good works, good deeds, acts of mercy

Waldean — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:30:41 +0000

Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV)
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. ¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

As we move toward Thanksgiving and Christmas we are hoping to help those around us. In an attempt to do this as a fellowship, we are, again, going to be offering a meal to those who could use a meal and we’re going to be offering food to those who could use food. I just want you to know that I am thrilled about this and I’m thrilled about the broad-based enthusiasm for this effort. Two weeks ago we talked about how our “good works” should be an introduction to the gospel. Today I’d like to bring a bit of clarity to “good works” so that we can better be who God wants us to be as we try to be the people God wants us to be.

Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

This says, I think, that we should be on display as a born again people who have not only been rescued from facing God’s judgment for our sin; we should be on display as people full of hope and joy and purpose – consumed by Jesus. We should let what gives us life, shine before others such that when they see our good works (food distribution, Christmas meals) they will give glory to God. The life we live in front of our neighbors, co-workers, family, community is VERY important as a necessary part of declaring God as supremely glorious. The way we live should make the gospel attractive (Titus 2:9-10).

If you pay attention to “Christian” thinking on doing good deeds, it seems that the norm is one of two positions. Either good deeds / acts of mercy are everything and the gospel is, at best, secondary, or the gospel as primary has no real connection to good deeds / acts of mercy. Both of these views are a disgrace to the vision of Jesus – and it seems difficult to get it right. And the answer is not let’s meet in the middle.

So this morning I’d like to talk about good deeds / good works / acts of mercy for the Christian. Before I do that, however, I just want to clarify. No one is made right before a holy God by doing good things or keeping the commandments – we don’t keep the commandments:

Romans 11:6 (ESV)
[Those God saves are saved] by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Galatians 2:16 (ESV)
…we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Bible talks much about ‘good works’

It is impossible to read Scripture without seeing our call to good works / good deeds / acts of mercy.

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

1 Timothy 6:18 (ESV)
[The rich] are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share…

Titus 2:7a (ESV)
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works…

Titus 2:14 (ESV)
[Jesus] gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Titus 3:14 (ESV)
And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.

Titus 3:8 (ESV)
The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

Hebrews 10:24 (ESV)
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

James 2:14 (ESV)
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

It’s pretty clear from Scripture that we should be about doing things that are good. We should be thinking of others – in every way. If we walk away from Scripture here, however, we will be in big trouble. Good deeds, good works, acts of mercy can be done by anyone – right? Perhaps we should join a more organized, better funded, public group in food distribution. Should we? If I sincerely asked that question I’m sure someone would jump up and say something like, “No, we’re doing this from a different motivation. Not only do we want to help people we want them to see God in us. Not only do we want to help people here and now physically, we would love for them to see Jesus. While we need food to sustain life here, we desperately need the ‘food’ that will sustain us eternally.” A more organized, better funded, public group can only supply a little bit of what is needed – not the most important “food”.

So, how do we do this so that it is more than food distribution? How to we do this such that we are not like the church of Sardis:

Revelation 3:1 (ESV) – John to the 5^th church
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

How do we do this so that it is Christ here, and not us? The answer is not a formula. There are too many formulas. A formula does not require God to work and requires little faith.

People that work for Jesus:

Are deeply united with Jesus and his purposes – John 15:4-5 (ESV)
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 3:19-21 (ESV)
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.”

Romans 15:17-18 (ESV)
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience – by word and deed,

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Conclusion

Why is this so tough? Why is this so difficult? I think what’s happening here is a reflection of the battle going on inside each of us. If you have been born-again, there are times, I hope, when you are absolutely amazed at the kindness of God and the beauty of Jesus. There are times when we see and feel and know how sinful we are and how good God is. HOWEVER, to take the next step and say, “I am fully yours”, is a war.

