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State Secrets: Inside The Making Of The Electric State

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Family Secrets: Chris Pratt & Millie Bobby Brown Share Stories From Set 22:08

23 hari yang lalu22:08

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Host Francesca Amiker sits down with directors Joe and Anthony Russo, producer Angela Russo-Otstot, stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, and more to uncover how family was the key to building the emotional core of The Electric State . From the Russos’ own experiences growing up in a large Italian family to the film’s central relationship between Michelle and her robot brother Kid Cosmo, family relationships both on and off of the set were the key to bringing The Electric State to life. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts . State Secrets: Inside the Making of The Electric State is produced by Netflix and Treefort Media.…

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The Waste of Worship (Mt.26; Mk.14; Jn.12)

7 hari yang lalu

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03/30 Lent: The Waste of Worship (Mt.26; Mk.14; Jn.12) ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250330_waste-of-worship.mp3 Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent; the word ‘lent’ comes from the Old English ‘lencten’ which refers to springtime and may come from the ‘lengthening’ of the days in the spring. In the church calendar, it is a 40 day period leading up to Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday, and is traditionally a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving with the intent of opening our hearts to the events of passion week. It is similar to the weeks of advent leading up to the celebration of the incarnation at Christmastime. For these three weeks leading up to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, I would like to look at some of the events in the final weeks of our Lord’s life leading up to his death on the cross for us and for our salvation. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 12 record Jesus in Bethany, a small village just outside Jerusalem, home to the recently resurrected Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha. John puts this event 6 days before the Passover, probably Friday evening or Saturday, the week before Jesus went to the cross. Mark 14:1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” 3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” 10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. There couldn’t be a starker contrast than in these verses. This woman, Mary of Bethany as we learn from John, who took possibly her most valuable possession, and broke it open and poured it out on the head of Jesus, running down to his feet, in an act of worship. And then we have the disciples and Judas, indignant, who look at what she did as pure waste, a foolish, ruinous and reckless act. Such a radical difference in perspectives. Is worship a waste? The Pragmatic Perspective There’s the pragmatic perspective; this was clearly a valuable resource, and it is now destroyed, irretrievably gone. This fragrant oil was worth more than three hundred denarii; a denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer, so three hundred denarii would be about a year’s wages (the median wage in the US is now over $40,000). In comparison, when there was a crowd of five thousand men plus women and children, and it was getting late and they were all hungry, the disciples ask sarcastically “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” (Mk.6:37). In that ratio, one denarius worth of bread would be shared between 25 people. That’s a lot of poor people that could have been fed with the plan of the disciples. Jesus had told the rich young ruler “sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Mk.10:21). No wonder they were indignant at this waste. Judas’ Dirty Secret John lets us in on Judas’ dirty secret. John tells us it was Judas who made this argument for feeding the poor. John 12:6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. I have to wonder, what was Judas doing with the money? They were living and traveling together; when sent in to town to buy supplies for the group, did he get himself an ice cream cone? Did he take some of the money, not enough to be obvious, but enough that over time it would add up, and sneak off and bury it under a tree somewhere? When Peter, James and John were arguing about who was to be the greatest in the kingdom, was Judas quietly smirking, knowing that whoever landed the highest positions of prominence, he would at least have the resources to satisfy all his cravings? But we can’t be too hard on Judas; Matthew and Mark both record “there were some who said to themselves indignantly, ‘Why was the ointment wasted like that?’”. Judas was not alone in his opinion that this was a waste of perfectly good resource. His opinion may have poisoned the thoughts of the other disciples. But where they heeded Jesus’ rebuke, Judas was resolute in his pursuit of personal gain. Both Matthew and Mark insert this narrative of the anointing into the account of the chief priests searching for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and Judas going to them and agreeing to betray him for money. They do this to give the backstory and make clear the connection of Judas’ motive and the event that pushed him over the edge. Judas Wasted the Greater Treasure Remember, Judas was one of the chosen 12, with Jesus throughout the majority of his three years in public ministry. He was eye-witnesses to countless supernatural signs; healing the sick, making the blind see, the lame walk, setting those oppressed by demons free, walking on water, calming a storm, feeding a multitude, raising the dead. John tells us: John 20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 21:25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Judas was eye-witness to this, and yet he did not believe. Judas was among the apostles who had been sent out by Jesus with authority to proclaim the good news and cast out demons; he had personally experienced the power of Jesus working through him, yet his love of money robbed him of the greatest treasure. I wonder what he was thinking during Jesus’ interaction with the rich man; Mark 10:21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” Judas had idolatry of the heart that enslaved him, prevented him from worshiping freely the one true God. It was he who truly wasted the greater treasure. Mary’s Heart of Worship There were probably more, but there are only 2 other recorded interactions of this Mary of Bethany with Jesus; the first is in Luke 10, where: Luke 10:39 …Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. …41 But the Lord answered her, … 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” The other is John 11, when Lazarus was ill; John 11:3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Jesus delayed until Lazarus was dead in the tomb 4 days, so that he could display his glory and raise him from the dead. John 11:20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. …32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and John 11:45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. What is shocking is the level of unbelief of the chief priests; we are told: John 12:10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. In the next chapter John records the anointing of Jesus by Mary: John 12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” Martha again is serving, but this time without the distraction and complaint. We find Mary again at the feet of Jesus. It is interesting that Matthew and Mark both emphasize that the woman anointed the head of Jesus. Matthew’s account focuses on Jesus as the fulfillment of Hebrew expectation, the anointed Messiah, King of the Jews, and so to anoint the head would be the focus of his attention, while John focuses our attention on the self-humbling of the Eternal One, who though he was in very nature God, emptied himself by taking the form of a slave. In the very next chapter, John will record Jesus humbling himself to wash the feet of his disciples, who were too proud to wash the feet of one another. But here in John 12, Jesus receives the lavish worship of a woman who is willing to take the lowest place. The word worship [προσκυνέω], although not used in this passage, is a graphic word picturing the submission of a dog to its master. Worship requires humility. Mary took the lowest place, and with no concern for her own reputation let down her hair to wipe his feet. No expense was too much; Mary poured out extravagant worship, the very best she had. As David said so many years earlier “…I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing” (2Sam.24:24). The one who is forgiven much loves much. Jesus’ Interpretation Is worship a waste? Jesus said that it was a beautiful thing that she did to him. He received her worship. He approved of the extravagant waste. It is right, in the presence of Jesus, to give him everything. Is Jesus not concerned with the poor? To us who do not have the physical presence of the Son of God with us, he says Matthew 25:40 …‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ But Jesus’ interpretation of her action is surprising. We might have expected him to affirm her anointing him as appropriate because he is the greater Prophet, and our great High Priest. Psalm 133:2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! He is the Anointed One, Messiah, King of the Jews. Psalm 45:6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; 7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; 8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad; But this is not the oil of gladness. At least we would expect him to acknowledge her anointing as the anointing of appropriate hospitality to an honored guest, as he did the sinner who anointed him at the Pharisee’s house in Luke 7 Luke 7:44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. But Jesus interprets this anointing differently. He says: Mark 14:8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. Jesus had been telling his disciples for some time: Matthew 20:18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Did Mary pick up on this where the disciples didn’t? Had she even heard that he had said these things? Did she perceive the mood of Jerusalem and the imminent danger when the disciples were oblivious? Or was this simply a spontaneous overflow of her worship that Jesus recognized was perfectly timed? Jesus’ attention was fixed on the mission he came to accomplish, and that was to die for the sins of mankind. He came to die, to give his life as a ransom for many. He came to lay down his life. He was on his way to die, and he recognized her anointing as the anointing of a body for burial. What a waste! And yet the fragrance of her worship filled the house. May the fragrance of our extravagant worship fill his house today! *** Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org…

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Church; Every Member Ministry (1 Peter 4)

