Proverbs 4:1-4
¹ Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
² For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
³ For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
⁴ He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

Pray with your children
Have times of spontaneous prayer with your children. Pray with them before bed. Pray with them at the altar.

Teach your children to live by faith
Teach them to tithe. Teach them to give at banquets, special offerings, and missions conferences. Pray as a family about this and let them see you give.

Involve your children in ministry
Work a bus route together. Help them to see the eternal benefit and make sure their future plans involve being involved in ministry.

Ask your children questions about their friends, studies, and activities
Remember, “nearness is likeness.” Know how they are doing in school. Know where they are and who they are with at all times. They need this accountability and that is why God gave them you.

Support the authority in their life
You may need to discuss something with an authority figure in your child’s life, but your support of their position should be without question. Give your children assignments and keep them accountable. Encourage them to read and do projects. Encourage them to have a good relationship with their pastor.

These are simple tips and were an encouragement to me. I pray they are to you as well.

When God guides a visitor to your class, He is entrusting you with a very precious gift. He is giving you the responsibility to follow up and care for this person’s interest in growth. Making follow up visits is key to encouraging growth!

The first thing I do is review their connection card (what they fill out when they visit). I usually do this on Sunday afternoons. I see where they live. I see whether or not we got their phone number, email address, etc.

On Monday morning, I write them a handwritten note thanking them for being our guest. In this note I express gratitude for their visit and then invite them back for the next Sunday. I enclose my business card in this letter with my contact information. You could also include a church brochure or information about the series you are currently teaching through.

On Monday afternoon, I email them and thank them for being our guest and invite them back through that medium as well. I also make a personal call and thank them for being coming. While on the phone, I try to set an appointment for when we could get together that week. The phone call usually goes something along these lines: “I just wanted to call and thank you so much for being our guest in His Design on Sunday. It was such a delight to have you with us. I was wandering if you had any time this week to get together. I would love to get to know you better and to share with you all that God is doing in our class and church.” I typically try to set appointments for Tuesday evening, but I will go WHENEVER they can meet.

When I go to make the visit, I always take something with me. I usually take a Bible, a book entitled First Step for New Believers, and a Baptism brochure. The reason I take these resources with me is that I go prepared to lead them to Christ during the visit.

At the visit, I begin by thanking them for being our guest. If you’ve started noticing a pattern of my thanking guests for coming, you’ve caught on.  I want any guest that visits my class to be convinced we are grateful and excited they came!

After I thank them for attending, I ask them how they heard about our church and class. Do they have any church background? If it is a couple, I ask how long have they been married? Any children? How long have they lived in the area? Then, I will ask if they had any questions about our church and class. I will invite them back and tell them what we are planning for the next Sunday and seek a commitment from them to be in attendance.

Lastly, I generally conclude with: “I am so glad you visited with us, and I am looking forward to having you back this Sunday. But even more important than going to church is to know where you will spend an eternity. If you were to die today, if you were to face eternity, do you know for sure where you would spend eternity?” If they say “no,” I ask if I can show them how they can know for sure from the Bible. If they say “yes,” I ask them how they know. If it is according to the Bible, I congratulate them. If their answer is not according to the Bible, I ask them if I can share with them what the Bible teaches.

After they receive Christ as Saviour. I give them some verses on assurance and then I ask them this question, “On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being great and 1 being bad, what kind of a Christian would you like to be?

Usually they will respond with an 8, 9, or 10. I will commend them on their desire to grow and then ask if I can help them with reaching their goal. They always say yes to that and that is when I give them their Bible (I write their name in it and that day’s date to help them remember their decision). I also give them the book, First Steps for New Believer’s and a Baptism brochure. I explain the resources and encourage them to work through the First Steps for New Believer’s book and to read through the Baptism brochure. I tell them to call me if they have any questions as they work through these discipleship resources.

I have learned that Satan fights new believers aggressively, and I cannot be with them to encourage them 24/7. But I can give them a copy of God’s Word and encourage them to be in the Bible every day to begin their growth.

I pray something shared in this post is a help to you as you continue to follow up and be good stewards of those who God has led your way.

What else do you do in follow up? I would love to hear from you!

1 Corinthians 14:40
“Let all things be done decently and in order.”

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”—Albert Einstein

I have the privilege of teaching an Adult Bible Class every Sunday, and I am always looking for ideas and helps to assist me in making me a better class leader. One area I’ve come to concentrate on in my class is guest assimilation. In this post, I want to discuss four components I have found extremely helpful to implement before class even begins.

