S.A.L.T. Seven Areas of Life Training

Instructor s Guide S.A.L.T. Seven Areas of Life Training

SEVEN AREAS OF LIFE TRAINING (S.A.L.T.) INSTRUCTOR S GUIDE, Version 2.0 Copyright 2006 Victorious Christian Living International, Inc. All rights reserved. Seven Areas of Life Training is a registered trademark of Victorious Christian Living International. Scripture taken from the New King James version are marked (NKJ). Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by Permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible are marked (NASB). Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.lockman.org) Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation are marked (NLT). Copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from The Message are marked (MSG). Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson, 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Diagrams and concepts in I Am In Christ, I Am Not My Flesh, Where To Focus, Rejection, and Body and Soul are adapted from material published in the Ins and Out of Rejection, Copyright C. R. Solomon, 1975 and Handbook to Happiness, Copyright C. R. Solomon, 1971, 1989. Used by permission of Solomon Publications, P.O. Box 6115, Sevierville, TN 37864. VCLi is a nonprofit ministry. By your purchase of materials, you are helping to advance biblical discipleship worldwide. Thank you for being a part of the team.

About this Series Learning how to live victoriously in all seven areas of life is the goal of this discipleship series. This series is built around a simple and reproducible Cycle of Discipleship, HEARING, APPLYING, and SHARING. 1 HEARING CYCLE OF DISCIPLESHIP SHARING APPLYING 1 1 HEARING Participants experience the hearing phase when they either listen to the lesson being taught or read through the SALT workbooks on their own. But how can people call for help if they don t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? Romans 10:14 (MSG) APPLYING Participants can apply biblical truths to their everyday lives by answering the questions in the SALT workbooks and by taking action on what they have learned in each chapter. Don t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! James 1:22 (MSG) SHARING Participants experience the sharing phase when they share what they are learning with a friend or in a SALT group. Encourage your SALT participants to share what they have learned using Sharing SALT with a Friend at the back of the individual workbooks. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24 (NLT) When participants hear, apply, and share the truth, they grow! And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2 (NKJ) Copyright 2006, VCLi, Version 2.0 i

Seven Areas of Life Training (SALT) is a comprehensive discipleship series that addresses issues in all seven areas of life. We recommend you cover the workbooks in the order that they have been laid out in this guide. 1. Spiritual My Relationship with God 2. Psychological My Mind, Will, and Emotions 3. Social My Relationship with Others 4. Physical My Body 5. Financial My Money 6. Marital My Marriage 7. Parental My Children SALT lessons can be used in small groups, Sunday School classes, weekend seminars, or taught from the pulpit. Overview This SALT Instructor s Guide is your step-by-step guide to leading a group and/or teaching the lessons in the Seven Areas of Life Training. Each chapter in this guide corresponds to the chapters in the individual SALT workbooks. Leading a SALT Group The Leading a SALT Group section tells you everything you need to know to facilitate a group. It steps you through topics like types of group formats, what your responsibilities are, and your first SALT group meeting. Teaching SALT The Teaching SALT section explains everything you need to teach the SALT lessons. It steps you through how to use the teaching tools provided in this guide. Lesson At-A-Glance In each chapter of this guide, you will find an introduction to the lesson that we have titled, Lesson At-A-Glance. This page gives an overview of the lesson. It includes the key verse, lesson summary, and the completed diagram. Group Guide After each Lesson At-A-Glance, you will find a Group Guide for each chapter. This Group Guide provides questions to ask your group for that lesson. Lesson Notes After each Group Guide, you will find the Lesson Notes. This scripted guide contains everything you need to say when teaching the lesson. Text boxes are included to remind you to share how each message has impacted your life. Training for Group Leaders (Optional) If you are interested, a suggested plan for training all of your group leaders is provided. They will learn how to facilitate a SALT group and how to teach the lessons. As you launch the SALT discipleship series in your church or ministry, your group leaders will feel excited and confident about helping you. ii Copyright 2006, VCLi, Version 2.0

