What should our outward witness look like?
- We have a God to announce
- We have a kingdom to embody
- We have a World to influence
- We have a people to help and to love
- We will be the method of hearing for those who God has prepared.
- We need to be prayerful
- We need to act in love and good deeds.
Four pictures to consider:-
Jesus builds his church with
a. some uniquely commissioned for teaching and decision making
(Matthew 16: 18-20, Acts 15, Galatians 2: 1-14)
b. a church given considerable responsibility to govern its own affairs.
(Matthew 18: 15-20, 1 Corinthians 5)
c. leaders who care and serve their brothers and sisters
(1 Timothy 3, Acts 14: 23)
d. each member of the body exercising different gifts
(Romans 12: 3-8, 1 Corinthians 12)
The balancing act
PBC: Elders, Leadership and Admin Teams, formal Membership
Which questions should we be asking and answering?
A gathering in which:
- The Gospel is foundational (2:32-41)
- Jesus is central (2:42)
- Prayer is crucial (2:42)
- Fellowship is habitual (2:42,44,46)
- Generosity is tangible (2:44-45)
- Devotion is noticeable (2:46-47)
Competing Spirits:
The spirit of Individualism vs.The work of the Holy Spirit
- When Jesus spoke to the Church (Matt 16:13)
- Confessional (Matt 16:16, 1 Cor 12:3, 2 Cor 4:5)
- The relationship between Lord and Disciple (Acts 9:1-5)
- The One Body: Christ as Head of the body of believers (1 Cor 12:12-14,27)
- The Body: the relationship between Disciples
- Gathering together (1 Cor 1:2, 11:18-20)
- Seeking the common good (1 Cor 12:7)
- Implications
- Signs of significance
- Most roads lead here
- God’s new creation in the midst of a hostile world
- A people devoted to focused prayer (4:2-4 and 4:12-13)
- A people committed to wise witness (4:5-6)
- A people informed about suffering brethren (4:7-9)
- A people connected across vast distance (4:10-18)
- The Bible says what?
- Slavery in the 1st Century
- Colossians and Philemon
- How do these passages speak to us?
How do I live for Jesus when I’m with my family
- An instruction for Christian wives (v18)
- An instruction for Christian husbands (v19)
- An instruction for Christian children (v20)
- An instruction for Christian fathers (v21)
- Marie Kondo and joy
- The gospel that moves us
- Living joyfully for the glory of God