Search Our Essay Database

Essay Instructions: Read David L. Thompson’s Bible Study That Works (Nappanee, Indiana: Evangel, 1994 [128 pgs.]) and write a 2-4 page (single-spaced) overview of the IBS method. Read the whole book but focus your writing on “Part Two: Studying Scripture” (Chapters 3-6, pp. 32-94). Be sure to include all five major steps of the method in your overview: (1) Observation; (2) Interpretation; (3) Evaluation: (4) Application; and (5) Correlation. You may compose it in either outline or paragraph form. Write the overview in such a way that it serves as a practical guide to using the method. Pretend that you are going to share this information in a Sunday school class on “How to Study the Bible.” Try not to get bogged down in unnecessary details. Stick with the main features of the IBS method. Also, at the end, create a BRIEF list of comments, questions,problems/reflections based upon the book "Bible Study that Works (listed above)/method. Thank you

Essay Instructions: Write a theology of ministry paper. It needs to provide a clearly articulated discussion of the nature and purpose of Christian ministry by responding to the following questions:
1. How do you define ministry?
2. What does it mean to be Christian (be sure to incorporate a Christian understanding of the person and passion of Christ)?
3. What is your view of God, truth (is all truth God’s truth), and
Scripture?
4. What is your view of the nature of persons (determined vs. free;
depraved vs. image of God; holistic vs. atomistic;)?
5. What is your view of the church (nature, purpose, mission)?
6. What is your view of education (how do people learn and grow)?
7. What is the relationship between your response to the questions above
and the practice of ministry?
8. In light of your views and your context of ministry (or anticipated
context of ministry) what are people’s needs?
9. What practices are needed to meet those needs?

** You may also incorporate insight from additional published
literature. Academic APA form and style including footnotes and
bibliography are required.
Grading Criteria:
• Critical and informed engagement with the foundational issues
• Significance of biblical/theological understandings
• Grasp of relevant social science insights
• Congruence between foundational beliefs and suggested ministry
practices
• Meaningful articulation of your theology of ministry in context
• Quality and quantity of incorporation of course concepts
• Quality of the writing ??" Clarity, organization, concision

Note: My context of ministry: An old African-American UMC congregation where it is extremely difficult to implement any kind of change. The surrounding community is mixed in terms of races, family structure and economics. yet the congregation has made no efforts to engage the community. There is a need for discipleship among the children and youth but there isn't any being done. There is regular Bible Study which is poorly attended. The congregation is historically conflicted.

My view of the nature of humans: FREE, Image of God
I believe that all humans beings were created in the image of God as stated in Genesis 1. I believe that all human beings now need to be in a salvivic relationship with Jesus the Christ (Romans 3:23). I believe that all human beings can be in such a relationship with Christ (John 3:16). I believe that human beings also have the ability and will to accept or reject the grace that Christ offers to everyone. Because of God's great love for humans, His grace is at work in our lives even before we realize it. As a matter of fact, it is this grace that prompts us and allows us to know that God is reaching out to us. Some choose to reject this gift but it should not deter us from sharing it with them as God shared with us while we were yet sinners. Therefore, in attempting to educate anyone about God's gift, we should take into consideration their history and their larger story to help us to know how to relate and share.

My view of truth:
John 17:17 says: "Thy word is truth". The opening verses of John's account of the Gospel story teaches that God Himself is the Word (the Bible). However, the Bible itself as we have it, can seem to say different things about the same issue as is noted in the synoptic Gospels. 'Truth' therefore, may seem to be subjective. On closer look, the truth is not necessarily a word for word account of anything but rather a principle. Therefore, my belief that Scripture is true is based on the story that is told throughout; that of God's redemptive grace offered to all people. Because I believe this, I approach ministry with a heart that reaches for the places that I can share God's love in spite of what my eyes see or my ears hear. This has served me well in ministry because it has prevented me from giving in to the judgemental mode that kicks in so easily when I love with my eyes or ears only. My belief that the Bible is true is based not simply on the premise that it is the 'word of God' but more on the Bible's interaction with humanity. (PLEASE DO NOT USE THE WORD 'INFALLIBLE' TO DESCRIBE SCRIPTURE')

My view of church and education:
The Church is made up of those who have responded to God's gift of salvation and are growing relationship with God. The church should resemble Christ in work, study and life. Almost every time I share devotions at one of my church meetings, I read Acts 2:42-47 and invite the members to participate in holy conferencing.
One of the main tasks of the church is to disciple/educate. This is done in various ways depending on culture, style and expected outcomes. Discipleship is not about theoretical instruction only - it actually takes place as it is modeled. I think of Deuteronomy 6 and how God informs us this should take place. I always feel myself drawn to vs. 6 over and over because it says to me that in order for me to disciple, God must first be in my heart; I cannot effectively teach what I have not embodied.
There are faxes for this order.

