Redeeming the Time

THE GOAL OF PRODUCTIVITY

There is no better time to become more productive than now. Now is always at hand, and it is your duty to redeem the now in order to be more productive in the future. The more you redeem the now the more you accomplish things that need to get done for the future. This is simple logic. If you can be so focused as to accomplish more than an average person by being organized, you will cram two lifetimes into one. And yet, the redemption of time is not an easy task. It takes, what I call, “focused planning”. Focused planning is nothing more than an organizational skill.

FOCUS RESULTS IN PRODUCTIVITY

In addition to my Theological studies, the writing of weekly sermons, daily blog posts, preparing Bible studies, teaching high school, college and graduate courses, I read books on business, management, leadership and how to organize the various tasks I must undertake to remain productive. These have been a tremendous help to me without which I would probably be so discombobulated that nothing would get accomplished let alone make any sense.

In order to successfully accomplish many things you need to be organized so that you can focus. Focus results in productivity. IN an age of multitasking the art of focus and organization is quickly becoming a thing of the past. If you are not organized you cannot focused. If you are not focused then you cannot perform any of those crucial things needed to get done well. The books and periodicals that I gravitate to are those that offer real solutions to these everyday problems of organization, focus and management. I read them through the lens of Scripture and apply them to my vocation as pastor, teacher and dean of the New Geneva College and Seminary.

THE 86,400 TIME DEPOSIT

Each of us is given a time deposit every 24 hours of 86400 seconds. We are called to spend each second being productive God-ward. In other words we are to make every second count. This means that even the time being spent sleeping must be productive in that you are to get a good night of rest. For some it is eight hours, some nine, others far less. That leave the rest of the day to deciding how to invest the remainder of the time. One thing to remember, you cannot save up any of those seconds for later. They all must be spent each 24 hour period. That is the deal. Then, if God is merciful to you, and if you have redeemed the time faithfully, He invests another 86400 seconds into your life to see how you will spend that. It is all up to you.

TIME REDEMPTION

God commands the Christian to “redeem the time for the days are evil.” There are two parts to this commandment that should be considered. First, we need to be sure that we are not wasting the time allotted to us by God in frivolous or sinful pursuits. This means that in whatever we do, we do it with a mind to the advancement of the Kingdom of God as it concerns our family, church, community and vocation. Second, the Apostle tells us that we ought to redeem the time ‘because the days are evil’. The implication of this phrase is that each day is filled with things which seek to take you away from your focus in your duty to advance God’s Glory. The word ‘evil’ means to influence away from good to follow that which is wicked. In this context evil implies ‘sinful distraction’.

As a result of the frailty of the flesh, all men, Christians included, are susceptible to worldly distraction. This means that focus is blurred, re-directed, or nonexistent. Thus, the Christian is admonished to redeem the time as a defense against such a distraction. He is commanded to re-focus and not to let the chaos of the world remove him from his task.

GET IT ON PAPER – REFER TO IT OFTEN

The only way to do this is to write it down and constantly refer to it. Once you write out your plan the noise of the world is muted and you are able to focus upon a concrete written agenda. You must write down everything that you need to do. Omit nothing. Write down everything. Get everything that is in your mind out of your mind and put it on paper. Then systematically review it, do it, and mark it as done. Once you begin this exercise, your focus will refine and your productivity level will be elevated.

The New Challenge

For too long the Christian community has neglected a crucial component of Biblical education. While it is true that churches and seminaries have been educating since the Medieval ages through our modern time with fervor, it may not be the kind of education that Scripture commands.

What is Biblical Education?

Biblical Education is the process whereby individuals, both children and adults are taught Biblical principles in order to think God’s thoughts after Him, so as to apply them faithfully in every and all situations of life. This education must include God’s Law in its general precepts and each of His case Laws of the Old Testament.

Biblical Education is Goal and Future Oriented

Education is goal oriented as well as future oriented. Every aspect of education has an agenda. Every curriculum has a purpose, a goal.  Education is structured to accomplish a certain agenda. That agenda is either man centered or God centered.

Christian education must be Biblically centered and Theologically accurate. It must have the future of God’s Kingdom in view as well as the many generations which will come after the present one. Christian education trains the upcoming generation by giving them the Biblical tools for dominion. Educational agendas can either produce stagnation, by omitting the all important  aspect of application to a discipline, or it can encourage progress in advancing righteousness. The failure of Biblical education is not so much a neglect on teaching proper theological truths, but rather the failure is a result of neglecting the emphasis on how to apply that material to every area of life with a view to dominion.

Biblical education has everything to do with dominion. Through Biblical teaching doctrines are learned, understood, and embraced. Those concepts and case laws are then applied though intensive leadership training. Yet this leadership training is not to be thought of as something which stands apart form or alongside Biblical training, or a training which comes after the learning is completed.  On the contrary, leadership training is integrated into every fiber of the education process so there is no distinction between what is learned and how it is to be applied in the societal order.  Theological teaching which neglects the conscientious instruction on its cultural application produces pietistic individuals void of those leadership skills which are required to fulfill the Great Commission. Theological instruction cannot remain truncated nor relegated to the arena of religion, family or church life. It must be taught from a Dominion perspective.

At New Geneva we seek to provide a dominion platform which teaches the student what is necessary to combat the forces of Humanism and tyranny. Integrated into every course are the challenges of what to do to change the world with the information taught. Geneva is dedicated to cultural challenge for cultural change God-Ward, and it accomplishes this by focusing upon Applied Theology.