13 hari yang lalu

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03/23 Church; Every Member Ministr y (1 Peter 4) ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250323_church-every-member-ministry.mp3 Jesus said: Matthew 16:18 …on this rock I will build my church , and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Jesus promises to build his church on the solid foundation of his own divine identity is Messiah, Son of God. The church gathers to worship, and to recognize one another as members through baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The church scatters for evangelism. The church operates under Jesus’ authority to make disciples of all nations. We’ve been looking at the church, who makes up the church, what the church is and what we as the church are to be about. We have seen that the church is a Holy Spirit created New Covenant community of born again baptized believers. The church consists of all those who call on King Jesus for salvation; all those who swear allegiance to him (through baptism), publicly identifying as his followers. The church is a temple, a dwelling place for God by the Spirit; as living stones joined together we enjoy the presence of God among us. The church is the betrothed bride of Christ; Jesus purchased us with his own blood, he is washing us, purifying us, sanctifying us, so that our affections are only for him, as we eagerly anticipate his return for us. The church is a family, who love one another and seek to uphold the family name. The church is a flock, stray sheep brought into the fold by the good Shepherd, those who know the voice of the Shepherd and follow him. As sheep we are prone to wander; we are to hold one another accountable and go after the strays, those who begin to wander away from their Shepherd. The church is a body made up of many diverse body parts, each with unique God-given gifts that allow the body to function properly as each member does its part. Practical Every Member Ministry As we’ve looked at who and what the church is, I trust we’ve seen some useful truths that we’ve been able to put into practice in our own lives, and our life together as the church. Today I want to get really practical and look at what every member of the church does. Understand, the church is an every member ministry; there are not performers and consumers. None of us are to be passive recipients; we are all to be active participants. We all are called and equipped by God’s grace to be ministers of the gospel, and we all are to receive gospel ministry from one another. To minister simply means to serve. Ministry is service. Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another . Here’s a short list of some of the things that every member does: believe, be baptized, devote yourself to the teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and the prayers, love, give, serve, share the gospel, be discipled and disciple others. One-Another Loving Service I Peter 4 says: 1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly , since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another , as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 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. Do you see the ‘one-another’s’ in this passage? Keep loving one another, show hospitality to one another, serve one another. As members of a body, various body parts, we have different gifts, different functions, different roles in the body. But whatever gift we have (and this passage makes it clear that every believer has been given gifts), use those gifts through love to serve one another. Do you know anyone particularly gifted in hosptality? Have you experienced the blessing of being a recipient of that gift? Do you know anyone especially gifted in generosity? In teaching? In serving? Have you ever thanked them for blessing you through their service, and they respond something like ‘Oh, it was nothing.’ It was not nothing! It was profoundly meaningful and impactful. But that may be a way of saying that the act of service was simply doing what that one was created and gifted to do. It seemed natural to them (although we know it is supernatural, Holy Spirit empowered and enabled). You may not know what gifts you have received, but do this: pay attention to the needs around you and in love seek to serve others, for their good, to bless them, and you will most likely end up using your God-given gifts. We are all differently gifted (that’s what makes up the body), but there are certain things we all are to be about. Believe and Be Baptized Every believer must be a believer. That ought to go without saying, but we must say it. The church is built on the real identity of Jesus of Nazareth. If you aren’t trusting in the real Jesus, you aren’t a genuine believer. You may attend church services, but you are not a member of the church. You don’t really belong. But that’s the beautiful thing about Jesus’ church; you may not be believing, but there is a standing invitation calling you to believe and enter in. No matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, no matter what you may have done, you are invited to turn away from whatever you were trusting in, turn ot Jesus, depend on him alone for your eternal hope, enter in to a relationship with Jesus, and as an extension, with his church. Believe and be baptized, where you publicly confess Jesus as your Lord and rescuer, and where the church hears your testimony of faith in Jesus alone and welcomes you in to the fellowship. Teaching and Fellowship, Breaking Bread and Prayers As we saw last week in Acts 2, all who received the word, the good news of Jesus crucified, raised, exalted and reigning, all who pledged allegiance to him as King were baptized and added to the church, and they were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers (Ac.2:41-42). All were devoted to the teaching of the apostles. All the believers were listening and learning together. They had the privilege of hearing the apostles’ proclaim the good news and teach from the Scriptures. We now have the apostolic word written, the prophetic word more fully confirmed (2Pet.1:14-19). We as the church gather to devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching. All believers were devoted to the fellowship. We have Jesus in common, and we gather to celebrate that sibling bond. We don’t gather because we have hunting of fishing or cars or sports or hobbies in common, we gather because we together are forgiven and set free by the blood of the only Son of God (1Jn.1:7). We devote ourselves to the fellowship. All believers were devoted to the breaking of bread. Jesus said “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Lk.22:19). Breaking bread together is a weekly way of affirming for ourselves and to one another that we are still standing firm in the good news that is the only thing that is saving us. We devote ourselves to reminding one another and remembering together the once for all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins. All believers were devoted to the prayers (Mt.6:9-13). Prayers of worship and adoration to God, prayers for his name to be lifted high, prayers that he be honored on earth as in heaven, prayers for our needs (and we have many), prayers for one another, prayers for our brothers and sisters, prayers for our leaders, prayers for the world. We devote ourselves to the prayers. Give We also saw in Acts 2 that: Acts 2:44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. All the believers were practicing generosity. They were giving, supplying one another’s needs. The Old Testament laws of tithes and offerings were replaced by a spirit of abundant generosity and practical meeting of needs. Later we read: 1 Corinthians 9:13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. We are not under Old Testament law, but just as a starting point, and because it makes the math easy, if we take the tithe (which means a tenth) and each family were to give a tenth of their income, ten families together would give one average family income, and a ten family church would be able to support one pastoral family in full time ministry. If there were twenty families, they could support two pastoral families, or maybe one family and rent for a place to meet. Again, we are not under Old Testament law, but the gospel sets us free to be more generous. The church, inspired by the lavish generosity of God in the gospel, was generous with one another. The church gave to the point that ‘there was not a needy person among them’ (Ac.4:34). Be Discipled, Evangelize, Make Disciples The church exploded exponentially because disciples were making disciples. Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus commanded his disciples to make disciples of the nations, and he anticipated that his disciples would make disciples who would make disciples who would make disciples to the end of the age. What does making disciples look like? It’s not primarily ‘come with me to hear the professional speaker at church and maybe you will be persuaded to give your life to Jesus.’ This was ‘I’ve been transformed by Jesus as you can plainly see, and I would like to tell you how you can have your sins forgiven and enter into a relationship with Jesus too, and then you can get connected with the church to publicly confess your faith in him and grow together with the other believers. Jesus made disciples by spending time with his disciples, mentoring them, teaching them, letting them get to know him and discover who he really is, to the point that when he said difficult things, things that were to swallow, like: John 6:56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 …whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. When he asked if they too were going to turn back and stop following him, they were able to respond: John 6:68 …“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Evangelizing (which simply means proclaiming the good news) is something that followers of Jesus do. We have been told the greatest news ever, and we want others to get in on the sweetest of all deals that we have been given. This is the great exchange; I get to trade in my sin, my shame, my sorrow, my guilt and the condemnation I deserve, and Jesus takes it all, pays my price in full, and he gives me as a gift his own perfect record of righteousness and invites me in to relationship with him forever?? It doesn’t get any better than that! 2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Evangelism is simply taking the greatest of all messages, receiving it, believing it, being changed by it, and letting others in on it. Remember, we are not making disciples of us; I don’t want any mini-me’s running around! We are inviting people to become disciples of Jesus along side of us. And notice what Jesus says ‘teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.’ That is not ‘come to Jesus and have your sins washed away but don’t let him change your life.’ This is receiving the gospel, standing in it, holding fast to it, being transformed by it. This is learning to walk with Jesus through the good, the bad and the ugly. This is following Jesus even when it’s costly. This is taking up your cross and following Jesus. We are not only called to make disciples but to be disciples, and being disciples means being discipled (Heb.10:23-25). We need each other. We have blind spots we cannot see, so we need others alongside us to graciously point out those blind spots so we can grow and follow Jesus more closely. We need the accountability and the one-another ministry of the body. We need to be both giving and receiving one-another ministry. Encourage one another. Stir up one another to love and good works. Through love serve one another. Summary The church is an every member ministry: there are no spectators; we are all active participants. Every believer believes in Jesus and is baptized as a public confession their union with Jesus, Every member is devoted to the teaching, the fellowship, the breaking bread, and the prayers, Every member through love serves one another, Every member gives generously, Every member shares the good news, is discipled and seeks to disciple others. *** Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org…

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Church; Gathered and Scattered (Acts 2)

