Our Church Mission! - Mark 16:20

Our Church Mission!

July 29, 2012

Mark 16:20

Introduction

-         Last week we looked at the church in the sense that there is one church, not many

-         The church is not a building, but is composed of many members, Jesus being the head of the body

-         But why did Jesus start a church?

-         If he came to die for our sins so we could go to heaven and be with him forever, why did he say he was going to build his church?

-         What is the purpose for a church?

-         Today we will look at the mission the church as a whole has, and perhaps hint a little more particularly at what Grace Fellowship’s role could be here in Susanville

Jesus sends out the disciples

-         John 20:21 – As the Father has sent me, I am sending you

-         This harks back to the place where Jesus outlines his mission statement

-         Let’s read it – Luke 4:18

-         In order to accomplish his mission, Jeus had to be anointed with the Holy Spirit

-         When a person is anointed, we ask the Holy Spirit to empower the person to do the task to which they have been called

-         Here in John 20, the disciples have  been given their mission, to do the same things that Jesus did

-         But then in Acts 1:8 they are told to wait till they are empowered by the Holy Spirit so they can accomplish the task they have been given

-         Don’t go out unprepared

-         God calls, prepares, empowers and then works through us

-         The mission field to which the disciples have been called is everywhere around us

-         Matt 28:19-20

-         This is known as the Great Commission

-         The disciples are sent out to make disciples of all nations

What does it mean to make a disciple?

-         A disciple is a student, one who learns at the feet of the master

-         Jesus here is setting the example

-         He is a teacher, a rabbi, who is teaching students, the disciples

-         But these disciples were not just here to learn Bible knowledge

-         They were here because Jesus was different, and they wanted to be like him

-         In the days of Jesus, rabbis would select young men to follow them and learn from them

-         They would be learning how the rabbi thinks, how he acts

-         The expression they had was to walk in the dust of the rabbi

-         “A talmid or disciple, did not follow a rabbi as a student. They desired to gain the rabbi's knowledge, but for a greater goal-they wanted to become like the rabbi himself.

-         A talmid followed the rabbi everywhere-every day, and every hour of the day-often without knowing or asking where the rabbi was going.

-         The talmidim rarely left his rabbi's side for fear that he would miss a teachable moment.

-         He watched the rabbi's every move, noting how he acted and thought about a variety of situations.

-         Talmidim or disciples, trusted their rabbi completely.

-         They were eager to hear the rabbi's teachings and they worked passionately to incorporate the rabbi's actions and words into their lives.

-         The disciple's deepest desire was to follow his rabbi so closely that he would start to think and act like the rabbi himself." -Ray VanderLaan- http://www.followtherabbi.com/

-         A disciple is one who follows so closely behind Jesus, that he is covered by the dust of the rabbi

-         This goes way beyond just leading someone into the Sinner’s prayer

-         Our goal in missions, is to reach people with the gospel message, but them lead them into a relationship with the Shepherd of our souls

-         Jesus example is that he taught his disciples

-         This took time, 3 ½ years in fact

-         But at the time he left, they were ready

-         And so he sent them out to continue his work

-         John14:12 – anyone who has faith in me will do the things I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

-         All they needed now was the anointing, the empowering to do the task to which they had been called.

So what is our mission as Grace Fellowship?

-         Next week we look at this in more detail, but our task is to reach the community around us

-         That is the commission we have been given

-         But just as the disciples were prepared before being sent out, the church is a place where people are prepared for their place in the great commission

-         We don’t have Jesus walking and teaching us in the same way that the disciples did, following in the dust of the rabbi

-         But we have the words of Jesus, in this Book, the Bible

-         And Jesus still teaches us through people whom the Holy Spirit has anointed for that purpose

-         Remember, God calls, prepares, empowers and then works through us

-         The purpose of this church is to prepare the saints for works of service (Eph 4:12)

-         What greater service can we give, than to lead someone out of the kingdom of darkness, into Jesus glorious light!

-         And be God’s instruments to grow and prepare that person so they can now go back and rescue others from hell!

-         Next week we will flesh this out more and get down into some ideas as to how we can reach our community

Conclusion

-         So what is our mission as a church?

-         We are here to be prepared by Jesus to continue the work that he started, and then to be instruments in preparing these people so they can be workers in the same harvest!

