AAEVS - The Mission of Evangelism (Part 2)

First, we have a vision: what is our goal and how do we go about pursuing it? Jesus our Lord put it into perspective when He taught us to pray, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Our goal then is to provoke people in every land to revere the holy name of God in repentance and discipleship, that God would be all in all. How do we embark on this quest? By making a commitment to make manifest the victory of Christ in our lives and in our world. We do this by remembering the second half of the Lord's Prayer: "Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." We seek the provision of God, His forgiveness and our forgiveness of others, and His protection from the wiles of the devil.

Second, we have an aim: what are we trying to accomplish and how do we get there? We have from the Great Commission our calling, to teach and baptize nations. We aim that they would share and enjoy our fellowship with the triune God and with one another. We wish that they would rejoice in the doctrines of grace, the principles of the Protestant Reformation, and most importantly the mysteries of the gospel of Christ. We start by seeking the establishment of churches that love Jesus Christ and worship Him in spirit and in truth; then we seek to teach them in the Scriptures from which thirsty and hungry souls are nourished by the Holy Spirit.

AAEVS - The Mission of Evangelism (Part 1)

“Our vision is to be a church dedicated to the proclamation of the gospel throughout the world. Our aim is to make disciples of the nations and establish worshipping communities like our own. Our evangelism is joyous proclamation: we announce the victory of Christ over His enemies and the rescue of His people. By this means, we seek to bring every area of life under the Lordship of Christ.” ~ Evangelism Paragraph 2a-e

"For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;" ~ 1 Thessalonians 1:8-9

"All of Christ for All of Life for All of the World" ~ Motto of Canon Press

Now we arrive to the last article of the Elders' Vision Statement. First, we talked about the centrality and warfare of the Kingdom; second, we talked about the attributes and systems of a church community; third, we talked about the importance and expression of worship; in this section and the next, we will go over the mission and assurance of evangelism.

If we're honest, we don't evangelize as we like; we are caught up daily in our own worries and complaints that we ignore the global vision of the Kingdom of Christ in our community and in the world at large. We know we ought to be salt and light, but we are afraid of what the people around us would think of us; we know that God says that the fear of what people think of us is a trap, but we fear the loss of our privacy and dignity from our peers. Nevertheless, it seems the reason why we don't evangelize much is because we lack a passion for evangelism.

AAEVS - Expressing our Worship (Part 3)

Public Prayer

Jesus denounced the religious leaders for seeking to gain recognition and praise from the public by praying in the public sphere. (Matthew 6:5-6) So why would we as disciples of Jesus want to have a practice in our services that seems to run contrary to what our Lord has said? While we must not dare to dismiss our Lord's admonition to a private prayer life, the catholicity of Holy Scripture has a broader vision for prayer than just the 'closet;' nations are destined to provoke one another to seek quickly the Lord in prayer. (Zechariah 8:20-23)  How can this be? It is because the Church is a Trinitarian body, one and many. Therefore what a church does as a body in her assembly is analogous to what an individual follower of Christ does in his or her private devotions.

AAEVS - Expressing our Worship (Part 2)

Now we look at the activities that our elders had prescribed for our church (and for any church) which I believe is biblical and important. We will look at four of these activities and how they relate to the worship of Christ:

Proclamation of the Word

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine." (2 Timothy 4:2) This indicates a continual function in the body of Christ. This preacher is not somebody speaking what is on his mind; this is a messenger speaking with the authority and word of God, a proclamation of what is true and righteous. This is an assertive, in-your-face proclamation; which makes this ministry so awkward in our postmodern, "everyone's opinion is right and nobody is really wrong except the 'intolerant' people" culture.

What is this proclamation about? Here is how Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile defined Spirit-fill proclamation: “Preaching is God speaking in the power of His Spirit about His Son from His word through a man.” It is a Christ-centered message. "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2) And why only Jesus Christ and His crucifixion? Because "by [Christ] all things consist." (Colossians 1:17) Christ is the intersection that brings everything together; and most importantly He is the only access to God the Father.