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

If you have been born again; if you see Jesus as the very core of life and the source of all satisfaction, God should be moving you away from the pursuit of comfort and pleasure and self-reliance, and toward his purposes.

courageous

Waldean — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:58:09 +0000

Last week we talked about how, the lives we live should be an introduction for the gospel.

1 Peter 2:11-12 (ESV)
Beloved, I urge you as [those who’s home is not here] sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God [when he comes to visit them] on the day of visitation. Another way of saying this is, “Live a uniquely God-saturated life in front of those around you so that when the time for salvation arrives, they won’t miss it.

Today I’d like to look at an example of this – living a faith-filled Christ-saturated life – this is in Acts 4. Here’s the setting – Even though Jesus was no longer here physically, the Holy Spirit was moving – thousands were being saved. In Acts 2 we see Peter, through the working of the Holy Spirit, speaking the good news of Jesus to a huge crowd of people. And through this preaching three thousand believed and were baptized. Those believers then devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to ministering to each other – and the Lord was saving more people. So, the reality of the Kingdom of God here was growing. In Acts chapter 3 we read of how Peter heals a lame beggar and continues to preach – and the beggar was right there with him. And now we come to Acts 4.

Acts 4:1-14 (ESV)
Vs 1-4) And as [Peter and John] were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. (Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection from the dead) And they arrested [Peter and John] and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

So, at a minimum, things were not going as the religious leaders had hoped. They had killed Jesus thinking that they would finally be done with him, and his followers, and his blasphemy and arrogance, and his disruption. Not so. What was a few disciples and an infatuated public was now something new. Even as Peter and John are detained there are five thousand converts.

Vs 5-6) On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.

This was the Jewish supreme court – the most powerful Jewish leaders in the region. These were the same people who were involved in the murder of Jesus. This is actually big stuff – a few weeks ago the result of this type of meeting ended in the death of Jesus – now it’s Peter and John’s turn.

Vs 7) And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” (Do you remember Jesus in this situation?)

Does this sound familiar? This was the same question the religious leaders asked Jesus before they killed him (Matt 21). You would probably want to be careful here if you were Peter and John, don’t you think? You don’t want to get yourself killed.

vs. 8-12) Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead – by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

So, not only did Peter and John stand their ground, they used this forum as an opportunity to clearly state the gospel – Jesus is the only one who can save you from the consequences of your sin, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” So much for being vague about their purpose.

vs. 13-14) Now when they saw the boldness (uncompromising confidence) of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated (unqualified), common men (second-class, common soldier vs. officer, ordinary person vs. a ruler), they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

So in the end, Luke tells us that the religious leaders were impacted by three things – IMPORTANT:

First - These were uneducated, common men who would not “back down” or be silent. They were uneducated, common men who were convinced of the truth of the claims of Jesus and were not impressed with earthly power and threats. This would have been a good time to produce Jesus’ body, right?
Second - they recognized that these men had been with Jesus. Now this is interesting. Some take this to mean that the Jewish leaders remembered seeing these men with Jesus. But that doesn’t seem to be the sense of the reading. The way Luke writes this seems to connect their confidence, their lack of credentials, and their message with Jesus. In other words, they look at Peter and John and remember Jesus. They actually said the same thing about Jesus:

The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. – John 7:15-16

Third - the works of Peter and John shut the mouths of the accusers.

- – -

Often what we think of as a negative is actually a positive – an opportunity to live by faith. Persecution (the negative) gave Peter and John and amazing platform to declare the gospel and call people to faith in Jesus. The real question when called to walk by faith is, will we? Will we let go of the things that would capture us – money, comfort, reputation and , rather, embrace God’s provision?

Even though we are two thousand years from this event, very little has actually changed. The world we live in, at its core, is against the Jesus of the Bible. Even as we cry out for justice at every turn, we refuse to take seriously the coming judgment of a completely holy God. We refuse to repent of sin and wholly trust Jesus as the One who saves and is point of life itself

And just like two thousand years ago when a culturally-sanctioned education was not a prerequisite for a powerful Christ-exalting life, it is not required today.