Table of Contents LEADING A SALT GROUP...iv TEACHING SALT viii Spiritual Area of Life I Am Not God.1 I Am In Christ.9 I Am Not My Flesh..15 I Am Accepted.23 Psychological Area of Life Who to Know...29 Where to Focus...37 How to Decide...43 What to Believe...51 Social Area of Life Rejection...59 Judging Others...65 Forgiveness.71 Loving Others.....77 Physical Area of Life Your Earthly Tent 83 God s Plan for Your Body 89 Body and Soul.97 Physical U-Turn. 105 Financial Area of Life Financial Freedom...113 Give Generously...121 Spend Wisely.127 Invest Carefully.135 Marital Area of Life Two Becoming One.143 Psychological Intimacy..149 Spiritual Intimacy...155 Restoring Intimacy..161 Parental Area of Life Parenting Styles...167 Acceptance First..173 Accountability Second...181 Reaching Fulfilled Adulthood...187 TRAINING FOR GROUP LEADERS...195 Copyright 2006, VCLi, Version 2.0 iii

LEADING A SALT GROUP Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24 (NLT) Group Purpose The purpose of a SALT group is to: Bring the participants into a closer relationship with the Lord. Help the participants apply biblical truth to their real-life experiences. Provide a safe place for participants to share their lives, thoughts, and questions. Give hope, healing, and encouragement. Your Responsibility As a group leader, your responsibility is to: Be prepared for each meeting. You do not need to be an expert! Facilitate conversation and keep the group on topic. Pray for the group. Format Discussion Only In the Discussion Only format, there is NO teaching. During the week, the participants read and answer the questions in their workbook. The group time is spent discussing what they have learned. (See First Week and Following Weeks ) Teaching and Discussion The Teaching and Discussion format is the same as the Discussion Only format except the next chapter is taught during the final thirty minutes of the group. Group begins with a discussion of the lesson and ends with the teaching for the next week. During the week, the participants read and answer the questions in their workbook. This format requires you to be one week ahead of the class in preparation. (See First Week and Following Weeks ) Location - In a home, church, or any place where people can share openly. Size - A good size for a SALT group is between six to twelve people. Length - One hour and a half to two hours is recommended. Duration One chapter per week would complete one workbook each month. iv Copyright 2006, VCLi, Version 2.0

Be Prepared To do before first week Choose Discussion Only or Teaching and Discussion format on page iv. Read through the section Group Dynamics on page vi. Read through the section First Week on page vii. To do each week Review the lesson for the week and personally answer the questions in the workbook. If you are choosing to teach the lesson in the group, prepare by reading over the teaching notes. (see Teaching SALT on page viii) Pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit. Pray for the group to be honest and transparent with each other. What you will need Whiteboard and markers, OR Computer, Power Point projector and SALT Power Point CD The SALT discipleship series is built around the use of diagrams. The diagrams are constructed piece by piece. To teach these lessons, you will need a whiteboard and markers, SALT Power Point slides or an overhead projector so you can draw them for the participants. What the participants need SALT workbook Paper Pen or pencil We recommend that the participants use the diagram page provided at the end of each chapter (in their SALT workbook) to draw the diagram. Encourage them not to read along in their workbooks while you are teaching. The participants will need paper if they don t have a workbook. Copyright 2006, VCLi, Version 2.0 v

