What We As The Church Are To Be Doing

8/10/8
What We As The Church Are To Be Doing
Even 100 years out the church was flawed
A good model for us is the early church in acts
Peter preached and 3000 souls were added to them
The priorities for the New Testament church are
1. Number i priority is to study the Word
2. Fellowship - basic to the early church Koinonia
Connection - we are connected through many different things
We divide over even more - we divide over what church - the question should be are you going to church - we divide over baptism - are you sprinkled or immersed - the question should be are you walking in the spirit?
We major in the minors - does Jesus ever look down and think "how Sad"?
God doesn't see denominational lines
Inward things are more important than outward differences
Sharing - kinship - share with one another
all had everything in common was how sharing worked itself out in this particular early church - this was not universal or forever
Is god calling us to sell everything - communism? No - scripture is usually one of two types - prescriptive - something we should follow, or descriptive - something God is reporting.
Prescriptive - prayer, communion, baptism
There were some problems, Paul was taking up offerings for them - they were in trouble partly because of persecution and partly because they had sold everything.

Prescriptive - they saw their stuff was not their own but tools to use for the kingdom 1 Timothy 4:32
no one in their midst had any need - as they saw the need they filled it
our stuff is to be used to honor God in any way He wants.
God becomes for us the living God because that is sharing
Partnership - We are not made to survive alone - parts of the body cannot survive alone. The body can survive but there will be limitations
If you leave the body - it wil survive but there will be limitations because God has a roll for everyone to play.
Hebrews - stir one another up
Protection against an unGodly culture
Early church saw Koinonia as critical

2nd timothy 7 Pictures of Encouragement

Leadership or pastoral epistles (letters)
1 Timothy was more a nuts and blots how it is all to run kind of letter
2 Timothy more personal - Paul pours out his heart to his son in faith and protege

May have been Paul's last letter
Paul is in prison again. The first time he was in prison in Rome it was house arrest - people could pretty much come and go as thye pleased. He makes his appeal and probably preached the gospel to caesar nero. Some scholars think that Nero's insanity could be attributed to him rejecting the gospel. Paul was released and went to Spain to preach and Nero got crazy and starting burning the place down. Paul was arrested again and this time he was in a dungeon awaiting execution. As he writes this letter to Timothy it is probably getting close to the end for him. We need to be aware of his situation and perspective as we read the 7 examples he gives Timothy who from past reading seems to be sickly, afraid, and a bit of a cry baby
1. HImself - how he trusts God though trials
For I know who I have believed and and persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed until that day 2 Timothy 1:12
Even in his situation he tells Timothy he is not ashamed - thanks God for Christ who abolished death

This is the heart of the apostle even though he is getting close to death
He prayed - he saw his prison as an opportunity to pray and be used in a different way

2. A teacher - be strong in the grace that is Jesus Christ - to be strong or good at your relationship with the Lord, This matters for eternity.
The word BE in be strong is passive - it doesn't come from you.
doesn't mean work harder (do more Jesus push-ups?)
Be in Jesus - depend on His strength, abide in Him, yield to Him
Peter says to cast your cares on Jesus - you push them up to him and just like anything you push uphill, gravity brings it back down. You keep pushing it up to Jesus and you develop muscles (or a habit) of pushing things up to Jesus - you get strong from being found more and more in the Lord.

Then - give it away - pour into others.

The teacher is a link in the living chain that stretches all the way back to Jesus Christ.

We pour into others what God has entrusted to us.
"Milk many cows, make your own butter"

3. Soldier - a good soldier on active service - ready to serve at a moments notice. Don't entangle ourselves in the things of this life. This doesn't mean it is wrong to have things - it is wrong for our things to have us.

We are in a battle - the enemy is trying to take us and our kids out.

if we have hang-ups, secret sins we don't want to let go of.
Be ready to please the one who has enlisted you - The Lord is who we are to live for.

4. Athlete - compete according to the rules. from athleo - struggle/contend
this is a marathon - a life time commitment to the Lord
We need to be willing to put out a little spiritual sweat for the Lord
Eternity is at stake - what God wants to do through us matters - according to the rules
Breaking the rules can negate 2 Timothy 2:11-13
11 This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
12 If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.

If you don't want to love Him or have Him rule over you He won't - He won;t push Himself on you, but even when we are faithless, He is faithful.