20 hari yang lalu

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03/16 Church; Gathered and Scattered ( Acts 2 ) ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250316_church-gathered-scattered.mp3 We’ve been looking at the church, who makes up the church, what the church is and what we as the church are to be about. We have seen that the church is a Holy Spirit created New Covenant community of born again baptized believers. The church consists of all those who call on King Jesus for salvation; all those who swear allegiance to him (through baptism), publicly identifying as his followers. The church is brothers and sisters, adopted into the same family, who seek to uphold the family name. The church is a flock, stray sheep brought into the fold by the good Shepherd, those who know the voice of the Shepherd and follow him. As sheep we are prone to wander; we are to hold one another accountable and go after the strays, those who begin to wander away from their Shepherd. The church is a holy temple, a dwelling place for God; we join together as living stones and enjoy together the presence of God among us. The church is a body made up of many diverse body parts, each with unique God-given gifts and abilities that allow the body to function as an organic whole, working together to accomplish what any one part could never accomplish on its own. The church is the betrothed bride of Christ; Jesus laid down his life to make us his own, he is washing us with the word, making us pure and holy, so that our affections are only for Jesus, as we wait for him to come and take us to be with him forever. The church unites around Jesus, the truth about who he is, the true transformation that he brings about in the lives of his followers through the good news; the faith once for all delivered to the saints. We looked at the church local and the church universal; the one universal body of Christ that spans history and geography; all who in every place call on the name of the Lord (that’s the church universal). Every true local church is a subset of the universal church, those who gather together locally under the sovereign Lord Jesus. The Church Gathered That’s important to see. The local church gathers. In Acts 1, the Apostles and the rest of Jesus’ followers were together and were devoting themselves to prayer. In Acts 2, on the feast of weeks or Pentecost, which is on the first day of the week, they were all together in one place when the Holy Spirit was poured out. Peter proclaimed Jesus as both Lord (YHWH) and Christ (Messiah), Jesus crucified, raised to life, seated in glory at the right hand of his Father, pouring out the promised Spirit on his followers. Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. This is the birth of the church Jesus promised to build. Those who received the good news of Jesus, who he is, what he came to do, were baptized and added to the church. Think about this; that gathering of the church on Pentecost was both the church local and the church universal. It included all believers in Jesus, all gathered in one place. In the rest of Acts, we see the gospel advancing and spreading, and not again will we see the church universal gathered in one place until that day we gather around the throne of God and of the Lamb. Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Devoted to The Teaching But look back at Acts 2 to see what the newly birthed church was about: Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. The church was earnestly committed to, devoted to, adhered strictly to the teaching of the apostles. The truth about Jesus was central to the church. I’ve heard it said that doctrine divides, and that’s true. Truth is absolute. There is right and wrong, true and false. True teaching divides truth from error, the genuine from the false. But doctrine also unites, it gives those who believe true teaching an immovable anchor that bonds us together in a robust unity. Jesus’ church is built on his true identity and mission. Devoted to The Fellowship The church devoted themselves to the fellowship, that which we share, what we have in common. There is a sweet fellowship even between strangers when we discover that we are following the same Jesus. We may have nothing else in common, but if we have Jesus, that is enough. The church was committed to, held tightly to, devoted themselves to the fellowship. This might be so obvious it shouldn’t need to be said, but you can’t have fellowship all by yourself. Fellowship is a community word. I’ve heard people say ‘I feel closest to God when I’m out in nature, up on the mountains’. And if that’s you, I get you! There’s something restorative, therapeutic to be out in God’s creation, breathing fresh clean air, enjoying the vastness and majesty of everything he spoke into existence. It can help us regain a sense of awe and wonder. But as close to God as you might feel on the mountain, that’s not church. Church is not a feeling, it’s not a place, it is a fellowship of people. Jesus said: Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Church is gathering together with other people in the name of Jesus. And that’s where Jesus promises that his closest presence will be experienced. Devoted to The Breaking of Bread The church devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. At his final Passover meal with his disciples, Jesus Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Breaking bread together was a standard part of any meal together. Jesus filled this everyday routine with new significance. The good news is that Jesus gave himself up for me. His body was broken for me. He wants us to remember him together as part of our fellowship as his church. 1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. This is another picture of our unity as we gather as one body. Breaking bread together is a regular way of remembering Jesus and affirming our allegiance to him. Breaking bread together is a way to affirm one another as members of this new covenant community. The church devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. Devoted to The Prayers The church devoted themselves to the prayers. Prayer was something they did together. They prayed with one another and for one another. Once we were strangers and aliens; now fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God; Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. Together we can seek God’s face. Together in the Spirit we have access through Jesus to the Father. The church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers. Community and Outreach Acts 2:44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. The Temple A word about the temple in Jerusalem; the word for ‘temple’ here refers not to the temple building itself, the holy place, but to the whole temple area, including the courtyards. No one but the priests could enter the actual building. But the temple courtyards were places where people could gather, sing, worship, pray. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of his day; Mark 11:17 …“Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” When the disciples went to the temple together, they were using it as God intended, to be a place of prayer. But we see the transition happening. As Jesus taught the woman from Samaria, John 4:21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. …23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” That one temple was destroyed in 70 AD and never rebuilt. The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of the divine presence, the glory of God leaving the temple because of the rebellion of his people. Throughout the New Testament, as we have seen when we looked at the church as a building, we, the church, are the living stones who make up the dwelling place for God. When we see the disciples going up to the temple, it is usually to pray, or to interact with people, to teach, to point them to Jesus, the greater temple (Mt.12:6). Community and Outreach Acts 2:46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. This community, this unity, being together, having things in common, led to outreach. ‘The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.’ God used this kind of connected gathered community of diverse people to reach more people with the good news of salvation in Jesus. Jesus himself said: John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Our love for one another, in spite of our differences, even in spite of our disagreements and frustrations and irritations, ‘bearing with one another in love’ speaks volumes of the uniting power of Jesus and is a powerful witness to the watching world. The Church Scattered for Evangelism But notice this is not only the gathered church. Day by day, in the community, in each other’s homes, in the workplace, their lives pointed to Jesus. As they went about their days, Jesus was shining through them, inviting others to find the joy and peace and hope that they had found. Jesus promised his presence with us when we gather in his name. Jesus also promises his presence when we scatter for evangelism and disciple making. Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We were never meant to be septic tanks of God’s grace, where everything flows in and nothing flows out. We were meant to be conduits of God’s grace to others. Paul says of the relatively new church in Thessalonica, 1 Thessalonians 1:8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. This is natural. When you find a great deal, an amazing restaurant, a funny video, don’t you tell your friends about it? You see a spectacular sunset, find a glorious mountain vista, you instinctively want to find someone who can enjoy it with you. The gospel is the sweetest, richest, most gloriously beautiful and satisfying truth. It is too good to be true, but it is absolutely true! It is news too good to keep to ourselves. We must invite others to taste and see that the Lord is good! Summary The church is built on the gospel foundation of who Jesus is and what he came to do. Those who believe and are baptized are added to the church. The church is to devote itself to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers. The church as a community gathered is to be a light and witness for Christ, and the church is to scatter for evangelism. We, the church, are to be advancing on enemy territory, breaking down the gates of hell, setting the captives free, seizing ground for our King of kings. Matthew 16:18 …on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Do Not Neglect to Meet Together Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. *** Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org…

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Church; True Unity (Ephesians 4; Matthew 16, 18)

5 weeks yang lalu

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03/02 Church; True Unity (Eph.4; Mt.16, 18); Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250302_church-true-unity.mp3 We are looking together at what the Bible says about the church. So far, we have seen that the church is made up of those who call on the name of King Jesus, the sovereign rescuing Lord. The church is a Holy Spirit created New Covenant community of born again baptized believers. We have looked at some of the main metaphors used to describe the church; a family, a flock, a building and a kingdom of priests, a body made up of diverse parts, a bride waiting for her husband. What The Church Does So far, we’ve been looking primarily at who or what the church is . I want to turn now to look at what the church does . What are we as the church to be about? How do we function as the church? Let’s look back through these descriptions of the church; they are given to communicate something about the church. Each picture illustrates a truth, and and each one has implications for what we do, how we live, how we conduct ourselves, how we interact with one another as the church. The church is pictured as a family ; Like it or not, we are related to one another, by blood – the blood of Jesus that washes us clean. We may not have much else in common, but we have been adopted into the same family, made brothers and sisters through the new birth, so we’d better learn to get along, to look out for one another. The family has a family name to live up to, family rules, family values, a family code of conduct. If you are a Christian, you bear the name of Christ. You’d better be living up to that name. Ephesians 4:1 …walk in a manner worthy of [ consistent with ] the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The church is a family; uphold the family name. The church is a flock . Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. We were straying like sheep (1Pet.2:25), but the good Shepherd stood in our place, took our punishment, and we have now been returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. Under our good Shepherd (Ps.23), we now get to walk together by still waters, lay down and enjoy green pastures together as a flock. He leads us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake, and we must follow him. We also will walk with one another through the valley of the shadow of death. The church is a flock. As sheep prone to wander, we must stay close to our good Shepherd. The church is a building , made up of living stones, stones that are joined together to be a holy temple of the Lord (1Pet.2:5), Don’t be a block sitting out in a field all alone. There is structure, there is design, there is order, there is symmetry and beauty. We together are a dwelling place for God by his Spirit (Eph.2:19-22). His glory inhabits us. We are to be a kingdom of priests, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to him through Jesus Christ. Together we proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light (1Pet.2:9). We were made to worship. We were made to behold the glory of God, to enjoy his presence together. The church is a body , made up of individual body parts (1Cor.12:7, 12), each one with Holy Spirit enabled grace-gifts and abilities given so that wee can contribute in a specific way to allow the body to function and thrive as a complete interconnected organism. We need each other, every part functioning as parts of the whole; a body connected with and in submission to its one head, the Lord Jesus Christ. As parts of a body, we can’t be proud thinking I’m more important than you, or withdraw thinking I have no useful contribution to make. We can’t be isolated from each other. We need each other. And like a body, we are meant to be interconnected; when one is hurting all grieve together, when one rejoices, we all share in that joy (1Cor.12:26-27). The church is a body and we are each individually members of one another. The church is a bride , betrothed to her husband, to Christ (2Cor.11:2). Jesus loves the church (Eph.5), he laid down his life to make her his own, he is washing her with the water of the word, making her pure and holy, to present her blameless, in splendor on that glorious day. Our affections must be exclusively his, our eyes on him, our hearts longing for his return, in faithfulness seeking to live in a way that pleases him when he returns. The church is a pure virgin betrothed to Christ. Unity All these pictures point us to our corporate identity. The church is bigger than me. It is made up of many parts, many people. Many sheep, brothers and sisters, priests, living stones, body parts. We who are many are one (Rom.12:4-5). The church together composes one bride, the bride of Christ. This is why Jesus prayed so fervently for our unity: John 17:11 … Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one , even as we are one. …21 that they may all be one , just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, Unity Grounded in Truth And why the New Testament exhorts us so often to unity. Ephesians 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love , we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love . (cf. Jn.10:16; Rom.12:5; Gal.3:28; Eph.1:10; 4:4) Notice this is not some superficial ‘lets sing a song together and hold hands and pretend we’re all on the same team’ kind of unity. This is a robust intrinsic unity that comes from the equipping ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor-teachers, a unity of faith (that we believe the same things); a unity of the knowledge of the Son of God (that we know and are walking with the same Jesus). This is a unity that is on guard against the infection of false teaching and the disease of different doctrine. This is a unity not founded in feeling but in fact, in truth, in reality. This is why the early church fought so passionately and at such great cost for the truth about who Jesus is against the false teachings and heresies that tried to take root in the church. Unity and Accountability This is why being connected, being a part, a member of the body is so essential. It allows the body to recognize and affirm the other members. This is why baptism is so important; baptism is the way believers are meant to respond to the gospel and publicly confess what they are believing, so that the rest of the body can hear and welcome them in as members. This is why accountability to one another is so important, so if I am believing something that is false and dangerous, you can in love point out my error for my good and for the health of the body. We must not let false doctrine in to the church. We must be able to evaluate truth claims by the word of God, and accept or reject them. A few years ago, I was out in the backyard and decided to throw a stick for our dog. It was a big stick that she had been chewing on already, and when I wound up and released that stick, there was a splinter that the force of that throw plunged deep into my thumb. It was instantly throbbing, and felt like it had gone straight to the bone. I grabbed the chunk of wood that was lodged firmly in my flesh, and with some effort and much pain, pulled it out. It was a sizeable chunk and left quite a hole, which I went inside and cleaned up. It continued to be painful, but eventually healed over. But I could tell something was not quite right. I suspected there was still a fragment of that saliva saturated stick somewhere deep in my thumb. It was red, swollen and inflamed. It affected just about everything I did. At different times, I would dig at it in an attempt to find whatever was in there that didn’t belong, but without success. Finally, I think it was months later, as I was probing, a fairly substantial chunk of wood squirted out of my thumb. My body had been fighting it the whole time, and finally it was out. It was painful, but there was instant relief; the foreign substance that had invaded my body was finally out, and I could begin to really heal. That’s what it’s like when false teachers make their way into the church. Paul and Jesus used the analogy of the flock and called them ravenous wolves (Mt.7:15 Ac.20:29). The church of the living God is to be a pillar and buttress of the truth (1Tim.3:15). We are to: Jude 1:3 …contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Paul instructed Titus to appoint elders in every town, men who: Titus 1:9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. 10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. …13 …Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. Splinters and Timbers Jesus also taught about helping a brother get a splinter or a speck out of his eye. Matthew 7:3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Jesus does not say ‘mind your own business, don’t concern yourself with your brother.’ But our tendency is to be hypocrites who ‘strain out a gnat and swallow a camel’ (Mt.23:24). We ought to help our brother with his splinter. But we ought not attempt it with a whole timber lodged in our own eye. Go After the Sheep Who Strays Jesus says in Matthew 18(:12-14) that the good shepherd goes after the one sheep who goes astray and rejoices greatly when he finds it. He says: Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church . And if he refuses to listen even to the church , let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them .” Jesus outlines a process of pursuing a sheep who goes astray. The goal is always the joy of finding them and bringing them home. This is only the second place Jesus mentions the church, and this concept of binding and loosing. The first was just two chapters earlier in Matthew 16; Jesus asked his disciples if they understood his identity. Matthew 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church , and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Jesus builds his church on the solid foundation of the divine identity of Jesus as Messiah, Son of God. And Peter is given authority to unlock the kingdom of heaven to sinners otherwise destined for hell who turn to Jesus. In Matthew 18, the authority of the keys in binding and loosing is given to the church, followers of Jesus officially gathered in the name of Jesus, and Jesus says that when the church pursues a straying sheep and that one refuses to return, they must assume that that one is not a sheep, because his sheep hear the voice of their Shepherd and follow (Jn10:27). That one must not be founded on the true identity of Jesus. God gives the gift of repentance to his people. A brother who refuses to repent, refuses to walk in unity is not acting like a brother, not upholding the family name, and so puts himself outside. The church is to recognize that one as outside the family and treat them as outside. The way Jesus teaches us to treat those outside is to love them, plead with them, invite them in. That is the Father’s heart (Lk.15); he goes out to that one, pleads with him to come home. As the church, the family, the flock, the body, the building, the bride, we are called to unity, and our unity must be substantial, real, rooted in gospel truth, giving evidence of real gospel transformation. May we grow together in ‘the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God’. *** Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org…

