Grace Evangelical Society

P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202
  • About
    • Home
    • Beliefs
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
  • Resources
    • Grace in Focus Blog
    • Grace in Focus International Blogs
    • Grace in Focus Radio
    • Grace in Focus Magazine
    • Free eBooks
    • Journal of the GES
    • Book Reviews
    • Partners in Grace Newsletter
    • Audio Messages
    • Videos
    • Email Subscription
    • Bookstore
    • Online Tracts
  • Store
    • Main Page
    • On Sale
    • Return Policy
    • Your Cart
    • Your Account
  • Events
  • Seminary
    • Seminary Info
    • Fall 2023 Classes
    • GES Seminary Curriculum
    • GES Seminary Faculty
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Free Grace Church and Bible Study Tracker
    • Free Grace Jobs
    • Ministry Links
  • Donate
    • One Time Donation
    • Monthly Donation
    • Your Account
  • Search
Home
→
Grace in Focus Articles
→
Becoming a Man of the Book

Becoming a Man of the Book

March 1, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Grace in Focus Articles

By Shawn Lazar

Are you an elder? Do you hope to become one? Are you trying to raise them up in your church? If so, Donald Norbie has some practical advice.

In his booklet, Shepherd the Flock, Norbie summarizes the qualifications and functions of the elder. One qualification is being “able to teach” (1 Tim 3:2). Teach what?

The Bible. The truths of God’s Word.

Hence, Norbie says the elder “is to be a man of the Book” (p. 22).

No one is born that way. You have to become a man of the Book. But where can you start? Norbie says it takes discipline:

This means he will discipline himself to spend hours studying God’s Word. He will build a helpful library with aids to help him in this life-long study of the Bible. A good exhaustive concordance, Bible dictionary and an [sic] one volume commentary will start him on the path of building a library. He must be “holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict” (Titus 1:9). Like the priest of old he is to be a custodian of the Word of God (Mal 2:7). He must spend hours studying so he can feed God’s people (Shepherd the Flock, p. 23).

Are you studying to become a man of the Word?

It takes time. And anything that takes time takes discipline.

I find the best way to maintain that discipline is to teach a class, going verse-by-verse through a Bible book. Whether it’s a Sunday school class, a Wednesday night Bible Study, a Sunday evening sermon series, or even a lesson around the dinner table, you will learn the most through preparation.

If you feel called to be an elder, you need to discern whether you can teach. Why not start by teaching a Free Grace Bible study in your home?

One of the biggest needs around the world is for more Free Grace churches. But whereas starting a church may be too daunting, starting a Bible study is easier and can fill a need for grace teaching in your area. Plus, you can list it on our Free Grace Church and Bible Study tracker for others to find.

____________________

Shawn Lazar lives in Denton, TX, with his wife Abby and their three children.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Shawn_L

by Shawn Lazar

Shawn Lazar (BTh, McGill; MA, VU Amsterdam) was the Editor of Grace in Focus magazine and Director of Publications for Grace Evangelical Society from May 2012 through June 2022. He and his wife Abby have three children. He has written several books including: Beyond Doubt: How to Be Sure of Your Salvation and Chosen to Serve: Why Divine Election Is to Service, Not to Eternal Life.

Cart

Recently Added

September 22, 2023

What Does it Mean to Have “Great Faith”?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio/podcast. Today, Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates are talking something Jesus mentioned, namely “Great Faith.” What was Jesus talking about?...
September 22, 2023

Believing in Jesus for an Insecure Salvation? 

We post many of the messages from our annual conference on our YouTube channel. We’ve been putting up one per week. I like looking at...
September 21, 2023

Is Faith a Choice?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio/podcast. Today, Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates are responding to a question about faith. What is it? Which comes first–faith...

Grace in Focus Radio

All Episodes

Listen on Google Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Grace In Focus Magazine

Grace In Focus is sent to subscribers in the United States free of charge.

Subscribe for Free

The primary source of Grace Evangelical Society's funding is through charitable contributions. GES uses all contributions and proceeds from the sales of our resources to further the gospel of grace in the United States and abroad.

Donate

Bookstore Specials

  • Faith Alone in One Hundred Verses $15.00 $10.00
  • Six Secrets of the Christian Life (Second Edition, Includes Study Questions) $6.00 $4.00
  • The Gospel Under Siege: Faith and Works in Tension $15.00 $10.00
  • Tough Texts: Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Works? $15.00 $10.00
  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Paperback) $6.95 $3.00
Grace Evangelical Society

(940) 270-8827 / ges@faithalone.org

4851 S I-35E Suite 203, Corinth, TX 76210
P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube