The Service & The Servant

Service Challenges

• Objectives
• 1) The Dogmatic servant
• 2) The servant and New addictions
• 3) The servant and Far away persons

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I) The Dogmatic Service

• Objectives
• A) Importance of Dogmatic teaching
• B) What are the dogmatic beliefs of the Coptic church
• C) How to attach dogmatic facts to your lesson

A) Importance of Dogmatic teaching�

• Most of the sermons, meetings and Sunday school focus on spiritual topics ( which are very important) e.g
• Repentance
• Love
• Virtues
• Heaven
• Jesus miracles, etc….
• Social issues

A) Importance of Dogmatic teaching�

• 1) Ignoring Dogma in teaching led to odd ideas & new heresies e.g.
• 1) No need for different subgroups in Christianity but rather include all in one belief because we are one body
• all orthodox, Catholics, protestants, Lutheran, presbyterian should pray together and have communion together

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• 2) Accept the new social challenges ( abortion, same sex marriage , etc..) as a form of tolerance to minority

A) Importance of Dogmatic teaching

• 3) No life after death / no true heaven or Hell,
• 4) No Hell, it is just an expression for distance from God

5) No real torture because God is very merciful

• 6) God does not care about my body ( gays, Lesbian, abortion, drugs, smoking, tattoos, wedding …….)
• 6) Adam is not the first creation
• 7) Adam & Eve story is a made-up story
• 8) Jesus Christ is not a real person or might be someone who has little impact on people around him
• 9) The Christian preachers & popes made Jesus God in Nicene council

B) What are the dogmatic beliefs of the Coptic church�

• 1) God existence and the only creator of all
• 2) Holy Trinity
• 3) The original sin
• 4) Redemption and salvation
• 5) Incarnation & crucifixion & resurrection
• 6) Jesus second coming
• 7) Jesus is the just judge
• 8) Heaven and Hell

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• 9) Church sacraments
• 10 ) Intercession
• 11) Human strife & heavenly grace
• 12) God traits ( love, kindness, justice, longsuffering …)
• 13) Symbols of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament
• 14) Symbols of crucifixion in the Old Testament

How to attach dogmatic facts to your lesson

• Try to present God and his traits
• Try to mention God justice ( reward the righteous & punish the evil doers)
• Try to focus on the sin and its destructive consequences
• Try to focus on symbolism of the cross & salvation in Old Testament
• Try to focus on God’s promises & their fulfillment
• Try to teach dogmatic verses not only spiritual ( e.g sacraments, salvation, just judge

Fr Abraham

• Symbol of The father offering the son
• the son willingly accepted to be a sacrifice
• Isaac as a symbol of Jesus

Joseph

• Similarity between Joseph and Jesus

Moses

• Similarity between Moses and Jesus

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• Manna as a symbol of Jesus Christ

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• The Bronze serpent as a symbol of Jesus Christ

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David

• Similarity between Joseph and Jesus

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Daniel

• Daniel visions and its meaning

Hosea

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God as a loving Father

The New Testament

Miracles attest to his Godhead not just miracles

The New Testament

Miracles attest to his Godhead not just miracles

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The New Testament

Presence of evil in the world

God is a loving father

Ministry of Apostles

• Jesus gave his disciples the authority to make great miracles

II- Service of the New Addictions

• 1) Phone addiction
• 2) Games addiction
• 3) TV series & movies
• 4) Sports
• 5) Fun ( getting together, eating out , going out)
• 6) Porn addiction
• 7) Vaping
• 8) Drugs

New Addictions

• Vaping and ADHS

Management of New Addiction

• 1) Acknowledge the problem
• 2) Prophylactic talks with parents in a conference lead by the priest or senior servants or specialist
• 3) Group discussion (pros & cons)
• discuss the final outcome on your career
• 4) One on one discussion
• 5) Create at home activities ( bible quiz, Agpyae prayer, craft, writing a story, wall journal, critique of social issues from Christian views, memorization ( hymns, verses, stories)
• 6) Family chores at home to evade isolation

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Management of New Addiction

• 7) encourage part time work & saving for a personal goal

8) Forming mentor groups out of them to help younger generation in keeping order in the church & choir / play service

• 9) The role of sports is important
• 10) Engagement different ministry in church ( scout, kitchen, festival, plays, choir, cleaning
• 11)Family involvement with the kids and the church activities ( festival/ trips/ fund raising )
• 12) Abouna involvement with the students
• 13) Specialist consultation

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III. The servant and Far away persons

• 1) Acknowledgment and identification
• 2) Reasons for falling away
• 3) Suggestions for solutions

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Objectives

III. The servant and Far away persons

1) Acknowledgment and identification

• We have to accept the fact that some are missing , even lost
• Remember Jesus went off his way to
• 1) Talk to the woman with flow of blood
• 2) Talk to Samaritan woman
• 3) talk to Zacchaeus
• So you must dedicate some time for individuals

2) Reasons for falling away �

• Newcomers from Egypt can not fit in
• Recent move in the area
• Old siblings, no one know about them
• Being busy with Work and sports
• Arguments with servants and priests
• Exclusion from social activities ( choir, play, party, teams,…
• Unreligious parents
• Life of sin or addiction

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3) Suggestions for solutions �

• 1) try to do every possible effort to identify them
• A) ask about older or younger siblings and cousins
• B) ask about the list of students from previous classes
• C) talk to senior servants who have more experience
• D) Talk to Abouna to identify newcomers

3) Suggestions

• 1) Dedicate certain servants at different levels ( elementary, middle, …
• 2) try social activities ( going out, day at the park, coffee shop, festival ,…..
• 3) try one on one relation
• 4) Try to solve problematic issues
• dispute with servants or Abouna
• exclusion from activities ( choir , play, sport teams……..
• Balance between work, sport and religion
• send text message, daily verse , daily saint story
• visitation

3) Suggestions

• Be patient, be patient
• Keep trying after short intervals
• Prayer. Prayer. Prayer
• Then frequent meetings
• “ Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.”Acts 15:36”

Test your work with fire

• God would reward you if you became succesfull
• For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:10-11).

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