Why A Church? - Matt 16:18

Why A Church?

July 22, 2012

Matthew 16:18-19

Introduction

-         In Susanville we have around 33 different churches

-         These are in various denominations as well as non-denominational churches. 

-         Yet Jesus told us, I will build my church, singular

-         Matthew 16:18-19

-         Church is Jesus body

-         There is one body of Christ, not many

-         So how do we understand this?

The Holy Spirit leads into all truth

-         John 16:13

-         When we accept Jesus, we all receive the Holy Spirit

-         As Jesus told the disciples – Receive the Holy Spirit – John 20:22

-         The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth

-         Do you think we will ever know all truth in this lifetime?

-         I don’t think so, we would have to know God’s thoughts about everything

-         But there is a progression from knowing little truth, to knowing a lot, as the Holy Spirit guides us

-         One reason why there are so many denominations, is that these denominations have received a portion of truth into which the Holy Spirit has led them, but they have not yet received all truth

-         That process continues

-         Each of us can stay at the point where we are at, or we can be growing.

-         I love the pastors who come to our pastors breakfast on Wednesday mornings, we know that the body of Christ is bigger than our individual churches

-         We accept that there are differences in understanding, so long as we believe in Christ, and in him crucified and raised from the dead

-         That is the core of the gospel

-         In this we can have total unity

-         In the non-essentials we give each other grace, as the Holy Spirit is our teacher

-         And in all things, the body of Christ should be united in love

Different functions in the church

-         Church is made up of many members

-         Jesus is head of the church

-         Jesus is the Great Shepherd – Heb 13:20

-         God appoints Under Shepherds, through the Holy Spirit – Acts 20:28-31

-         Jesus gives different gifts to the church

-         Eph 4:11 – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers

-         These are given for the edifying and growth of the body of Christ

-         Jesus gives a gift to those he has called to a particular role in the church

-         Paul directs Titus to appoint elders in each of the towns where Paul had witnessed in Crete – Titus 1:5

-         He gives the qualifications for elders in the church – Titus 1:6-9

-         An elder needs to know the word and hold firmly to the word he himself has been taught – Titus 1:9

-         And he then passes that truth on to others – 2 Tim 2:2 – so they can teach others

The church is not a building

-         When the word church is mentioned, the greek word used is generally “ecclesia”

-         This word means those who have been called out

-         From where have they been called out?

-         They have been called out from this world, and the darkness in which they used to live

-         Col 1:13 We have been called into the kingdom of Jesus

-         The church is the sum total of all who have been called out of this world, into the body of Christ

-         This is not dependent on which denomination a person is from, or which church he attends

-         We are one body

-         1 Cor 12:12-20

-         God has placed us in the body as he sees fit

-         Sometimes we feel we don’t fit because God has taught us some things beyond what that part of the body understands

-         Have the faith that God will move you when the time is right

-         Jesus is in charge of his church

-         Example

So why are we in A Church?

-         We are in it so that we can be edified by those God has placed over us

-         God has given them gifts for our edification

-         When I say God has placed people over us, it doesn’t mean one person is better than another

-         A pastor is a shepherd and part of his role is to lead the sheep to pasture and water

-         This is a big responsibility and Paul warns us to be wary of that in James 3:1

-         But we are in a church, the body of Christ, which encompasses all Christian churches and denomination, small groups, house churches etc.

-         We love the diversity of God’s church, and we pray for the whole body, not just for our own denomination.

In closing

-         Psalm 133:1-3 How good and how pleasant

Stay to say goodbye to BJ, this is his last Sunday with us

If you haven’t signed the card yet please do so

We bless BJ and Hannah and the work God is doing in them

The Acts Five Church! - Acts 5:12

The Acts Five Church!
July 15, 2012
Acts 5:12

Introduction

• In High School one of my classes was Biology
• We did a lot of experiments in discovering how genetics worked
• We didn’t kill a fly, but we looked at how different characteristics were carried on down the generations, through the DNA
• DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid – I had to check the spelling!
• The DNA is a molecule which stores genetic information
• We know the expression the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
• This is because father and son, mother and daughter, exhibit family characteristics
• As an example, someone I know was adopted out when he was 6 months old
• His adoptive parents did not allow him to find out about his birth parents
• First his adoptive father passed away, then his adoptive mother
• He finally was able to put out feelers to find his birth parents
• One day he received a call. It was from his half brother
• They talked and cried and discovered they had so many things in common
• One big one was that they both like long distance running
• Eventually he got together with a number of his birth family, and it was amazing to him to see the family resemblances.
• It is the same with our relationship with God
• As time goes on, we exhibit more and more of God’s family characteristics

Our Acts Five family!

