORMING A MISSION. FOR THE MOST PART, ONE CAN ONLY BE TAUGHT OR TRAINED ACCORDING TO GOD-GIVEN ABILITIES WITH WHICH ONE IS BORN.
TRAINING IS AN IMPORTANT WORD HERE IN THIS THEME WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT OUR LEADERS IN THIS CONFERENCE. IT IMPLIES THAT PERSONS MIGHT ALREADY HAVE ABILITY, GIFTS, KNOWLEDGE, ETC., AND MAY EVEN HAVE BEEN TAUGHT AND EDUCATED WITH REGARD TO THESE MATTERS. BUT THEY MAY NOT NECESSARILY KNOW HOW TO USE THEM OR HAVE EXPERIENCE IN USING THEM. THIS, THEN, IS WHERE THE TRAINING COMES INTO PLAY. TRAINING INVOLVES PRACTICE, REPETITION, DISCIPLINE, COMMITMENT, SUPERVISION/MENTORING, AND TIME. SUPERVISION/MENTORING MUST COME FROM THE TRAINER; PRACTICE, REPETITION, DISCIPLINE, TIME, AND COMMITMENT MUST COME FROM THE TRAINEE. THE TRAINER MUST BE THE CAPABLE AND SEASONED MINISTER; THE TRAINEE MUST BE THE NEOPHYTE OR NOVICE OR INEXPERIENCED. ONE THING TO REMEMBER AND TO BE EMPHASIZED AGAIN IS THAT THE NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS COME FROM GOD. ANOTHER THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT THE TRAINER AND THE TRAINEE MIGHT BOTH HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME NATURAL GIFTS AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TRAINER AND THE TRAINEE, THEN, IS EXPERIENCE AND KNOWHOW THAT CAN ONLY BE DEVELOPED FROM EXPERIENCE.
MUCH OF WHAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT IS NOT EVEN MENTIONED IN THIS FIRST SCRIPTURE FROM MATTHEW. THIS FIRST SCRIPTURE TALKS ABOUT THE TRAINER/TEACHER/MASTER GIVING HIS ALREADY TRAINED SERVANTS TALENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR SEVERAL ABILITIES, AND THEN LEAVING TOWN. HE KNEW HIS SERVANTS WERE CAPABLE OF DOING WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO. HE KNEW THEIR ABILITIES. HE TRAINED THEM. HE KNEW WHAT KIND OF ASSIGNMENT TO GIVE EACH ONE.
THE SECOND SCRIPTURE (2 TIMOTHY 2:2) JUST MENTIONS TEACHING, NOT TRAINING. HERE TIMOTHY WAS TRAINED. PAUL HAD TRAINED HIM. TIMOTHY WAS SUPPOSED TO TEACH NEOPHYTES WHO HAD ABILITIES TO LEARN AND WHO WOULD BE ABLE TO TEACH OTHERS. I WOULD IMAGINE THAT TIMOTHY WAS ALSO TO TRAIN THESE ABLE MEN ACCORDING TO THEIR ABILITIES.
THE THIRD SCRIPTURE (HEBREWS 6:1) TELLS US NOT TO BE TEACHING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, BUT TO GO ON TO PERFECTION. IF ONE READS DOWN FURTHER TO ABOUT VERSES 10, 11, AND 12, ONE SEES THAT THIS PERFECTION INVOLVES PUTTING THAT WHICH WAS LEARNED VIA TEACHING INTO ACTION, PRACTICE, ETC., AND NOT BEING SLOTHFUL. AND TRAINING WAS AND IS IMPORTANT TO PUT INTO ACTION WHAT ONE IS TAUGHT OR HAS BEEN TAUGHT.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ELEMENTS OF TRAINING THAT I AM SURE THE MASTER IN MATTHEW, PAUL IN 2 TIMOTHY 2, AND PAUL IN HEBREWS 6:1 WERE WELL AWARE OF?
