New Hope Christian Church, 1/2/22
Surely 2022 will be better than the last two years! Much will be determined by things out of our control, but one thing we can control is our own response; and God is surely waiting for the church to rise above whatever difficulties may come our way. The Parable of the Wise Man and Foolish Man (Matthew 7:24-27) applies to the life of a congregation as well as to individual lives: it’s not enough to hear the words of Jesus, we must put them into practice.
If New Hope can move forward in confidence, the members being in regular and faithful participation, we will truly be a church of Christ. Why are we here, why did we start this church, why should we move forward in confidence? Here are four reasons why.
Because Jesus Died for Our Sins
For most Christians, our primary reason for church participation is our belief that Jesus died for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:14-15): "For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
He died because there was no other way for us to be saved. Because we have obeyed the gospel (good news about Jesus), we have been forgiven.
Out of gratitude we come together to remember his sacrifice, as his apostles taught the first century church, every Lord’s Day.
Because Jesus Arose from the Dead
Of course, the death of Jesus for our sins cannot be separated from his resurrection. As a result of his resurrection, he has given us “incredibly great power,” a power that is “like the working of [God’s] mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand” (Ephesians 1:18-23). Exalted to the right hand of God, Christ poured out upon the church the Holy Spirit, with all the gifts associated with his presence (Acts 2:33).
All who have believed in Christ, repented of their sins, and been immersed into Christ have received this gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Each of us has received “grace” (Ephesians 4:7) from Christ to be used in service to him. Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 12:4-7,11): "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. . . . All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."
As a church, we celebrate the victory of Christ and the presence of his Spirit in our lives. Why would we not want to move forward when the times call for the church to be at its best?
To Participate Fully in Jesus’ Family
As Christians, disciples of Christ, we are all part of the universal (world-wide and multi-generational) family of God. In a practical sense, however, we can be most effective on a local level, the local “branch” of this family.
Certainly, this family consists of imperfect brothers and sisters, but we do have a perfect Father and oldest Brother. And, imperfect as we are, we nevertheless benefit from a family that provides us with brothers, sister, mothers, and fathers around the world (see Mark 10:29-30).
What is it like when this family worships and serves together as a congregation? The very first church set an example that, admittedly, is hard to follow (Acts 2:42-46): "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. . . . All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts . . . ."
Paul describes the church’s faithfulness to Jesus and unity with one another in relation to observance of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 10:16-17): "Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf."
In addition to the Lord’s Supper, we are to gather together for our mutual encouragement (Hebrews 10:24-25): "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
The following verses (10:26-31) imply that this kind of meetings are necessary for preventing us from abandoning the faith and returning to the world.
This unity and fellowship enables us to serve God. Why would we want to do anything else?
To Save the Lost
Everyone needs what we have found., salvation in Christ. The only way they can find it is through the gospel; and the only way they can hear the gospel is through the preaching of the church. (Even if someone finds a Bible and comes to Christ through their own reading, the Bible was put there by someone representing a church.)
The first church, working along with the apostles’ preaching and miracles, made such an impression on their community that they enjoyed “the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). And even after a severe persecution, intended to put an end to the church, “the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord” (Acts 9:31).
We plant and water, but only God can give the increase. Our numbers may severely limit our ability to present the gospel, but God is ultimately in control of the situation. We do our part and let God take care of the rest.
Conclusion
What can we say, then, about our prospects as a church? We can take comfort and assurance in Paul’s words regarding his own ministry (2 Corinthians 3:4-6): "Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
We are here because of what God has done for us. We are here so that we can do more for God. What about you? Will you move forward with us in confidence, in regular and faithful participation?
If you have not yet committed your life to Christ, in faith, turning from sin, and being baptized into him? What are you waiting for? “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). Then join us in this great work for God.
WHAT KIND OF CHURCH DO WE WANT TO BE?
(1) A CHURCH OF THE BIBLE
New Hope Christian Church 1/9/22
When I was a child, visiting in Alabama, my cousins couldn’t understand that we went to a Christian Church. (They didn’t know of any church without a denominational name.) There are other ways to answer the question, What kind of church is New Hope? More importantly, what kind of church do we want to be? Our answer should be, we want to be the kind of church that can do the most toward fulfilling our answer to the question, Why are we here?
We would not go wrong by seeking to be like the first church, described in Acts 2:40-47; 4:32-37. It might be helpful to look at those verses to see why they were so successful. (They were “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”) Over the next several weeks we will be examining several qualities of the kind of church that we want to become. In this installment we will consider one of these qualities, a church of the Bible, and four actions necessary for us to be a church of the Bible:
Reading: What Does it Say?
It should be obvious that the first action to take in becoming a church of the Bible is for our members to be reading the Bible on a regular basis. Why? Because the Bible is the word of God. Although he was not talking about the whole Bible, the apostle Paul called his preaching, “the word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13): "And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe."
