Final Questions and Project Instructions

We have it we have a visitor in class it's our new our new mascot the dragonfly I can't get him out. We had a we had the door open during during the break and we now have a visitor. So we're going to now begin the last 20 minutes of this whole course and I have three main things I want to do in the next 20 minutes.

One we're going to ask about any questions you may have. Are there any anything from this course that you feel like you didn't understand. Or maybe you want me to repeat or clarify. You know I can't repeat everything.

But if there's something that you want me to elaborate on I'll be happy to do that. Then we're going to talk about what is required for those who want a certificate. Now if you're not earning a certificate still listen because I want I would like as many as you who are able to consider trying because this this is probably the the one project that could be the most meaningful in your own life because it's we're going to see in a little while we talk about the project it's it's about you this is about you and and what God's doing in your life.

So please consider doing the work not just auditing the class. And then finally we're going to talk about the next class. So is there any questions. Yes okay in front of a congregation are they allowed to go up there and say let's read up, can they read a psalm in front of a congregation, or read a scripture, in our church we don't we don't do that.

But I that wouldn't that would be something that I wouldn't necessarily say is wrong. I would simply say at that point it's really at the at the preference of the elders how they understand what is what is taking a position of teaching or authority.

You know I've mentioned before when it comes to music we always have a man leading the music but there are women up there that are singing but the but there's it's very obvious who's leading it's obvious who's talking to the congregation who's making proclamations who's telling the congregation stand up sit down.

It's always either me or Brother Jerry who was doing that and we always have an elder read the scripture or a deacon so and those are men. But I mean if I was in a church and a woman read scripture publicly it probably wouldn't be a big deal to me as much as it was if she was preaching.

But some people might take a little more be a little more offended by it. I I would I would I would I maybe ask just the question why do you do do it that way. But it wouldn't be because it was necessarily that I was opposed to it.

It would just be you know what's what what are you. Are you saying something in that. Because I do think that there is a what I'm saying is I think that there's a there's always this this is always this attempt to sort of blur that line and make it as as gray as it can be.

And well she's not teaching but she's reading and so it just becomes an issue of why you know what would be the purpose of it other than well nobody else can read. I don't think that would be the reason but that might be a church might make that argument but as I said it wouldn't be that.

It wouldn't be as as big of an issue as like I was at a church friend of mine they have ladies lead their singing because they do. And a lady started talking and and and again I love this guy love his church.

But I did start to thinking when is she going to break the line between she's just sharing and now she's teaching and it really was very borderline and that was a concern of mine. Yeah so that so that's that's something.

All right. Anybody else. Okay. All right. Well I hope this class was encouraging and I and I mean this from the bottom of my heart I would really love your thoughts on the book if you thought it was helpful and not just you know a thumbs up.

If you write a little something down for me send me an email or give me a handwritten note like brother just a few minutes ago showed me a typo and I appreciate that again. It was edited in-house. We didn't have a professional editor so knowing that.

So there's a typo on page 99 now that I know it in the next edition I'll know to correct it. And well I appreciate that I do. And like I said it was just a series of sermons that I turned into a book.

Well I appreciate it very much. All right. Well let's talk about the research project. You should have your syllabus if you don't it's on the website. If you go to sgfcjax .org slash Academy you can have all of the syllabuses that I have used so far are there and you'll find it there.

Each student will write an autobiography of their experience in church life and ministry. This should include a history of number one churches joined in positions held. Maybe you've never joined a church maybe you've never held a position in church.

Talk about that. I've been to a lot of churches but I've never been a member of a church. Or maybe you know whatever you know. Yes sir. Yeah. If you're a part of set free you can talk about that. Absolutely.

I know they don't have a formal membership joining thing like that. But if you if you've been there and you've been attending services you can put that down. Absolutely. What's that. But that's yeah. That's true.

But that's not when I talk about church membership it's a little different. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely all right. The second thing write about any important events and lessons that you learned along the way things that you have learned and again set free I'm sure there's a thousand that you can think of.

That are you know have been useful. Third and finally any discovery of any individual giftedness as you have been in churches what has God shown you that he has called you to do or be here in the church.

And that's the three things that are. These three things are what your papers about. And again I don't ask for a lot and there's a couple reasons for that one. You know I know you guys many of you work full-time jobs and this is just you know you're doing this to learn and gain in the world.

I'm not asking for a 20 page report or even a 10 page report. I say you know three to five pages. It's fine. And out of those three things churches you've been a part of positions you've held what you've learned and what your giftedness is.

I mean that's that's all I'm asking for. And the paper should conclude with a portion looking to the future answering the question what do I believe God has called me to do in the church where I am serving.

What I believe God has called me to do now. You might say well I'm serving at a church but I don't see myself being out here forever. Maybe you plan on moving on at some point. But what do you believe God's calling you to do in his church whether it's where you are now or where you're going to be where do you see God having you.

