NJITS Correspondence Bible School

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NJITS Correspondence Bible School

The Correspondence School of Ministry is a new spiritual, educational training track of the New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies. Suite 160 440A Whitehorse Pike Atco, NJ 08004

Location: Camden NJ
Members: 43
Latest Activity: May 15, 2014

Discussion Forum

Why Did Job Suffer?

Started by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D Jan 23, 2011. 0 Replies

Should Ordination Require Seminary or Bible College?

Started by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D. Last reply by Darren Lamar Maclaire Jun 25, 2010. 16 Replies

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Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on August 12, 2009 at 10:16am
Mark the Text
There are many ways to do this. I like to use colored pencils. You can find some at an office supply. I have a pack of 12 colored pencils by Berol. They have a soft lead and wear down easily (require a lot of sharpening), but they also show up better than the harder colored pencils. Also, "highlighters" can be used, but bleed through to the other side of the page on the type of paper used in many Bibles.
Let's look in some example text in 2 Timothy 4:1-8. This is one paragraph with many elements that allow for the demonstration of inductive techniques.
Verse 1 "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:"
Always mark the words God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Jesus, LORD, and any other Names of God. You may want to choose a certain color for the Names of God. I like to mark with a yellow pencil. Or, you may choose to mark with a symbol of some kind over the word you are marking. For instance, over the word Christ, you could draw a red cross. The idea is not to be overly concerned on what kind of marking method to use, but that the text is marked.

Let's continue and make comments as we go along. You have hopefully marked God and Christ Jesus in verse 1. Go to verse 8 and mark LORD and Judge. We are marking Judge because the context points to a particular kind of judge, a righteous judge. This is a reference to Christ and is being used as a Name of God.
Go back to verse 1. The word judge appears here, too. Notice how judge now becomes a key to understanding the paragraph. The phrase that is connected to judge is "the living and the dead". In verse 8, Christ is called the Righteous Judge. So, at the beginning of the paragraph we have what Christ is to do. At the end of the paragraph, we have Who He is.
Further, another element that you always want to look for is that of contrast. Contrast is one of the laws of composition employed by the Author of a particular work of literature. It is also the easiest to identify. We deal with it every day. It is the use of opposites, like hot and cold, black and white, tall and short, etc. In verse 1, we have living and dead. Anytime you come across living, Life, alive or dead, Death,and dying in Bible study, it is time to give attention. Life and Death are themes that are played out all through the Bible and completely demonstrate the law of contrast.
Mark living with a lively color. I use green. Mark dead with a not so lively color, like brown. Since the paragraph begins with contrast, that is a clue to look for more. Look through the rest of the paragraph.
Do you see any other instances? Perhaps not side-by-side. So, let's look at it a different way. Let's look and see what words are words that are characteristic of life and of death. How about in verse 5, the word sober (watch-KJV, watchful-NKJV)? This is representative of life, is it not? How about words that represent death? Nothing really stands out, yet. So, let's dig a little deeper...
Paul, in verse 5, after instructing Timothy to be sober, continues with endure, do, and fulfill (make full proof-KJV). These three verbs indicate life and living, so mark them.
Notice in verse 2, Paul tells Timothy to preach the word. The phrase, "the word" appears often in the Bible. In this case, the context indicates more about "the word" and who will hear the word and what they will do with the word. Jesus, in Mark 2, preached the word to those in the house at Capernaum. In John 6:68, Peter confesses that Jesus has the words of eternal life.
The phrase "word of life" appears over 400 times in the Bible. So, let's revisit our paragraph and look for instances where word and living are represented. Look at verses 3 and 4 - mark the word, sound doctrine and truth in green. Now, in relation to the dead, look at verses 3 and 4 again - mark desires (lusts-KJV) and myths (fables-KJV) in brown.
Now, did you notice that the phrase "His appearing", in verse 1, is repeated in verse 8? Since this phrase is repeated in the same paragraph, and especially because it is placed at the beginning and the end of the paragraph, it warrants being marked.
At this time, we will sort of connect the dots. With your green pencil, draw a line from living, in verse1, to sober, in verse 5. Draw similar lines from living to endure, do, and fulfill, in verse 5. Also, draw lines from the word in verse 2 to sound doctrine, in verse 3 and truth, in verse 4. Then, with your brown pencil, draw a line from dead, in verse 1 to desires, in verse 3 and myths, in verse 4. Be patient, more will come to light in a moment.
Let's examine verses 5-7. In verse 5, Paul is giving Timothy some instructions. By reading the context, especially verse 6, we see what kind of instructions that Timothy is receiving—final ones. Paul is ready to go on to his reward and he wants Timothy to carry on. Paul has done what he expects Timothy to do. In verse 7, he says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;". Paul tells Timothy to endure hardship, in verse 5. In verse 7, Paul says he, himself, has fought the good fight. Is not enduring hardship as an evangelist the same as fighting the good fight? See how Paul urges Timothy on by asking him to do nothing he did not himself do? Doing the work of an evangelist and fulfilling the ministry is the course that Paul has finished and the faith he has kept.
In between verses 5 and 7 is verse 6. Paul is seeing the time of his departure. His language here and in verse 7, especially the phrase, "finished the course" is like that of a runner in a race. Paul is passing the baton, like a relay runner, to the next runner, Timothy. This runner in a race language continues in verse 8, in the phrase, "crown of righteousness", which is what Paul and every faithful Christian will receive. Verse 6 illustrates another literary technique- transition. Paul is talking about Timothy in verse 5 and himself in verse 7. So, in the margin next to verse 6, write the words "passing the baton".
Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on August 2, 2009 at 9:19am
Correspondence School of Biblical Studies