1. ALL GIFTS, NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL, COME FROM GOD. THE TRAINER MUST FIND OUT SOMEHOW AND KNOW THE GIFTS OF THE TRAINEE. OTHERWISE HE MAY WASTE HIS TIME AND THE TRAINEE’S TIME.
2. THE TRAINER MUST SUPERVISE THE TRAINEE.
3. THE TRAINER MUST KNOW HOW MUCH TIME TO PUT INTO THE TRAINEE BEFORE PUTTING HIM TO WORK ON HIS OWN.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THE TRAINEE MUST ADHERE TO?
1. THE TRAINEE MUST BE WILLING TO PRACTICE.
2. THE TRAINEE MUST NOT BE FRUSTRATED WITH REPETITION AS THE TRAINER MAKES HIM DO THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER UNTIL HE FEELS THE TRAINEE IS COMPETENT ACCORDING TO THE TRAINEE’S ABILITIES.
3. THE TRAINEE MUST BE DISCIPLINED IN RECEIVING HIS TRAINING AND NOT QUIT AND GO HOME AS DID JOHN MARK IN THE BIBLE WHO LEFT PAUL AND BARNABAS ON THE FIELD WHEN HE WAS DOING ON-THE-JOB TRAINING–SOMETHING WE WILL TALK ABOUT LATER.
4. THE TRAINEE MUST BE COMMITTED TO THE MISSION AND NOT INDOLENT OR LAZY. THIS IS TRUE NOT ONLY DURING THE TRAINING PERIOD, BUT DURING THE TIME HE IS ENGAGED IN MINISTRY AND MISSION FOR JESUS.
THROUGHOUT THE TRAINING PERIOD AND THE MISSION PHASE, THE TRAINER AND THE TRAINEE MUST REALIZE THAT THEIR WORK AND LABOR ARE NOT FOR THEMSELVES NOR FOR ANYONE ELSE, BUT FOR JESUS. JESUS IS THE TRUE MASTER AND WILL REWARD US ACCORDING TO OUR LABORS.
HOW WELL ONE CAN BE TRAINED DEPENDS UPON ONE’S GIFTS AND ABILITIES FROM GOD AND WHAT ONE HAS LEARNED FROM HIS/HER TEACHING. WE ALL KNOW THE SCRIPTURE ABOUT TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO: AND WHEN HE IS OLD, HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT (PROVERBS 22:6). TRAINING, THEN, DEVELOPS HABITS AND PATTERNS IN ONE’S BRAIN AND INNER BEING. THE MAIN REASON WE HAVE THE BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS WITH MANY OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY IS THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN WELL TRAINED. AND GOOD HABITS ARE HARD TO BREAK.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT METHODS OF TRAINING. LET’S SEE IF WE CAN LIST A FEW METHODS AND HOW THEY APPLIED TO SOME BIBLICAL CHARACTERS.
TRAINING METHODS CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO TWO MAJOR CLASSES UNDER WHICH ALL OTHER METHODS FALL:
INDIRECT METHOD. IN THIS METHOD, ONE IS TRAINED IN AREAS THAT DO NOT SEEM TO BE RELATED TO WHAT HIS MISSION MAY BE LATER ON IN LIFE. BUT LATER ON, WHEN HE IS CALLED BY GOD TO THAT MISSION, HE FINDS THAT HE IS PREPARED. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES WOULD BE:
1. JOSEPH BEING SOLD INTO SLAVERY, SPENDING YEARS IN JAIL. HIS LATER MISSION WAS TO SAVE HIS FAMILY–THE ISRAELITES, AND SAVE EGYPT AS GOD DIRECTED HIM. (TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES–WITH POTIPHAR, POTIPHAR’S WIFE, PRISON, BEING RELEASED FROM PRISON, BEING PROMOTED, BRINGING HIS FAMILY TO EGYPT…). GOD TRAINED HIM.