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Church; The Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5)

6 weeks yang lalu

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02/23 Church; Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5 ) ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250223_church-bride-christ.mp3 We are taking a few weeks to look at the church; what the church is, what it means to belong to the church. We have seen that the church consists of those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus as sovereign rescuing King. The church is a Holy Spirit created New Covenant community of born again baptized believers. The Bible uses metaphors to describe the church; a family, a flock, a building, made up of living stones joined together as a holy temple of the Lord, a kingdom of priests. The church is a body, made up of individual body parts, each one with Holy Spirit enabled grace-gifts and abilities given to contribute in a specific way to allow the body to function and thrive as a complete interconnected organism. Betrothed to Jesus Paul says something really intriguing in 2 Corinthians 11 2 Corinthians 11:2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. Paul is shocked at the Corinthians’ willingness to put up with some other Jesus than the one he proclaimed, a different Spirit, a different gospel. He is concerned that the serpent is deceiving and leading people away from the real Christ. He feels jealousy, because he is afraid they are cheating on the real Jesus, even if their other lover also uses the name Jesus. It is interesting that he uses the language of betrothal of a pure virgin to a husband to describe the relationship of the church to Jesus. John the baptist used similar language when people expressed concern that John’s disciples were leaving him and following Jesus. John 3:27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. Paul and John both saw their duty as introducing people to Jesus, getting them connected to Jesus. But this is not a loose low commitment come-and-go no-strings-attached kind of relationship. They use the language of betrothal, which we learn from Joseph and Mary in Matthew 1 required the legal act of divorce to dissolve. Betrothal, leading to marriage, is a legally binding covenant commitment. And both John and Paul are comparing this with our relationship with Jesus. Ephesians; The Church as Body and Bride In Ephesians 5 Paul gives instructions to the church: Ephesians 5:21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives to their husbands, children to parents, slaves to masters. In this section on the relationship of a husband and wife, it becomes clear that he is talking about something much bigger than the human marriage relationship. Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. We looked last week at the church as the body of Christ and us as his members or body parts. This passage connects with that metaphor; the church is the body, and Christ is its head. Christ is the Savior and the Sovereign over his body. It is dysfunctioning body that doesn’t come under the authority of its head. This metaphor of head and body is woven together into the marriage relationship. Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. This is a stunning picture of Christ’s love for his bride, the church. Self-sacrificial lay down your life love for the good of the other. Jesus died for his bride, to set her apart for himself, to cleanse, to purify, to present the bride all in white to himself on their wedding day. No price is too much to pay. Jesus loves his church. Ephesians 5:28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Here again we see the metaphors of bride and body woven together, based on the truth that in marriage God joins two together into one (Mt.19:6); ‘the two shall become one flesh’. We are members of Christ’s body. Jesus loves his body, his bride, the church, he nourishes and cherishes it. A Shadow of The Greater Reality Ephesians 5:32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. This divine joining of two together into one inseparable whole is a profound mystery. Paul is giving instructions on human marriage, but he gets caught up in the greater reality of the relationship of Christ and the church. In fact, Paul says this one flesh marriage mystery primarily refers to Christ and his bride, the church. The human marriage relationship is given by God to be a shadow, a parable, a pointer to a greater, more beautiful, more perfect, more profound reality. The marriage covenant is temporary, broken by death (Rom.7:2); the greater reality lasts forever. Our marriages are all flawed; we fail to love selflessly, sacrificially, for the good of the other. Beauty fades, is tarnished. We fail to love well, to lead well, to show respect and honor, to submit well. We fail to nourish. We fail to cherish. Christ never fails. Divine Romance in Ephesians 1 If we back up and look at the whole of Ephesians, I think we might see at least hints of this bigger picture woven throughtout the book. There is at least an undercurrent of this greatest love story right through Ephesians. Remember, in Jesus’ own letter to the church in Ephesus (Rev.2:1) he rebukes them because “you have abandoned the love you had at first”. Right at the beginning of Ephesians (1:2-6), we read of God blessing us and choosing us, that we should be holy and blameless before him (that’s the same language as Ephesians 5:27), in love predestining us for adoption to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. We (1:7-8) have been redeemed (redemption reminds us of the love story of Boaz and Ruth 3:9), bought with his blood, forgiven, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us (that lavish gift language sounds like the gifts presented to Rebekah in pursuit of her as a bride for Isaac; Gen.24:53. To Isaac the only-begotten, his father gave him all that he has). He makes known to us the mystery (we saw that word in chapter 5) of his will, to unite all thing in him, things in heaven and things on earth (1:9). He mentions the Jewish inheritance, and in verse 13, he turns to the Gentile believers in Ephesus and says ‘ you also’; Ephesians 1:13 In him you also , when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit , 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory Jew and Gentile both heard the word of truth, the good news of salvation through Jesus, both believed in him; both were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, both made co-heirs together of the inheritance. In verse 15 he overflows with thanksgiving to God, and he prays: Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints , 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. We need Holy Spirit empowered wisdom to comprehend the hope we have in heaven, the inheritance we have coming, and chapter 1 closes with these words: Ephesians 1:22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church , 23 which is his body , the fullness of him who fills all in all. The Father gave Jesus the crucified, resurrected, exalted and soon returning Son to the church, which is his body. The Backstory Chapter 2 (v.1-3) gives us the backstory; we were not innocent and pure; we were dead in trespasses and sins, disobedient, giving our affections to the devil, given over to sensuality and indulging our passions. Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. God’s great love made us alive, raised us up, in Christ seats us in the heavenlies, and he intends to lavish us with the immeasurable riches of his grace in Christ for eternity. This is all undeserved grace. Through the self-giving sacrifice of Jesus, he has made Jew and Gentile one, he has reconciled us both to God in one body; through Jesus we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. God is uniting his people, his church, into one people, one household, one temple. (2:11-22) In Ephesians 3, Paul talks more about the mystery; Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body , and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. He does this Ephesians 3:10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. God is showing off to all the angels and demons through the church. In 3:16-19, he again prays for the church, for Holy Spirit given power to comprehend with all the saints the immeasurably great love of Christ. He ends chapter 3, and the first half of the letter with doxology: Ephesians 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. God is putting on display his glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. Live Consistent with your New Identity Having laid this gospel foundation in chapters 1-3, we are then exhorted in 4-6 to live lives consistent with our new identity. Ephesians 4:1 …walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We are one body with diverse gifts Ephesians 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, … Ephesians 4:15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love . Armed with Gospel Glory This picture of Christ as head of the body is combined in chapter 5 with the image of Christ as husband and the church as bride. Maybe in light of this, we should see chapter 6 not as an individual equipped for battle, but as the beloved bride, the church, loved by her husband, now outfitted and equipped with glorious gospel armor to stand her ground against the one who tempted the first wife in the garden. Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. We, church, are betrothed as a pure virgin to Jesus. We are not worthy, but he chose us, loved us, pursued us, paid the ultimate price to make us his, set us apart by his blood, cleansed us, is nourishing and cherishing us, and is clothing us in glorious gospel garments to present us, the church, to himself in splendor. Consummation in Revelation This love story culminates in Revelation Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” …11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. *** Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org…

