Author: Scott Chafee

Scott serves on staff at King’s Grant Baptist Church in Virginia Beach.

Being a Man of Courage

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We recently showed the COURAGEOUS movie at King’s Grant, with about 230 people in attendance. I hope the men heard the intentional challenge at the end and we want to provide some practical “Next Steps” for a dad ready to make a change. A two-hour film does not bring change, only hopes and good intentions. Getting involved with other men in a small group context will help you put new principles into practice.

Honor really does begin at home. We hope you will leave inspired and challenged to live honorably and leave a lasting impact on the next generation. Maybe you connected with one of the characters in the movie because of your relationship with your dad or your own role as a parent and now you are wondering what to do next to strengthen your own family.

At King’s Grant Baptist Church, we believe in the power of God to change men and families. We want to be a resource for moms and dads and a place where families are strengthened. Here are some potential courageous next steps.

  1. Begin praying for (and with) your children.
  2. Write a letter to your own father. It may be a letter saying thanks for being a great dad or a letter offering overdue forgiveness for the ways he may have hurt you. If your father is not a believer, use the letter as a means to share Christ.
  3. Sign up for a COURAGEOUS Living small group. Our groups will begin in February; here are the dates and locations:
    1. Tuesdays at 7:30am at Denny’s, Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28, with Skip Wallace
    2. Tuesdays at 7:00pm at KGBC, Feb 7, 14, 21, 28, with Tom Vaughan and Jim Zecchini
    3. Thursdays at 7:00am at KGBC, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23, with Scott Chafee
    4. Thursdays at 7:00pm at KGBC, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23, with Rickey Douglas
    5. Saturdays at 8:00am at KGBC, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25, with Scott Chafee
  4. Consider joining us for our Sunday morning worship experiences each week at 8:30 or 11:00 in order to grow in your faith, find faith or learn how to become a courageous dad. Regular Bible study happens at 9:45 each Sunday morning; there is a class for every member of the family.

Being a Disciple of Jesus

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This is a poem written by Jefferson Bethke to highlight the difference between Jesus and false religion. In the Bible, Jesus received the most opposition from the most religious people of his day. At it’s core Jesus’ gospel and the good news of the Cross is in pure opposition to self-righteousness/self-justification.

Religion is man centered, Jesus is God-centered. This poem highlights his journey to discover this truth. Religion either ends in pride or despair. Pride because you make a list and can do it and act better than everyone, or despair because you can’t do your own list of rules and feel “not good enough” for God.

With Jesus though you have humble confident joy because He represents you; you don’t represent yourself. His sacrifice is perfect, putting us in perfect standing with God!

[ Go to the Jefferson Bethke Facebook Page ]

[ 1-888-Need-Him ]

Being a Missional Class

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Allen Taylor mentions that while our Sunday School classes are great places to catch up with friends each week, there is a greater purpose:

Sunday School leaders believe that Sunday School is about Bible study and fellowship. While this is true, it is shortsighted. Sunday School is a great place to visit friends and socialize with those who share a similar worldview that is Bible based. It is also a place where the saints of God are mobilized to carry out the commission of Christ.

You see, Sunday School is social and relational, but she is also missional! We must embrace evangelism if we are to be a Great Commission Sunday School, and we must accept the responsibility of ministering to people’s needs. We often relegate Sunday School to Bible study and fellowship because that is mostly what takes place in the classroom on Sunday morning. Evangelism and ministry are often overlooked because they function outside of the Sunday morning classroom.

We naturally gravitate toward that which is easier and more convenient. We naturally drift away from that which takes more effort and labor.

Let’s remember that we have a purpose in meeting together each week. So, just what is that purpose?

In my book The Six Core Values of Sunday School, I state,”My philosophy of a Sunday School class is: The class is a miniature congregation, and the teacher is a miniature pastor.” That being the case, a “miniature pastor” must meet criteria that exceed just having a pulse. We must have godly, committed people leading and shepherding our classes.