AAEVS - Expressing our Worship (Part 1)

“Our vision is to be a church that enters the worship service with awe towards God. We will view ourselves as ascending unto His presence with all other saints, both in heaven and on earth. We desire to actively worship God, not passively go through prescribed motions. This will include activities such as: confession of sin; reading of Scripture: public prayers; singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; giving; praise; the proclamation of the word; and partaking of the Lord’s Supper.” ~ Worship Paragraph 3

"God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him." ~ Psalm 89:7

"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight." Acts 20:7

"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire." ~ Hebrews 12:28-29

In the first section, we looked at worship in general and the importance of it; in the second section, we looked at the means of building a worshipful attitude. Now in this section we will look at how worship is expressed, particularly in the public worship of God on the Lord's Day. It is appropriate that the first half of the paragraph still deals with the attitude of the worshipers of Christ, because Jesus said that good words come from good hearts. (Matthew 12:35) These three sentences contain three senses that involve how we ought to strive for a more edifying worship on the Lord's Day. The last sentence states what activities we ought to use to express our worship.

Elders' Vision Statement - Evangelism

The kingdom expands through church multiplication. Local churches are the only divinely authorized agents for missionary work[1].

Our vision is to be a church dedicated to the proclamation of the gospel throughout the world[2]. Our aim is to make disciples of the nations and establish worshipping communities like our own[3]. Our evangelism is joyous proclamation: we announce the victory of Christ over His enemies and the rescue of His people[4]. By this means, we seek to bring every area of life under the Lordship of Christ[5]. We proclaim that His victory will be complete when the nations bow before Him and every sphere of life demonstrates His Lordship[6]. This will happen before the resurrection of our physical bodies[7]. We desire to evangelize with this assurance of success, an assurance based on Jesus’ statement of His possession of all authority and His continued presence with us[8].

[1] Acts 13:1-3

[2] Mark 16:15-16

[3] Matthew 28:18-20

[4] I John 3:5,8, Colossians 2:13-15, Ephesians 3:10

[5] Genesis 1:28-30, Matthew 5:5

[6] Psalm 72:4-14, Isaiah 11:1-9,

[7] I Corinthians 15:20-28

[8] Matthew 28:18, John 3:16-17

Elders' Vision Statement - Worship

The coming of the kingdom transformed the public worship of God from a flesh-based to a Spirit-based orientation[i]. The church is now the temple where saints gather to worship their Lord[ii].

Our vision is to be a congregation of saints who offer their bodies as living sacrifices unto God, ordering our services in accordance to His revealed word[iii]. We will practice family-integrated worship as we offer these spiritual sacrifices[iv]. This is our reasonable worship and means that we submit to His will (as found in His word)[v]. We desire to display this by setting apart the first day of the week to worship the Lord with fellow saints. We do not view the Lord’s Day worship as drudgery, but as an occasion to celebrate His victorious work on our behalf and rejoice in the rest He has provided for us[vi]. Because the Lord’s service is a reverential occasion, we will seek to prepare ourselves on Saturday evening for public worship on the Lord’s Day[vii].

Our vision is to be a church that enters the worship service with awe towards God[viii]. We will view ourselves as ascending unto His presence with all other saints, both in heaven and on earth[ix]. We desire to actively worship God, not passively go through prescribed motions[x]. This will include activities such as: confession of sin; reading of Scripture: public prayers; singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; giving; praise; the proclamation of the word; and partaking of the Lord’s Supper[xi].

[i] Hebrews 8

[ii] Ephesians 2:19-22

[iii] Romans 12:1

[iv] Deuteronomy 31:11-13, Psalm 54:6

[v] Romans 12:2

[vi] Psalm 95, 96:9-13, 122, Hebrews 4,

[vii] I Samuel 7:3, II Chronicles 35:6, Job 11:13-15

[viii] Leviticus 19:30, Psalm 89:7, Hebrews 12:28

[ix] Hebrews 12:22-24

[x] Psalm 29:2

[xi] James 5:16, Deuteronomy 31:11, I Timothy 4:13, Eph. 5:19, 6:18, Acts 2:42, I Cor. 11:23-33

Elders' Vision Statement - Community

The local church is the vehicle for the expansion of God’s kingdom. Jesus established the kingdom with the promise that it would grow[ii]. We read in Acts how kingdom expansion occurs through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom[iii]. This results in the conversion of sinners and the establishment of communities of believers.

Our vision is for our church to be a group of covenanted believers, a community of saints. We desire to display God’s love to one another through encouragement, accountability, exhortation and discipline[iv]. We want to support one another and seek to alleviate each other’s needs whenever possible[v].

Our vision is to be a community of discipleship[vi]. We will practice discipleship primarily through older men teaching younger men and older women teaching younger women how to fulfill their callings. We desire to support parents as they raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We will seek to serve God’s people within our community and in the kingdom of God at large with the spiritual gifts God has given us[vii]. We want to be known for our warm and hospitable fellowship, both as a church and as families[viii]. We will seek to be a community who can disagree with one another on non-essentials (meaning things that do not define one as a Christian) without dividing[ix]. Our vision is multi-generational[x]. We realize that the advancement of God’s kingdom is a long-term process, therefore we desire to be examples of faithfulness that future generations would desire to follow.

[i] Matthew 16:18

[ii] Matthew 13:31-33

[iii] Acts 1:3, 8:12, 14:22, 19:8, 20:25, 28:23, 28:31

[iv] I Thessalonians 5:14, Hebrews 3:13, Matthew 18:15-17

[v] Acts 2:45, 4:35

[vi] Titus 2:1-6

[vii] Ephesians 4:8-13

[viii] I Peter 4:9

[ix] Ephesians 4:15, Romans 14:3

[x] Deuteronomy 7:9

Elders' Vision Statement - The Kingdom of God

The kingdom of God is a central concept in God’s word. Prophecies of its coming, details of its establishment by our Lord Jesus Christ, and descriptions of its future form a large and important part of God’s revelation to us[i].

Our vision is for our church to reflect the centrality of the kingdom in every area of life. We desire that our decisions and activities revolve around the fact that we are part of the kingdom God has established. We want to recognize that this kingdom is God’s instrument for His reclamation of the world[ii]. Therefore, we desire to be a church with a vision for Christ’s growing kingdom[iii]. We rejoice in the events that brought about the kingdom of God (the incarnation of Jesus Christ, His life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to rule and reign at the right hand of the Father) and seek to be an active part of its growth, primarily through preaching the gospel[iv].

Our vision for the kingdom of God is not dependent, however, on us acting on our own. This kingdom is the project of the Almighty Lord. He has revealed to us that it will be overwhelmingly successful in history—in this church-age dispensation—and in human culture[v]. God has ordained that it transform the world. We desire, therefore, to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that His power working through us will advance kingdom purposes[vi].

Our vision is to reflect our kingdom orientation in our relationships with other churches. We desire to make common cause with all whom we believe show allegiance to Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection[vii]. While maintaining our Baptist heritage, we want to engage our brethren from other denominations in charitable dialogue and mission[viii]. We hope to remove unnecessary walls between ourselves and our brethren.

[i] Psalm 145:11-13, Isaiah 9:7, Daniel 2:44, 7:14,18,22, Obadiah 1:21, Micah 4:8

[ii] Isaiah 35:1-7, 62:7-12

[iii] Acts 8:12

[iv] I Corinthians 2:3-7, I John 1:1-4

[v] Psalm 72:7-8,10-11, Ps. 110, Isaiah 45:14, I Corinthians 15:24-25, I Timothy 6:15

[vi] Romans 14:17

[vii] Romans 16:1-15,23,

[viii] Acts 11:27-30

AAEVS - Preparing for Worship

“Because the Lord’s service is a reverential occasion, we will seek to prepare ourselves on Saturday evening for public worship on the Lord’s Day.” ~ Worship Paragraph 2f

"And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." ~ 1 Samuel 7:3

"So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses." ~ 2 Chronicles 35:6

 