PastorRodney’s Weblog

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Church; Members of a Body (1 Corinthians 12)

7 weeks yang lalu

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02/16 Church; Members of a Body (1 Corinthians 12) ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250216_church-body-members.mp3 We are taking a few weeks to look at the church; what, or who is the church? We have seen that the church consists of those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus as sovereign rescuing King; the church is what Jesus promised to build, and it belongs to him. The church is a Holy Spirit created New Covenant community of born again baptized believers; the church universal includes all genuine believers everywhere, throughout history and around the world; local churches are visible local expressions of this broader reality. The Bible uses metaphors to describe the church; as a family, those adopted by the Father, born into the family by the Holy Spirit, made co-heirs with Christ as brothers and sisters. The church is a flock, wayward wandering sheep now gathered under the Good Shepherd, entrusted to the care of under-shepherds, elders in the church, appointed to watch over the flock. The church is a building, made up of living stones joined together as a holy temple of the Lord, a dwelling place of God by the Spirit. Membership Misunderstood 1 Corinthians 12:27 tells us 1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it . When we talk about members of the church, don’t think membership in a society or club; just pay your dues and you have exclusive access to all these services, perks and amenities; it’s not an optional voluntary association, like the American Automobile Association; “AAA members get 24/7 Roadside Assistance, discounts at thousands of locations, identity theft protection, travel services, and much more. There’s more to AAA than you think—all for as little as $64.99 a year. From legendary roadside assistance and the convenience of in-branch services to savings on travel, entertainment, and auto repairs, AAA Membership can benefit you for life. Choose from 3 Levels of AAA Membership; classic, plus or premier” [https://mwg.aaa.com/] How does membership benefit me? And if you pay more for a premium membership, you get access to more perks and privileges. That’s not the biblical metaphor. Romans and 1 Corinthians and Ephesians and Colossians talk about the church as the body of Christ; that’s the metaphor – we are members, not membership in a social club, but members of a body; a foot, a hand, an eye, an ear. We are likened to body parts of the human anatomy, members of a human body. Grace-Gifts (1 Corinthians 12) Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 is addressing the issue of spiritual gifts or ‘grace-gifts’. In chapter 1 he said: 1 Corinthians 1:4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge — 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift , as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul is writing to correct a laundry list of issues in this church. In chapters 12-14 he addresses is their misuse of grace-gifts. The Corinthians were all about the gifts, who had the better, more impressive, more important gift. They wrongly assumed that whoever had the most sensational gift was most important, and they used it as grounds for pride. First of all, Paul reminds them (12:3), the greatest grace-gift of all is the gift of salvation, the Spirit enabled faith to call on Jesus as Lord. Then he reminds them (12:4-6) that gifts are gifts; they are not deserved. There is variety in the grace-gifts, but they are all given by the Holy Spirit, in service of the Lord Christ, empowered by God the Father . And (12:7) every grace-gift is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit given for the common good. They are not for selfish use; they are for others. He lists (12:8-10) ‘the utterance of wisdom, …the utterance of knowledge …faith …gifts of healing …the working of miracles, …prophecy, …the ability to distinguish between spirits, …various kinds of tongues, …the interpretation of tongues.’ He emphasizes throughout that these are given by one and the same Spirit. And then he reminds them again: 1 Corinthians 12:11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. These are grace gifts, not merit based rewards, given by the will of the Spirit, not because of any human skill or expertise. One Body; Many Members To teach the proper use of the gifts, Paul uses the analogy of human anatomy. 1 Corinthians 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members , and all the members of the body, though many, are one body , so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. The human body is highly complex, made up of many diverse body parts. Any student of anatomy has some idea of the vast diversity and interconnectedness of the human body. The human hand alone consists of 27 bones, 27 joints, 34 muscles, and hundreds of ligaments, not to mention the tendons, nerves and blood vessels. There are 11 major systems of organs in the human body. But they all make up one body. And all the various parts and systems must work together for the body to function properly. Paul compares the human body to Christ. He says that being immersed in the Spirit immerses us into one body. There is not a Jewish body and a Greek body; there is one body, the body of Christ. There is not a higher class body and a lower class body; there is one body, the body of Christ. Regeneration by the Holy Spirit makes us parts in this one body. Essential Members People ask why its important to be a member of a church rather than just attending. Here’s the reality; being a member is not optional, it is essential; it is in essence what you are if you belong to Jesus. To be a believer in Jesus is to be baptized by the Spirit into the one body of Christ. It’s somewhat like baptism, if you have been born anew, baptized by the Spirit, why would you not be baptized in water, the outward visible sign of the inward invisible reality? If you belong to Christ’s one body, how can you not belong to a local visible expression of that one invisible universal body? Not Dismembered I don’t know if any of you remember the old TV show ‘The Addams Family’? It was a sit-com about a family of misfits and monsters. There was this Thing – that was its name ‘Thing’; it was a hand that came out of a box. Just a hand walking around on its fingers. The whole point was that that’s absurd – a hand severed from the rest of the body is dead, useless, it can’t function. That’s Paul’s point: 1 Corinthians 12:14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body ,” that would not make it any less a part of the body . 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body ,” that would not make it any less a part of the body . Members, body parts are parts of the body. The body is made up of the whole. Members belong to the body. A member attempting to detach itself from the body is unnatural and impossible. And there is a God-intended diversity in the members. Diverse Members 1 Corinthians 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body , each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member , where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body . The diverse members are meant to complement one another. They have different God-given functions. And they all go together to allow the body to function. Have you ever stopped to marvel at your ability to run up stairs? We have an old house with fairly steep steps. My daily exercise is running back upstairs to get something I forgot. I couldn’t tell you how many stairs there are, I can’t tell you how tall they are. All I can say is that when I need to run up the stairs, somehow all my different systems work in harmony to get me to the top of the stairs. I don’t consciously pause to think about placing a foot deliberately on each step and then forget what I was going up there to get; somehow my eyes are sending messages to my brain which is processing the information and communicating instantaneously to the different muscles in my legs and feet and I end up safely back at the bottom of the stairs, hopefully with whatever I set out to retrieve. Somehow my body can even naturally adjust to a different pitch of stairs. If I try to watch my feet and pay attention to what each part is doing, that’s when I stumble. Necessary Members But imagine how difficult it would be if my left foot decided to go on strike. Have you ever been sitting wrong, and your foot goes to sleep? How difficult is it then to try to make it up the stairs? 1 Corinthians 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body , giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body , but that the members may have the same care for one another. Unity and Mutual Care Have you ever got something in your eye? Your eyelids instinctively clamp shut in pain and self-protection. Nothing else matters; everything is on hold, you stumble half-blind to the bathroom mirror and try to get whatever doesn’t belong out of your eye. 1 Corinthians 12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it . What Kind of Member Are You? You are the body of Christ. Every believer individually is a member of the body of Christ. The question is, how are you functioning? Do you know your role in the body, what you were made to do? Do you know your place in the interconnected systems that make up the body? In what ways are you connected with and dependent on the other members of the body? What other members are depending on you? Are you a healthy member, or have you allowed infection or disease to fester and grow? Are you atrophied from inactivity? Don’t be an appendix; often irritable and inflamed, causes great pain to the rest of the body, better off to just take it out, you don’t really need it anyway; it’s not doing anything beneficial for the body. What is your attitude toward other members of the body? Is it frustration and irritation because they are not doing their part? Is it arrogance and pride that you are so much more useful a member? Do you tend to isolate, thinking you are better off just doing your own thing? Maybe you wonder if you really have anything of value to offer. Remember, 1 Corinthians 12:7 says ‘To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good’; It doesn’t say ‘to some’, it says ‘to each’. It is supernatural, a manifestation of the Spirit. And it is for the common good. It is meant to be a gift to others, to build them up. Here’s a simple test. Look around. What do you notice that isn’t being done that ought to? There’s cobwebs in the corner, that light bulb needs to be changed. Does no one else notice that person is hurting and struggling? Why doesn’t someone reach out and encourage her, pray for him, come alongside and care? What about this opportunity that is not being seized? What about that ministry that is not being done, or not being done well? How do I respond? Who do I complain to? Who is in charge of getting that done so I can let them know they need to do it? Or maybe I should ask ‘Is that something I can do? Am I able to meet that need? When I notice something, I need to realize I might be the only one who is noticing that particular need. And that may be God calling me to step up and help to meet that need. I should always ask; What is my heart and attitude? Am frustrated, irritated, stepping up because no one else will? Because I think I’m the only one who can get the job done right? Am I looking for recognition? Am I willing to humbly serve in love, genuinely seeking to build others up? Is it my place to do this? I was in a church for a time where I was frustrated because I saw something being done poorly in my opinion, and felt I could do it better. But it was not my place. God was revealing to me my own pride. I had to learn to put to death my flesh, to humble myself and come under, come alongside, to graciously encourage, to pray for, to submit to godly leadership. To wait, to learn, to grow in character, in humility. The Still More Excellent Way 1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. This still more excellent way, as chapter 13 unpacks, is the way of love in the body, love that is slow-to-anger, kind, not jealous or puffed-up, not arrogant or rude, not self-seeking, not irritable, not keeping record of wrongs. Every follower of Jesus is a member of his body. What kind of a member are you? *** 2025.02.16 Sermon Notes The Church; Members of a Body (1 Corinthians 12) The church is members in a body; not membership in a club 1 Corinthians 12-14; Romans 12; Ephesians 4; Colossians 1 The greatest grace-gift is salvation; calling on Jesus as Lord 1 Corinthians 12:3 Every believer is a member of the body of Christ 1 Corinthians 12:11-27 -What kind of member are you? -What were you made to do? -In what ways are you connected to other members? -Are you a healthy member? -What is your attitude toward other members? -What do you notice isn’t being done that ought to? The still more excellent way of love in the body 1 Corinthians 13 *** Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org…