When you drive the success of Sunday School down to the lowest common denominator, you find it one class at a time. A Sunday School organization is only as good as the contribution of each individual class.

When we take that one step further, we find that the success of the class is the teacher. Therefore, we need teachers who will toe the leadership line if we are to have a healthy, growing Sunday School ministry.

Being a Bible Teacher

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One thing I have emphasized in our discipleship ministry is that we are not just to be teachers of the Bible in our classes; we are to be shepherds of people. Besides, we don’t really teach the Bible anyway, we teach people the Bible. Josh Hunt sent this article out this week (by Elmer Towns) and it captures what I have emphasized over the years:

A Sunday School teacher is not just an instructor, like a saved public school teacher who is teaching the Bible. A Sunday School teacher has a much broader task than just communicating biblical truth.

[ Here is a video series on Shepherding God’s People ]

A Teacher Teaches People
There are two expressions of the spiritual gift of teaching.

  1. The first is the gift of teaching where the person has a desire to study, to discover new truth, then communicate it in the instructing process. This is not the gift that best describes the Sunday School teacher, though many Sunday School teachers have this gift.
  2. The second gift is the “pastor-teacher” described in Ephesians 4:11, “And He Himself gave . . . some pastors and teachers.” The pastor-teacher uses instruction to nurture his pupils. Even though the King James Version separates the two words, “pastors, and teachers,” the Greek language joins them as one function. The pastor is a teacher.

That brings us to the next step.

A Teacher Shepherds People
A Sunday School teacher is a shepherd. A woman who has four small children around a table in a church basement should be doing a lot more than telling Bible stories about baby Moses in the bushes, or Noah’s ark. She should be giving spiritual care to her students, which involves telling Bible stories. Just as a pastor shepherds his flock in more ways than preaching, so a Sunday School teacher cares for the Sunday School flock in more ways than teaching.

Everything the pastor is to his flock, the teacher is to his Sunday School class. The same Greek word is used for pastor and shepherd, suggesting their work is similar.

A Teacher is the Pastor’s Extension
The Sunday School teacher is the extension of pastoral ministry into the life of the class. Just as an extension helps you get to hard-to-reach places, so a Sunday School teacher helps the pastor reach hard-to-reach people (at least hard for him to reach). A pastor can’t always reach down to a three-year-old boy, but a Sunday School teacher can. Classes need to be more than content centers, they need to be shepherding centers.

The Apostle Paul’s advice to the pastors of the church at Ephesus is also a challenge to Sunday School teachers today. “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing-the flock. . . . Therefore watch” (Acts 20:28-31). Notice the three words that are emphasized in these verses. These words contain the threefold job description of a pastor or Sunday School teacher.

  1. First, he is to oversee the flock, which is leading sheep.
  2. Second, he shepherds or feeds the flock, which is giving instruction.
  3. Third, he protects the flock by watching over them.

A Teacher is a Leader
How does the Sunday School teacher “shepherd” the flock in his care? He does so by fulfilling the three primary functions of the shepherd. First, a shepherd leads the flock. The greatest influence of many Sunday School teachers has been the result of their leading by example.

A Teacher is a Feeder
Second, a shepherd feeds the flock. While good Bible teaching will not guarantee your class will grow, poor teaching will hinder its growth

A Teacher is a Protector
Finally, a shepherd protects the flock. Jesus told Peter to ‘tend My sheep” (John 21:16). A Sunday School teacher visits the students who are absent to protect them from falling away. One of the best known and loved passages in all Scripture is the Twenty-third Psalm. In this passage, David describes the care he received at the hand of his Shepherd, the Lord. The example of the Lord who is our Shepherd is a constant challenge to the Sunday School teacher who is trying to be to his class what the Lord is to him.

Being a Man of God

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We ask our young children all the time, “What would you like to be when you grow up?” Then we often expect a reply in terms of career choices.  In Paul’s letter to his protégé, he didn’t instruct Timothy to become a power pastor of a megs-church; rather he reminded him of who he was; that he was a “man of God” (1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 3:17).