Boldness is biblical

First – Saturate yourself with God’s word – 1 John 2:14 (ESV)

I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Second – Pray – John 15:7 (ESV)

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Believe – Trust – Galatians 3:5 (ESV)

Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith…

living an introduction to the gospel

Waldean — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:37:35 +0000

This morning I would like to read four passages of Scripture that speak about how the lives we live can and should be an introduction for the gospel being received by those we connect with regularly – neighbors, co-workers, family, etc.

It seems that before God saves people (at least most people), he prepares them through events, and through the lives of others.

Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV)
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. ¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christians, being the light of the world, instead of hiding their light, are so to hold it forth before men that they may see what a life the disciples of Christ lead, and seeing this, may glorify their God.^¹ The lives we lead should NOT be ordinary lives. They should exude the reality of Jesus in us.

- – -

1 Peter 2:11-12 (ESV)
Beloved, I urge you as [people who’s true home is elsewhere] sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. ¹²Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

There is debate as to what is meant by the day of visitation. Some think this means the day of God’s judgment – there is support for that. Others think that this is referring to the day God visits them in a saving way. So we might say it like this, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that even as they speak against you as evildoers, your good deeds will testify to the truth of the gospel when God, calls on them. Luke 19:41-44 uses this language in this way.

Luke 19:41-44 (ESV) – Jesus over Jerusalem
And when [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, ⁴²saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side ⁴⁴and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Jesus’ heart is broken. God has raised up a people specifically designed to be his instrument on earth. All of God’s care and instruction and discipline was designed to move them toward this point in history. All the symbolism that had been built into their culture was pointing to the grand fulfillment of Jesus here and now – this is the time of their visitation – and they reject him.

- – -

Titus 2:9-10 (ESV)
Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn (make attractive) the doctrine of God our Savior.

The Greek word translated make attractive is used of the setting of jewelry to display it in the most attractive way.^² So, the point of living God-honoring lives is to make attractive the reality of the saving God.

- – -

1 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV)
…but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; ¹⁶yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

The question I have about verse 15 is this, “Should I expect those around me to be asking about the hope that is in me?” If the answer is “yes”, I need to ask another questions, “Are they asking?”, “How should my life change so that they ask?”, etc. These are questions we find easy to ignore.

So let me make an observations that fit all of these texts. All of these texts overtly tie how we live, to why we live, to spreading the gospel.

In Matthew 5 the instructions are to shine our light in such a way that people glorify God.
In 1 Peter 2 we see that people should understand we are the way we are because of Jesus. This way when God visits it all connects.
In Titus 2 our lives make God beautiful
In 1 Peter 3 our lives should be so different that people ask why

Now, please don’t misunderstand what I am saying. Faith in Jesus comes through hearing the gospel (Rm 10:17) – “JESUS CAME SETTLE YOUR ACCOUNT BEFORE GOD – REPEND OF YOUR SIN – TURN TO JESUS – HE WILL SAVE YOU”. This is why Jesus told his disciples to, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

The salvation that Jesus accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection becomes ours when God, as we hear the good news of Jesus, opens the heart and we trust him, we believe in him. This believing is not just an assent to the truths of the reality of Jesus and his work – it is much more than that. In John 6 we find a good picture of what it means to believe or have faith in Jesus

John 6:35 (ESV) Jesus to a crowd that had followed him
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

While Jesus is the bread of life, in order to be nourished you must eat. Even though Jesus is the water that will quench your thirst – you must drink. You can know the bread will nourish but unless you eat you will starve. This eating and this drinking is a picture of faith. You can know that Jesus absorbs the judgment of God for all who trust him to bear their judgment, but unless YOU trust him, his victory is not your victory.

The life you live in front of your children, your co-workers, your neighbors, the kid behind the McDonald’s counter has an impact. God has saved you and put you where you are so that people can see him in the life you live.

