ETC 4420 Day 9 (7pm)
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wikicommons1 Back to Sardis (Revelation 3.1-6)
2 Focus on Jesus
How does Jesus introduce himself?
What does he know?
What does he see in the church that he approves?
What does he see that he criticises?
What does he offer the one who overcomes?
What were the issues for the church leaders when they next met together?
How could they lead with Mark 10.40-45 to guide them?
What could the other six churches (and churches today) learn from hearing the Risen Jesus speaking to this church as he does?
Preaching the letter to Sardis in Addis
How would our church leaders in Addis preach this passage?
What could we expect?
Seven sermons in Addis
See what you make of these suggestions. Choose one of the sermons.
3 Preaching and teaching and training
Preaching: If “all scripture is breathed out by God” (and it is) and therefore it is all useful, for teaching and reproving, and for training in righteousness. How does a church (like Sardis) choose what parts of scripture to teach and study together? What does this look like during a year, or during ten years?
Families teaching children: How does a church (like Sardis) support parents as they teach their children to read the Bible for themselves? How does a church (like Sardis) encourage families to read the Bible together?
Faith at work: How does a church (like Sardis) help church members to think about their work guided by the Bible? How often do sermons focus on the lives of Christians at work, and the work itself?
Normal Christian life: What levels of bible knowledge and patterns of bible reading are part of the ‘normal Christian life’ in our churches (or in a church like Sardis)?
What happens in each area often reflects individual leadership profiles. Here is what we might expect our six church leaders across Addis to do. The training patterns usually reflect the shape of the leadership profile.
Training patterns prompted by leadership profiles
These are human factors, church leaders - along with other people - tend to raise other people like themselves.
How can a church identify and train and support suitable people to serve God’s church?
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wikicommonsWhere will we get it?
4 Discussion
Choose one of these areas for your discussion
Preaching
Teaching
Training
5 Reflection
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wikicommonsWe have set up our discussions in several ways during this last week. We have arranged a series of experiments with different people taking on the role of the leader, all with Mark 10.40-45 in mind.
Within the sessions several people have taken up leadership roles each day. We have been thinking about what not to do, as well as the teaching and example of Jesus.
What have you learned from the ways we have set up our discussions during these last two weeks?
What patterns made it easier for the leader to lead and for the teams to function well? Why were they more valuable?
What patterns were less successful and why?
What patterns could you use in your role as a Christian leader in the church where you serve?
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wikicommons6 Homework
Write a prayer for the church in Sardis, thanking the Risen Jesus for his words, and asking God’s wisdom to help the church to raise up faithful evangelists, pastors and teachers, and to train each other well for works of service, together and individually.
As you write the prayer for them to use, asking God to help them respond to their own letter from the Risen Jesus, encourage them by drawing on Revelation 17-20, describing the Fall of Babylon and the Final Battle. Use some of the language or imagery from anywhere in Revelation 17-20 in your prayer to motivate the church in Sardis to hear (and obey) what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
As you write your prayer, keep Mark 10.40-45 in mind, clarify what you are not going to do, as you serve them, whose teaching and example you are following, and where your praying is heading, as you look towards the coming of God’s new creation.
Please email your response to [email protected] by 5pm before we meet at 530pm