Epistle to "Timothy"

One lesson I learned from the past is that to keep a fellowship going on, the group must do something more structured. Last time when the other brothers and sisters still here, we try do something each week like someone share something, or use those Our Daily Bread.

Someone have to 'squeeze out' some idea every week, and that idea will end up very random or very boring if they didn't prepare thoroughly. In other words, we are doing something random every week, so there is no direction and the fellowship is going no where. There is nothing to anticipate. This kind of fellowship will die off very fast.

So what does it mean by something which is structured? It means that it should be like a series. As an illustration, a structured drama series will be better than random movie every week. I asked Frank last time, and this is his advice.

1.  Bible study:

• Choose a book, eg. Ephesians, John, or something else, and study it together.
• I do this with the chinese small group after the service few years back (when there are still many of them).
• You don't have to go chapter by chapter. Maybe just a small portion of a Scripture every week.
• A modulator will prepare first and leads the study. Other people should read that portion of Scripture too, so they can share something, or ask anything that they don't understand.
• Maybe everyone or a few people can take turn to lead the study. However the preparation will be heavy and burden, and not everyone can lead (especially the new believer).

2. Listen and discuss:

• Use some audio/video material from some websites. Listen together, then discuss.
• I did this with the hostel fellowship every Tuesday.
• I used the teaching series from R.C. Sproul, which is recommended by Frank. Most of them are short, and not boring.
• Other trustworthy sites are: Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition.
• NB!!! Remember to check the "Show free series only" box at the right upper corner, because some series need to buy.
• Choose appropriate one, especially those shorter one, 20-30min, so that you have some time left for discussion.
• The modulator should listen first, and anticipate for questions, and prepare some questions or task.
• Last time I roughly browsed through the site. Here is a short list that I did last year:

Video

1. Holiness of God - Video. 30min x 6
2. Pleasing God - Video. 30min x 6
3. Loved By God - Video. 20min x 11

Audio

1. Knowing God’s Will - Audio. 20min x 5
2. Ask R.C. 2007: Best of Listener Questions - Audio. 20min x 4
3. Objections Answered - Audio. 20min x 8
4. The Cross of Christ - Audio. 30min x 6

These 2 should be great, but I think the Amazing Grace series will be better in teaching reformed theology or Calvinism.

1. What Is Reformed Theology? - Video. 20min x 12
2. Chosen By God - Video. 30min x 6

• I remember I did Knowing God's Will, What is the Gospel, Themes from James, The Providence of God (half way only since the semester finished).
• I download the series in mp3 format with Internet Download Manager (IDM) and put it in my iPod Touch, and plugin a small speaker to play it. If you don't have a portable speaker, you can use the one at the church.
• Personally I enjoy doing the book of James than others, which I prefer expository study (means according to book) rather than topical study.
• I found it effective and less burdenful, and in such case you are using authority from outside instead of establishing your own when you are leading a bible study. Some people can disagree with you if you lead a study, but if you are using materials eg. from R.C Sproul's site, you are shifting the authority to him.
• Our sister was there when I conducted using Sproul's material, so maybe you can ask her also.

3. Other suggestions:

• Since Frank and Lora is back to US, maybe you can try conduct a study that Frank or Lora did before.
• E.g. Lora's Chronological Study, Frank's Hebrew study.

Other things that you have to decide or settle:

1. The place: The best is someone's room so that you will have less disturbance, but everyone in that room should participate in the fellowship. Due to roommate's issue I didn't manage to find a room, so end up using the study hall or the assembly hall. I will send you the example of the permission letter. If you want a soft copy in word format, you need to ask from our brother. You need to ask the dean to sign and cop that letter. If you have problem getting the permission from dean, ask someone like the hostel leader or those deal with the dean frequently to help you get it.
 

2. Singing: I think singing praise and worship songs is important, but due to time issue, I didn't include singing as part of the fellowship. Another reason is that bringing music instrument and sing in the study hall might disturb other people in the opposite study hall.
 

3. Prayer: This is important and indispensable. Encourage everyone to pray, like how Frank did in the prayer meeting, but not that long.
 

4. Time: Always control the time, don't let it goes on and on until midnight. Ideally 1h 15min (30min to listen the message, 30min to discuss, 15min for prayer). However this is flexible.
 

5. Be flexible: example during exam period. I always think the fellowship should continue even during exam period, but be flexible. Either change the time if someone have an exam the next day, or just limit the fellowship to prayer. Remember that during exam time the study hall will be full, if you are planning to use the study hall.
 

6. Food: Unless it is a special fellowship dinner (eg. someone's birthday, Christmas or new year dinner), I don't think food is that necessary. The other fellowship in the hostel at Saturday evening have food very frequent (almost every week or every fortnight), and I heard it becomes a burden for some of them. Don't become a Martha in Luke 10:38-42.

 

* * *

 
I just recalled another resource mentioned by Frank called Third Millennium. I remember he tries to use this material for Koinonia in Russia and those graduated when he and Lora are back in US, but so far I didn't heard any news about it.

Very good resource, good reformed teaching, and the video is with animation (a bit like Amazing Grace). The problem is that those videos are 1 hour plus. I didn't use this material before in a fellowship. The great thing about it is that every video session comes with a study guide in word format, so you can download and print it out as many as you want.
 
What you can do is either: 1. Breakdown the video into several parts (the study guide has an outline for you to break it down into a few session), and watch only that small part every week and discuss by using the study guide, or 2. Everyone watches the video themselves, then during the fellowship just discuss by using the study guide. (But you can't guarantee everyone watch that that 1h plus video before they come for discussion, so I prefer the former alternative).

  
Feel free to ask me or Frank if you have any question. Last but not least, remember Heb. 10:24-25 and Matt. 18:20.