 

The Malady and The Cure

One of the challenges Christendom faces is visibility. It may seem odd that while Christianity, in some form or another, is in the majority in America, yet it remains on the defensive against the onslaught of wickedness. Obviously there is something very wrong .

Geneva teaches its students how to be heard amidst the noise of thousands of other voices with the Biblical Doctrines that made the European Reformation the most influential historical movement in the history of Western Civilization apart from the Coming of the Christ and the early church.

It teaches how to be proactive. It emphasizes how each student can be a determining factor in the culture God has providentially placed them in. Christians are called to be part of the cultural equation instead of sitting on the side-lines hoping for a Biblical leaders to come along. Geneva is bent upon training and grooming those leaders instead of encouraging them to wait for one.

What is Geneva’s Practical Philosophy?

1. Get into the battle. Begin to compete with the assumptions and ideologies of Humanism wherever it exists. This means that the governing official as well as the clergy need to be challenged along with the common folk.

2. Learn how to re-focus the community. Since people are generally distracted and not very well grounded in the Truth, Geneva students are taught to re-align the local community through those that will listen. By re-focusing the community each student can bring the people to critical mass on any given topic. It is through this re-focusing via educating and challenging that change begins.

3. Get Connected. The students at Geneva are encouraged to connect and network with other students and like minded people in order to set a plan in motion.

4. Solve problems – don’t whine about them. At Geneva we seek to solve the problems of society. Whining and complaining about what is wrong with the community or the nation solves nothing. What Christian higher learning organization ought to be focusing on is how to change the culture through solving problems Biblically. This is a leadership challenge that can only be successfully met through the application of Scripture to every element of civilization.

These are just a few examples of New Geneva’s practical philosophy. This must become the new model for all Christ Centered institutions if America is to see a reformation and liberation from the approaching storm of tyranny and persecution.

New Geneva’s Mission for the Advancement of Christ’s Kingdom

The Mission of New Geneva is simple. “Training Christian leaders to effectually advance the Kingdom of God and the Crown Rights of King Jesus through applied theological scholarship for the transformation and reconstruction of the world.” While this is a simple statement its ramifications are enormous. What Geneva is actually seeking to accomplish is global conformity to the Word of God in every area of life. Of course this begins with the individual.

Individual devotion to this idea is essential. It is an incredible task yet one that is assured to come to pass by the Inspired Word of God.

Not everyone is ready for that challenge. In face none can even consider that challenge without the intervention of God the Holy Spirit. Geneva is interested precisely in those people; individuals that have the zeal and passion of Christ to change the “is” to the “ought”.

Geneva’s student body is not satisfied with the way things are, and therefore they study so as to make that which is, into that which ought to be according to God’s Law-Word.

Geneva will be adding a number of undergraduate courses this year including a course in Film making and in the philosophy behind Quantum mechanics, all of which are taught from a Biblical presupposition.

In addition to our undergraduate courses Geneva is pleased to announce the opening of its Graduate School with the following courses available:

COURSE LISTING

MACS : Master of Applied Christian Studies

SYS THEO 320   Advanced Systematics   6 Credit Hours
COV THEO 400  Covenant Theology   4 Credit Hours
OTS 400           Old Testament Survey   4 Credit Hours

NTS 400            New Testament Survey   4 Credit Hours
NTT 400            New Testament Theology   4 Credit Hours
HER 400           Hermeneutics   4 Credit Hours
PTA 400           Philosophy, Theology & Apologetics    6 Credit Hours
HIST 400         Church History   4 Credit Hours
THEO 430        Historical Theology   4 Credit Hours

MAR : Master of Applied Religion

All of the Above courses plus:
PHIL  400   Advanced Apologetics   6 Credit Hours
HIST 410   Biblical View of History   4 Credit Hours
HIST 420   Reformation History   4 Credit Hours
THEO 440  Distinctives of the Reformed Faith   3 Credit Hours
HIST  460 The Life and Global Influence of John Calvin   4 Credit Hours
HIST  490 The Gospel of the Reformation   3 Credit Hours
 
M. Div. Master of Arts in Divinity

All of the Above courses plus:
PTR 400  Pastoral Theology I     3 Credit Hours
PTR 420  Pastoral Theology II   3 Credit Hours
PTR 500 Pastoral Theology III   3 Credit Hours
PTR 520 Noutheic Counseling   6 Credit Hours
BIBL 320 Homeletics/Rhetoric   4 Credit Hours
BIBL 400 The Reconstruction of Preaching   6 Credit Hours

Th.D. / Ph.D. Doctorate Degrees 

Doctoral studies in Puritan and American Theological Development Th.D.
Doctoral studies in Christian Education  Ph.D.
Doctoral studies in the Christian Philosophy of History Ph.D.
Doctoral studies in Presbyterianism  Ph.D.
Doctoral studies in Political Philosophy and Government  Ph.D.
Doctoral studies in Evangelism & Revival  Th.D.
Doctoral studies in Authentic Christianity  Th.D.
Doctoral studies in Biblical Law  Th.D.
Doctoral studies in Biblical Economics  Ph.D.
Doctoral studies in Biblical Hermeneutics Th.D.

For further inquiry you may contact Rev. Paul Michael Raymond at pastor@hisglory.us