"Why does the Lord tell us to remember the Sabbath day? The Larger Catechism (Q. 121) answers that this is “partly, because we are very ready to forget it.” Knowing our weakness, the Lord tells us, as part of his moral law, to make special efforts to keep the day for rest, worship, and works of necessity and mercy , separated unto him. (Holy means “separated unto God.”) It is sobering to realize that failure to keep the Sabbath day separated unto the Lord is on a par with idolatry, blasphemy, murder, adultery, stealing, and lying. That alone should be a powerful rebuke to us when we regard the Sabbath day as our day rather than the Lord’s, and when we seek our own pleasure rather than his (see Isa. 58: 13). If we think of the Lord’s Day for anything beyond what God has ordained it to be, we are guilty of a serious form of idolatry of self. As a major part of your preparing for Lord’s Day worship , plan ahead— that is, “remember”— to keep that whole day separate for God’s purposes for it." ~William Shishko, Helps for Worship (Kindle Locations 171-172). Committee on Christian Education. 

So why did I separate this sentence of the paragraph when all of it goes together? Because setting aside a time to prepare for the Lord's Day is unfamiliar to some of us. We sometimes just go into the church building, persevere through the service, and hope that we will get something edifying from it. But what does it mean to come before God on the Lord's Day? It means coming before the Sovereign Lord of the universe; this makes the Lord's Day not just special but venerable. Therefore as children of the King, should we not ready ourselves for His appearance? Just as musicians practice their instruments before their performance in public, we ought to "practice" our hearts before we come into the presence of our gracious and awesome God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

AAEVS - The Importance of Worship (Part 2)

The Nature of God

All humanity knows that the Creator has revealed Himself in creation: His intelligent design, His just morality, His logical thoughts, and His direct revelation. So what makes God who He is? Of all of His wonderful attributes, it is His holiness that distinguishes Him as God. Holiness is not an easy word to define, so let me give my own definition: A holy being is righteously, majestically, and beautifully separated from elements that are sinful, chaotic, and/or mundane.

All three of those characteristics are intertwined; in a way they refer to the same thing. Righteousness exalts those who live by it; it is pleasing when it is established among God's people. Majesty is upheld by just standards; it invokes awe and joy in those that contemplate it. Beauty is molded by righteous consideration and contemplation; it commands respect and awe in those that behold it. God is the only one who is perfectly all three: righteous, majestic, and beautiful.

AAEVS - The Importance of Worship (Part 1)

"Our vision is to be a congregation of saints who offer their bodies as living sacrifices unto God, ordering our services in accordance to His revealed word. We will practice family-integrated worship as we offer these spiritual sacrifices. This is our reasonable worship and means that we submit to His will (as found in His word). We desire to display this by setting apart the first day of the week to worship the Lord with fellow saints. We do not view the Lord’s Day worship as drudgery, but as an occasion to celebrate His victorious work on our behalf and rejoice in the rest He has provided for us. Because the Lord’s service is a reverential occasion, we will seek to prepare ourselves on Saturday evening for public worship on the Lord’s Day." ~ Worship Paragraph 2

"Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord. Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house." Haggai 1:8-9

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." ~ Romans 12:1

We've looked at why the Kingdom is important; we've looked at what the Kingdom looks like here and now.  Now we'll look at how the Kingdom of God is established which is the worship of God in this world. What do we mean by "worship?" What is it? Some people say that worship is performing special rituals; others say worship is a good feeling when certain religious activities are practiced. But what is worship, particularly how does a Christian worship the true and living God? And why does it matter? First, let's look at a couple of ministers' definitions to get a sense of what worship is.

AAEVS - Having a Long-Term Commitment to be Faithful

"Our vision is multi-generational. We realize that the advancement of God’s kingdom is a long-term process, therefore we desire to be examples of faithfulness that future generations would desire to follow." ~ Community Paragraph 3g-h

"His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." ~ Matthew 25:23

"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;" ~ Deuteronomy 7:9

Here we come to the last portion of the Elders' Vision on Community, which is focused on the long-term perspective of the Kingdom and how we contribute to it. Looking at where we are right now, it does not look like we as Christendom are close to consummating the Kingdom in our lifetime. It even looks like that we as a church are not going to be able to engage our community until the next generation arises up who are not comfort-centered and/or culturally-compromised. This can be discouraging and demoralizing to our enthusiasm. But God did not mean for us to complete the His work in the earth in ten to fifty years; He means for us to do what we can in advancing the Kingdom and leaving a godly legacy. Then when He calls us home into His heavenly presence, we will watch as Christ uses our legacy in history to transform the world. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

So what does a long-term advancement of God's Kingdom look like? It looks like believers being examples of faithfulness to the word of God. But what does it mean to be faithful?