Blessings continually flow from the Lord when you show up - you draw near to Him and He will draw near to you

5. Farmer - gets up early, stays late. Doesn't wait for it to be convenient. The farmer is also patient to wait for God to do the work. He plants and cares for the crops but waits for God to cause them to grow. Be obedient but then wait for the Lord to work

Farmer is the first to partake - be the first to do the spiritual things - don't just exhort others - do it yourself - lead by doing

6. Workman - rightly dividing the Word of truth - not the body of Christ
a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17Their teaching will spread like gangrene

Don't waste time arguing about things that have no eternal value

The answer is always in the Word - the answer is always the Word

story about 2 young men. One wants the other to smoke pot with him and says hey, it was made by the Lord - how can it be bad?
possible answer: All things were good before sin came into the world
What day is the sabbath? Romans 14:5-6
5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.

"Not essential to my salvation"

7. Like a vessel of honor - an instrument for noble purposes in this life.
20In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Cleanse yourself - flee from youthful lusts
Everyone - even old folks struggle with youthful lusts
pursue righteousness
With those who call out, we lock arms, become vessels of honor, prepared for every good work
Know WHOM you believe and trust that WHOM because He went to the cross for you.

Tuesday Night Handout Beatitudes Part 4

Beatitudes Part 4

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Matthew 5:6

I. Introduction
Satan was not satisfied living in God's glory
Isaiah 14:13-14 tells what he wanted, verse 15 – what he got

Nebuchadnezzar lusted for praise just as Lucifer lusted after power
Daniel 4:29-30 What he wanted
Verse 31 – 32 What he got

The rich farmer in the parable Luke 12:16-21

Because they hungered for the wrong things and rejected God's good things, they forfeited both.

The American Declaration of Independence asserts that “Citizens have the right to the pursuit of happiness. Sadly most US citizens like people through history, have chosen to pursue the wrong kind of happiness in ways that provide no kind of happiness.”

II. Necessity For Spiritual Hunger
Hunger and thirst represent physical needs. Food and water are required for physical life and righteousness is required for spiritual life.

A starving person has a single all - consuming passion for food and water.

Those who are without God's righteousness are starved for spiritual life.

We are all created with a heart that has a sense of inner emptiness and need but without God we do not recognize what the need is or what will satisfy it. Like the prodigal son, we will eat pig's food because we have nothing else.

Isaiah 55:2 Jeremiah 2:13

We are warned not to “love the world or the things of the world” 1 John 2:15-17

Those who belong to the King hunger and thirst for the King's righteousness. They desire that sin be replaced with virtue and disobedience with obedience. They are eager to serve the Word and will of God.

The first three beatitudes are essentially negative. Poverty of spirit, turn from self-seeking; Mourning, turn from self-satisfaction; Meekness, turn from self-serving

The fourth beatitude is more positive and is a consequence of the other three.

When we put aside self, sin, and power and turn to the Lord, we are given a great desire for righteousness. We want to obey God while still struggling with flesh.

III. Meaning of Spiritual Hunger

Moses - over and over Moses sought and saw God's glory Exodus 33:11

Burning bush
Miracles and plagues
Parting of the sea
pillar of cloud, pillar of fire
God's Glory over the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle


Because Moses continually longed for God, he found favor.

David - Psalm 63:1
Paul - Philippians 3:9-10
Peter - 2 Peter 3:18

John Darby wrote " To be hungry is not enough, I must be really starving to know what is in God's heart for me. When the prodigal son was hungry, he went to feed on the husks. When he was starving, he turned to the father.

IV. Object of Spiritual Hunger
For the unbeliever - salvation
For the believer - sanctification

Salvation - The Jews' greatest obstacle to receiving the gospel was their self-righteousness, their confidence in their own holiness and purity, which they imagined was created by good works. The Messiah told them however, that the only way to salvation was hunger and thirst for God's righteousness to replace their own self-righteousness, which was really unrighteousness.

Isaiah 51:5
Daniel 12:3

Sanctification - For believers, the object of hunger and thirst is to grow in the righteousness received from trusting in Christ. That growth is sanctification.

Philippians 1:9-10
Matthew 5:48
1 Peter 1:15-16

Jesus speaks of the only true righteousness - that which comes from God - God's own righteousness which He has in Himself

Because it is God's own righteousness, we can't ever have our longing satisfied in this life, so we continually hunger and thirst (more and more) until the day we are clothed in Christs' righteousness.

V. Result of Spiritual Hunger

Being Satisfied chorazo~ was frequently used of the feeding of animals until they wanted nothing more.

Jesus pronouncement is that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be given total satisfaction. Our part is to seek, His is to satisfy.