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Church as Family, Flock, and Building

8 weeks yang lalu

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02/09 Who Is The Church; Family, Flock, and Building (John 1, 10; Ephesians 2); Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250209_church-family-flock-building.mp3 We are looking together at what the Bible says about the church, what (or who) the church is. We have recognized elders in our local church, and the elders need to know who they are responsible to lead, feed, guide and guard. Who is the church? We all need to know who we are as the church, what it means to belong to the church, what God expects of us as part of the local church. In this and the coming weeks, I want to look at some of the metaphors used to describe the church; a family, a flock, a building, a body, a bride. So far we have seen that the church is made up of those who gladly bow the knee to Jesus, who own him as their sovereign King. The church consists of all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus for rescue from the guilt and power of sin, for forgiveness and transformation, all whom the Lord our God calls to himself. Those who surrender to Jesus as Lord and King become citizens of his heavenly community, an outpost of heaven, inviting others to cry out to the sovereign Lord Jesus for rescue from sin, inviting others to turn their allegiance to King Jesus. We saw that the church is a Holy Spirit created New Covenant community of born again baptized believers. It is the Spirit of the living God who gives new life, a new heart, who causes us to be born again, born into the family of God. This is fulfillment of God’s New Covenant promise that he will give us a new heart and put his Spirit inside of us, to transform us from the inside. John the baptizer pointed to Jesus who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. After Jesus died and rose, securing our salvation, he ascended to the right hand of his Father and poured out the Spirit on believers. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit . To baptize means to immerse. John immersed people in water. Jesus immerses us in the Holy Spirit. Because we are born of the Spirit, we are immersed into the body of Christ. We enjoy a supernatural unity with every other blood-bought born again believer in the real Jesus. Church Universal / Local; Invisible / Visible This includes every genuine believer in the real Jesus throughout history and around the globe. That’s the church invisible, or the church universal. The ancient creed says ‘We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church’; the word ‘catholic’ in that context simply means universal (not the Roman Catholic church; that developed centuries later). This is the church Jesus promised he would build, against whom the gates of hell would not prevail (Mt.16:18). We become part of this catholic or universal church by being born of the Spirit. This universal church will not all be assembled together until we are gathered around the throne of God, so we can also call the universal church the invisible church. It is not currently visible. There are lots of visible local expressions or subsets of this universal invisible church. The church in Ephesus, in Corinth, the churches of Galatia, Ephraim Church of the Bible are each local and visible expression of Christ’s invisible and universal church. This is where it can get messy. Remember last time we talked about the real inward invisible baptism of the Spirit, and the outward visible public symbol of water baptism? Those are meant to go together. The outward sign is for all those and only those who have experienced the real inward spiritual regeneration by the Spirit. The elders need to do their best to discern that those who are water baptized are those who have been truly born again. But we can’t see the heart, so it is possible to have a truly regenerate person who is not water baptized, or to have someone who is water baptized who was never really born of the Spirit. Water baptism is how a person identifies with the visible local church, but there are some people who belong to local churches who have not been born of the Spirit. How many Sundays does it take gathering with believers in a local church for someone to be born again? How long would you have to stand in a garage before you become a car? You can pretend to be a car and make engine sounds, but it would take a supernatural act of transformation to actually make you into an automobile. You can attend a local church gathering for years, but it is a sovereign act of the Spirit of God who gives new birth. All who call on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. So get to know Jesus, understand the weight of your sin and your need for him, and cry out to him as your only hope for rescue. Born Into a Family If the entrance into the church is being born of the Spirit, being born implies we are born into a new family. John 1 puts it this way: John 1:11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God , 13 who were born , not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God . Those who receive Jesus, who trust in him become children of God, born of God, born of the Spirit. Paul says in Romans 8 Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons , by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God , 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. The Spirit of God makes us sons of God, adopted into his family. The adoption language draws a distinction between the eternal, only begotten Son of God, and those who become children of God through faith and the new birth. The stunning thing is that we as adopted children are included in the inheritance, fellow heirs with Christ. Jesus welcomes us as his brothers, according to Hebrews 2. Hebrews 12 also reminds us that when we experience discipline, God is treating us as sons, because ‘the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives’. Because we are born of the Spirit, adopted into the family, we have siblings, brothers and sisters. We are members of a household, as Galatians says Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith . Throughout the New Testament we read the language of brothers. This is not just a name, it is a reality. The church is a household, a family of faith; those born of the Spirit, adopted children of God. As siblings of this greater family, we have obligations to one another. Shepherd the Flock of God The church is also described as a flock. We’ve looked at Acts 20 and 1 Peter 5, where both Peter and Paul exhort the elders to shepherd the flock of God. They learned this metaphor from Jesus. The whole of John 10 is an extended teaching where Jesus portrays himself as the door of the sheep, the good shepherd who knows his sheep and lays down his life for them, whose sheep hear his voice and follow him. Jesus said: John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. Jesus intends to gather both believing Jews and non-Jews together into one flock. He goes on: John 10:26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” The metaphor of sheep points to our wayward tendency; sheep that are lost, that have gone astray, who need to be rescued and brought home. 1 Peter 2:25 For you were straying like sheep , but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. It points to our vulnerability. Sheep are defenseless; we need constant supervision, protection and care. Sheep are dependent; we need to be led to green pastures and quiet waters. Jesus is the good Shepherd, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and he has called under-shepherds to care for his flock. Jesus told Peter in John 21 to ‘feed my lambs …tend my sheep …feed my sheep’, and he calls elders to ‘shepherd the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood’ (Acts.20:28) Build My Church The church is a family; the church is a flock; the church is a building. Jesus said Matthew 16:18 …on this rock I will build my church , and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This is construction language. The firm foundation is laid, and Jesus is constructing a building on it. Paul blends these metaphors of a household and a building in Ephesians 2: Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God , 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone , 21 in whom the whole structure , being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord . 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. The household of God is built on the one unrepeatable foundation of apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus anchors the building, defines the shape and direction of the building; without him we are building on sand. This is a structure, but it is growing. This word almost always refers to organic growth; something living like a flower or a plant or a baby grows. The church is a building, but it is not a building of wood and stone. It is an organism, a living growing thing. It grows into a holy temple in the Lord, a dwelling place for God. When we say the church is a building, we don’t mean a location or a place that we meet. We don’t go to church, we are the church, we gather as the church, we meet with the church. Peter makes this clear: 1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house , to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the living stone, and we are living stones being built up as a spiritual house. This building is made up of people. We, together, are a dwelling place for God most high. The stones in the building are people. And those people are priests, offering spiritual sacrifices. There are no passive recipients. All are active participants. The church is a building, but it is a living breathing organism, A building is a unity, it is one thing, but it is made up of many parts. The parts are interconnected and interdependent. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up , just as you are doing. We are a building, and we are to build one another up. Paul says to Timothy; 1 Timothy 3:15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth . The church is a household, and it is to stand tall and stand firm for the truth and against false teaching Have you every played Jenga? You build a tower with wood blocks, and then see how many individual blocks you can remove before the whole thing topples over. We can make due with a few building blocks missing, but we are not as sturdy and can’t withstand the elements as well as if every stone were doing its part. Conclusion/Application We are a family, given new life, adopted in, made fellow heirs with Christ. We ought to have each other’s backs. We are a flock, prone to wander, lost, dependent and needy. We need to learn to hear our Shepherd’s voice, and we ought to be thankful for the under-shepherds that he has charged with the responsibility of caring for his flock. We are a building, a living growing organism, a spiritual dwelling place for the Lord, a kingdom of priests offering spiritual sacrifices to the Lord. *** Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org…

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Church; Spirit Created Community of Born Again Baptized Believers (John 3; 1 Corinthians 12)

