Sharing the Good News – Biblical Missions

Great dicussion yesterday on sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with others.  Also, great points made conerning using your testimonies to talk to people about what Jesus has done and is doing in your lives.  Be willing to share your testimony with others that not only need to hear the Gospel, but also with fellow believers as a great way to learn about people more deeply.  Remember, we are not only to share the Good News by going and telling others, but are also called to Make Disciples and continue to teach who Jesus is and what His Word says about how we should live our lives.  My notes are below and I must give much credit to Pastor Jim and his teacher material from this past week.  Thanks for the discussion and have a great week.

THEME:  Romans 1:16-17 

   "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the
    power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew
    first and also for the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of
    God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just
    shall live by faith.'" 

• Paul states his confidence in the gospel and the reasons for it.  The bulk of his epistle is devoted to explaining why and how the gospel of Christ is God’s power to save those who believe.
• Read Rom 15:22-24
  • Paul’s most Gospel Centered epistle and the most theological letter in the new testament came to the church from a Christ Centered Missionary planning to pass through and looking for support
  • Our missions theology should be Gospel Centered and intent on reach the nations for the Glory of God!

 

Biblical Missions:

I. Who is this Jesus?     Romans 1.16-17

 

• What responses do you think we would hear from the average “Joe” on the street today? 
• Most people in the world today do not really know much about Him. 
  • “Jesus was a good moral teacher,” or, He founded a worldwide religion,” or, “He was a good man who lived an upright life.” 
• Likely the same type of responses here in southern church belt as well -> so how much more confused are people in other countries who haven’t heard as much about the Biblical Jesus??

 

The Bible teaches that what we think about Jesus and how we answer the above question makes a BIG difference!!! 

• It teaches us that the eternal destiny of every human being depends on Him (John 3.16; Eph 2.8-9; Romans 10.9-13). 
• In order to be spared from the wrath of and judgment of God, a person must believe in Him (Rom 8.1). 
• Jesus Christ is the ONLY One who can save us from eternal damnation and grant us entry in to Heaven. 
• Jesus was misunderstood and misidentified, even in His own day and even amongst His own disciples.

 

His Identity

The people of Jesus’ day ignored His credentials just as much as we do today. 

• Do we still see the people God sends across your path each and every day as “potential” lost people on their way to hell? 
• Utilize the facts and verses about Jesus that got your attention about His true identity before you came to know Him as Savior and Lord.

 

          From the Religious Leaders of His Day 

 

 The religious leaders of Jesus’ day- the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the scribes- should have easily identified Jesus more quickly than anyone else, right? 

• Yet when they saw Him teaching in the Temple one day, they were only puzzled at best concerning His identity.  Read Luke 5.17-21, very closely. 

  

          From the Civic Leaders of His Day

 

The Civic Leaders, in order to maintain peace and order, keep their fingers on the pulse of activities pumping in and out of their communities.  Herod was no exception to this rule. 

• When it came to Jesus, he, like the religious leaders, remained totally in the dark.  Read Luke 9.7-9, very slowly.  This crafty and slick politician was confounded when faced with Jesus

 

From the People in His Hometown

 

Read Mark 6.1-3 a few times for context.  Even the people who had watched Him grow up as a child were rejecting Him! 

• Their familiarity with Jesus bred contempt rather than faith.  WOW!   

 

          From His Own Followers

 

Read Mark 4.35-41, carefully.  His disciples failed Him, too!  You would think that these guys would have never ever failed to have recognized His true identity, but they not only failed Him miserably in this regard, but the text indicates they were also quite afraid of Him!!!

 

          Some of the Facts about the Deity of Christ

 

• “Logos” of God – John 1.1
  • who Jesus was, is, and always will be
  • In terms of Jesus’ humanity He had a human genealogy, but in terms of His Deity, He has no Genealogy
• Jesus our Creator. (Genesis 1.3ff; John 1.3; Coloss 1.15-17)
• He Gives Us Life – John 14.6- He GIVES US Life! 
• Jesus is our Savior!  Amen!!!  (John 1.12)
  • To receive Him who is the Word of God means to acknowledge His claims, place one’s faith/trust in him, and thereby yield complete commitment to Him

 

II.  But, Why Did Jesus have to Die?

What answers do you get or you think you are likely to get when you ask someone on what grounds he/she is basing his/her hope of eternal life/salvation?