Greeted

Everyone attending our class should be welcomed with a smile. The most critical part of properly greeting your class as they arrive is your class greeter. A friendly face offering a warm welcome speaks volumes! Our greeters should practically radiate the underlying message you want to send to your guests: “We are nice people, and we are glad you are here!” Be sure to communicate to your greeters about the importance of their job and what is expected of them. Volunteers want direction; give it to them!

A sign in a McDonald’s recently read, “We expect all of our employees to smile at you. If you are not smiled at while your order is being taken, you get a free order of French fries or a free small drink.” McDonald’s places value on what we should too—understanding the undeniable power of a smile.

According to Professor Emeritus Paul Ekman, “We can pick up a smile from 100 feet away. A smile lets us know that we are going to get a positive reception and it’s hard not to reciprocate.” Class greeters and leaders ought to embrace this approach and show genuine friendliness while making eye contact and offering sincere smiles to all those who visit.

We also should welcome everyone in our class with excellence. Everything speaks to first-time guests—everything! And, we only have one chance to make a great first impression. Just like at home when we diligently prepare for company to come over in order, we should also be ready for company every week in our classes!

Directed

The second step in successful pre-class contact is to make sure your guests are quickly, simply, and politely shown where to go. Once you’ve greeted and welcomed them, introduce them to the person in your class responsible for getting their contact information. (You should designate someone in your class to serve in this capacity.)

In my class, we have a first-time guest registrar and she is responsible for making sure every first-time guest fills out a response card and turns it back in to her. She gives me these names to me before we begin, and I recognize them in class and thank them for attending.As the old saying goes, “God is in the details.” It is imperative you get as much contact information from your first-time guests as possible. This will help you to properly and accurately follow up (which we will discuss in a future post).

We all want first-time guests in our classes, but remember that God is not going to give us more than we can handle or more than we choose to handle. To be good stewards of God’s guests in our class, we must take ownership and leadership by greeting them and finding out more about them.

Treated

What do first-time guests want to feel? Respected and welcomed. Guests want to know that you are happy they came, and they acquire a sense of belonging when they know you are doing everything you can to make sure they have a good experience.

Take time to train your class to excel in the area of not only making guests feel welcome but also making them feel that they belong. Remember, unfamiliar faces are as intimidating to the church family as they are to first-time guests. Your class may need some teaching on how to greet, help, and visit with newcomers. Although it may take time, do your best to fight the “us 4 no more mentality.”

Another way to provide a great experience is to provide delicious refreshments. Have you ever noticed how a two-hundred-pound man in a crowd of strangers suddenly feels more comfortable if he has an eight-ounce Styrofoam cup to hide behind?

Providing food and coffee is one of the best ways to show your guests you care about them, and it’s a sure way to put them at ease. Don’t skimp on the food. Remember, you are looking for quality, not extravagance. And, with providing tasteful refreshments, be sure to thank the volunteers in your class who help in this area. They truly play an important role in your class.

Now that your guests have been sincerely greeted, helpfully directed, and well-treated, all that’s left is for them is to be properly seated.

Seated

While it would be easy to let your guests fend for themselves and find a seat, it shows very little hospitality on our part. It’s best to enlist and train some ushers to help you with finding every guest a comfortable seat—preferably closer to the front.

Embrace and practice these four components, and you’ll be sure to have a welcome and inviting spirit in your class. What better way to start your lesson than with class members and guests who feel like they belong and matter in  your class!

Our adult Bible fellowships are organized into care groups that consist of five to seven family units (you can learn more about the care groups here). Our church recently had a care group fellowship night, and God used it in a mighty way.

The event consists of every care group from every adult Bible fellowship gathering in the home of the care group leader. After a slightly abbreviated Sunday evening service, we encouraged every care group leader to have their care group over to their home for food, fellowship, and testimonies.

The church provided childcare for infant through teens, which also provided a great opportunity for children and teen ministry activities.

The church helped promote this event, and every adult Bible fellowship teacher made sure everyone from their class had a home to go to. The church provided the flatware and utensils, and the individual home fellowships were encouraged to provide the refreshments or do something potluck style.

At the fellowship, we encouraged the care group leader to open the evening in prayer, and then begin serving the food and encourage fellowship. We also encouraged some testimonies, and with this event being so close to Thanksgiving, it was natural for people to share what they were thankful for.