And you know some of you might say well I believe God's called me to be a deacon or I believe God's called me to be an elder. I believe God's called me to serve in some as a missionary or some other capacity an open-air preacher whatever.

I just want to hear how God's working in your life and how this course may have encouraged you in that direction. Okay because again this is the end of a two-year process so it's not just really about this course but if you've been here for a while it's about all that you've learned.

So keep that in mind. Here's here's the structure of the paper. The research project will be submitted in the following format. A title page which includes a course title number student name and professor name.

That's just a standard college cover sheet. The body of the project should be well organized to be no less than three pages. No more than five pages. And a properly cited bibliography page which does not account.

That does not count in the three to five pages. Your cover page and your bibliography page don't count. So if you hand me one page with a cover page and a bibliography page say this is three pages. No.

No. No. The cover page is a cover page. The bibliography page is when you cite your sources. You might say well I'm gonna cite the sources. This is all about me. If you cite scripture reference that if you cite any quote or maybe it's a quote that's affected you in some way Votie Bockham or Paul Washer somebody somebody's quote even out of my book.

If you quote something out of there cite it. It's a good thing to do. Always. Yeah there's different ways of doing it. There's a APA format which is the one I prefer. This is what I used in school. But then there's also MLA format.

It's just two different ways to format. How you put the name of the book and what page you decided you're citing it from. Yeah all. Right. That is that is the end of this class. Any questions on that work.

That's on the website. If you need it go to the website. Now let's very quickly. How many of you plan to come to the next class. Oh really okay. Good. Well period this you always get one month from the from the end of class.

So I'll tell you what we're so close to October. I'll just say you have to the end of October. You have to the end of October. So you get an extra extra week or so. Yeah the next class begins October 7th so you'll still be working on this paper when we start the next class.

Normally I try to give you a month in between but because I'm trying to beat the Christmas season I want to be done with this before Christmas season. You know at our house Christmas season begins as soon as Thanksgiving is over.

As soon I mean as soon as the turkey has digested we're watching Christmas vacation. Yeah we're ready. We're getting in the holiday spirit. You know we're my daughter's already listening to Christmas music because she's just she is a little weird.

But that's right and we are we're going to have you guys for for Thanksgiving love to do that. And like I said as soon as that's over we'll be heading into Christmas. So we will have one class that goes the week after Thanksgiving because we would have finished on that Thursday but it's a holiday so we'll finish on December 2nd of that class.

This class is called introduction to hermeneutics and I am changing the course numbers. If you took this class before I've changed the course numbers now to look like this. And this is I'm gonna explain this more and you guys come back but I'm going to show you now the course numbers will be the lettering will be in regard to what the subject is.

So like this is hermeneutics. So this is Bible BIV. The first three courses you're doing are hermeneutics introduction to hermeneutics introduction to Old Testament introduction New Testament and that is BIV 101 that means it's the first year first class then BIV 102 which will be introduction Old Testament first year second class.

See. And then it'll be BIV 103 and like that you'll you'll have four classes the first year and then come back and have the second year. Okay. So that's that. What I'm saying is if you took classes before the numbers were different because I was using the numbers from Jackson Baptist which is the seminary we're connected to but I just decided to change it to be more specific to what we're doing.

So the numbers class numbers will now reference the year you're in and the essentially the what process you're in. You're in the first first class of that year. Make sense. All right. And again this has everything you need on it.

Bobby I have the copies up here if you want to take them back to set free with you. For any of the guys who want to do the class please remember that you have two books to get living by the book and the accompanying workbook.

And I want to show you something on the back look at this syllabus on the back notice the first day of class you have an assigned reading and you have a homework the first night. When you come in the first night and tell the guys that set free whoever's taking this class there's homework.

Do night one write ten observations from Romans chapter 12 verses 1 2 10 things that you observe from the text and Romans 12 1 2. Well notice. Okay if it makes you happy go to the bottom week 8 write 20 more observations.

That's after you've learned how to observe. Because this class is going to teach you three things. It's going to teach you observation interpretation and application. That's the goal of this class. So over the eight weeks you're going to learn to become a better observer and so you'll be able to pull out at least 20 more from the same two verses that you did at the beginning.

So you got it. You guys start with 10. Start start with 10. Amazon will have it. Christian book distributors should have it it. Howard Hendricks was one of the most famous teachers of the last century.

He was a Dallas seminary teacher. He I mean tons of people studied with him big-name people. So his books. I would probably have it sent to your aunts. I don't know if it fit and I mean I wouldn't. I hate for you to lose it beside.

Yeah it's it's pretty. It's it. Because you're going to get that in the workbook. I got you. I understand all right guys. Well let's finish this course with prayer. How about that father in heaven. I so thank you for this time with these men and the opportunity to study your word.

And I pray Lord that we'll have a good break in the next week and we'll come back anxious and hungry to start the new season in the new year looking at what it means to study your scriptures. Right to rightly divide the word of truth.

We thank you for that in Jesus name I'm in.