Usually fall into one of three categories:

1. Jesus (what he did)
2. Jesus (what he did) plus me (my qualifications)
3. Me (I’m trying my best; I’m as good as most people)

In human history, a man who was also God was crucified, died, was buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven—all for our salvation. What Jesus Christ accomplished is, all by itself, once and for all, the ground of the sinner’s redemption!

A.          The Importance of Jesus’ Redeeming Work

The gospel does not, first and foremost, call people to do anything. Rather, it calls people to believe that something has been done—by Jesus. Further, it tells us that what he did was what the Old Testament prophesied that he would do! He underwent death and resurrection as the promised Messiah, to procure the forgiveness of his people’s sins.

In developing his theme, Peter called attention to (Acts 2:14-33):

• Jesus’ Humanity: “Jesus of Nazareth was a man” (vs. 22). The penalty for human sin needed to be borne by a human being.
• Jesus’ Deity: “It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (vs. 24). Only a divine Savior could truly save.
• Jesus’ Mission: He was delivered up to die “by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge” (vs. 23). What happened was God’s intention from the start.
• Jesus’ Passion: Men “put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (vs. 23). Jesus truly suffered and died.
• Jesus’ Victory: “God raised him from the dead” (vs. 24). Jesus is thus the Lord of a saved people.
• Jesus’ Glory: He was “exalted to the right hand of God” (vs. 33). He is our man in heaven, the second Adam (1 Cor. 15:45, 47), in whom we live.
• Jesus’ Power: “He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit” (vs. 33). Far from being dead, He, himself the source of life.

Peter didn’t just leave everybody with the option to do whatever he or she wanted to do with the facts about Jesus.  As Peter himself said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you” (vs. 38).  

God “handed [Christ] over to you” (vs. 23)—for death; that is, to bear God’s wrath and curse, because that’s what death is, the wages of sin. God made his Son to be a curse for us, to receive the wrath due to us for our own sin. This was not making redemption possible—it was providing redemption!

Conclusion

The cross of Jesus ought to disturb us. It ought to shake us out of our self-righteousness and self-justification. Christ Jesus suffered nothing by chance or because he lacked the power to deliver himself, but because it was thus appointed by God. This truth, that the death of Jesus was ordained in the wise counsel of God, cuts off all foolish thinking that we might otherwise embrace: that somehow our redemption is grounded in something that we do, even to some degree. Only Jesus and his cross can bear our weight. “We preach Christ crucified”—period.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: 

What can you and I do each and every day and in every situation in our lives to demonstrate that we have total, complete, confidence and trust in the glorious Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 

1.  Our confidence in the gospel is revealed by how we respond to Jesus Christ 

2.  Our confidence in the gospel is revealed by our preparedness, or lack thereof, in taking bold steps to share it with others 

Matt 28:19 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”

2012 Mission Trips for CBC:

Albania – March

Chicago – College Trip (Summer)

San Diego (Dec)

Brazil (September)

South Africa (exploratory)

GAP/Eastern KY (October)

Numerous local events/outreach

Book Review, Movie Review, and Happy New Year!

So for all my friends that have known me over the last couple of years they know that I changed jobs last September b/c God simply placed an opportunity in my lap.  One of the main reasons for me to even consider such an opportunity was b/c I had been traveling quite a bit (2 weeks a month often) and it was not good for the family.  However, one of the few perks to traveling a lot was you spent a lot of quiet time or time by yourself in airplanes, airports, and hotel rooms.  So for a guy that doesn’t read a lot, I sure was flying through my reading wish list in 2010.  Not the case in 2011 as I just recently took my first work trip in over 16 months.  So my reading wish list had grown significantly again.  I picked one up on the way out the door though.  “Raising Dad” by Thom and Art Rainer.  I wanted to give you a quick 2 thumbs up on this one.  It was Art’s idea and he is Thom’s middle son of three.  He wrote the book from the perspective of what did Thom do right as a father.  Art was in his twenties when he wrote this and each chapter’s topic was determined and started by Art.  Thom finished each chapter from his perspective.  For those that know me also know that I start many books, but hardly finish any.  This one I started and finished in 2 days.  I could hardly put it down as I really enjoyed the format and direction with Art talking about topics such as:

• Dad making intentional memories
• Dad loving Mom
• Dad and his use of support and encouragement
• Dad and Discipline
• Family of Fun
• Time can never be recaptured

Overall, a great, short read for fathers with son(s) and I would highly recommend you adding it to your list.

In addition to catching up on some of my book reading, Amanda and I also caught up on some moving watching this week since the kiddos where at the Grandparents.  We finally got to see Courageous at the $1 movies and boy was it a tear jerker.  These guys and gals from Sherwood get better and better with each movie they create.  However, this is really hard on us fathers.  It is a great reminder of many things including our time is short on this earth and we better utilize it as God wants us too.  Kids are big responsibility and God calls us as men to be the head of our households.  It addresses many key Fatherhood topics, such as spending quality/quantity time with your kids, handling of teenage daughters and dating, providing for your family both physically and spiritually, and ultimately finding a group of believers to hold you accountable to all of the above.  Men/Fathers, again I highly recommend you drop $1 and go see this at Carmike or Redbox in a few weeks.  Great reminder of our Great God Given Responsibilities.

Other than that I am so thankful again for my Church home and family.  Everyday I am amazed at those I get to serve with and learn from.  Amanda and I have now been at CBC 12 years and just today were talking about what a blessing it has been to “grow up” in one church home since our early 20′s.  Our kids don’t know any different and I am so thankful for that.  As we head into 2012 I pray that anyone reading this has or is seeking the same comfort and peace from a church home.  I am confident one can not fulfill his duties as a Husband, Father, or Christian w/o a Holy Spirit led Church family.  Happy New year to all!

Can a man who is divorced and/or remarried be an elder?

Ok, so in our elder qualifications discussion this week, someone asked a great question concerning divorce and how it effects a man’s eldership qualifications.  What does it mean to be a “one woman man”?  We had a great discussion and went down the many if-then-else ramps, but below is a link from John MacArthur that really sums up all possible paths and makes a pretty logical conclusion at the bottom.

Also, continue to pray for our Church and Church leadership (staff and ministry team) as we move towards a Elder-led congregational Church.  Remember, we are all part of a body led by it’s Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  Be humble, be Biblically driven, and seek God’s will according to His word on the closest way we can run and govern His Church.  Hope to see everyone on Sunday morn.

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Questions/QA517

It comes down to “above reproach”.  These men are set apart and should be above reproach (not sinless).  Should a fallen pastor be able to get behind the pulpit again?  For me, no.  He has lost his ability to be above reproach.  Is there restoration for him, absolutely.  After all, that is what the saving Grace of Jesus is all about – saving a lost a dying world.

God’s Will for Your Wait – by Paul Tripp

All, I read the below post by Paul Tripp this morning and really found it very practical on how I should handle waiting.  It is slightly slanted towards those who are in ministry fields, but all of us should be able to find some key practical advice on how to handle waiting for God’s will in our lives.  Check it out!

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2011/09/26/gods-will-for-your-wait/

Practices and Key Steps to a more effective quiet time

Get Active, Get Associated, Get Alone All, as we discussed on Sunday here are some key practices and how-tos on getting quiet with God and spend real effective alone time with Him.  Even for those that have been doing this for years it is a nice reminder of some of the many areas that we need to focus on regurarly with our Lord.  The whole power point is at the above link too.  Enjoy!

Prep for an Effective Quiet Time (Key ideas from Adrian Rogers)

• Proper time – It should be your very best time. Don’t give the Lord your leftovers
• Make time, and make it a priority
• Proper Prep – Be physically alert & Mentally aware
• Be focused and know He’s there
• Be morally pure and clean – “Fessed up”
• Proper Place – Jesus sought out places where He could be alone, and so should you.
• Proper Tools – Bible, Journal, Pen
• Expect God to give you something and write it down

12 Steps and Practices to make your Quiet Time more Effective

1. Confession – Sin is the greatest roadblock to prayer
• Psalm 139:23-24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
2. Praise – Praising God for who He is and His Character
• Ps 34:1-3 – “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice.  3 O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.
• Goodness, Patience, Love, Wisdom, Greatness, Knowledge, Power, Holiness, Glory, Grace, etc.
3. Waiting – Quiet your mind and heart before God
• Reverential focus on the majesty and authority of God
• Let your mind be filled with thoughts of Him
• Isa 40:31 – “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
4. The Word – God speaking to us through His Word
• Ask God to bless the reading of His word; Provide concentration and understanding
• 2 Tim 3:16 – “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”
5. Intercession/Supplication – Praying for others
• Pray for those needs in our class, CBC staff
• Supplication – Urgent praying for others (throughout daily/weekly activity)
• Ps 2:8 – “Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession”
6. Petition – Asking God to provide for your personal needs.
• James 4:2 – “….You do not have because you do not ask”
• Matt 7:7 – “Ask, and it shall be given you”
7. Thanksgiving – Thanking God for what He has done
• Phil 4:6 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
8. Singing – Singing scripture/hymns back to the Lord
• Psalm 100:2 – “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.”
9. Meditation – Mind is active, pondering spiritual things
• Josh 1:8 – “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night”
10. Listening – wait for specific orders concerning the day
• Eccl 5:2 – “Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few”
11. Psalms/Proverbs – daily reading
• Ps 95:2 – “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms”
• 31 Proverbs – so do one for each day of the month
12. Praise – Begin quiet time with praise and end it with praise
• Ps 150:1-2 – “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. 2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”