My wife and I hosted a care group fellowship for our class and ended up having our entire class over. We had every couple introduce each other: the husband had to introduce his wife, tell us how long they had been married, and something about her he loved; the wife had to introduce her husband, tell us how long they had been in the class/church, and something she admired about her husband. This worked really well!

The average group took between one-and-a-half and two hours for this event and then sent everyone back to the church to pick up their children. Some of our more mature adult classes did their fellowships in the afternoon to make it easier for some of our elderly.

This time of fellowship helps strengthen the class and bond the class members closer to each other, which in turn strengthens the church. I would certainly encourage every church to consider doing this in the New Year.

(This is a lesson I recently taught to our Adult Bible Fellowship leaders. I pray it is a blessing and provides some ideas for your class or ministry as you prepare for a New Year.)

Ecclesiastes 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ephesians 5:16
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Here are some thoughts on how we can articulate a plan for next year that will help us have the most fruitful year of ministry yet.

Start with Our Purpose

When you sit down to plan a new year, it is a great time to reflect on your purpose… why you do what you do. Our purpose for our classes is…

Reach People

We do this mainly through soulwinning. We should be involving our class in this and encouraging them about it consistently.

Teach People

Bible-centered, well-prepared lessons are a vital ingredient to a thriving class. As we put together a plan, we must include lesson preparation and study.

Minister to People

People need to be loved and ministered to. Our plan should include activities, fellowships, people over to our home, etc.

Study the Current Position

Moving forward will be much easier if you know exactly where you are. The first thing your navigation system will do when directing you to your desired destination is determine where your current position is. We must do the same if we are truly going to grow.

The numbers

Ministry is not all about numbers, but it is hard to separate them. I have often referred to the parable of the shepherd who left his 99 sheep to go find the one that had gone astray. Have you ever wondered how did he know he was missing one? He counted! The reason he counted was so that he would know when one was missing. We too must be people (number) conscious from a perspective of, how is everyone doing. So to put together an effective plan, we should study our numbers, faithfulness, attendance this year compared to last year, growth percentages and patterns, etc.

The spirit

The spirit of our class should be assessed. Is it a spirit of revival, growth, and excitement? Or is it dead, stagnant, and critical. In planning for a new year, we must have a pulse on the spirit so we know what direction we need to develop it.

The problems

This is a huge part of the process. We must identify what problems are currently preventing us from moving forward so that we can address them in our New Year plan. It might be our classroom is too small or our class is boring and we need to overhaul our order of service. This honest evaluation will tremendously help in making next year better than this one.

Seek the Lord’s Prescription

It is the responsibility of the leader to get alone with the Lord and get His direction on your ministry. Now as a class of a local church, some direction is given to you from your pastor, but the class should still reflect the Lord’s leading in the life of the teacher as well.

For your life

The best way for your class to grow is for you to show them how by being committed to growth yourself. People do best when they can see what they are supposed to do and whom they are supposed to be modeled for them in the life of their leader. So, we must get with the Lord and ask what His plan is for us for the New Year and how we can grow personally.

For your class

Once we know where the Lord is leading us and we have reflected on our purpose and studied our current position, we are now ready to put together our plan. As we get the Lord’s heart and mind on the matter, we begin to sense His leading as to where He wants our class to go in the New Year. Then we must…

Structure a Plan

A dream without a plan is merely a wish. You can do all of the soul searching you want to do and come up with all of the ideas you can possibly think of, but if you don’t put together a plan of how to implement them, it will not happen! So, we must develop a plan. We should plan…

Plan Outreach

If this is an emphasis in our purpose than it should be an emphasis in our class and plan. Plan how to promote it, keep it in front of the class, and even structure some activities around it.

Plan Curriculum

This is a vital part of an Adult Bible Class and should be carefully and prayerfully planned out. I believe an Adult Bible Class provides a setting to teach very specific to the needs of the people in your class. If you teach a life-staged class like I do, then you can teach very strategically without the pressure of making the lesson applicable to a wide range of people. Pray and ask God what your class needs and what will help them grow and then develop curriculum accordingly. This curriculum should be Bible-centered at its core. It should also be relevant. I teach a couples class and for 75% of the year will teach on marriage and family.