Essay Instructions: Guidelines for Option A
If you are a believer, then you are required to witness to an unbeliever (as defined by this course) during the time restraint of the course. The encounter that you write about must be face-to-face or on the phone (not a virtual encounter ??" via internet, email, IM, etc.) and it must occur while you are enrolled in this particular course.

You are not permitted to document a “mock” or “role-played” witnessing encounter. If you strike up a conversation with someone and discuss your faith with him/her but through the conversation you find out that he/she was already saved prior to your conversation, you must find another individual who is not saved to witness to and document the account for this Report. You are not required to witness to a stranger; you may witness to anyone who is not a believer even if it is a family member, co-worker, or friend.

PART ONE ??" What method of evangelism did you use and how did you start the conversation? What method did you use? Why did you choose to use that method? How did you start the conversation? NOTE: use Friendship method

PART TWO ??" What was the reaction (questions/comments/statements) of the unbeliever? For example, was he/she hostile, penitent, curious, confused, etc? Explain, offer examples, paraphrased quotes, etc.

PART THREE ??" How did you conclude the conversation in order to follow up? If the person accepted Christ, did you give him the name of a church to attend, invite her to a Bible study, give your phone number, give a Bible, etc.? If the person did not accept Christ, did you set up another time to talk, give him a tract, invite her to church, give your phone number, etc.?


Customer is requesting that (hophead) completes this order.

Essay Instructions: WRITER REQUEST: HEIDEGER

I am requesting the writer with the username Heideger to complete this order. To successfully complete this project, the student will need to skillfully use a number of resources including:
• Reputable Bible Dictionaries
• A thorough Bible concordance
• Reputable Bible commentaries
• Required and recommended course textbooks and professional journal articles
• Fairly comprehensive course notes from classroom attendance and participation
• Interaction with other students

Part 1: Begin the project by doing a thorough word study in the Bible of terms and their variations like counsel, advice, wisdom, plan, help, etc. Define the terms using Bible dictionaries. Document the range of situations in the Bible involving these concepts by using the Bible concordance. Then, using the Bible commentaries, detail a couple of situations from the Bible that, in your opinion, best illustrate what a biblical view of counseling is all about. Be sure to state the reasons for your opinion using the biblical data as support.

Part 2: Next, compare/contrast your views on what you learned about what the Bible has to say about what counseling is and is not with what you have learned about professional views of counseling. Give attention to ethical considerations including how professional codes of ethics are congruent or incongruent with biblical principles of counseling. Particularly relate this information to your current understanding of how you will be functioning in the role of counselor. Do NOT submit a paper with 25 year old references as your primary sources. Do not get off into citing/quoting others who believe “Bible only” is the only appropriate source in counseling. That is NOT what the assignment calls for. When doing the word study, do not simply “proof text” the paper. This is a research paper. You MUST cite Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and concordances in addition to Bible verses. Remember, with this option, only eight of the 15 required sources may be from books and/or electronic Bible study sources. The rest of your sources should be from professional journal articles.

Part 3: Finally, include a section on how what you have learned biblically and professionally about counseling affects you personally. Include your thoughts about implications for decisions regarding educational/training preparation, the setting and context of where and how you will counsel, the types of counselees you will work with, and even how you see all of this affecting your personal, family, and church life.

As usual, papers are to be presented in APA style. The body length is to be 11 pages and 15 references minimum, so you will want to be selective about the words you use. The “Guide to Understanding Letter and Numerical Grades” will help sharpen the focus of your work.

Suggested Outline for the Body of the Research Paper

Your research paper must be in APA format, which includes the title page, abstract, and reference/works cited page. See the grading template for the research paper for further details to be aware of. The outline below is suggested for the body of the paper and appropriate levels of heading. This outline is suggested, but not required. However, if you make changes, be sure they are consistent with APA format. Remember, the outline is designed to help you structure your paper, but it is not a comprehensive example of what to include. You will need to do a word study on more than just the two words used as examples in this outline, but follow the same levels of heading.

