Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
February 4, 2024
WINTER 2024
Together . . . in Christ Jesus
January 7 – February 13, 2024
Preaching Voice: Apostle
Caring and Feeding . . . Together!
Apostle
Prophet
Evangelist
Shepherd
Teacher
SHEPHERD: At its core, the shepherd is the vocation tasked with creating and maintaining healthy community, promoting the common good, encouraging people in the faith, and ensuring the welfare of the people as well as the broader society in which the community abides.
-Alan Hirsch, 5Q
He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;
from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.
Psalm 23 Shepherd:
-Head
-Heart
-Hands
-Hope
TEACHER: The teaching function is about mediating a particular type of practical wisdom and philosophical understanding nuanced by the biblical worldview. A teacher therefore will largely be concerned with helping people gain insight into how God wants them to see and experience their world. As such, they will seek to bring theological truth and shape the consciousness of God’s people to be consistent with that truth.
-Alan Hirsch, 5Q
Teachers foster lifelong learning, encourage a love for the Scriptures, facilitate theological development, assist in constructing a Biblical worldview, and lead God’s people in understanding the Word of God.