Doing God's Business God's Way: A Biblical Theology of Ministry

by George J. Zemek

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2004

Overview

This book calls all genuine disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, both vocational ministers and lay people, to serve our Savior by carrying out His marching orders His way. This demands that the doctrines of man, sin, salvation, the Word, and the Spirit have full sway in all that we do in the name of Christ. Whatever we are engaged in, whether witnessing to the lost or carrying out our various other responsibilities (e.g., preaching, teaching, counseling, and encouraging), we must be divinely directed by the practical implications of God's grace. Then we, as faithful channels, may joyously come to understand that it is God who causes any and all growth (1 Corinthians 3:6).

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Key Features

• Examines God’s will from both a methodological and theological standpoint
• Features several Greek and Hebrew sentence diagrams
• Includes a comprehensive scripture index

Contents

• Part I: Sin
  • Total Depravity
    • Man’s Polluted ‘Roots’
      • The Realities of the Fall
      • The Results of the Fall
    • Man’s Profane Reputation
    • Man’s Perverted Reasoning
    • Man’s Perpetual Resistance
      • An Inspired History: Romans 1:18–32
      • An Inspired Review: Romans 3:9–18
      • An Inspired Synthesis: Romans 5:6–10
  • Total Inability
    • Primary Affirmations of It
    • Preliminary Applications of It
  • Remnants and Restrictions
    • Intimations of Sin’s Remnants
    • Implications of Sin’s Restrictions
  • Satanic Complications
    • His Tactics with the Lost
    • His Tactics against the Saved
• Part II: Salvation and Sufficiencies
  • The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
    • Sample Assertions of This Fact
    • Sample Amplifications of This Fact
      • God Is the Architect of Salvation
      • God Takes the Initiative in Salvation
    • Sample Illustrations of This Fact
    • Sample Implications of This Fact
  • The Sufficiencies of God for Service
    • Our Sufficiency in Hand
    • Our Sufficiency ‘in Heart’
      • Some Historical Emphases on This Sufficiency
      • Some Biblical Expressions of This Sufficiency
• Part III: Sharing and Serving
  • Scriptural Models for Ministry
    • ‘Thus Saith the LORD’ Models
    • Models from a Couple of Reformations
    • Our Lord’s Model
    • Models from the Book of Acts
      • Invalid Constructs
      • Valid Continuities
    • Paul’s Model
      • Synthesized from his Commands
        • What to Avoid
        • What to Do
      • Summarized in His Testimony
  • Suggested Methods for Ministering
    • Sharing the Gospel
    • Serving the Saints
      • Counseling
      • Teaching and Preaching

Top Highlights

“hardness [i.e. their morally impervious callused condition] of their heart” (Page 24)

“Although the biblical principles that our project will exhibit may be of the greatest benefit to vocational Bible teachers, apologists, pastors and the like because they are in ‘full-time ministries,’ the practicality of these precedents needs to grip every Christian.” (Page xii)

“‘Preach the Word!’ (2 Timothy 4:2). Please note the simple, yet profound, significance of this command’s syntax: ‘(You) preach (i.e. herald; or proclaim) the Word!’ The content of our preaching must therefore be the Word and nothing but the Word. We must not simply preach about it or spring-board from it; we must clearly expound all the facets of every text’s contents. Consequently, genuine textual exposition is the only acceptable means to that end.” (Page 123)

“As he more deeply ponders the purity of God’s law and the terrorizing holiness of its Author, he sees his life not measuring up. This deeply disturbs him, however, not to the point of depression but rather to new levels of dependence. As in the case of initial salvation, so in the case of sanctification, Christ is our only hope. We are to keep on growing in Him (cf., e.g., 2 Peter 3:18).” (Page 36)

“As a designation for the totality of Scripture, ‘law’ pictures God’s Word as showing His way to men” (Page 67)

Product Details

• Title: Doing God’s Business God’s Way: A Biblical Theology of Ministry
• Author: George J. Zemek
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 154

About George J. Zemek

George J. Zemek received his doctorate of theology at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. He began his teaching career at Grace College in the Greek department from 1975 to 1977. During that period he also served as a part-time instructor in the Homiletics department of the seminary. From 1977 to 1988, he was a full-time professor of biblical languages, theology, and apologetics, serving also as the seminary’s director of doctoral studies from 1985 to 1988. Beginning in 1988, he taught for six years at The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, California. Zemek then became the founding pastor-teacher and professor, respectively, of Grace Bible Church and Training Center in Brandon, Florida. Since 2000 he has served as the director of The Ministry Training Center at The Bible Church of Little Rock in Arkansas.