AAEVS - Practicing Discipleship (Part 5)

Unity 

It has been an objection to the Truth of Christianity that many denominations and doctrinal opinions exist in professing Christian world. Christians, in the minds of many people, cannot seem to unite under a common message and tradition. Now this is exaggerated because Christians do have quite a lot in common, such as belief in the historical accounts of Jesus and the important doctrines and practices that come from those stories.

But this does bring up a sad fact: the Church for the past five hundred years has swallowed the "Protestant" doctrine of interpreting Scripture the way the individual feels should be interpreted and the notion that the "true/loving church" must consist of people of common attributes or denominational orthodoxy. The result has been schisms, departures, and even heresies. There are many other reasons of course but this is what flies through mostly unchallenged in many Christian circles. But we need not despair over the prominence of this phenomenon because God gave us in His word the means to reunite the Church throughout the world and within our area.

AAEVS - Practicing Discipleship (Part 4)

Spiritual Gifts

Now we turn to a more outreach perspective of Discipleship and look at how we interact with each other and the community at large. First, we will look at how each member of the church works out his or her gifts to God's glory.

As the Spirit develops us into a body and sanctify us, He works in us a certain skill or talent. Then He empowers us to perform it to His glory and our joy.

AAEVS - Practicing Discipleship (Part 3)

Education

As parents are being saved by God's grace, the Lord brings children under their provision and instruction. The purpose is so that the children may challenge the cultural and political status quo and advance the Kingdom where the previous generation would not. (Psalm 127)

We see in Ephesians 6:4 that fathers are to "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." The Greek word for "nurture" is 'paideia' which basically means the cultural formation of children. The Kingdom has a culture with Christ and His word at its center. It has a set of ethics found in the Sermon on the Mount and other places in Scripture. It has accounts about how God works throughout history to redeem His people for His glory. It has a vision for the emancipation and restoration of creation from hopelessness and perversity of sin to joyful and beautiful holiness.

AAEVS - Practicing Discipleship (Part 2)

Mentorship

Mentorship is a neglected ministry; probably because our culture glorifies the self-sufficient person, the one who follows his own path alone and learns from his own effort with little assistance from others. Sadly this notion has gotten into the church to the point that Titus 2 mentorship is just unheard of today. This is sad because people usually do not discover by themselves how to think and act godly. Reviving mentorship is going to take study and mortification.

Titus 2 is a familiar passage, especially with those who are interested in gender roles. It gives instruction on exhorting four natural groups of people in the church: not-so-young men, not-so-young women, young women, and young men. From the structure of the passage, the older folks should mentor the younger.

By God's wisdom, He made male and female to bear His likeness on creation. They had distinct, defined roles and at the same time were both equally "Adam" in the persons of man and woman, reflecting the Trinity. But they sinned, bringing chaos into the created order and distorted in many ways the roles they were made to perform to His glory.

AAEVS - Practicing Discipleship (Part 1)

"Our vision is to be a community of discipleship. We will practice discipleship primarily through older men teaching younger men and older women teaching younger women how to fulfill their callings. We desire to support parents as they raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We will seek to serve God’s people within our community and in the kingdom of God at large with the spiritual gifts God has given us. We want to be known for our warm and hospitable fellowship, both as a church and as families. We will seek to be a community who can disagree with one another on non-essentials (meaning things that do not define one as a Christian) without dividing. Our vision is multi-generational. We realize that the advancement of God’s kingdom is a long-term process, therefore we desire to be examples of faithfulness that future generations would desire to follow." ~ Community Paragraph 3

"Let all things be done decently and in order." ~ 1 Corinthians 14:40

"This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." ~ Titus 3:8

Practicing Discipleship, you could say, is like Part 2 of the previous section. What's different is that I'm placing the emphasis on the system of Church Community rather than the spiritual foundation. How does a Church Community function? The answer that our pastors provided is a system of discipleship.