• This is right near the start of the book of Acts
• They were close to the source, the Day of Pentecost experience
• At that time the fledgeling church had been filled with the Spirit, and been sent out to witness to the world
• In chapters 3 and 4 we read about the huge impact of a crippled beggar being healed, on the spot!
• The church had all things in common, and there was a sense of love and caring in the church
• In chapter 5 we read about Ananias and Sapphira who did not share of their worldly goods, but tried to make a show as if they did
• God punished them, they died on the spot, while lying to the apostles
• Verse 11 says, great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events
• This was a warning that God is involved in the doings of the church, and not to take this lightly

Signs and wonders

• The church is the body of Christ – it is a metaphor, but there is actually a family relationship between God and the church
• 1 John 3:1 – How great is the love that the Father has lavished upon us, that we are called the children of God
• If we are God’s children, you would expect to see a family resemblance
• Jesus came to show us the Father
• John 14:6-14
• Jesus went about doing good, and healing all who were under the power of the devil – Acts 10:35
• So the DNA of the church includes the praying for the sick and casting out demons, and preaching the gospel
• Acts five illustrates this
• Acts 5:12-16
• The church became known in a hurry, because people saw the signs and wonders God was doing in their midst

This takes the power of God

• Every Christian is able to pray to God, for healing and for changing of circumstances
• But to really be a witness takes the power of God
• The Pharisees were amazed at Jesus teaching because he spoke with authority!
• The early church is told in Acts 1:8
• “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!”
• The disciples were told to wait till that power came
• The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, and filled the disciples
• They had experienced the Holy Spirit before, but now they were filled with power
• That is how the early church started with a bang!
• Mark 16:20 – Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his Word by the signs that accompanied it

Ministry

• If you listened to this today and you want to make things right with your Maker, you want to repent of your sins and you want to follow Jesus the rest of your days, please raise your hand….
• And if you listened to this and are hungry for more of God, you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you want to be a strong testimony of the change Jesus makes in your life, please raise your hand…
• Those who raised their hands, please come forward to see me now, at the close of the service. We will pray for you, and you will receive the desire of your heart.

Count Your Blessings! - Deut 2:7

Count Your Blessings

Dennis Hickerson
July 8, 2012
Deut 2:7

Introduction

• Family member recently had car accident
• The car was badly damaged. but thankfully no one was hurt
• Important to look at the blessings
• God used this situation to impact a number of lives
• Sometimes we use bad judgment, and reap the consequences
• But even then, God works to bring it to a good conclusion

God watches over us

• As the Israelites traveled through the wilderness, a hard road, God has blessed them and watched over them, despite their problems
• And he got them into their destination, the Promised Land
• Genesis 12:1-3 God's promise to Abraham included that he would be a blessing to others
• Abraham chose to be obedient to God, and not follow the ways of the world
• And we are a part of that blessing
• Romans 8:14-15
• Paul here refers to the process of adoption
• The child who was adopted lost all rights pertaining to his birth family
• But he became a full heir to all rights that came along with being a member of his or her new family
• Ephesians 1:3 - we have been blessed in the heavenly realms, with every spiritual blessing

Blessing in honoring those around us

• Ephesians 6:1-4 - blessing follows honoring our parents
• Need to both obey and honor our parents
• As parents we should care lovingly for our children, even when they are disobedient
• Our role is to honor God, honor our parents, honor our children, honor fellow Christians
• Love is what it is all about

Praise God in the midst of your trials

• David was a man after God's own heart
• He had a quick repentant heart
• When chased by king Saul, David was still quick to praise God
• Think about the blessings, don't focus on the negative thoughts that come
• Psalms is a good place to go, to reinforce this positive approach

Testimonies

The Holy Spirit - My Helper - Rom 8:26

The Holy Spirit - My Helper

July 1, 2012

Romans 8:26

Introduction

-         During the last weeks we have been examining how to be overcomers and conquerors

-         Jesus tells us in Revelation 3 that it is the overcomers who will sit with Him and reign with Him

-         It is the overcomer who will be a pillar or strong support in God’s house, the temple of God

-         Though sin wants to pull us down, we are told it is God’s intention that we master the sin, so it does not beat us down

-         Last week we looked at the role of God’s Word in overcoming

-         By filling our mind with God’s word on a particular issue, we are enabled to change that issue right at its root - our mind

-         But what is God’s role in this?