- – -

1 Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. On spine: Critical and explanatory commentary. (Mt 5:16). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

2 Carson, D. A. (1994). New Bible commentary : 21st century edition. Rev. ed. of: The new Bible commentary. 3rd ed. / edited by D. Guthrie, J.A. Motyer. 1970. (4th ed.) (Tit 2:9). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press.

Craig’s Hensel – the church as family

Waldean — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:07:27 +0000

spiritual gifts

Waldean — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:19:08 +0000

To me, it’s amazing to think that God would include us in the work that he’s doing. To think that Jesus would come here, allow us to kill him so that in his death he could absorb the judgment that we deserve, and then merge us into his cosmic mission – that leaves me almost speechless. I think most Christians would like to experience God continually living through them. Wouldn‘t that be great? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be an instrument of God’s grace in the lives of others? I want to talk about that this week.

As we have been talking about the local church, I’ve tried to do this in an order that makes sense. First we defined “the church” a bit, then we talked about what the church is here to do (worship, grow/sanctify/minister to each other, bring the gospel to the lost). Then I talked about how we are to do this – being transparent and biblical in all that we do.

And last week we talked about church membership – everyone should be committed to a local church. The local fellowship is a God-ordained, PRIMARY, mechanism through which his people become the people they should be. It is through the local fellowship that we cultivate worship, that we minister to each other, and that we show Christ to those around us. That may be a little strong for some so let me clarify. Proper worship and all that it includes cannot emerge without a biblical fellowship of believers. You cannot minister to others, or receive the help you need, without a biblical fellowship of believers. And, a biblical fellowship is critical if this world is to see Christ correctly.

So that now brings us to today, and the question, “How should I, here, align with who we are and what we’re here to do? How should I live out God’s plan for me in this fellowship?”

The simple answer here is – every believer should align with the local body of believers by using their God-given giftedness. Let me say that another way – within the scope of who we are to be, God has gifted each person to excel in ministry for the glory of Christ. This is an amazing thing. Every Christian is designed to play a meaningful role in building the Kingdom. So, we are going to talk, briefly, about spiritual gifts.

Often sermons on spiritual gifts are consumed with the gifts – What are the spiritual gifts? What gift do I have? I’m not going to do that this morning. Maybe at another time. I think we spend too much time talking about that, and not enough time talking about the things that give power to our giftedness.

We’re going to use 1 Peter 4:10-11 as our starting point:

1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV)
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied (many facets, great diversity, many forms) grace: ¹¹whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies-in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Romans 12:3-8)

First – vs. 10 – each has received a gift.

If you belong to Christ, God has given you at least one amazing gift or ability that, when used as God intended, becomes an instrument of the Holy Spirit to move the Kingdom of God forward.

1 Corinthians 12:7 (ESV)
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Sometimes we might think, “God, would you show yourself to me?” Your gifting is a concrete manifestation of God in your life.

Second – vs. 10 – use it to serve one another

This may be one of the reasons we don’t see God working in us. Serving is not natural for us humans – self exaltation and greed is what’s natural. Spiritual gifts are given for us to serve each other. This is one of the ways the world should see us as different – we serve each other.

Mark 10:42-45 (ESV)
And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Third – vs. 10 – these gifts belong to God, we must not dare think they are ours – as good stewards of God’s varied (many facets, great diversity, many forms) grace.

1 Corinthians 12:11 (ESV)
All [gifts] are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

It is easy to think of God’s gifts as ours. We are prone to pride and self-exaltation while in reality we don’t even take a breath unless it is granted by God.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV)
But we have this treasure (the light of the gospel) in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

Fourth – vs. 11 – generally, there are two types of gifts – speaking gifts and service gifts

whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

If God has empowered you with a speaking gift you should speak – this is why God has given you the gift. You are not a good steward if you are not using God’s gift. But do not take this lightly. Speaking God’s truth is a weighty matter.