2. MOSES BEING EDUCATED AND TRAINED IN EGYPT FOR FORTY YEARS IN ALL THE WAYS OF THE EGYPTIANS AND BEING TRAINED IN THE DESERT FOR FORTY YEARS IN CARING FOR SHEEP. HIS LATER MISSION WAS TO BRING THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT. (TELL THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE DESERT WITH THE BURNING BUSH, THE ROD, ETC.) GOD TRAINED HIM.
3. DAVID BEING TRAINED AS A SHEPHERD AND HAVING THE EXPERIENCE OF KILLING A LION AND A BEAR WHILE TENDING SHEEP EVEN WHEN HE WAS VERY YOUNG. HIS LATER MISSION WAS TO KILL GOLIATH AND BE THE KING OF ISRAEL. (TALK ABOUT HOW DAVID EXPLAINED TO KING SAUL THAT HE HAD ALREADY BEEN TRAINED FOR BATTLE INDIRECTLY BY GOD AND COULD NOT USE SAUL’S WEAPONS ON WHICH HE HAD NOT BEEN TRAINED.) GOD TRAINED HIM.
4. PAUL BEING TAUGHT AND TRAINED AS A BIBLICAL SCHOLAR UNDER THE FEET OF GAMALIEL. HIS LATER MISSION, AFTER HE LEARNED ABOUT JESUS CHRIST AND HAD HIS CONVERSION EXPERIENCE, HAVING SPENT SOME TIME WITH THE CHRISTIANS, WAS TO HELP EVANGELIZE THE KNOWN WORLD. PAUL WAS NOT TRAINED ONLY BY GOD. GAMALIEL TRAINED HIM, SOME CHRISTIANS TRAINED HIM, AND GOD TRAINED HIM.
DIRECT METHOD. IN THIS METHOD, ONE IS TRAINED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE TASK OR MISSION ONE IS TO UNDERTAKE. THIS IS WHERE WE LEADERS SUCH AS PASTORS AND ELDERS HAVE TO FUNCTION. GOD WOULD HAVE US TO DO THIS.
1. APPRENTICESHIP METHOD (DIRECT). HERE THE TRAINEE IS THE HELPER UNTIL HE BECOMES ACCOMPLISHED ENOUGH TO GO ON HIS OWN.
2. MENTORING METHOD (DIRECT). HERE THE TRAINEE IS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE TRAINER UNTIL MASTERY IS ACHIEVED. I THINK JESUS’ TRAINED HIS APOSTLES IN THIS MANNER. HIS APOSTLES WERE TAUGHT BY JESUS, BUT WERE GIVEN JUST ENOUGH POWER TO DO CERTAIN THINGS ON THEIR OWN. ONE NOTABLE TIME WHEN THEY FAILED WAS WHEN THEY COULD NOT CAST A DEMON OUT OF A BOY AND THE BOY’S FATHER DECIDED TO COME DIRECTLY TO JESUS THE MASTER TRAINER. THE APOSTLES WANTED TO KNOW FROM JESUS, SINCE THEY HAD BEEN WELL TRAINED, WHY THEY COULD NOT CAST THIS PARTICULAR DEVIL OUT OF THE BOY. JESUS LET THEM KNOW THAT WITH ALL THEIR TEACHING, AND WITH ALL THEIR TRAINING, THEY STILL HAD TO GET CLOSE TO GOD TO PERFORM THE MISSION THAT JESUS GAVE THEM. THEY HAD TO FAST AND PRAY.
3. TRIAL AND ERROR METHOD (DIRECT BUT DANGEROUS). HERE THE TRAINEE IS SORT OF ON HIS OWN. IF HE SURVIVES, MASTERY CAN BE ACHIEVED.
4. SIMULATION METHOD (INDIRECT). HERE ONE HAS A MODEL TO PRACTICE ON WHERE IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG, USUALLY NOBODY IS HURT. SOMETIMES OUR MINISTERS NEED TO GO OUT INTO THE DESERT AND PRACTICE PREACHING TO SAND DUNES OR CACTI SO NOBODY GETS HURT.