-         How does God help us to overcome?

-         Today we are going to look at the role of the Holy Spirit, in helping us to be conquerors of the issues in our lives

The Holy Spirit – our Helper

-         Before Jesus left, on the evening of the Last Supper, Jesus made us a promise

-         John 14:12, 16-17

-         Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit, who would dwell in us

-         The disciples did not have this. 

-         The Holy Spirit was with them, working through them, but He was not yet dwelling in them

-         This happened on Resurrection Day, a few days later, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit on the following Day of Pentecost

-         Let’s take a look at this word for Comforter

-         3875 parakletos {par-ak'-lay-tos} a root word; TDNT - 5:800,782; n m AV - comforter 4, advocate 1; 5

-         1. summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid 1a) one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate 1b) one who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor 1b1) of Christ in his exaltation at God's right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins 1c) in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant 1c1) of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom

-         So the Holy Spirit is One who comes alongside us and helps us in various ways

How does the Holy Spirit help us?

-         1. One way that the Holy Spirit helps us is that He intercedes for us

-         Eastons Bible Commentary – “Comforter the designation of the Holy Ghost (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7; R.V. marg., "or Advocate, or Helper; Gr. paracletos"). The same Greek word thus rendered is translated "Advocate" in 1 John 2:1 as applicable to Christ. It means properly "one who is summoned to the side of another" to help him in a court of justice by defending him, "one who is summoned to plead a cause." "Advocate" is the proper rendering of the word in every case where it occurs.

-         “ It is worthy of notice that although Paul nowhere uses the word paracletos, he yet presents the idea it embodies when he speaks of the "intercession" both of Christ and the Spirit (Rom.8:27, 34).”

-         So, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us

-         He is a continual connection between God and us

-         When we pray, He is the one who communicates our prayers to the Father, through Jesus

-         Romans 8:26-27

-         When we don’t know how to pray about a particular issue, the Holy Spirit knows the right way to intercede so that the prayer is in accordance with God’s will

-         And when we pray according to God’s will, we will receive what we ask for

-         John14:13-14, 1 John 5:14

-         This means we want to have a close relationship with the Holy Spirit

-         2. Another way the Holy Spirit helps us is by teaching us

-         John 14:13 – he will guide you into all truth

-         The Holy Spirit is the one who is our instructor in God’s ways.

-         This can be seen as the one who gives us Bible knowledge

-         But it is a broader meaning than that – he will lead us into all truth

-         He communicates truth to us, when we are confronted with lies in our thinking

-         So he tells us, there is a better way to deal with the issue, than believing the lies the devil throws at us

-         We replace the lie with the truth the Holy Spirit gives us, and are then enabled to stand against the issue

-         3. He gives us the tools to live the Christian walk

-         God does not leave us without the tools to overcome

-         2Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

-         Galatians 5:22- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control

-         As the Holy Spirit dwells in us, these fruits will be evident in our lives

-         How can we express love, joy and peace, and yet be subject to issues like anger

-         This means we have the ability to overcome these issues, because the Holy Spirit has given us that ability!

-         He then helps us to stand against the issue and overcome the trial

-         1 Cor 10:13

-         It does require us exerting effort

-         We are expected to stand up to the trial (translate issue) and go on to victory

-         But God watches over us so that we will not be tempted beyond what we are able to bear.

Conclusion

-         God intends for us to be conquerors

-         We are already conquerors, in the sense that we have conquered death through Jesus dwelling in us. 

-         We have eternal life, through God’s presence

-         We are also expected to overcome sin, just as Jesus did

-         Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

-         Jesus understands where we are at, and he will help us on to victory