New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies

Chaplain Mark H. Stevens
1 Cooper Plaza Room 104
Camden NJ 08103
CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL STUDIES

ACCELERATED BIBLICAL TRAINING SERIES

The Correspondence School of Ministry is a new spiritual, educational training track of the New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies. This condensed, correspondence format will allow many of the basic courses of NJITS to be offered in a time frame better suited to the demands and time constraints of busy adults; particularly many of whom are already actively involved in ministry.

COORESPONDANCE format
The Correspondence Manual is to be read and the test at the end of the lesson book is to be taken and mailed back to the School for grading. The test can be taken with an open Bible. Some answers to the questions are NOT found in the manual but require the taker to study the scriptures for the answer.





Challenging studies
The goal of this course is to challenge the student to study the Word with intensity and diligence. There will be other study books coming out in the near future.

Affordable and bible based
Practical, anointed, and insightful spiritual training at an extremely reasonable amount.

· The total cost for the manual and the certificate after completion is only $40.00

· The material is packed with Bible based doctrine that will enable you're the student to be the man or woman of God you need to be. This is NOT a replacement for the training you SHOULD receive in your local church BUT it WILL enhance it greatly.



The Dean of the New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies

Elder Mark H. Stevens is an ordained Elder in the COGIC. He is the Dean of the Charles Harrison Mason Bible Institutes of New Jersey and the founder of The New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies. As a Chaplain he ministers at Cooper Trauma Center in Camden. He is also a staff Chaplain at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital and Cooper Trauma Hospital.



