The Church
We took a break from John’s Gospel and began to look at the Church in the book of Acts. We wanted to find out what the early Church was like, and how we can grow and conform into what Jesus has established His Church to be. Our prayer throughout this series was that Antioch would reflect God’s design for His Church.
Foundation 10: Evangelism (Mark 5:15-20)
Evangelism should be natural Whenever anyone had an encounter with Jesus they instantly told everyone about it. Many times Jesus told them not to tell anyone, yet they told everyone anyway. Throughout the New Testament sharing what Jesus had done for you was a natural thing that virtually everyone did without prompting or command. Self-righteousness kills evangelism The reason we have such a hard time sharing the Gospel is that we have forgotten what we were when Christ found us.…
Foundation 9: Prayer (John 15:5-8)
Prayer is the natural outworking of the Gospel The Gospel is that when we were unable to come to God He came to us. When we were unable to do anything to bring about our salvation He did everything for our salvation in the person of Jesus Christ. Understanding the Gospel helps us to realize that we are powerless to bring about anything in this world; all power belongs to God. This understanding leads us to pray. We do not…
Foundation 8: Church (Matthew 16:13-19)
What is the church? The church is a group of people; it is not a building or an event. These people belong to Christ, and He is their Head. The church will be constantly growing because Jesus is redeeming lost humanity to Himself by His grace. The church is not withdrawn from the world but militant in our desire to bring people out of the kingdom of darkness and into His marvelous light. The church is victorious! The church is…
Foundation 7: Family (Acts 2:37-39)
If the Gospel is about God’s grace transforming someone into the image of Jesus, how does the family fit into the Gospel? The Gospel is for the entire family The Gospel is not simply for the salvation of the individual. The Gospel is for the individual and their home. This promise is for us and our children. In Acts we read of entire families being saved and baptized together. The Gospel is more than just the salvation of an individual;…
Foundation 6: Sanctification (Matthew 4:19)
Now that I am saved, what does the Christian life look like? Follow Jesus The Christian life is simply following Jesus and learning from Him. As we follow Him His grace transforms us and makes us like Himself. This is the natural outworking of regeneration. If I have been given a new nature, the nature of Jesus, I will begin to live like Jesus. Holiness is conformity to the image of Jesus. The fruit of salvation is being like Jesus…
Foundation 5: Baptism (Acts 2:37-47)
Now that we have been saved by God’s grace what happens? Baptism in the early church In the book of Acts we have many stories of many different people coming to faith in Christ. The pattern is always the same. Faith is always immediately followed by baptism. The longest delay from regeneration to baptism is Saul. He waited three days, and the first Christian to come to him baptized him. The chain of salvation Salvation in Scripture is a distinct…
Foundation 4: Regeneration and Assurance (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
What does God’s grace do to a sinner who believes in Jesus Christ? A radical transformation Everything that we were in our flesh before coming to Christ is radically transformed from the inside out by God’s grace. We cease to be what we were, and we are radically transformed. Our soul undergoes such a transformation that although our body remains the same we are literally not the same person we used to be. A new life This radical transformation is…
Foundation 3: Gospel of Grace (Romans 4:4-5)
As condemned sinners we are unable to do anything to escape the wrath of God. How then can we be saved? What is the Gospel? The Gospel simply means good news. It is not good works, good deed, good morals, or good ethics. The basis of Christianity is good news. It is not something we must do, instead it is something that has already been done. It is not something we do it is something we believe has already been…
Foundation 2: Sin is Unbelief (Romans 8:6-8)
We have seen in Scripture that the first foundation of our faith is that there is One God Who is to be loved, feared, and obeyed. Where does the Bible lead us next? We have not loved, feared, and obeyed God The vast majority of the Bible deals with how we have not loved God or obeyed Him. This is sin. We have rejected God, and we do not seek Him. Because of this we are justly deserving of His…
Foundation 1: Fear God (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
There is one God The foundation of our faith is that there is only one God, the God of Scripture. There are many “gods,” but they are simply the inventions of man blinded by the deception of the devil. There is only one God, the Yahweh of Scripture. He is to be loved and obeyed The whole of our faith is that the God of Scripture is to be loved and obeyed. Love and obedience go hand in hand. You…
Foundations of Our Faith (Psalm 11:3)
The foundation of our faith is under constant assault. If the foundations crumble, our faith will fall. We must strengthen and pass on the foundations If our faith is going to stand, we must strengthen the foundations. We must constantly be reminded of and refresh our minds to the great foundational truths of Christianity. In addition to this we must pass on these truths to our children and others who are new in the faith. Jesus is our foundation Christianity…
Decision Making in the Church
Most churches make decisions through Robert’s Rules of Order and Business Meetings. However, neither of these things are found in the Word of God. So how should a church make decisions according to God’s Word? Jesus is the Head of the Church The church belongs to Jesus and no one else. There is no flow-chart of authority or ruling majority in the church. It is Jesus’ way or you cease to be a church. This is not your church, your…
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