If you do not have a speaking gift then you have a serving gift. You should be using it – this is why God has given you the gift. You are not a good steward if you are not using God’s gift.

Fifth – vs. 11 – all is to the glory of God through Jesus.

These gifts are not given to exalt us but to glorify Jesus.

- – -

What if I don’t really know how I’m gifted? I get that. Saturate yourself with the gospel. Study Scripture. Pray that God would show you the fullness of Jesus and all that he is for you. Immerse yourself in Christ-exalting service. Ask other Christians for feedback – where do they see God working through you.

In the end your gifting will make itself known. You cannot sit down and know your gifting without engagement. It is through exposure that we find out how God has made us and how he has blessed us.

- – -

In 1 Cor 12:8-10, Eph 4:7-13, and Romans 12:3-8 we find lists of spiritual gifts. Some think that if we put these lists together we have an exhaustive listing. Other theologians that I respect, don‘t think these lists exhaust or define gifting limits. It’s a good thing we’re not talking about that today. I will put a link on my blog that connects to a quick spiritual gifting test. It might give you some idea as to your gifting.

- – -

Spiritual gifts come to life when done with a deep sense of stewardship (all we have belongs to God), as service to the fellowship, and for the glory of God. In other words, spiritual gifts come to life when we absorb the gospel as we should…. The gospel should change us into people who are stunned at the goodness of God in giving us, not only life, but giftedness. We should see a rejection of self and following Jesus’ example of service as a privilege. And we should long to glorify God as our purpose in life.

covenants/confessions/definitions

Waldean — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:40:25 +0000

The CBC Covenant:

By the aid of the Holy Spirit, and for the glory of God we covenant to:

walk together with each other in Christian love
strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness and peace
promote this church’s spiritual health and fruitfulness
sustain this church’s worship, ordinances, and discipline
test biblically, instruction from the Scriptures by the elders of this church, seeking to grow toward biblical unity in the truth
contribute cheerfully and regularly to the financial support of the ministry

We also covenant to diligently, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Scripture, prayer, and this fellowship:

pursue spiritual maturity for self and family
watch over each other in love, and prayer, and aid in distress; slow to take offense and always seeking reconciliation
pursue the salvation of family and acquaintances
walk circumspectly in the world – being just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment
pursue abstinence from all practices which bring unwarranted harm to the fellowship or jeopardize my own or someone else’s faith.

We also covenant that when we leave this place, we will, if possible, unite with a likeminded church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant.

- – -

At a minimum, the local church is:

a group of born again, baptized believers who, under the guidance of biblical leadership, regularly meet to worship God through Jesus Christ, sit under the authority of Scripture, and celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

- – -

Baptismal Confession:

Do you today, in front of these friends and witnesses confess Jesus as God’s gracious answer to sin? Do you embrace Jesus as the Son of God who came to earth and lived a perfect life? Do you trust him as the One, who, on the cross, absorbed the judgment of God that you deserve? Do you believe that in Jesus’ victory over sin and death, he is your victory?

church membership

Waldean — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:24:40 +0000

Today I’d like to talk about something that is often misunderstood – church membership. My experience would say that very few people get excited about this topic – I understand. One of the reasons it is misunderstood is that church leadership often does not follow through with their responsibilities.

I want to be clear about something before I continue. If you are not a member here, I want you to know that you are absolutely welcome here. Please come and be with us and share the goodness of God with us. You‘re invited to take communion with us, to eat with us, to pray with us, etc. We will strive to minister to you. You can participate in ministry with us. We love the fact that you’re here and, at least to some extent, involved.

So now, I’d like to address a couple of question that often comes up – first, “Is the concept of church membership really biblical?” and second, “What does it mean to be a member?”