Group Dynamics Guidelines Here are four guidelines that will help your group be successful. 1. Invite everyone to share, but not to dominate the conversation. Sharing does not include talking negatively about others or using hypothetical scenarios. 2. Encourage the group to be a safe place by listening to each other without being critical. 3. Encourage confidentiality. Information shared in the group, stays in the group. 4. Encourage honesty and transparency. (Exceptions would be graphic details of sexual sins or judgments about others.) People who cover over their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy. Proverbs 28:13 (NLT) Getting People Involved For each lesson, briefly share your story. When you are real and share from your own life experiences, the people in your group will feel free to do the same. Gently draw out those who don t participate with questions like: What do some of the rest of you think? or Does anyone have anything to add to what is being shared? or I would like someone who hasn t shared today to answer the next question. Another option for involving everyone is to have a circle response. Ask a question and say, Let s go around in a circle and have everyone share his/her answer. Thank those who share openly and honestly. Affirm the person s answer. For example, I appreciate you sharing your heart with us. Thank you for your honesty. Ask questions to help keep the discussion going. Here are some examples: How did you feel about that? How has the Lord spoken to you about this truth? What does this verse say to you? What does that look like in your life? Communication Tips As people are sharing, show you are listening by nodding your head, leaning forward, and giving eye contact. When appropriate, you may want to gently repeat back the main points of what the person said. vi Copyright 2006, VCLi, Version 2.0

First Week Introduction Welcome everyone to the group. Have everyone introduce him or herself. Explain Purpose The purpose for this SALT group is to provide encouragement by bringing us all into a closer relationship with the Lord, helping us apply biblical truth to our real-life experiences, and providing a safe place for us to share. Hand out Workbooks Make sure each person in the group has a workbook. Show the participants how the workbook is set up with diagrams, questions, and a page for drawing the diagram. Share Group Guidelines Explain what you would like the group interaction to look like. Refer to Guidelines page vi. Teaching If you are doing the Discussion Only group format, skip this section. If you are doing the Teaching and Discussion format, teach from the Lesson Notes for week one (see Teaching SALT ). Teaching takes only twenty to thirty minutes. Homework Ask the group to read the first chapter in their workbooks, answering the questions as they go along. This will prepare them for the group discussion the next week. Close with prayer. Following Weeks Review Review this week s lesson in one of the following ways: Read the Summary from the Lesson-At-A-Glance for this week s lesson. Draw and explain the diagram using the Lesson-At-A-Glance page. To get the group more involved, ask someone to draw and explain the diagram. Discussion Ask the questions in the Group Guide for this week s lesson. Teaching If you are doing the Discussion Only group format, skip this section. Teach using the Lesson Notes for this week s lesson. Homework Ask the group to complete the lesson for next week by reading the text and answering the questions. Close in prayer. Copyright 2006, VCLi, Version 2.0 vii

TEACHING SALT Proclaim the Message with intensity challenge, warn, and urge your people Just keep it simple. 2 Timothy 4:2 (MSG) This Instructor s Guide leads you through teaching the lessons step-by-step. The text, scriptures, and diagrams are included for an easy presentation. Each chapter in this guide corresponds to the chapters in our individual SALT discipleship workbooks. Each message can be presented in thirty minutes or less. You do not need to be an expert teacher to present these lessons. Lesson At-A-Glance This page gives an overview of the lesson. It includes the key verse, lesson summary, and the completed diagram. The left hand margin contains tips for you to keep in mind as you teach. You may teach from this page if you understand the key principles and how the diagram is split apart. Lesson Notes The Lesson Notes contain a step-by-step guide to teaching each lesson. Emphasize Key Points Emphasize key points as they appear in the left hand margin of the lesson. Reading the text gives you all you need to say to teach the lesson. Read the Scriptures The Lesson Notes also contain the scriptures for the lesson. You may want to get the participants involved by asking them to read some of the verses. Share Your Story The text boxes remind you to share a personal testimony of how the lesson has impacted your life. When you share openly about your life and struggles, it draws the listeners into your presentation and helps them understand how to apply these truths to their own lives. Build the Diagram This series is built upon the use of diagrams. The diagrams should be constructed piece by piece to form one completed diagram by the end of each chapter. Building the diagram is easy as you teach from the lesson notes. The words in all caps in the left hand margin are the words you need to add to your diagram at that point in your teaching. viii Copyright 2006, VCLi, Version 2.0