AAEVS - Putting Together a Christ-centered Community (Part 8 & Conclusion)

(Prepare for another long read!)

Prayer

Our bodies need daily nourishment. Tasks such as problem solving and physical activity become difficult when the body is lacking nutrients. Likewise our souls need daily nourishment from spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading and study, etc. We can still worship and serve without them, but it will be dry and tedious. Spiritual disciplines, when used properly, bring us to fellowship with God and with one another.

So why is it hard to commit to doing these things regularly and proficiently? One reason is that they are in the group what Alex and Brett Harris calls "small hard things," things that are repetitive and do not get open recognition. We consider them to be chores that appear to have no perceptive benefit so we neglect them. Another reason is that they do not give us chemical stimulation like video games, television, and the Internet do. We demand in our hearts the holy and awesome God to be as entertaining as an inanimate electronics machine so we despise Him and His means of displaying Himself to us.

This boils down to priorities, what is most important? The Kingdom of God or our little sand castles that we build with things like education, jobs, comfort, security, family, (looking at it in isolation) church attendance and service, entertainment, community service, and health? Nothing wrong with these things but when they become more important to us than Jesus Himself then they are idols and they need to be put in their proper place in the Kingdom.

AAEVS - Putting Together a Christ-centered Community (Part 7)

(Brace yourselves for a long read!)

Accountability of Sinful Nature/Spiritual Warfare/Nouthetic Counseling

This is very important as it is the main focus of the paragraph. The paragraph states that our elders wish us to "display God’s love to one another through encouragement, accountability, exhortation and discipline." (EVS Paragraph 2b) Thus, it is necessary that I use this whole post to give a big picture analysis of what this would look like.

What does it look like for church members to accountable to one another? Alan Medinger, a biblical counselor gives a lengthy, tough description of an accountability relationship:

An accountability relationship is one in which a Christian gives permission to another believer to look into his life for purposes of questioning, challenging, admonishing, advising, encouraging, and otherwise providing input in ways that will help the individual live according to the Christian principles that they both hold. (As quoted in Not Even A Hint, Page 136) 

Why should we be accountable to each other? God commands it for our good. (1 Corinthians 10:12; Hebrews 3:12-14; Hebrews 10:24-25) Because we have a natural descent into sin, we can listen to our pessimistic, self-centered selves for so long that we become hardened to the comforting and admonishing word of God. Spiritual autonomy is not God's plan for His children. He has placed us in a network of accountability partners ranging from fellow members to parents to elders and other leaders to sister churches.

Worry and the Word

     For all you high school kids out there who are worrying about what to do after graduation, please allow me to relieve all of your worries. 

     And no, I am not an adult who is thirty reflecting on something that happened to me twelve years ago trying to give you advice. Chances are I probably would have lost a lot of my memories if I was thirty. No, I'm a high school senior about to graduate, and trust me, I have had my worries. But one thing that the Word of God has taught me is something that will seem really trite, but it is the best medicine to relieve worry. Don't worry. 

      I know, pretty trite, huh? You probably were thinking I was going to give you something profound. But the advice I give you is from God, and that's as profound as you can get. The Apostle Paul tells us in  Philippians 4:6 to "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God." (King James Version)