Let’s look at a few passages where we see this:

From a negative angle we see it in:

1 Corinthians 5:11-13 (ESV)
But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. ¹²For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? ¹³God judges those outside. “Purge (remove, expel) the evil person from among you.”

Here we see a specific group that has membership. If someone calls himself a member of your church but continues in sexual immorality, or greed, or idolatry, or slandering, or drunkenness, or dishonesty – remove him. You must have something to be removed from something.

From a positive angle we see it in:

1 Peter 5:1-2a (ESV) Peter to a group of churches
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ²shepherd the flock of God that is among you…

Here we see Peter exhorting the elders to shepherd the flock God has given them. There is a flock – a defined group of people the elders are responsible for.

Not only do we see members of a church, we also see a covenant relationship.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (ESV)
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

Here we see a group that has leadership. The members of the church are to respect those who are over them, they are to esteem them highly in love, AND the leaders are to instruct the group.

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Here too we see a group of people that has leadership. The members of this group are to obey and submit to the leadership God has placed over them AND the leadership is charged with keeping watch over their souls – covenant.

- – -

What is membership here at Community Bible Church?

Membership is a commitment to stand with a people who are standing for Jesus together. It is a commitment to what this group believes and what this group is, through the grace of God, attempting to do.

Membership is connected to ministry. Ephesians 4:12 makes it pretty clear that the people of the church should be doing the ministry of the church. If you’re a Christian, you should be growing in your ministry to the fellowship you are committed too. While we welcome non-members to minister with us in many areas; did you know that if you’re not a member you cannot lead a ministry on behalf of this church?

Membership is connected to ministry in another way – It allows you to influence how we do ministry. I, regularly, speak with people who think they have deep and robust wisdom from which the fellowship should profit from – we’re all like this at times. But they’re not committed to the group they want to influence. How do you do that? How do you say, “I really care about what’s going on here…, I really want to help…, I have skills I’m willing to bring to the “table” and advice I’m willing to give…but I’m not committed enough to be come a member.”

Membership says that I desire to be all God wants me to be. We cannot be who we should be if we don’t submit to the instruction and guidance God has placed over us. While Scripture is the primary location of this instruction, Scripture speaks of leadership in the church as a God-ordained source of instruction as well.

The CBC Covenant:

By the aid of the Holy Spirit, and for the glory of God we covenant to:

walk together with each other in Christian love
strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness and peace
promote this church’s spiritual health and fruitfulness
sustain this church’s worship, ordinances, and discipline
test biblically, instruction from the Scriptures by the elders of this church, seeking to grow toward biblical unity in the truth
contribute cheerfully and regularly to the financial support of the ministry

We also covenant to diligently, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Scripture, prayer, and this fellowship:

pursue spiritual maturity for self and family
watch over each other in love, and prayer, and aid in distress; slow to take offense and always seeking reconciliation
pursue the salvation of family and acquaintances
walk circumspectly in the world – being just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment
pursue abstinence from all practices which bring unwarranted harm to the fellowship or jeopardize my own or someone else’s faith.

We also covenant that when we leave this place, we will, if possible, unite with a likeminded church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant.

- – -

If you are not a member here, I want you to know that you are absolutely welcome here. Please come and be with us and share the goodness of God with us. We will strive to minister to you. You‘re invited to take communion with us, to eat with us, to pray with us, etc. You can participate in ministry.

It is important, however, that we all understand that you have decided NOT to covenant with us. While there may be many reasons for this, you have decided NOT to support the relational, and biblical commitments that this fellowship has with it’s members.

how to do church

Waldean — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:46:22 +0000

Over the last few weeks I’ve talked about what the Bible says about the local church – why we exist. We’ve seen that primarily we are here to worship God, to mature each other in the faith, and to be salt and light to those who need Jesus.

Today I’d like to speak to those who think that, for the most part, the church is broken. Today I’d like to speak to those who don’t want church as it has always been. I’d like to talk to those who believe that if we were who God wanted us to be, things would be different. THIS IS ME! That is what I think too! I believe, at least in part, that this culture is falling away from God because the people of God have not been who they should have been.