"Paradox - because though saints continually seek God's righteousness, always wanting more and never getting all, they nevertheless will be satisfied. We may eat steak or our favorite pie until we can eat no more, yet our taste for those things continues and ever increases. It is the very satisfaction that makes us want more.

God's satisfying those who seek and love Him is a repeated theme in the Psalms.
Psalm 107:9
Psalm 34:10
Psalm 23
Jeremiah 31:14
John 4:14
John 6:35

VI. Test of Spiritual Hunger

There are marks of genuine hunger and thirst for God's righteousness

1. Dissatisfaction with self - Romans 7:24
2. Freedom from dependence on external things for satisfaction. A hungry man cannot be satisfied by an arrangement of flowers or beautiful music. These things are good, but they don't have the ability to satisfy hunger. Neither does anything but God's own righteousness satisfy the person who has spiritual hunger and thirst.
3. Craving for the Word of God, the basic spiritual food He provides for His kids. A hungry man does not have to be begged to eat. Jeremiah 15:16
4. The pleasantness of the things of God Proverbs 27:7 Hebrews 12:6
5. Unconditionality - When spiritual hunger and thirst are genuine we will make no conditions; they will seek and accept God's righteousness in whatever way He chooses to provide it and will obey his commands no matter how demanding they might be. The least of God's righteousness is more valuable than the greatest of anything we posses in ourselves or that the world can offer.

The Rich young ruler wanted only the part of God's kingdom that fit his own plans and desires, and he was therefore unfit for the kingdom. His conditions for God's blessings barred him from them.

The spiritually hungry want only Christ and what God in His wisdom and love sovereignly provides through Christ - whatever that may or may not be.

Psalm 119:20
Isaiah 26:9

What The church is to Do

What is the Church Series continued

Review
Purpose of the church
1. Body in-reach
2. Believers out-reach
3. Bride up-reach

Leaders
Head of the church is Christ
Elder/Bishop/Pastor
three words meaning same position, elder speaks of the man, bishop speaks of the ministry, and pastor speaks of the method
Deacon/deaconess (servant)
Saints (minister to each other)

What are we to be doing as a church Acts 2:40:47

40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

There were 2 to 3,000 people meeting in the newly born church and there are 7 things listed that they were doing and their numbers were added to.

The first thing mentioned was
1. They studied the apostles doctrine.
Getting into the Word was to be the number one priority of a congregation. The contemporary expression of this is bible study - both corporately and privately.

Public - preaching is central Acts 6
3Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

They were not saying that they were too good to serve - they wanted everything taken care of and the Word needed to be their priority. (my question - do we in the traditional churches set ourselves and our pastors up for failure because we expect their priorities to be everything BUT the teaching of the Word?)

Bringing the Word of God to the flock of God is still the greatest need of the church today.

"If the Spirit of God takes a man of God and opens the Word of God, then people will attend.

*If emphasis is not on the Word then there will not be fuel for sustained revival.

Even Charles Spurgeon said that his pulpit was more influential than the King of England.

A Pastor has to have "the burden of the Lord"
Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel
awesome responsibility - taking the very Word of God to the people of God

no light thing - costly thing
integrity and humility to go through the scriptures - all of them
teach the bible simply

Why study privately?
*Protection
Psalm 119:11
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
When Jesus was tempted in Matthew 4 He answered each time "it is written"

The Word is for protection and
*Direction
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.
Psalm 23:3 3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
The Word is our guide, not fortune cookie, not Oprah

How to begin? Pick a translation you can read.
It doesn't have to be the King James version. someone once told Jason that the King James Version was good enough for Paul, it was good enough for him???
Buy a notebook and a pen

There are different ways you can read. Cover to cover, section by section - the key is to read it and read it consistently. Like you would exercise. Like you would eat physical food. If we ate physical food the way we eat spiritual food we would be dead. That is why we have spiritual death.

In 2 Kings 3 When Elisha told Jehoshaphat to dig ditches and he obeyed, a great victory was won - because they were faithful to dig ditches. We need to be faithful to dig ditches (do the work - read the Word)

Read expectantly - expect the Lord to speak to you. Not a chore - but a privilege. Does the Lord want to speak to people who don't want to hear?

Read conversationally. Blessed is the man who meditates (speaking to yourself)
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

Worship is interactive - bible study should be too. Ask the Lord - how does this aply to me? Bible study becomes interactive. Reading about the tabernacle cubits might be boring but it tells you that God is into details - He wants to be involved with every detail of your life.

Read obediently
You say God never speaks to you - was there ever a time when He did? Did you obey?

Hebrews Hebrews 5:12

12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid
food!