Interestingly, as far as I can tell, there’s only one person in the New Testament who’s called “a man of God,” and that’s Timothy. This term is frequently used in the Old Testament. In fact, it’s used about 70 times and always in reference to a spokesman for God—someone whose duty and responsibility is to speak the words of God.

Here in 1 Timothy 6:11-21, Paul points out four characteristics that mark a man of God:

  1. He flees: “Run” (1 Timothy 6:11). This is the Greek verb fuagay from which we get the word fugitive. In other words, the man of God is a man on the run. He’s constantly fleeing the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10), ungodly behavior (1 Timothy 6:20), lust, and sin (2 Timothy 2:22).
  2. He follows: The man of God pursues “righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). These are worthy goals.
  3. He fights: Not with his wife or others, but using the truth, the man of God is engaged in daily warfare against the kingdom of darkness. He’s not coasting toward the gates of heaven (1 Timothy 6:12).
  4. He is faithful: The man of God “holds tightly to the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Timothy 6:12). He views faithful Christian living and service as his necessary responsibility to God (1 Timothy 6:20-21).

If someone asks you, “What would you like to be?” would “I want to be a man of God” be your response? That type of man personally belongs to God, proclaims His Word accurately, and lives his life as an example to others.

Being a Spiritual Leader

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Men, we often don’t lead our families as we should. I sense that most wives are aching for their husbands to be the spiritual driver in the home. Most of the time we drift and outsource that leadership somewhere else.

The Courageous movie will challenge each husband and father to make a resolution… to be resolved… that they will be an active force for God on this earth and in their family.

I once heard Kenny Luck, men’s ministry leader at Saddleback, as he  encourages you on how to be the spiritual leader of your home.

Kenny tells us to:

  1. Own it – own our spiritual lives, don’t outsource that to anyone else.
  2. Show it – demonstrate outwardly what God is doing on the inside.
  3. Lead her and the marriage – not lording over her, but providing leadership.
  4. Lead by serving them – leadership is service, not position.
  5. Love them – love is an active word, not a feeling.

Human Recall Notice

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This is an e-mail floating around; I’ve seen it before, but thought it was appropriate to send out as we approach the new year (after all, the Mayan Calendar’s end is just 12 months away). Let’s set things right before we get to the end! While corny in a way, there is a lot of truth in this “recall notice.”

The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been identified as “Sub-sequential Internal Non-morality,” more commonly known as S.I.N.

Some of the symptoms include :

  1. Loss of direction
  2. Foul vocal emissions
  3. Amnesia of origin
  4. Lack of peace and joy
  5. Selfish or violent behavior
  6. Depression or confusion
  7. Fearfulness
  8. Idolatry
  9. Rebellion

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect. The Repair Technician , JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.

The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R .

  1. Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure.
  2. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.

No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:

  1. Love
  2. Joy
  3. Peace
  4. Patience
  5. Kindness
  6. Goodness
  7. Faithfulness
  8. Gentleness
  9. Self control

Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list, and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded. For free emergency service, call on Jesus .

DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you for your attention!

P.S. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by Knee mail.

Are You a Reluctant Leader?

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There are many excuses that people give so they don’t step up to fulfill their role of leadership in the church. I have worked with people for many years and have heard lots of reasons. Here are a few good responses:

“I’m not sure I have been called” – Disciplemaking is not a matter of calling but of command. Every believer has been commanded to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). The Great Commission is a command for every believer, not just given to the church (as an organization). Choosing not to make disciples is not an option.

“I’m scared to lead a group” – All the great leaders in the Bible were scared when God called them.

  1. Moses (Exodus3:11-12)
  2. Joshua (Joshua1:9)
  3. Paul (Acts 18:9-10)

The Great Commission comes with a promise (Matthew 28:20), we will not be alone. If we are about the Father’s business of making disciples, Jesus promises that his presence will be evident.

