1 / 15

To download a copy of today’s lesson go to TheGoodTeacher.com and click on “Gospel Meetings”

To download a copy of today’s lesson go to TheGoodTeacher.com and click on “Gospel Meetings”. Give Us A King. Resisting the Desire for Conformity Acts 13:21. Prepared by Chris Reeves * El Bethel church of Christ Gospel Meeting * July 23, 2008. Background.

nichelle
Download Presentation

To download a copy of today’s lesson go to TheGoodTeacher.com and click on “Gospel Meetings”

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. To download a copyof today’s lesson go toTheGoodTeacher.comand click on “Gospel Meetings”

  2. Give Us A King Resisting the Desire for Conformity Acts 13:21 Prepared by Chris Reeves * El Bethel church of Christ Gospel Meeting * July 23, 2008

  3. Background • When the Israelites entered the land of Canaan they were governed on earth by judges and in heaven by God (Judg. 2:16) • There were no earthly kings (Judg. 21:25) • Later, the Israelites rejected God as their King and wanted a king like the nations around them (1 Sam. 8:4-7,19-20; Ex. 19:6; Deut. 33:1-5; Psa. 74:12)

  4. Background • Their motive was wrong: a desire for conformity (1 Sam. 8:7,20) • Sound reasoning did not deter them (1 Sam. 8:9ff) • God granted their request in anger (Hos. 13:11)

  5. The Desire for Conformity • We all want to be liked, not disliked (Mt. 10:22; 1 Cor. 4:3; Gal. 1:10; 2 Tim. 3:12) • We will be liked by other Christians, but not by the world (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 4:13) • Many want conformity (Rom. 12:2; 1 Pet. 1:14), and friendships with the world (Jas. 4:4) • Many don’t want to be the “odd man out” (Mt. 10:34-35; Eph. 5:11)

  6. The Allurement of the World • The world looks good to many Christians (Mt. 13:22; 2 Tim. 4:10) • Many just can’t wait to get dirty (Jas. 1:27; 2 Pet. 2:18-22)

  7. God Has Set Us Apart • God wants his people stay separate (Judg. 2:2) • We are to be “in the world,” but not “of the world” (Jn. 17:11,16; 1 Jn. 2:15-17) • We must come out and be separate (2 Cor. 6:14 – 7:1) • We belong to God (1 Pet. 2:9-10)

  8. What Does It Mean to Be Distinctive? • We follow the one right answer, not the many (sincere) wrong answers (Mt. 16:13-14) • We follow the one, true identity, not the many similarities (Mt. 16:15-16) • We follow the one revelation of God, not the many confessions of men (Mt. 16:17) • We become and remain members of the one, distinctive church that Jesus built, not the many churches of men (Mt. 16:18)

  9. What Does It Mean to Be Distinctive? NT Christians were different from the… • Pharisees (Acts 15:5,24) • Greek religions (Acts 17:16ff; 19:26) • Sadducees (Acts 23:8) • Nicolaitans (Rev. 2:6,15; 3:20ff)

  10. What Does It Mean to Be Distinctive? NT Christians were different from the… • Roman religions (Rev. 17-18) NT Christians were willing to be spoken against in order to be distinctive (Acts 24:5; 28:22) NT Christians were more effective when they were distinctive (Acts 17:6)

  11. Areas of Conformity Give Us A King… • We want to be a denomination (Gal. 1:11) • We want social activities (1 Tim. 3:15) • We want contemporary worship (Col. 2:23) • We want “scholarship” (1 Tim. 6:20-21)

  12. Areas of Conformity Give Us A King… • We want no baptism, or baptism for any purpose (Acts 2:38) • We want open membership (Acts 2:47) • We want women preachers and elders (1 Tim. 2:11-12; 3:2) • We want a Bible of “principles,” not “rules” (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2)

  13. Areas of Conformity Give Us A King… • We want preachers who will motivate and entertain (2 Tim. 4:2-4) • We want alternative doctrines (Rev. 2:13-14) • We want to change and progress, not live in the past (Jer. 6:16; 2 Jn. 9)

  14. Areas of Conformity Give Us A King… • We want multiple marriages (Mt. 5:32; 19:9; Mk. 10:12; Lk. 16:18; Rom. 7:2-3; 1 Cor. 7:10-11) • We want a Saturday Lord’s supper (Acts 2:42; 20:7)

  15. We Have A King! • Let us be content to obey the King we already have, Jesus Christ (Rev. 17:14) • Let us be conformed to Jesus, not the world (Rom. 8:29; Phil. 3:10,21)

More Related