On the first page of the body of your paper the basic headings and subheadings should look something like this, remembering to use one-inch margins according to APA style.


Research Paper 3
Title of Your Paper
Provide a couple of paragraphs of introduction to your paper. Let your reader know what your paper is about, how you’re going to accomplish that, and something of how the paper is organized. Do not simply copy your abstract, though.
Also include brief descriptions of the main sections of your paper including the word study, the compare/contrast, and personal application sections.
Biblical Words Related to Counseling
Develop a brief paragraph or two describing the word study and how you accomplished it. Provide an overview of the words studied, resources used, and key themes identified through your study. Then, go to the level of detail of each word.
Counsel
Provide the word study of counsel and its derivatives. Give some general information about the word here and, then, provide more specific information using the section heading format that follows.
Old Testament Usage. Describe how the word is used in the Old Testament, covering the key points in the Guide for Successful Completion of the Research Paper and the grading template.
New Testament Usage. Describe how the word is used in the New Testament, covering the key points in the Guide for Successful Completion of the Research Paper and the grading template.
Advice
Provide the word study of advice and its derivatives. Give some general information about the word here and, then, provide more specific information using the section heading format that follows.
Old Testament Usage. Describe how the word is used in the Old Testament, covering the key points in the Guide for Successful Completion of the Research Paper and the grading template.
New Testament Usage. Describe how the word is used in the New Testament, covering the key points in the Guide for Successful Completion of the Research Paper and the grading template.
Compare and Contrast Biblical Views with Professional Views
Introduce and develop the compare/contrast section using the Guide for Successful Completion of the Research Paper and the grading template to make sure you cover the main points of the assignment. If helpful, use appropriate levels of heading to organize the section.
Similarities between Biblical and Professional Views of Counseling
Present your views on similarities between biblical and professional views of counseling. Be sure to cite and reference the sources upon which your statements are made.
Differences between Biblical and Professional Views of Counseling
Present your views on differences between biblical and professional views of counseling. Be sure to cite and reference the sources upon which your statements are made.
Personal Application
Describe the “so what” of having completed the word study and the compare/contrast sections. Feel completely free to use 1st person pronouns in this section, since it is appropriate to do so here. See the Guide to Successful Completion of the Research Paper for more detail on what to include in this section.
How to Do a Word Study

To complete the word study section of the research paper, you will need to use Bible dictionaries and commentaries. These resources can be found in print form or on several different websites, including www.crosswalk.com and www.blueletterbible.org. You can also purchase scholarly Bible study programs such as PC Study Bible and Logos Bible Software which have various levels of libraries available. Regardless of the sources you use, you MUST document your sources in APA format. This includes the article or entry title, the author and/or editor, date, publisher, page number, etc. Basic citation information is typically provided with the electronic sources, but you are responsible for making sure that information is in proper APA format.

Begin by looking up key words in one or more Bible dictionaries. Note the Hebrew and Greek words that have been translated into the English word you looked up. Ideally, you want your word study to focus on Hebrew words used in the Old Testament (OT) and on Greek words used in the New Testament (NT). In many instances, you will be able to study these words using Strong’s numbers, which will then link you to other word study tools like lexicons and other dictionaries. How many times is the Hebrew or Greek word translated? What patterns of usage can you identify? Describe the range of meaning of the terms. How are OT and NT usage similar or different? Do this for counseling-related terms such as counsel, advice, plan, purpose, instruction, etc.

Next, identify and explain a couple of key Bible passages (at least one OT and one NT) that capture the essence of what biblical counseling is. How do the passages illustrate the important concepts identified through the word study? Use Bible commentaries to assist you in proper interpretation of the passages, being sure to cite and reference your sources in appropriate APA format. Examples in the APA manual of other dictionary and reference book entries will help.

The word study forms the basis for your compare/contrast section. Based on your word study, how is a biblical view of counseling similar to and different from what you’ve learned about a professional view of counseling? This section of your paper is where you incorporate principles from the word study with professional literature from journal articles and textbooks. Remember, this is a graduate-level research paper, not an opinion paper. You must support your opinions and document your sources.

Your word study and compare/contrast sections form the basis for the personal application. Based on what you learned doing the word study, and based on the similarities/differences identified, what are the implications for you as a professional counselor? If you are going to be biblically consistent in your work with clients, what professional attitudes/activities can you approach with vigor and which ones must you approach cautiously? What challenges does all of this pose for you personally if you are going to be successfully “integrated” in your work with clients?