A Grace Notes Publication (address at bottom of text)-----------------------------------------------------TEACHING IN THE LOCAL CHURCHIntroductionEph. 4:15,16 provides a concise description of a mature, productive local church.  ¥  ÒSpeaking the truth in love, ¥  we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, ¥  from whom the whole body, ¥  being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, ¥  according to the proper working of each individual part, ¥  causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.ÓThe mature local church is made up of mature believers who work together to fulfill the Plan of God and the Christian mission.The Local ChurchÕs MissionThe local churchÕs mission includes the following activities:¥  Worship as a local assembly - Òforsake not the assembling of yourselves togetherÓ¥  Evangelism - the winning of people to the Christian faith. ÒHe that winneth souls is wise...Ó¥  Edification - ÒFeed the church of God ...Ó  ÒFeed the flockÓ¥  Training - ÒStudy to show yourselves approved unto God, a workman ... Ò¥  Service - Attention to the details of encouragement and support of everyone in the body of Christ.The local churchÕs mandate, then, is to maintain an organizational structure for the purpose of meeting GodÕs requirements for worship, evangelism, edification, and the development of skilled workers to carry out the work associated with the stated mission.We are to worship Òin Spirit and in truthÓ.  The work of the local church must be carried out in the presence of the Holy Spirit, with His control, and through His total ministry of teaching, convicting, and controlling.  The work of the local church must center in and deal exclusively with the Bible, the Word of God.  The revealed Word of God, the Òmind of ChristÓ is the only effective tool for learning what GodÕs will is and carrying it out.Therefore, the main daily work of the pastor and members of a local church is to provide a maximum of high quality Bible teaching, in sufficient quantity to allow believers to make rapid progress in the Christian Way of Life.  The main activity of the local church, apart from prayer and worship, is Bible teachingTo meet the teaching requirements of the churchÕs mission, the following are required:¥  A thorough description of the biblical mandate for the local church.¥  The establishment of teaching requirements to meet the mandate.¥  The designing of plans for meeting teaching requirements¥  The execution of the plans by assigning and employing people to the work, setting schedules, and putting the plans in motionThe ChurchÕs Teaching Ministry2 Tim. 2:1,2  "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also."Bible study has three main components:1.  BIBLE ANALYSIS - exegesis and exposition.  The process of dissecting a passage of Scripture into its component parts (vocabulary, syntax, grammar) in order to learn as well as possible the meaning (interpretation) of the passage.2.  TOPICAL DEVELOPMENT - categorization.  Briefly, the process of determining the meaning of words and concepts found in a passage of scripture by searching the whole Bible for clues, explanations, and illustrations of the subject under study.2.  HISTORICAL STUDY - The process of studying the social history of the people and cultures in the context of the Bible passage, and the language history of the text, to learn as much as possible about the text as used colloquially in the time in which it was written, and to learn how the text was applied to the people living in that time and place.With these things in mind, a local church can design a comprehensive Bible teaching curriculum which will meet the needs of all age groups as they grow in Christ.  Such a curriculum will contain components such as the following:Bible Studies¥  Verse by verse expositional studies of books of the Bible¥  Studies of Bible topics regarding salvation, stability in the Christian way of life, and spiritual production¥  Survey studies: Old Testament survey, New Testament survey, life of Christ, Acts and Life/Epistles of Paul, etc.Historical Studies¥  Survey of Ancient History (early times to Byzantine Empire)¥  Survey of Hebrew History (in Bible light)¥  History of major mid-Eastern world powers - Egypt, Assyria, Sumer, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Hittites, Greece, Rome¥  History of Judea¥  History of the Jewish religion and practices¥  Detailed history of the period from 100 BC to 100 AD¥  American History (from Christian viewpoint), American and state government¥  Law - short courses in Òlegal researchÓ or Òorientation to law and the courtsÓStudies in Preparation for  Teaching¥  Biblical languages (Greek, Hebrew, etc.), introductory and advanced.¥  Hermeneutics and exegesis¥  Use of reference materials: concordances (English, Greek, Hebrew); Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias; commentaries; systematic theology studies¥  Development of expertise in preparing Bible studies¥  English grammar and composition¥  Public speaking¥  Christian literature (non-fiction)¥  Bible lesson development and organization  -  Use of parallel passages  -  How to find and use illustrations  -  How to determine and teach appropriate applicationsSuch a curriculum is very ambitious and will require several years for any individual to complete.  But when this effort is compared to the requirements for obtaining a high school diploma or college degree, the eternal results to be gained certainly make the work of organization, teaching, and study worthwhile.Doctrinal Studies (Partial Listing)The following is a partial listing of the doctrinal topics to be covered in a comprehensive Bible teaching ministry.  These topics can be considered the essential ÒfundamentalsÓ for any believer who is motivated to move toward spiritual maturity.Salvation Doctrines  Grace Mental Attitude of God  Blood of Christ  Barrier Doctrines (Propitiation, Reconciliation, Redemption)  Salvation and Positional Truth  Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat  Imputation  Expiation  Regeneration  Sin and the Penalty of Sin  Heaven and Hell  Faith  Adoption  Resurrection and Ascension of ChristChristian Life Techniques  Confession of Sin  Faith Rest  Living in the Word  Occupation with Christ  Orientation to Grace  Spirituality vs Carnality  Divine Viewpoint vs Human Viewpoint  The LordÕs Supper  Baptism  Judgment and Judging  Justice of God  Divine Guidance and the Plan of God  Forgiveness  Christian Giving  Inheritance  Royal Family  Love  Repentance  Sanctification  Spiritual Adultery and Worldliness  Suffering - Deserved and Undeserved  Divine Discipline for Nations and IndividualsStability Doctrines - Christian Life Foundations  Essence of God  Salvation Doctrines (the believer at the moment of salvation; 36 Things)  Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ  Person and Work of the Holy Spirit  Sin and the Sin Nature  Mental Attitude  Volition: The Will of Man  The Soul  Positional Truth  Marriage  Grace  Law and Legalism  Privacy  Works: Dead and Alive  The Faith System of Learning Divine Viewpoint  EdificationProductivity Doctrines  Grace in Production  Holy Spirit: spiritual gifts, power  Friendships  Personal Evangelism  Local Church - organization and work  Spiritual Testing and Suffering as a witness  Christian Missions  Divine Institutions-----------------------------------------------------Information about free e-mail subscriptions to Grace Notes Christian publications and an index of topics are available at: "Warren Doud" <wdoud@bga.com>.Warren Doud    [ Grace Notes: Bible studies on the Internet ]1705 Aggie Lane, Austin, Texas  78757Phone: 512-458-8923e-mail: wdoud@bga.com          http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/