So, how do you, in this culture, create a church that works? How do you do church such that it tastes good to those who need what we have? Is there a right way to do this? What do you do? There are seemingly and endless number of books on this issue.

Before I give you what I think is the biblical answer, I’d like to tell you a quick story that connects to this issue. When I was much younger, and for more than 15 years, I was self-employed in the insurance and investment business – what a great experience that was. So, as is the case for most young people in that business, it was tough. And in the beginning the income is often low – it’s a struggle just to survive financially. So, a few years into the struggle I’m desperately asking the question, “What do I need to do to accelerate my success? What’s the formula for more income? There must be a better way?”

One day I received notice that our main office in St. Paul was going to bring in some people who had great wisdom and experience in dressing like a business person should dress. There was a flyer that preceded the event that was designed to create interest – it was pretty compelling. It said things like, “First appearances are VERY important, You only get one chance to make a first impression, Better clothing – more income, Why would anyone buy into your proposition if you’re telling them, by the way you dress, that you’re not successful?” This struck me as FANTASTIC – I needed something and this sounded right. Better clothes are actually an investment in my business.

In the end I spent money I didn’t have to fix a problem that wasn’t connected, to the way I dressed. I desperately wanted the better wardrobe to be the answer because I didn’t want to do what I had been told needed to be done in order to fix the problem. Success in the financial services business is directly related to the number of people you talk too. I knew this going into the business. But because I hated dialing the phone, and I showed, I was desperate for different fix. There was no other fix.

I think there are similarities between my story and where the church is. Just as I wanted my business to be fruitful, we want this fellowship to be fruitful. I wanted to see my business generate enough income to pay the mortgage. And we want the Holy Spirit to reign powerfully here – creating what? I hope we want more than a building full of people so that we don’t have budget problems and we can feel good about our popularity. saving and growing and healing. I would like to see God growing folks that will completely live and die for King Jesus – joyfully. The question is, I think, do we actually want God’s method?

We must be transparent and different.

…God hasn’t called his people to be popular or the same as the culture around us. He has commanded us to be faithful, even in the face of mockery, criticism, and persecution. Something is dangerously wrong if we are simply a better version of what we see around us.

So let me get to the heart of this.

We exist – this fellowship exists to worship God. Worship is God-pleasing response to God. The more we look at Jesus, the more we study Scripture – the better we know God – the better our response – worship. All of life should be worship. This is why we must be careful not to do things that imply Sunday is for worship and Monday-Saturday is different – our existence every day should be worship. We are here to exalt Jesus together – as an organism – this is also your purpose individually. Everyone is consumed with some ultimate reality or purpose or vision or loyalty – everyone is dedicated to worship. We either worship God through Jesus or we are in idolatry. As Jesus said when he was tempted by Satan, “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” (Matthew 4:10)

Luke 14:33 (ESV)
“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” – seeing Christ as more valuable than anything else (not just saying Jesus is more valuable than anything else) – WORSHIP

Ephesians 5:25 (ESV)
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her… – WORSHIP

Matthew 22:37 (ESV)
And [Jesus] said to [the religious leaders], “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – WORSHIP

THE PRIMARY AVENUE TO PROPER, ACCEPTABLE, ROBUST WORSHIP ONLY COMES THROUGH KNOWING GOD. We MUST be people devoted to Scripture. We will NEVER be the people of Jesus if we’re not devoted to his word.

This is why I’m here – If, after this meeting here, at least somewhat regularly, the truth of Scripture through the ministry of the Holy Spirit does not prompt awe-inspired worship and a yielding to King Jesus, I should not be here doing this.

Now some may say, “Theology is boring”. Really? Knowing better the God who would actually die for you is boring? Really?

Theological rigger MUST be at the heart of this fellowship.