5 Major Characteristics of a Cult

Ok, so we have a free week this week (off from our study on The Apostle Paul).  As I mentioned last week I am going to attempt to do a study on high points of the world’s major religions and cults and how we should be prepared to witness to them and correct them Biblically.  As I am studying I came across a short list of 5 characteristics of a cult and really found them to be spot on.  The book I pulled these from is called “What is the Difference?” by Fritz Ridenour.  See below:

1. —Reject the Trinity – Deny Jesus Christ as God
• —Reject the true Biblical deity of Christ
• —Either lowering Him to man or raising man to Him
2. —All Christian churches are wrong -> they are only group w/truth
3. —Believe the Bible, but….it needs to suit their own worldview
• —Usually leaders who claim to have “new” interpretations
4. —Deny that people can be saved by faith in Christ alone
• —Good works+ is always a sign of a major difference from Biblical Christianity
5. —Skillful at using Christian terminology
• —“God”, “Christ”, “sin”, “salvation” – define terms or often you believe they are talking about the same thing as you.

I usually always start off with, So do you believe in Jesus?  If so, who do you think he was?  Also, what is their plan for salvation?  Do they even believe they need to be saved?  Does it ramble on past the finished work by Jesus on the cross?  Should be a good discussion this week so bring your questions to class and we will address them the best we can.  Have a great weekend!

Great day at CBC & Great time in Small Group

All, below is the link to the youtube story of Dick and Ricky Hoyt.  A great earthly story of enduring trials and finishing a race strong.  However, as we talked about this morning our Christian Race of Faith will too require enduring trials and finishing the race strong.  Fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our Faith.  We had 935 folks this moring between the two worships services and God is continuing to lead many folks of all walks of life to CBC.  Some have endured very difficult things already and some are on there way to enduring very difficult things that they might not see yet.  However, as we read this morning in Hebrews 12 we are love each other and serve each other.  Take time this week to pray for the prayer requests we send out and have as a small group.  Lift up someone from class this week that maybe you don’t know very well.  Pray for our staff at CBC.  God has blessed us with a Spirit filled and led staff and we should be ever grateful for that.

Also, next week starts our first Small Group lesson on the The Apostle Paul.  This too will be an exciting time when our whole church is going through the same material.  Zach will have some pdf materials that you can download from zachterry.org on Monday.  Check them out and let’s learn all about The Apostle Paul together over the next 13 weeks.  See you on Sunday, Lord willing.

Basic #20 – What is Heaven?

Well, we have come to an end of our 20 basic questions about systematic theology.  This week’s finale is dealing with Heaven and more specifically the new heaven and new earth mentioned in God’s word.  After final judgment, believers enter into the full enjoyment of life in God’s presence forever. (Mt 25:34; Rev 22:3)  But what does this look like, can we even really imagine?  God’s word is so great and gives us some hints as we long for that day.  For example:

• Heaven is the place where God most fully makes known his presence to bless – It is a physical location and place!
• Will earth be renewed or replaced?
• As believers we will continue to exist and act on earth in God’s presence
• Our resurrection bodies will be part of the renewed creation

Also, The doctrine of the new creation provides a great motivation for storing up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.  But how do we do that practically?  How do we long for the rewards of heaven when all we know are the physical and material things that provide brief glimpses of joy on earth?  How do you keep focused on heavenly things instead of earthly things?  Should be a good class discussion and hope to see most of you there.

Eschatology questions – Will there be people saved in the Millenium?

So, a question was asked this morning – “Can unbelievers in the Millenium be saved during Christ’s earthly reign?”  At the time I didn’t have an answer, but I did some more digging this afternoon so see below.  There is not much discussion about the unbeliever contingent during the millenium, but rather the New Jerusalem, tribulation saints and glorified bodies.  So here goes:

 The split-second that Christ returns Christians will lose our natural bodies and gain immortal bodies.“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51–53).”  However, there is even debate about this as some believe the saved Israelites and saved Gentiles that are still living will enter the Millenium still in their unglorified bodies and therefore that is where the “natural” bodies would come from.