9 weeks yang lalu

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02/02 Who Is The Church? Spirit Created Community of Born Again Baptized Believers; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250202_church-spirit-birthed.mp3 Our church family has moved to recognize elders, those the Spirit has equipped and called to shepherd the believers here in this church. The elders are to ‘shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, … over those in your charge’ (1Pet.5:2-3). Hebrews tells us: Hebrews 13:17 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. The elders are to keep watch, as shepherds who will give account. This means that there needs to be some level of understanding who it is they are to be watching over, for whom they will answer, who are those in their charge. Who is the church? Last time we looked at the church as those who gladly bow the knee to Jesus, who own him as their sovereign King. The church is made up of all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus for rescue from the guilt and power of sin, for forgiveness and transformation, all whom the Lord calls to himself. Those who surrender to Jesus as Lord and King become citizens of his heavenly community. The church is an outpost of heaven, a military base of operations in hostile territory whose sworn allegiance is to the King of kings, who invite others in, to turn their allegiance to King Jesus. Spirit Created New Covenant Community Today I want to look at the church from another angle; the church as a Holy Spirit created New Covenant community of born again baptized believers. There’s a lot there, but we are going to walk through the Bible together and unpack what that means. You Must Be Born Again Jesus had a conversation with a religious leader in John 3. Here’s how it went: John 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Nicodemus is coming under cover of darkness. He is seeking, but not ready to commit publicly. He has questions, mostly on the identity of Jesus. Jesus had done some radical things that got people’s attention. He cleaned house from the corruption in the temple. People were believing in him, but just what was it they were believing? Nicodemus calls him ‘Rabbi’; he is convinced that he is a teacher come from God. He has reasoned that if God were not with him, he would not be able to do the signs that he was doing. Jesus goes right to the root. John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit , he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘ You must be born again. ’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit .” You must be born again. The word translated ‘again’ can also mean ‘from above’ depending on how it is used. Jesus clarifies; you must be born of water and the Spirit. This points back to Ezekiel’s prophecy of God’s new covenant: Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you , and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you , and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Without this cleansing, the new birth, the Spirit of God himself living in us, we have no part in God’s kingdom. We must be born anew, born from above, born of the Spirit in order to truly belong to God’s people. Jesus tells him this can only happen when the Son of Man is lifted up, so that those who believe in him may be given eternal life. In John 7, John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ 39 Now this he said about the Spirit , whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given , because Jesus was not yet glorified. Jesus tells his disciples in John 14: John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. There is going to be a revolutionary change in relationship. The Spirit dwells with you, but he will be in you. In John 16, the disciples are grieved because Jesus told them he is leaving them. John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. At the beginning of John’s gospel, John the baptist said: John 1:33 …he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit .’ After his crucifixion and resurrection, just before he ascends to the right hand of his Father: Acts 1:4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father , which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” … 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” In Acts 2 it happened: Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. They received power and bore witness of Jesus to the nations who had gathered in Jerusalem for the feast. They proclaimed Jesus crucified, resurrected, Acts 2:33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. They proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Christ. Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Jesus divides people. When the good news about Jesus is proclaimed, some gnash their teeth in rage and persecute the messengers. But here ‘they were cut to the heart’. That is the work of the Spirit of God removing the heart of stone and giving them a heart of flesh. They received his word, this word about Jesus. That is the Spirit of God coming in, giving new life. Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Jesus said Matthew 16:18 …I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This is Jesus building his new covenant community through the work of the promised Holy Spirit. The Apostles’ Teaching This new covenant community devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. The apostles, empowered by the Spirit, reflected on these truths and wrote letters to the churches. Peter wrote: 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:23 …you have been born again , not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; The new birth is undeserved. It is according to God’s great mercy. It is something that God does. It comes through the seed of the word of God planted in a heart prepared by the Spirit to receive it. Paul says in Ephesians 2: Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved— Birth from above; new life out of death, rich mercy, great love, undeserved grace. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12 1 Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit . To baptize means to immerse. John immersed people in water. Jesus immerses us in the Holy Spirit. Because we are born of the Spirit, we are immersed into the body of Christ; we were all made to drink of one Spirit who unites us together as one. Spirit Baptism and Water Baptism It’s important to think through the relationship between being immersed in the Holy Spirit and being immersed in water. One is outward, visible, public, external. The other is inward, invisible, spiritual, personal. As Jesus described the Spirit’s work with the analogy of the wind, it cannot be seen, but it can be sensed; you can see its effects. One is essential for salvation; the other is essential for belonging to the visible church. Water baptism in the outward sign of an inner reality. They belong together, but you can have one without the other. You can be transformed by the Spirit and not have the opportunity for water baptism. In Acts 10, when the first Gentiles believed the gospel, the Jewish church had to fight to keep these together. Peter was given a triple vision to prepare him for what was about to happen. He proclaimed to the Gentiles the good news about Jesus crucified and resurrected. Acts 10:43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. Peter insisted that the sign must follow the reality that it symbolizes. Acts 10:47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. … Peter had to defend his actions before the Jerusalem church in Acts 11. He recounted that Cornelius was instructed by an angel to send for Peter; Acts 11:14 he [Peter] will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” For the sake of the unity of the church, the sign was to be performed where the reality that it symbolized was present. You can be immersed in water and not be born of the Spirit, in which case it is merely a symbol that lacks substance or reality. Church leaders ought to do their best to evaluate the reality of a profession of faith, but ultimately only God can see the heart. Even the apostles got it wrong sometimes. It’s unlikely they were able to personally interview each of the 3,000 who believed and were baptized in one day. And we read in Acts 8 of Simon the magician, who believed and was baptized, but then gave evidence that his faith was likely not genuine. But the ideal is to have all those and only those who have been born again by the Spirit to be immersed in water as an external visible public sign of the inward invisible spiritual reality. Baptism is the public profession of faith, confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord, which flows out of believing in ones heart that Jesus is who he claimed to be and God raised him from the dead (Rom.10:9-10). It is this public confessing Jesus as Lord which grants access to be identified as part of the visible local church. As Jesus commanded: Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized , and there were added that day about three thousand souls. *** Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org…

PastorRodney’s Weblog

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Who Is The Church? 1 Cor.1; Acts 2; Those Who Call on The Name of The Lord

10 weeks yang lalu

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01/26 Who Is The Church? 1 Cor. 1 ; Acts 2; Those W ho Call on T he Name of T he Lord ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250126_who-is-church.mp3 Elder/Overseer/Shepherd We have been looking for the past few weeks at what the Bible teaches about leadership in the church; elders who are above reproach, men of integrity, able to teach; they are to devote themselves to prayer and the word. Elders are to oversee, to watch over, and to shepherd; to guide, guard, lead, and feed. But who are they watching over? Paul says to the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20; Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. Peter says in 1 Peter 5: 1 Peter 5:1 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: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Who are the elders to be watching over, shepherding, guiding, guarding, leading, and feeding? ‘Pay careful attention …to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers; Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight …over those in your charge.’ Who? Who is the flock of God in which the Spirit has made you overseers? Who are those in your charge? Who is the church? What I want to do today is get a biblical vision of who the church is. In the coming weeks I want to look more at what that means for each one of us, what it means to be the church. But I want to start with the basics, the big picture. Who Is The Church? 1 Corinthians 1 Who is the church? Paul addresses his letter, 1 Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: This helps us, because he clarifies a few things. He identifies who the church belongs to. It belongs to God; it belongs to no man. He identifies the church in the context of a geographic location; it exists in the city of Corinth. And he further clarifies who the church consists of; those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. We will come back to what that means, but before we do we should notice that he connects this local geographical gathering of saints with ‘all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours’. There is a local church, but they are connected to all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as YHWH God. There is a church of God that exists in Corinth, but they are united to a larger people, united under one Lord, one King, one Sovereign. Call On the Name of the Lord (Acts 2) This idea of ‘calling on the name of the Lord’ is an Old Testament one; in Acts 2, when the promised Holy Spirit is poured out on the Apostles, Peter explains what is happening as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel 2:28-32. God will pour out his Spirit on all flesh, Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ [Quoting Joel 2:32] Then he connects this with Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 2:23-24, 32-33), crucified, resurrected, exalted at the right hand of God the Father, now pouring out his Holy Spirit. Jesus is God, the Lord YHWH whose name we are to call upon. Acts 2:36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Repent; turn away from what you were trusting in. Call on the name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Notice, we are told to call on the name of the Lord to be saved, and the Lord is calling to himself those who will be saved. The word ‘church’ in Greek is ἐκκλησία; it means an assembly, a gathering; literally those who are called out. God calls us to himself, and we call out to him in faith for rescue. Those who are called out by the Lord call out to the Lord. How did the people respond to this message of rescue in Jesus? Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls . 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. There’s a lot here. But I want to focus on one thing; ‘those who received his word’. Peter proclaimed Jesus crucified, resurrected, exalted as Lord of all. Some received this word. Some turned from what they had been trusting in and called on the name of Jesus for rescue from their sins. Not the entire crowd, a subset of the crowd. Some walked away unconvinced, unchanged. But those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Those who believed responded, and their lives began to show that they had been changed. And the chapter closes Acts 2:47 …And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Added to what number? The number of those who received the word, who called out to Jesus as Lord, who surrendered to Jesus as King and Sovereign. The Lord was adding to his people, his called out assembly, the church, those who bow the knee to King Jesus. Call On the Name of the Lord (Romans 10) Paul references this same Joel prophecy in Romans 10 also in connection with salvation: Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all , bestowing his riches on all who call on him . 13 For “ everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved .” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Confess and believe that Jesus is Lord, resurrected from the dead, Lord over every ethnicity, every people group. Call on his name. This is the gospel, the good news; there is a universal King, his name is Jesus of Nazareth, who died for our sins, was resurrected, and is now exalted and eager to answer our prayers. Calling on him comes from a heart of faith; it requires believing in him, understanding who he claims to be and willing to rely on him completely. You have only one call; who will you call for help? This kind of trust in Jesus means you must hear the news about him; hearing requires someone to proclaim the news, the one who preaches must be sent out with the message. Good news to the nations! Jesus the Sovereign Lord (Matthew 28; Philippians 2) Jesus is the one Sovereign Lord. As Jesus claimed in Matthew 28; Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” All authority. All authority in the heavenly realms. All authority on the planet. Jesus is Lord. Jesus possesses supreme authority. And he commissions his disciples to make disciples who follow him and bow the knee to him, obeying everything he says. Philippians 2 tells us that: Philippians 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. All those in heaven, everyone on earth, everyone already dead. Every knee without exception will bow to his sovereign authority. (That’s what sovereign authority means!) But those who call on his name, who believe in him and cry out to him in dependence before that awesome and terrible day will be saved. These are those who belong to the church, that called out assembly of saints. When Peter confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” Jesus said Matthew 16:18 …on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Jesus is building his church; believers are being added to the Lord. Believers Added To The Lord (Acts) We see in Acts 5 Acts 5:14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord , multitudes of both men and women, Believers. Those who cry out to Jesus, those who believe the good news message of Jesus crucified, resurrected, exalted as Lord over all. Believers in the Lord are added to the Lord, to his people, people who are gathered under his name, under his sovereignty. In Acts 6 Acts 6:1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number ,.. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. Disciples, those who became followers of King Jesus increased in number. Even priests believed in their Messiah; they bowed the knee to King Jesus. Acts 11 Acts 11:24 …And a great many people were added to the Lord . People added to the Lord. People who now belong to King Jesus. The church is a people who believe the good news about Jesus, who call out to him in dependence, who surrender to him as Sovereign. They are a new people group under their King. The Church; Set Apart for the Lord (1 Corinthians 1) Let’s return to 1 Corinthians 1 and look again at what it tells us about the church. 1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: The church consists of those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus. The word sanctified, like the word saint, has as its root the word ‘holy’. Holy means in a class by itself, separated or set apart. Sanctified is a passive verb. It means ‘to be made holy’. In the Old Testament tabernacle and temple there were holy things and holy people. Both things and people could be sanctified, made holy, set apart for sacred temple use through washing and with blood. The only way for a sinner to be set apart, made holy, is in Jesus, cleansed by the blood of Jesus. It is a passive verb; we don’t make ourselves holy, it something that is done to us; we are cleansed, set apart and made holy in Jesus. We are called to be saints, holy ones, holy people. The tabernacle and everything associated with the tabernacle was to be holy, set apart. The people who served the tabernacle were to be holy, cleansed and set apart. We, the church, are sanctified saints, called, cleansed by the blood and set apart for holy service to the Lord. In 1 Corinthians, Paul is addressing disunity in the church. Division flys in the face of what the church is; a blood bought people united under one sovereign Lord. Paul reminds them of the gospel he preached, the life transforming word of the cross (1:17-18, 23-24). This gospel word of Christ crucified divides humanity. It draws a clear line between those who are being saved and those who are perishing. That is the only division of any real consequence. The church is made up of those who believe the good news message of Christ crucified for sinners, those who are called and who call on the name of the Lord Jesus, who are set apart and united as one people under one sovereign Lord. Citizens of A Heavenly Colony (Philippians 1, 3) In Philippians 3, Paul warns of those who are enemies of the cross, whose end is destruction, whose minds are set on earthly things. The line is clear. Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul is writing to the Roman colony of Philippi. They are proud of their Roman citizenship, a little outpost of Rome in the middle of Macedonia. Politically, their allegiance is to Rome, but as followers of Jesus, their citizenship is in heaven. They are to honor and submit to Caesar as their earthly king, but they have a greater King, their Savior, the Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ, to whom they owe ultimate allegiance. Paul tells them in chapter 1 Philippians 1:27 Only let your manner of life be [live as citizens] worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, Paul uses the verb form of the noun citizenship; ‘let your manner of life be’ is literally ‘live as citizens’. Live as citizens consistent with the gospel of Christ. In Philippi, you are an outpost of Rome. But your ultimate allegiance is to the Lord Jesus Christ, and your citizenship is in heaven. So live as an outpost of heaven here on earth, practicing heavenly culture, promoting allegiance to your sovereign Lord. The church is a colony of heaven on earth, advancing our King’s agenda, inviting his kingdom to come and his will to penetrate the darkness and reign supreme. *** Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org…

