A united church is a pleasant place to be. Whether consciously or not, my teacher was alluding to our Epistle lesson for this week, Ephesians 4, where Paul1 writes, "The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. A church that is using their gifts and practicing the one anothers is one, where by God's grace true biblical fellowship will be happening.
Now we don't have time to go in depth on the gifts of the Spirit but we do have a seminar planned for March 25 and 26th. Third, we will consider the church's growth, which happens progressively over time through the working of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:12 NASB. Romans 15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. It is that God's people will be equipped to do better work for him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity; But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Christ gave the apostles and the prophets, whose teaching is now recorded in the New Testament, and he continues to provide evangelists and shepherds/teachers to equip the saints with the Word of God. Share your struggles with a trusted brother or sister who has made a covenant with his or her eyes to abstain from lust (Job 31:1)? According to the Bible, Jesus is the Head of his church (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18). In your daily work, you are doing the ministry to which God has called you as one of his people. Christ has given himself freely through our union with him by faith. Humility, of course, is derived from the same Latin root as "humus"—the soil. Volatility is spiritual childishness. For the work of the ministry. And our unity is maintained by the faithful instruction of the Scriptures, which reverberate into the covenant community of members ministering that Word to one another.
Previously, Mark was the Executive Director of the De Pree Center, the lead pastor of a church in Southern California, and the Senior Director of Laity Lodge in Texas. What Is the Purpose of the Church? He has in mind the sort of knowledge mentioned in Ephesians 3:18–19, "that you may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. But our primary identity is that we are individual members of the body of Christ.. As Christians, we are all members of the body of Christ, and what God does in us is designed to be a means of His working through us. Not so that we can automatically give them a scripture but that we can identify what they are experiencing from what they are sharing with us - and so if it's appropriate at that time. Translators insert the word "speak" to help render this phrase in English, but Paul takes the Greek word for truth and turns it into a participle. It says that our place with God, our relationship with him is secure. Today, we are going into greater depth about the role and responsibility of every member to build up the church. Central to equipping the saints is being accurately taught God's Word and learning the critical importance of weaving God's truth into the fabric of their lives so that it shapes their priorities, values, goals, habits, world-view, convictions, decisions, and lifestyle. This is where it starts and not only starts but continues.
We're not to use it as a club to bash others but a tool to build them up). Be regularly asking for the gifts of the Spirit and for opportunities to serve and minister to others. It's literally who we have been constituted by the truth of the Gospel, by the end-dwelling Spirit, and by the gifts we've been given. The primary focus of this teaching is how we can build up others in the local church but I trust that it has application to all our relationships including the parenting/discipling of our children and relationships with non-Christians. Pray for and be on the lookout for opportunites: honor, serve, accept one another, greet one another, be kind to one another…. Help me, Lord, to serve you well in all that I do, including my daily work. In our text today, Paul tells us that the church should be built up. Are you taking the initiative to build strong relationships with others?
I think that is a good summary of the essence of this word: to encourage, to exhort and to comfort. How do we know when we are starting to become mature in Christ? But fortunately there are also people who listen to the loving counsel of God's Word and are spared from catastrophe, or who turn from their entanglement in sin and experience the unconditional forgiveness of a loving Church. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ's followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. Paul calls us to a different path, to humility, to love, and to unity, "bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We never want to try and motivate others out of guilt or condemnation or legalism or trying to control the outcome of our interaction (as opposed to trusting God to work). But if you've been in the church for any length of time, you will know that church unity feels elusive. Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. For the purpose of training the saints for the work of serving, in order to build up the body of Christ. And a large part of building others up is communicating that to them.
On the contrary, the bulk of Christian ministry is done as the members of Christ's body scatter into the world, serving Christ and others in his name. So work hard at building relationships with others especially in your orbit. Look at how he defines maturity in verse 14: "So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sins and has saved us. The short answer is we do that by grace. Plans are underway for the resumption of Sunday services and meeting with fellow believers very soon, even if it is at 6 foot intervals. We must grow in our wisdom and discernment and love for others as to what aspect of building up is needed in their lives; or to steal a phrase from Eph 4- we should discern that which fits the occasion that it might give grace to those who hear. Now, this week, Paul urges his readers "to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Martha, Mary, Lazarus-Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. We cannot separate the individual from the corporate as both are weakened without the other.
One of the episodes I watched with Connie had to do with a house that was so bad the owners were afraid that Ben and Erin were going to recommend just tearing down. As I got closer to the bush, my attention became less focused on my rising heart rate or panting breath, and the powerful aroma would hit my nostrils. Realize, sound doctrine isn't only applicable to a limited segment of the world, like rich America, but it will be equally applicable in the poverty of Ethiopia, or in godless regimes like China or North Korea where their aggressive assault on the Church is never ending. While Paul intends the speaking of truth, he actually has in mind a more comprehensive vision of living out the truth, not just with our speech but with our lives. Romans 12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; the edifying. It celebrates that we belong to Jesus, not ourselves, that we have been engrafted, we have been birthed literally into his heart.
Ephesians 2:8-9 is clear that no work is required for salvation: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast" (NIV). Jesus alone is the Head of the church. His "gifts to men" were varied. Truth becomes hard if it is not softened by love; love becomes soft if it is not strengthened by truth. As every member is filled with the knowledge of the Son of God, unity in the church becomes sweeter, like a fragrant aroma. He has created us all a little differently with different personalities and strengths and has given us different gifts. Maturity means that we are formed by the Word of God, not our surrounding culture. They get sucked up into movements and hashtags. Weymouth New Testament. "Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one Body. " It means every member equipped with the Word of God commits to ministering the truth in love towards their fellow members. Our Gospel lessons for the last two weeks painted for us a stark contrast between two styles of leadership. Long after the voices stopped singing, the reverb and echo of the voices continued to reverberate in the building. Through the baptism of the Spirit, we are constituted as one Body.
Included below is my manuscript for the sermon. And remember grace and truth go together. Verse (Click for Chapter). For further reading: What Is the Importance of Having a Spiritual Family? It expresses the oneness of the Body while it is here on earth. To that end we must, 2. Whenever we come on the Lord's Day to break bread and remember the Lord, we acknowledge that the Lord has broken His body for us. Searching for a sense of belonging, individuals will join social groups, book clubs, or even special associations and societies. We have to listen long and patiently and not jump to conclusions that we really understand the situation and ask good engaging questions. She holds a BA in Ministry, a MA in Ministry, and is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing to develop her writing craft. May we shun the sort of vain flexing like a weakened body-builder—visually impressive to the world. And a church, growing in its unity, functions in a similar way.
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