“I don’t think I can lead a group” – Many times Jesus said in essence: “I cannot do anything without the Father.” Jesus recognized in his humanity that if he was going to make disciples or accomplish any ministry objective, he had to be dependent upon the Father. (John 17:7, 5:19, 30, 38, 6:38, 8:28, 10:20-21). This is also true for us. Jesus said in John 15:5 “for apart from Me you can do nothing.” God never intended for us to do it. He wants us to simply be available to work through us.

“I don’t know enough” – You will grow the most when you are placed in a situation where you are responsible to disciple a few other people. Everyone knows more than someone else.

When I taught seminary in Zambia, I did not have an arsenal of lesson plans and class notes under my belt; each class was brand new for me. I had to stay ahead of my students, which made learning and teaching go together.

The responsibility of leading a group has a built in accountability and it keeps you striving toward deeper spiritual growth. It is important to remember that the best leaders are learners and when you stop learning you stop leading, regardless of how much you know.

The key to discipling people in a small group is being “love with skin on it.” It is better to be a shepherd of people than a teacher of the Bible. A discipler who is passionate about fulfilling the Great Commission in a Great Commandment way (loving God and loving people) finds the means to grow the members of his/her group up in Christ.

“I still have small children” – I read a story about a couple who had pulled out of small group leadership and then ultimately out of the group entirely, all done in the name of “Family Values.” The mom said it was an awful mistake for two reasons.

  1. First, it was a mistake because it isolated her from her primary network of friends that could have made those earlier years of child raising easier. There was no one to take turns with watching the children so she could find some free time.
  2. The second reason it was a mistake is because parenting never gets easier and discipling is always a matter of priority. The most powerful environment to raise children is an authentic biblical community (2 Timothy 3:15). The value of watching mom and dad point others to Jesus in the context of a small group throughout the growing up years has a positive and powerful impact on the life of a child.

“I don’t want to fail” – If you don’t try, you can be sure you won’t succeed. Our discipleship ministry is designed to help you succeed, but there is still an element of risk. No one has ever attempted great things for God in some low risk adventure. Faith is required and “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

This also raises another unseen element, the spirit world. Satan is trying to undo whatever you spiritually accomplish in people’s lives. This is one of the reasons why we need to envision ourselves as a Desperate Church. In desperation we seek God’s face for his wisdom and power. We desperately need God! We don’t want to be like the self-absorbed and affluent church of Laodicea that thought that they were in “need of nothing” (Revelation 3:17). They thought that they didn’t need God.

These statements may not represent your reluctance in becoming a small group leader, but whatever the reason for your reluctance, God can help you overcome it. God loves to show himself strong for those who are totally dependent upon Him.

“Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5)

God is prepared to give you everything that you need to lead a small group if you are only willing to depend upon him and promise to give him the glory.

Common Phrases from the Bible

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I can imagine that nearly every newspaper and magazine in the English-speaking world uses a word or phrase in every issue that originated in the Bible. Consider how many of the following words and phrases, all first found in the Bible, have made their way into our everyday conversation. (Note the phrase may be from the King James Version rather than what you see in the popup window).