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Devoted to Prayer and the Word; Acts 6

11 weeks yang lalu

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01/19 Acts 6; Devoted to Prayer and the Word ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250119_prayer-and-word.mp3 Today is our annual meeting, where our church family will affirm men to serve as elders, so we have been taking the last few weeks to look at what the Bible says about elders, who they are to be, what they are to be about. We have seen that elders are men with maturity and wisdom, who are appointed to watch over and shepherd God’s flock. They are to lead and to feed, to guide and to guard God’s people. Ezekiel 34 rebukes the shepherds of Israel who cared for themselves and not the flock. YHWH the good Shepherd will himself seek the lost, rescue and gather his sheep, feed them with good pasture and give them rest, bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak. Peter says: 1 Peter 5:1 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: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight , not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock . 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Elders who serve under the chief Shepherd are to shepherd the flock of God, exercising oversight, being examples to the flock with all humility. Context of Acts Today I want to look at Acts 6, which tells us that those who serve as leaders in the church are to devote themselves to. To understand what is going on in Acts 6, we need to understand where we are in the story. Jesus was crucified for our sins, was buried, rose victorious from the dead the third day, and spent 40 days with his disciples, teaching them. In Acts 1, before ascending to the right hand of his Father in glory, he ordered them not to do anything, but to wait for the promised baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the mighty works of God to the nations. Peter proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth, crucified and resurrected, as Christ and Lord, the fulfillment of all the prophecies. He exhorted the crowds to repent (turn away from whatever you were trusting in) and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (identifying yourself publicly with him in his death and resurrection) for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. We are told that the believer ‘were together and had all things in common’. Acts 2:45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. In Acts 3, Peter and John were going up to the temple courts and they healed a paralyzed man. This got everyone’s attention, and they took the opportunity to give glory to God and again proclaim Jesus crucified and risen as Christ and Lord, the one all the Scriptures pointed to. This got them in trouble with the priests and Sadducees, who arrested them and took them into custody. Acts 4:4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. In Acts 4, Peter and John are questioned by the high priestly family, where they testify Acts 4:10 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. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 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.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. They had been with Jesus. They threatened them and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Acts 4:19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” At the end of chapter 4, they gathered to worship God and to pray; Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, …31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. 32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. When money is involved, things can get messy. In chapter 5, there is a couple who wanted to impress people with their generosity, but also wanted to hold on to their money, so they lied about their gift, and God struck them dead. But Acts 5:14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, So much so that the religious leaders were jealous and arrested the apostles. He sent an angel to release them and told them to go back to preaching. They were accused of filling Jerusalem with their teaching, they testified again to the leaders, and were beaten and released, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. Acts 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. Acts 6; Devoted to Prayer and the Ministry of the Word This is the context of Acts 6. A new problem arose, also relating to money. Acts 6:1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. The Greek speaking Jewish believers were complaining that the Hebrew speaking widows in the church were getting special treatment. What do you do with that? Call down fire from heaven? This was not a clear issue of sin like Ananias and Sapphira. Ignore it? What if it is a legitimate complaint? The church family was trusting its leadership with their gifts. This could rip the young church apart down the lines of differing languages. Here’s what they did, and I believe it sets a precedent for what those who lead the church are to undistractedly devote themselves to. Acts 6:2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word .” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase , and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. It is not appropriate to abandon the word of God. This is something the twelve had consistently been doing. They were proclaiming Jesus and lives were being transformed. Widows were being neglected in the daily deaconing, and that is not appropriate. But neither is it appropriate for the twelve to abandon their calling and deacon tables. So they had men of tested character officially appointed to this need, but they devoted themselves to prayer and to deaconing the word. Devoted to The Ministry of the Word This sets the precedent for what those who are called to shepherd the flock of God are to be primarily about. Prayer and the ministry of the word. The letters to Timothy and to Titus tell us that an elder must be ‘able to teach’ (1Tim.3:2); must ‘hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine, and also to rebuke those who contradict it’ (Titus 1:9). An elder is to be devoted to the word of God, to the ministry or service of the word; administering the word in specific circumstances to real people; taking the word and applying it to the hearts and lives of people for their eternal good. This requires knowing the word, studying the word, being immersed in and saturated by the word, applying the word of God first to one’s own heart and life, and then to others. Paul tells Timothy: 1 Timothy 4:6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. …11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching . Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. In 2 Timothy he says 2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth . James says: James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. Teachers will be held accountable for what they teach. Study with all diligence to rightly handle the word; keep a close watch on your life and on the teaching. Every elder must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine, and also to rebuke those who contradict it’ (Titus 1:9). Elders must devote themselves to the word of God. Devoted to Prayer But notice the order: Acts 6:4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Prayer and the ministry of the word. Prayer comes first. What does this mean? What is prayer? Prayer is worship; and prayer is dependence. Prayer is worship. Recognizing God for who he is, attributing to him the proper worth; giving him the worship he is due. To teach the Bible and to lose sight of who God is, is to get the Bible wrong, to wrongly handle the word. ‘Our Father, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done.’ May your name, your character, who you are, get the praise, the glory, the affection and worship that is rightly due to you. Prayer is worship, and prayer is dependence on God. Praying is asking, admitting I don’t have all the resources, all the abilities, all the answers. Prayer is depending on God, asking him to supply what I do not have and do what I cannot do. God knows everything, I do not. God is author of his word, I am to be a disciple, a learner, a follower. God is mighty to save, I am not. Jesus died on a cross for my sins; I can’t even pay off my own debt, let alone anyone else’s. On my best day, I am only a recipient of his mercy and grace. And every day, by his amazing grace (something I do not deserve), I get to be a conduit of his grace to others. ‘Give us this day our daily bread; forgive us our debts, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil.’ Prayer is worship, and prayer is dependence on God. Prayer is evidence of humility, and humility is a key character requirement for an elder. If I am to shepherd others, I must first acknowledge that I am a lost sheep who needs to be shepherded. 1 Peter 2:25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Prayer is relationship. I cannot be devoted to the ministry of the word without prayer. The word is a message, but the message is about a person, and remember, according to John 1, the Word is a person. To be devoted to the proclamation and ministry of the Word is by necessity to be in communication with the one we proclaim. *** Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org…

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