Elder Stevens graduated from the Institute of Jewish Studies, a School of the Philadelphia Bible University. He is an ETA (Evangelical Training Association) certified Bible Teacher. He holds a BA in Theology from Freedom Bible College and Seminary, and a Masters in Ministry from Freedom. His calling is that of Teacher. His classroom and pulpit is wherever the Lord leads him. This course is the first of many. Service men, hospital patients, and the incarcerated need training just like everyone else and THIS is a great start!
Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on August 2, 2009 at 9:18am
There are several reasons why we need apologetics.
The first and most obvious is because we are commanded to defend the faith: 1 Peter 3:15 says, "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."
Second, we need apologetics because it helps Christians know their faith. This is something that is sadly lacking among believers. Most don't know much about their faith, let alone be able to describe the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, His physical resurrection, or even to tell the difference between justification and sanctification. Apologetics helps to define and defend what the truth of the gospel is.
Third, apologetics is an attempt to keep people out of hell. God takes sin very seriously, and He will punish those who have rebelled against Him and are not covered in the blood of Christ. As Christians, we should be motivated to present the truth of salvation in Jesus. We should not sit idly by and ignore the dilemma of the unbeliever. We need to tell them that sin is real because God is real, and that breaking God's law has a consequence. Since we have all sinned, we cannot keep God's law perfectly. Also, we cannot undo the offense to an infinitely holy God because we are not infinite or holy; the only thing left for us is to fall under the judgment of God. But God has provided a way for us to escape that judgment. That is why God became man in Jesus. He claimed to be God, (John 8:24,58; compare with Exodus 3:14). Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross, (1 Pet. 2:24). By trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, we will be spared from the rightful judgment of God upon the sinner. Salvation is not found in Buddhism, Islam, relativism, or in one's self: It is only found in Jesus. We need to not only defend God's word and truth, but also present the gospel to all people so they can escape the judgment to come.
Fourth, we need apologetics to counter the bad image that Christianity has received in the media and in culture. Televangelists and their scandals--both sexually and monetarily--are a disgrace to Christianity. The Catholic church hasn't helped with its scandals involving priests. On top of that, the media is very biased against Christianity, and you will see negative opinions of Christianity promoted everywhere.
Fifth, we need apologetics because there is a constant threat of apostasy in the visible Christian church. Such is the case with the Metropolitan Community Church denomination, which openly advocates the support of homosexuality in violation of scripture (Rom. 1:18-32). Also, as of 2002, the Evangelical Lutheran Church is in risk of apostasy by entertaining the idea of accepting homosexual relationships into church. "The United Church of Christ set up a $500,000 scholarship fund for gay and lesbian seminarians Friday and urged wider acceptance of homosexuals by other denominations." (United Church Makes Gay Scholarship, CLEVELAND, June 16, 2000, AP Online via COMTEX). Or "The supreme court of the United Methodist Church was asked Thursday to reconsider the denomination's ban on gay clergy." (Church court of United Methodists asked to decide on gay clergy ban, NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Oct. 25, 2001, AP WorldStream via COMTEX). Such examples are demonstrations of the incredible need for defending biblical truth within those churches that claim to be Christian.
Sixth, another reason we need apologetics is because of the many false teachings out there. Mormonism teaches that God used to be a man on another world, that he brought one of his goddess wives with him to this world, that they produce spirit offspring that are born into human babies, and that you have the potential of becoming a god of your own world. The Jehovah's Witnesses teach that there is no Trinity, that Jesus is Michael the Archangel, that there is no hell, and that only 144,000 people will go to heaven. Atheism denies God's existence, openly attacks Christianity and is gaining ground in public life and schools. Islam teaches that Jesus was not God in flesh, that Jesus did not rise from the dead, and that He did not atone for our sins. It teaches that salvation is partly based on one's works and partly based on Allah's grace. It teaches that the Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel (Surah 2:97; 16:102); that Jinn are unseen beings created (51:56) from fire (15:27; 55:15); and that Muhammed was greater than Jesus. Even within the Christian church there are false teachings. We can see that from both within the Christian church and outside of it, false teachings are bombarding believers (and nonbelievers) all over the world.
Seventh, the rise of immorality in America is a threat not only to society but also to Christianity. This is a serious issue because an immoral society cannot last long. The Barna Research group statistics show that 64% of adults and 83% of teenagers said moral truth depends on the situation that you are in. 19% of the adult population believes that "the whole idea of sin is outdated." 51% believe that "if a person is generally good, or does enough good, he will earn a place in Heaven."
When a society's morals fail, the society fails. Just look at history and think of Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece or present day Enron, Watergate, and White House interns. Immorality seeps down into all areas of our culture. Consider this: In the New York Times, online, of May 12, 2002, in the article "With Games of Havoc, Men Will Be Boys," the author, Warren St. John, interviews some players of what he says is a very popular video game. One young man says, "What I like to do is get in the car and drive around and do drive-by shootings. You can haul someone out of their car and beat on them and steal their money and their car. It's kind of amusing that you have that ability." .... A publicist from Long Island says the game's allure comes down to "just going on killing sprees." Not all video games are violent, but the fact that it is so popular and that the youth are being trained up by them is very disturbing.
I am not advocating a theocratic socio-political rule administered by stern Christians wearing black-and-white outfits and tall hats. But these kinds of social trends are disturbing, and they reflect a moral decline in America, where what is good is called evil and what is evil is called good. God tells us in Phil. 4:8, Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. We cannot ignore God's word without a consequence.
The eighth reason we need apologetics is because schools are not friendly to Christianity. My own experience in non-Christian schools was a strong awakening to the unprovoked hostility that exists in school, where the philosophy teachers, history teacher, and even the art teacher all took shots at Christianity. Don Feder in the Conservative Chronicle, in his article of Sept. 22, 1993, titled "Fighting Censorship, PAW Does it Its Way," said that in some junior high libraries, book titles included The Joy of Gay Sex and How to Make Love to a Single Woman. There is an impressions series for grades one to six which promote the New Age and the occult; a controversial drug education program called Quest, which tells students that they alone can decide whether or not it's OK to use drugs; as well as texts that direct students to fantasize about suicide, attack religion and undermine family authority. Following is an email I received that represents the hostility of secular schools.
Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on August 1, 2009 at 6:40pm
Correspondence School of Biblical Studies