Who else joins the Christians in the Millenium?  Seems to be much debate on this and I am not complete spun up on exactly where I land on it either.  Some passages seem to point to other “natural bodies” present in the Millenium.  If so, where did they come from?  It does seem evident that by the end of the Millenium that Satan has some additional forces (assumed natural sinful unbelievers) to work for him once he is loosed (Rev 20:8).  Where do these folks come from?  One view noted above is that the believers that entered in the Millenium in their natural bodies had offspring and some will be saved and others not.

It seems pretty clear to me at first glance that no unbelievers will enter the Millenium.  See Jesus talking about when “the Son of Man comes in His glory… and He is sitting on his glorious throne” in Matt 25:31-46.  Therefore from our logical brains we would point to offspring of those still in natural bodies and some of those offspring could possibly rebel or they could possibly be saved.  I still need to do some more reading to see if I can understand it all.

Also, while researching a little more I found the below eschatology discussion panel hosted by John Piper.  It was a good read and for those that would like to know more than we were able to get to today.

An Evening of Eschatology.

This week – Millennium, Rapture, and the Tribulation – Common terms for this week’s study

Ok, so we looked at what the Bible says about Jesus’ return on Sunday and the major points that the Bible states will occur prior to His return.  However, we also mentioned the points of debate among evangelical Christians concerning the details of His return to include the 1000 year Millenial reign and the Tribulation.  I wanted to start with some basic defintions that I got from John Piper’s site (www.desiringgod.com).  I will try to post articles throughout the week that may add to our conversation on Sunday as well.

Definitions

Second Coming

Heb. 9:28, “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

A general reference to the final coming of Christ from heaven to earth to establish his glorious kingdom.

Rapture

This word is not in the Bible. But it refers to the snatching away of believers from the earth mentioned in 1 Thess. 4:17, “Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord.“

Tribulation

A general word referring to the hardships and sufferings that God’s people will always have to pass through:

“Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)

“Let no one be moved by these afflictions. You yourselves know that this is to be our lot.” (1 Thess. 3:3 -4; cf. 2 Thess. 1:4)

More specifically Jesus refers to a time of “great tribulation” at the end of the age:  “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” (Matt. 24:21)

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of Man” . . . (Matt. 24:29f)

Seven years

That the tribulation will last seven years is not a New Testament teaching. It comes from Daniel 9:24-27 where Daniel predicts “seventy weeks of years” for the accomplishment of God’s redemption.

The arguments are so detailed and involved we will not take the time now to sort them out. But many argue that the seventieth week of Daniel is separated from the first 69 and begins with the appearance of the antichrist or man of lawlessness. This is where the idea of a seven year tribulation comes from. The New Testament book of Revelation picks up this idea several times in its references to 3 and 112 years (11:3; 12:6; 13:5).

Pre-tribulational Rapture

The view that before Christ returns in glory, he will return quietly to catch up the church and take us to heaven. This happens before the tribulation, and so the view is called the PRE-tribulational rapture. This implies that the Church will not be here during the tribulation.

Post-tribulational Rapture

The view that the rapture and the glorious second coming are part of one simultaneous event. The saints rise to meet the Lord in the air and accompany him back as the rightful king of the earth. This implies that the church will go through the tribulation on the earth.

Millennium

The period of time mentioned in Revelation 20:4 during which the saints “reign with Christ a thousand years.” During this time Satan is bound and thrown into a pit “that he should not deceive the nations till the thousand years are ended” (Rev. 20:3). So the millennium is marked by peace and prosperity for God’s people. After this time there will appear the new heaven and the new earth (Rev. 21:1; 2 Peter 3:13).

Pre-millennialism

The view that the second coming of Christ will precede the millennium and that he will rule personally and bodily on the earth during the thousand years.

Post-millennialism

The view that the millennium will come through the success of the gospel gradually converting the world and ushering in a golden age of the church. After a long period of peace and righteousness there will be an outbreak of evil and Christ will come in person to win the victory.

A-millennialism

The view that the thousand years in Revelation 20 is symbolic of the church age in which we live. There will be no earthly millennium as such. Rather the second coming will usher in the final state of the new heavens and new earth.