Plan Activities

These are a lot of work if they are done right, but they are really important. People don’t come to my class because of me or my teaching. They come because they feel connected. Having activities provides an environment that fosters the nurturing of relationships and when people are developing relationships with others in the class they become connected and bonded and they stick.

Set Goals

These should be developed from the purpose. They should be tailored for where your class is currently. They should be the specific way to accomplish the Lord’s leading for your class.

Your goals should be…

• Specific
• Measurable
• Action Oriented, not just philosophical
• Realistic
• Timely

As I woke up this morning I was grateful as I considered that I serve a God Who does not change. I have His Word, which does not change. I have an eternal home in heaven that is secured by the blood of Jesus Christ. I had the privilege of leading Alex to the Lord yesterday and that decision will never change.

As I consider four more years with our current leadership as a country, I must admit I was hoping for change. But I am reminded this morning that my greatest hope in is my Savior and His power to change lives!

I, as a Christian and a Patriot, am resolved to:

1. Walk with my God and be closer to Him than ever before.
2. Pray for my President and other leaders of our nation, that they will seek God’s wisdom in all they do.
3. Share the Gospel story more than I ever have before.

I certainly cannot change our nation’s leadership but I can share the life-changing story of Christ with anyone I want today and if they choose Him, they will experience a change that is forever!

I submit a great response to last night’s election is to go and share your faith and ask God to change the people you meet from the inside out.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” I believe in this principle and wanted to share this humorous story with you for the purpose of bringing some joy to your heart on a Monday.

Today is my wife’s birthday. My children and I have planned some special things we will do for her throughout the day. This morning, I thought I would surprise her with her favorite Starbucks as she woke up. The Starbucks down the road from our house opens at 5:00 a.m. I wanted to get there when they opened, buy her favorite drink and a slice of lemon bread, and then bring them home to her.

I got up early and got ready in the dark and snuck out of our room with my iPhone and credit card. I walked through the house in the dark and made my way through the garage door and closed it behind me. I clicked the button on the wall to open the garage door and began walking to my car. It was at this moment I realized that I forgot to grab my car keys! I turned around to go back inside but I had locked the garage door leading into the house. After realizing there was no way back into the house, I began knocking on the garage door. No one answered. :) I walked outside and went to our front door and rang the doorbell… several times. Finally, my wife came to the door and let me in.

I explained to her what I was trying to do and what just happened. We both just busted up laughing. It wasn’t the start I was planning but it was a memorable one! I did go and get her Starbucks and we are looking forward to celebrating later today.

The moral of the story is sometimes the best memories are made when things don’t go exactly as you planned. :)

Tonight, an announcement was made at our church that I thought I would never hear. This evening, Pastor announced to the church family of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church that my family and I were being led of the Lord to begin serving at Lancaster Baptist Church in Lancaster, California. This all began several months ago with the Lord stirring my heart and speaking to me about the possibility that His plans for my future may be different than my plans.

Susanah and I spent months in intense prayer, fasting, and getting counsel. After much struggle, toil, and prayer, we felt not only a confidence but also a peace that God was rewriting our plans and that we needed to trust in Him.

Along the way, I shared my heart with my father and pastor (who happens to be the same person :) ), and he graciously prayed with me through every step of the way. In the beginning of June, I communicated to Him that I felt the Lord was leading my family and I away from Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. We decided to spend that month in intense prayer, and ask the Lord to affirm His leading. At the beginning of July, I met with my dad again and said that the Lord, indeed, was confirming in my heart that He would be leading me away.

Pastor then asked me where I would go, and I told him I did not know as to this point, I had just been praying about whether or not God was going to allow me to stay in Chico. We then prayed for another week and asked for the Lord’s leading. During that week while we were praying, the Lord brought to mind how during the month of June, Dr. Paul Chappell had connected with pastor and asked him if he could communicate with me about some needs there at Lancaster Baptist Church. Pastor spoke with me about that and we just committed it to prayer as we were already praying about what God was doing in my heart and life during that month. So, when pastor and I met again, I asked him if we could pray about the possibility of me visiting Lancaster to determine if it was the Lord’s leading.

We met again on Monday, July 16, and I told pastor that I felt I should go to Lancaster and see specifically what the needs were and if that was where the Lord was leading me. I began to make arrangements for the meeting and had an early morning flight on Thursday. I got to the airport early and made it through security quickly and got to my terminal about thirty minutes before I needed to board.

