380 likes | 449 Views
Ephesians 1:22-23. The Church Christ Built is Sufficient.
E N D
Ephesians 1:22-23 The Church Christ Built is Sufficient
“What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know -- Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians, let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.”C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
“What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know -- Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians, let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.”C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
“What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know -- Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians, let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.”C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
“What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know -- Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians, let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.”C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
“What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know -- Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians, let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.”C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
“What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know -- Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians, let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.”C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
“What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know -- Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians, let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.”C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
“What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know -- Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians, let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.”C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
“What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know -- Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians, let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.”C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
The Church And… Basketball player's illness raises questions of faith. "Prayer is part of the fabric of Libscomb University. Associated with the Churches of Christ, the four-year liberal arts school.…” SunNews: AP, Religion (C8, 10 March, 2000)
The Church And… Impact World Tour uses unique approach to spread message to young. By Lyn McKinley The Bulletin (Vol. 32, No. 10) page 1 "When I gave my heart to Jesus, I was not following a church or denomination. I was following Jesus. Our main goal here is to show people about Jesus Christ-not about religion-but about having a relationship with God. Tatiana (25 yr old dancer from Brazil)
The Church And… Impact World Tour uses unique approach to spread message to young. By Lyn McKinley The Bulletin (Vol. 32, No. 10) page 1 "Impact World Tour's skaters, weightlifters and fire-eaters are the new wave of evangelism, he says. "It's a bit different from Billy Graham, with the choirs and the sermons. But this is what we need because the church had become so irrelevant." Steve Smith, World Tour Coordinator
The Church And… Impact World Tour uses unique approach to spread message to young. By Lyn McKinley The Bulletin (Vol. 32, No. 10) page 1 "Some people may not like the Jesus bit, but they like the entertainment." Steve Smith, World Tour Coordinator
The Church And… Impact World Tour uses unique approach to spread message to young. By Lyn McKinley The Bulletin (Vol. 32, No. 10) page 1 “Something like GXJam relates to kids. It attracts them. And you have to go where kids are so you can form relationships that you wouldn't at church,“ Rick Rivera, Young Life Director
“Fullness” Only In Christ Christ Fills All Ephesians 1:22,23 "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."
“Fullness” Only In Christ Fullness as used in Ephesians 1:22-23 The idea of what fills yields such senses as "entirety," "mass," "totality," "full measure," "consummation,' TDNT
“Fullness” Only In Christ Christ
“Fullness” Only In Christ Ephesians 1:22-23 Bible In Basic English "And he has put all things under his feet, and has made him to be head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the full measure of him in whom all things are made complete."
“Fullness” Only In Christ The Bible is Our ONLY Source 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
“Fullness” Only In Christ Christ Is the Head of the Church • How can we separate the head from the body? • The church is a manifestation of the fullness/completeness of Christ. • What Does Something that’s complete lack?
“Fullness” Only In Christ The Work of The Body • Teach Christians (Eph 4:11-16). • Support an evangelist. • Philippians 4:15,16, "Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.“
“Fullness” Only In Christ The Work of The Body • Teach Christians (Eph 4:11-16). • Support an evangelist. • 2 Corinthians 11:8 "I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you." • No connection between congregations
“Fullness” Only In Christ The Work of The Body • Teach Christians (Eph 4:11-16). • Support an evangelist. • Aid other saints in need. 1 Corinthians 16:1-3, And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem."
The Church & The Desire To… Add/change the church The church is not a lodge recruiting members. It is not a pub for the neighborhood. It is not a frat house enlisting pledges. It is not a community center where parties are held. It is not a country club for the masses. It is not a city precinct meeting where the communities problems are addressed. It is not a court to rectify society's injustices. It is not an open forum, or a political convention, or even an evangelistic rally. John McArthur, “Ashamed of the Gospel:”
The Church & The Desire To… Unify (Denominationalism) the church "The church... is not one congregation or assembly, but the congregation of Christ, composed of Christ, composed of all the individual congregations on earth." Alexander Campbell (Millennial Harbinger, July 1834, p.315)
The Church & The Desire To… Organize through cooperation ("Institutionalism") • Missionary Societies: intended to further evangelism. "The establishment of this society marked the climax of years of intense effort on the part of Alexander Campbell to urge the brotherhood to found some kind of a general organization through which the entire brotherhood could cooperate to evangelize the world." Earl West (In Search of The Ancient Order, Vol. 1 pg. 166
The Church & The Desire To… Organize through cooperation ("Institutionalism") • "Sponsoring Church" Arrangements. • Entails many churches sending money to one sponsoring church, whose elders then oversaw the entire project
The Implied Insufficiency of The Church This Is Human Reasoning Isaiah 55:8,9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."
The Implied Insufficiency of The Church This Is Human Reasoning Hebrews 8:5, "who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
The Implied Insufficiency of The Church The Divert us from our own personal responsibilities 1 Timothy 5:4 "But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God."
The Implied Insufficiency of The Church The Divert us from our own personal responsibilities • 1 Timothy 5:16 "If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows."
The Implied Insufficiency of The Church The Divert us from our own personal responsibilities • James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”