Second, and this flows from the first – This fellowship exists to be an instrument of grace in the lives of those who worship here. This fellowship exists to mature its members in the faith.

Ephesians 4:11-12 (ESV)
And [Christ] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…

We are to care for each other. – Alignment change

- – -

Third, we were made to be salt and light to a dying world.

Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. ¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

We do not do this by showing others that we are just like them. We do this by showing how we are different!!

“Ironically, the more we Christians pursue worldly relevance, the more we’ll render ourselves irrelevant to the world around us. There’s an irrelevance to pursuing relevance…”

I’m going to say something dangerous here. “When we look, primarily, for things that appeal to the world around us as our initial offering, we are compensating for our inability to do the right things.”

baptism 2009

Waldean — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:38:13 +0000

For 2,000 years Christians have been baptized. We are here today to witness the baptism of a group of Christians who want to be faithful in their walk with Jesus. Not only are we here to witness this – as a family, we are here to share this with them. So here’s what we’re going to do:

I’m going to talk about baptism a bit – and I want you to know that if there are those here who claim Jesus ALONE as the One who came to bear God’s judgment for your sin, and you have not been baptized, you can be.

Then we’re going to bring forward those being baptized and I’m going to ask them to confess Jesus as Savior – and we’ll introduce them.

Then we’re going to pray for them.

Then we’ll baptize them.

So, let’s talk about baptism. In one form or another baptism and water-washing has been practiced for thousands of years – and in different cultures. As John the Baptist prepared people for the coming of the Jesus he baptized them as they acknowledged their sin and repented.

In Jesus day there was another baptism that held profound meaning. When gentiles converted to Judaism they would be baptized. This would publicly signify their rejection of who they once were and signify their new confession. This baptism was a big step and, for them, could carry with it all manner of consequences.

That is the type of baptism we are doing here today. This baptism today is an open, public confession of Jesus as Savior.

Jesus left specific instructions to his disciples before he ascended into heaven:

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

And when we look at Scripture we see this as a priority, immediately.

Acts 2:41 (ESV)
So those who received [Peter’s] word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Acts 8:12 (ESV) – Philip in Samaria
But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Acts 8:36 (ESV) – Philip
And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?

Acts 16 – Lydia received the gospel and was baptized / a roman prison guard is saved and immediately baptized.

Acts 18:8 (ESV)
Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

Acts 19 – Paul goes to Ephesus proclaiming Jesus – people receive Christ and are baptized.

Acts 22 – Paul was telling the story of his conversion. A devout man (Ananias) explained God’s plan for Paul and told him to get baptized.

So we are here today to participate in the public confession of Jesus as Savior by these folks.

- – -

The Bible says that we are all self-centered people that exist against a holy God. We lie, we steal, we hate, we lust, we covet, we put other gods before God – and to make matters worse we can easily dismiss our sin by thinking something as stupid as, “Basically I’m a good person.” or, “Well at least I haven’t killed anyone.”

Romans 1:19-23 (ESV)
For what can be known about God is plain to [man], because God has shown it to [him]. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²²Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man…

So, now what? All of humanity is dead in their sin and rebellion and God would not be good if he ignored sin. Any earthly judge that simply sets a killer or rapist free is actually evil – God cannot be God and ignore sin. So, now what? If my sin must be dealt with what hope do I have.

Good news! – Instead of simply pouring out his wrath on us, God, in the person of Jesus, came here to absorb the judgment I deserve. This is what happened 2,000 years ago. God did not leave us. Rather, he sent Jesus to live like we live and to be tempted like we’re tempted – but he did not sin. Being who we are, however, we killed him – we tortured and murdered him. And here’s what’s amazing – in this the greatest moment of our evil and hatred, Jesus was absorbing the wrath of God for the sin of all those he would save.

John 3:16-18 (ESV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:36 (ESV)
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Craig Hensel – Becoming a Learner

Waldean — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:55:15 +0000