  1. Adoption (Romans 8:15)
  2. A drop in the bucket (Isaiah 40:15)
  3. A fly in the ointment (Ecclesiastes 10:1)
  4. A man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:14)
  5. A multitude of sins (James 5:20)
  6. A thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7)
  7. All things to all men (1 Corinthians 9:22)
  8. Am I my brother’s keeper? (Genesis 4: 9)
  9. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (Matthew 5:38)
  10. As old as Methuselah (Genesis 5:25-27)
  11. As old as the hills (Job 15:7)
  12. As you sow so shall you reap (Galatians 6:7)
  13. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust (Genesis 3:19)
  14. At his wits end (Psalms 107:27)
  15. Beat swords into ploughshares (Isaiah 2:4)
  16. Bite the dust (Psalm 72:9)
  17. Blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9)
  18. By the skin of your teeth (Job 19:20)
  19. Can a leopard change its spots? (Jeremiah 13:23)
  20. Eat drink and be merry (Luke 12:19)
  21. Faith will move mountains (Matthew 21:21)
  22. Fall from grace (Galatians 5:4)
  23. Fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12)
  24. Flesh and blood (Matthew 16:17)
  25. For everything there is a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
  26. Forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:3)
  27. From strength to strength (Psalm 84:7)
  28. Give up the ghost (Acts 12:23)
  29. Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-33)
  30. Holier than thou (Isaiah 65:5)
  31. House divided (Luke 11:17)
  32. How are the mighty fallen (2 Samuel 1:19)
  33. Liberty (Leviticus 25:10)
  34. Living off the fat of the land (Genesis 45:17-18)
  35. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)
  36. Love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10)
  37. Man does not live by bread alone (Deuteronomy 8:3)
  38. Many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14)
  39. My cup runneth over (Psalm 23:5)
  40. Neither a borrower nor a lender be (Jeremiah 15:10)
  41. Network (Exodus 27:4)
  42. No rest for the wicked (Isaiah 57:20)
  43. Nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
  44. O ye, of little faith (Matthew 6:30)
  45. Out of the mouths of babes (Psalm 8:2)
  46. Pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6)
  47. Physician heal thyself (Luke 4:23)
  48. Scapegoat (Leviticus 16:10)
  49. Sour grapes (Ezekiel 18:2)
  50. The apple of his eye (Deuteronomy 32:10)
  51. The blind leading the blind (Matthew 15:14)
  52. The bread of life (John 6:35)
  53. The fruits of your loins (Genesis 35:11)
  54. The powers that be (Romans 13:2)
  55. The root of the matter (Job 19:28)
  56. The salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13)
  57. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Mark 14:38)
  58. The hand writing is on the wall (Daniel 5:5-6)
  59. To cast the first stone (John 8:7)
  60. Two-edged sword (Proverbs 5:4)
  61. What God has joined together let no man separate (Matthew 19:6)
  62. Woe is me (Isaiah 6:5)

Surprised? Don’t be. The influence of the Bible can be found in every area of society. There is an interesting incident recorded in the Bible. In the story God is speaking to a man named Isaiah. God poetically declares the power and reach of His life-giving language. “That’s how it is with my words. They don’t return to me without doing everything I send them to do.” (Isaiah 55:11).

College Ministry Bible Study

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I’ve been reading up on ministry to college students (College Ministry from Scratch: Equipping Kids for Life after Youth Group, by Chuck Bomar) and want to share a little about what I have learned:

The best lessons are ones where the students read the passage every day that week, and then come to class prepared to discuss what they saw or what God illuminated for them.

We need leaders who facilitate a class more than teaching a class because people are already familiar with the passage when they come to the small group, there isn’t as much of a need for the leader to be a teacher. Whoever is leading ought to know the passage and make sure the true meaning of any particular passage is known to everyone. I’d even recommend that the leader have a commentary on hand in case a question comes up during the discussion that the group cannot address on its own. But most of the time, the leader won’t have to say much at all.

The leader can lead by facilitating—making sure the passage is known and applied simply through the discussion. This can be accomplished by asking basic questions such as:

  1. What are two things that really stood out to you in this passage?
  2. What do you think this teaches us about God?
  3. Did you see a repetition in theme or words that gave you a better understanding of what this is about?
  4. Were you convicted to do something because of this passage?
  5. As you read over the passage this week, was anything confusing to you?
  6. How does this section fit into what the author’s been saying up to this point?
  7. How did this passage change or affirm your perspective on life?

The potential list of questions is limitless, but the key is that the leader facilitates rather than teaches. Without the people even realizing it, the small group can become a lab for learning to study Scripture. People naturally learn and inevitably end up helping others learn, too. People begin to see the value of Scripture. Once this happens, we no longer need to talk about having quiet times.

People will automatically invest their time and resources into what they find valuable. So, very little influence in this area is needed.