I found a gate nearby that was empty and sat down and began to read my Bible, and I was reading in 1 Chronicles 28, and came to verse 9 which says, “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.”

When I read this verse, it was as if God said to me, “Son, if you seek Me, I will bless you, and if you forsake Me, I will curse you.” I prayed and asked the Lord to give me a willing heart. As I continued to read that chapter, I came to verse 20 which says, “And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.” It was in that moment that God spoke to me through His Word, and told me, “Son, I am moving you and your family from Chico to Lancaster, and I want you to trust me, and I will give you the strength and courage to do it.”

I was so elated at that moment to think that the creator of this universe would speak directly to me. How grateful I am, even tonight, to be reminded that God speaks my language. I thank God for the work He did in my heart and certainly will never forget it. At the same time, the reality that God was asking me to do the hardest thing to-date in my life was almost overwhelming.

The rest of the trip at that point was really nothing more than a formality as I knew what God was asking me to do. I was officiating a wedding down in southern California and spent much of that weekend with the Lord. I came home and told my wife all that God had done, and on one hand we were rejoicing, and on the other hand we were coming to grips with reality that God was rewriting our dreams.

That Sunday evening, we told our children. On Monday, July 23, I met with pastor and shared with him all that God had done in my heart. Pastor had me address the staff on Tuesday. Since then there have been several meetings in small groups with key leaders and a lot of personal visits and phone calls. Tonight, the formal announcement was made to the church family, and their support was gracious and overwhelming.

I have tried to claim Proverbs 3:5-6 throughout this journey, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” I have asked the Lord to help me lean not unto my own understanding but to let Him lead and direct my paths.

Psalm 23 has spoken to me so much during this season, and I am confident it is the Lord who is leading me, and He will always lead me in the paths of righteousness. This is not about me, but it is for His name’s sake.

There is no problem and we feel in our hearts that we are not leaving Pleasant Valley Baptist Church but rather that God is leading our family away. I love my father, pastor, boss, hero, and best friend with all my heart. This is certainly the Lord asking my family and I to do a hard thing. We love Pleasant Valley Baptist Church and the dear people there.

We are in our eleventh year of pouring our lives into the ministry, and we have done our best to put our hand to the plow and never look back. This is not an opportunity we were looking for or asking for or have taken lightly. The only explanation for this move is that this is the Lord’s leading and it is His will. We covet your prayers for both Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, my family and I.

It is my sincere prayer that the greatest years of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church are just ahead and that people’s faith will not be hindered as a result of what God is doing in our lives but only strengthened. We pray God will use our family for His name’s sake. Thank you in advance for your prayers.

Here is the video of Annalene’s Baptism from Sunday. Susanah and I are so grateful for her tender heart and are praying she will continue to be sensitive to the Lord’s leading. We truly identify with 3 John 1:4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

Annalene’s Baptism Video

I received a letter this morning from a lady I had the opportunity to lead to the Lord on Friday, May 11 with her husband. The letter was such a blessing and an encouragement, I asked if I could share it and was granted permission. I pray it blesses you and reminds you that the power of the Gospel is still life-changing!

Hello Bro. Gabe,

I would like to take the spiritual gifts test you taught about last night and try to hone in on my spiritual gifts from the Lord and grow in my walk as a Christian. I wonder if I have more than one spiritual gift? I feel a hunger that seems to be unquenchable to learn and serve the Lord. I really enjoy the teaching every Sunday morning and evening as well as Wednesday. I have been reading my Bible daily; right now I am reading Proverbs… a chapter a day whatever the date is I read that chapter. I also started with the book of Mathew a few chapters or so a day, and then I am working on my First Steps for New Believers and am on chapter ten. I am going to start memorizing verses one at a time before I move on to the next chapter.

1 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” So far that is the first and only one I have down, but I am faithfully working on growing in the Word daily. 

Both of my children have shared with me a desire to go to school at Pleasant Valley Baptist School. I am so excited to see them grow in the Lord and want to have a Christian education as well. Please pray with us that God will find a way for this to happen for our family. My husband and I feel the desire to attend The Chico Evening School of Bible. We are so excited to learn and grow in the Lord, Bro. Gabe. Thank you for encouraging us to grow and learn the Word of God. Our life has seen so many blessings just in the short time of our obedience of following God’s Word.

Sincerely,

LS

I love the simple lesson learned… God always blesses obedience! Don’t get tired of soul winning! There is a family out there that is just waiting for a change!