5. ON-THE-JOB- TRAINING (DIRECT). HERE THE TRAINEE IS ALREADY ON MISSION, BUT LEARNS AND BECOMES ACCOMPLISHED AS HE PERFORMS. UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS HOW I WAS TRAINED AND MANY OTHERS LIKE ME. HOWEVER IT HAD ITS ADVANTAGES IN THAT JESUS VIA THE HOLY GHOST TOOK ME DIRECTLY UNDER HIS CARE TO BECOME REASONABLY ACCOMPLISHED TO PERFORM THE MISSION HE GAVE ME. I ALSO WAS TAUGHT AND TRAINED INDIRECTLY VIA THE MILITARY, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, AND ALSO SECULARLY BY MY DAD. GOD CERTAINLY TAUGHT AND TRAINED ME.
FINAL REWARD TIME IS COMING FOR BOTH THE TRAINER AND THE TRAINEE. WE ALL ARE ON A MISSION. WE CAN PERFORM OUR MISSION WITH JOY, OR WE CAN PERFORM IT THINKING OF IT ONLY AS AN OBLIGATION. IF WE PERFORM IT WITH JOY, WE WILL HAVE STRENGTH TO COMPLETE EVERYTHING JESUS HAS FOR US TO DO. WE WILL FIND THAT GOD IS OUR SHIELD AND OUR EXCEEDING GREAT REWARD WHILE WE ARE ON MISSION HERE ON EARTH. IF WE PERFORM IT ONLY AS AN OBLIGATION, WE MIGHT GET WEAK AND GO HIDE WHATEVER GOD GIVES US IN THE SAND SOMEWHERE AND NOT USE IT. WHEN FINAL REWARD TIME COMES, THERE WILL BE JOY FOR MANY, BUT SORROW FOR SOME. MY BIBLE TELLS ME THAT WHEN REWARD TIME COMES, SOME WILL BE GIVEN RULING RESPONSIBILITIES OVER MANY THINGS WITH JESUS IN THE MILLENNIUM ON EARTH. THAT IS WHAT JESUS SAID IN THE FIRST SCRIPTURE. BUT FOR SOME, THOSE WHO MAY HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH THEIR TRAINING PERIOD ACCORDING TO THEIR ABILITIES BUT DID NOT GO ON TO PERFECTION THROUGH WORKS FOR JESUS TO GAIN ANYTHING, THERE WILL BE SORROW. ALL THAT THESE RECEIVED FROM GOD WILL BE GIVEN TO THE FAITHFUL IN TRAINING AND WORKS, BUT THE INDOLENT AND LAZY WHO GAINED NOTHING FOR JESUS WILL BE CAST INTO OUTER DARKNESS.
THOSE OF US HERE TONIGHT HAVE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN, TRAIN, TO BE TRAINED, AND THEN TO GO OUT AND DO WHAT JESUS WANTS US TO DO. HE WILL PAY US ACCORDING TO HIS EVALUATION OF HOW WE HAVE DONE. IF WE DO IT RIGHT, WE CAN HAVE JOY WHILE TEACHING, WHILE LEARNING, WHILE TRAINING, WHILE BEING TRAINED, WHILE DOING OUR MISSION, AND JOY AFTER COMPLETING OUR MISSION WHEN JESUS COMES FOR US OR WE GO TO HIM. IT IS THE JOY OF THE LORD THROUGH ALL THESE PHASES WHICH WILL GIVE US STRENGTH TO GO ON UNTIL JESUS SAYS, “THAT’S ENOUGH.” ONE DAY HE WILL SAY “THAT’S ENOUGH.” WILL WE BE READY? LET’S GET RENEWED IN POWER TONIGHT THAT WE CAN GO FORWARD IN A PRODUCTIVE WAY.