New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies

Chaplain Mark H. Stevens
1 Cooper Plaza Room 104
Camden NJ 08103
CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL STUDIES

ACCELERATED BIBLICAL TRAINING SERIES

The Correspondence School of Ministry is a new spiritual, educational training track of the New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies. This condensed, correspondence format will allow many of the basic courses of NJITS to be offered in a time frame better suited to the demands and time constraints of busy adults; particularly many of whom are already actively involved in ministry.

COORESPONDANCE format
The Correspondence Manual is to be read and the test at the end of the lesson book is to be taken and mailed back to the School for grading. The test can be taken with an open Bible. Some answers to the questions are NOT found in the manual but require the taker to study the scriptures for the answer.





Challenging studies
The goal of this course is to challenge the student to study the Word with intensity and diligence. There will be other study books coming out in the near future.

Affordable and bible based
Practical, anointed, and insightful spiritual training at an extremely reasonable amount.

· The total cost for the manual and the certificate after completion is only $40.00

· The material is packed with Bible based doctrine that will enable you're the student to be the man or woman of God you need to be. This is NOT a replacement for the training you SHOULD receive in your local church BUT it WILL enhance it greatly.



The Dean of the New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies

Elder Mark H. Stevens is an ordained Elder in the COGIC. He is the Dean of the Charles Harrison Mason Bible Institutes of New Jersey and the founder of The New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies. As a Chaplain he ministers at Cooper Trauma Center in Camden. He is also a staff Chaplain at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital and Cooper Trauma Hospital.



Elder Stevens graduated from the Institute of Jewish Studies, a School of the Philadelphia Bible University. He is an ETA (Evangelical Training Association) certified Bible Teacher. He holds a BA in Theology from Freedom Bible College and Seminary, and a Masters in Ministry from Freedom. His calling is that of Teacher. His classroom and pulpit is wherever the Lord leads him. This course is the first of many. Service men, hospital patients, and the incarcerated need training just like everyone else and THIS is a great start!




http://askthechaplain.blogspot.com/
Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on August 1, 2009 at 6:01pm
The Correspondence School of Ministry is a new spiritual, educational training track of the New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies. This condensed, correspondence format will allow many of the basic courses of NJITS to be offered in a time frame better suited to the demands and time constraints of busy adults; particularly many of whom are already actively involved in ministry.
 

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