       So the first thing to do is not worry. But what is the next thing to do? Pray. Ask God to calm your anxious heart and mind, ask him for direction in your life, act on your own interests, and focus on serving and praying for other people that you know, and, even the ones you do not know. It is okay to ask God for the things you want... no matter how big or small, so long as they are righteous desires. However, doing this without praying for other men and woman is not love. In First Corinthians chapter thirteen, God's says that love "seeketh not her own..." (KJV). So obviously, love is important. However, it does not mean that we are denied any reward. In the Old Testament, the Lord says that he would honor whoever honors him.
        Therefore, in addition to praying, we should love others by praying for them, but we should also love by being kind. Kindness is mentioned in First Corinthians thirteen verse 4. How do we display this kind of love? Later on in the chapter, Paul says that love "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." In other words, think the best of people, go out of your way to make sacrifices for people. However, it also means that we are expect to the best of people, which is the definition of hope. If they sin, rebuke them, but do not be suspicious of them or gossip about them.
         Finally, we are to "Seek first the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). God promises us that he will give us the blessings that we need. This is the greatest reason to not worry. Yes work, and be concerned about yourself, but do not get caught up trying to predict what will happen.
         Maybe this all seems counterproductive. After all, how do we relieve our worry by focusing on other people? The answer is Jesus. Jesus showed love to those who hated him, tortured him, killed him. He, more than any other immortal in human form, had the greatest temptation to worry. Yet, he concentrated on loving sinners and praying for them.
          Worried about college, a secure job, a marriage partner, your whole life ahead? Love your neighbors, pray for them, seek God's kingdom first, and ask God for his essential blessings. Do this, and you will be freed from the shackles of worry and brought in the open air of fellowship with God.
        

          

AAEVS - Putting Together a Christ-centered Community (Part 6)

(I am in no way skipping over Spiritual Warfare or the Spiritual Disciplines. I'm just saving them for last.)

 

Physical Welfare

The Apostle John told Gaius in 3 John 2, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." No, John is no prosperity gospel preacher. He did not ignore the trials and persecutions that godly men and women will face. (Matthew 5:10-12; 2 Timothy 3:12; James 1:2-4) But there is a sense in which godly believers who are faithful to their calling ought to be abounding in their health and wealth; so that being blessed in those areas, they may be able to offer themselves and their wealth in service to Christ and to others more effectively.

Christ: The Definition of a Life

From the Rebelution website:

http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2013/04/christ-the-definition-of-a-life/

How much are you willing to jettison in your heart for Christ to shine His glory in your homes, churches, and social groups? How much faith do you have in the promises of God concerning eternal righteousness, peace, and joy from the Holy Spirit?

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” - Jim Elliot

AAEVS - Putting Together a Christ-centered Community (Part 5)

Humility/Selflessness/Meekness

If we want to excel in God’s Kingdom, we must mortify the very desire that He hates and that is Pride.

Pride distracts us from God’s glory and thus robs us of our joy and effectiveness. This is why we must commit ourselves to humility in the sight of God. Humility does not mean that we degrade our worth as a human being made in the image of God, but rather it means that we accept that God is the only being that deserves the full attention and admiration of His creatures; all we have, even what we think is from our own doing, is a gift from God. 

This means that we forfeit the “right” to think only about ourselves and open ourselves up to God and what He is doing all around us as well as through us. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Paul said in Philippians 2:3-4. This does not mean that we neglect ourselves in service to others, but it means that our delight as John Piper put it, to use his quote again, “joyfully meets the needs of others.” 

The Problem With Low Self-Esteem

I noticed this article tonight; It is encouraging and very timely as I had just have typed the first sentences in the section on humility. This is from the Rebelution website.

The Link:

The Problem With Low Self-Esteem

AAEVS - Putting Together a Christ-centered Community (Part 4)

Joy/Thanksgiving

Joy is an important element in a community, one of the three key characteristics of the Kingdom of God. The joy of the Lord is our strength, Nehemiah said. Christian Joy is us seeking and finding pleasure with the God who saves us and loves us. It is rooted in the happiness of God who is never discouraged. He bids us to delight in Him and in His salvation.

Joy, a fruit of the Spirit, needs to be fought for and cultivated. That means that joy is not easy and natural. It has hardly anything to do with your personality or genes. Here are fifteen things that John Piper put out in his book Desiring God for fighting for joy:

The "Web of Sin" and the "Net of Grace"

While we are on the subject of community, let's go over another important reason why we must have a Church Community. That is, the hamartiological (The Study of Sin) principle which is what I call the catholicity of sin or the "web of sin." I define it as the fact that sin is transmitted back and forth between individuals through social behavior and communication. I give credit to Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, author of Love & Respect for the development of this principle.