The other apostles also taught that their preaching and teaching were actually from God, just as the Old Testament was (2 Peter 1:20-21): "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
But where does one start in reading the Bible? There are 1189 chapters. All that the Bible affirms is equally true, but not all equally important or relevant to our present-day situation. Plan to read it all but spend more time in some sections than others. This means we must learn the difference between Old and New Testaments, as well as differences between the Gospels and other sections of the New Testament. Finally, in our reading we must distinguish between the most relevant and less relevant sections.
To become a Bible-reading church, we need to read individually but also to bring our Bibles to church and develop a personal note-taking system.
Interpreting: What Does it Mean?
Reading the Bible is not enough. We must learn how to interpret it properly so that we can understand it. As the Ethiopian told the evangelist Philip, who had asked whether he understood what he was reading: “‘How can I unless someone explains it to me?’” (Acts 8:30-31). Much of the Bible is easy to understand, but, like all human language, some is harder than others. This means that we need to learn the principles of interpretation. (These are basically the same principles we daily use in understanding all human communication, but many people do not know how to use them.)
Bible readers need to understand these principles so that they can draw proper conclusions from what they read. Studying the Bible with a small group, under a capable teacher/leader, is essential to this process of interpretation. There are also several types of references that we can consult, but we need to learn the proper use of these references since they are all the product of fallible human beings.
Applying What We Learn to Our Life
Third, we must go beyond reading and interpreting the Bible. These are useless without our properly applying what we read. Mark Twain said that it wasn’t the parts of the Bible he didn’t understand that bothered him, but rather the parts that he did understand! When we discount or ignore scripture, we must make sure that we are not just disagreeing with it. We may have differing opinions from others as to the interpretation of a scripture, but we must not differ from the plain interpretation or implication. After all, God’s opinion is what counts, not ours.
In application, first look at what it says, then properly interpret, and then ask, does the context of this passage indicate that it applies to you? If so, then ask how it should be applied to you. Paul wrote (2 Timothy 3:14-17):
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Scripture is not just true. It is beneficial.
Living: Practicing What We Believe
Some years back there was a sniper on a Texas campus, who was found to have been an avid Bible reader. Reading and knowing the Bible is not enough. It must be practiced in our lives. Jesus warned his disciples: “‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach’” (Matthew 23:2-3).
To be a church of the Bible, we must not be just a Bible-reading church but a Bible-obeying church. “‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’” (Matthew 7:21). James wrote (1:21-25):
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
The Bible in our church, and the Bible in our life is for our “own good” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). “‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go’” (Isaiah 48:17).
The Bible enables us to deal effectively with our own shortcomings and also with a proper attitude toward others’ shortcomings. With faith in God’s word, properly interpreted and applied, we can “keep in step with the Spirit” of God (Galatians 5:25).
Conclusion
What should be the goal of a church? When others come into contact with us, how wonderful it would be if they would “fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’” (1 Corinthians 14:25). We want to be this kind of church! It’s the kind of church that will honor God, satisfy our souls, and be a blessing to our world.
Are you right with God? Give your heart totally to him, putting your faith in the One who died for your sins, was buried, and then arose again, now living in Heaven until he comes to take us to be with him forever. Turn from your sins and be baptized (immersed in water) in the Name of Jesus (Acts 2:38). Then serve him with your fellow-members in the body of Christ, the church, empowered by his Holy Spirit. You won’t believe how wonderful life with him can be!
WHAT KIND OF CHURCH DO WE WANT TO BE?
(2) A CHURCH OF PRAYER
New Hope Christian Church, 1/16/22
Do your prayers ever seem to be meaningless or powerless? Jesus often prayed—if there were ever anyone who didn’t need to pray, we might think it would be he! And yet he often spent long hours in prayer; so, if he needed to pray, surely we do, too!
To be effective as a church we must understand and engage in prayer; but first we must be proficient in our Bible knowledge so that we may understand prayer properly. Therefore, these are the first two essentials to becoming the kind of church we really want to be, to be a church of the Bible and a church of prayer. And to become a church of prayer, we need to learn the three basic types of prayer.
Praise and Thanksgiving
The most important type of prayer is also the most neglected. Hebrews 13:15 exhorts us, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.” The apostle Paul urged his readers to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
The more we get to know God, the more we instinctively praise him, first, for who he is. Getting to know God is one of the benefits of reading the Old Testament as well as the New; and then we praise him. David gives us an example (1 Chronicles 29:10-13): “Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”
We then praise and thank him for what he has done. An example of such a prayer can be found in Ephesians 1:3-14. There Paul refers to “every spiritual blessing” and lists many of those blessings, related primarily to the various aspects of our salvation.
We also praise and thank God for what he is currently doing. An example is found in 1 Peter 1:3-9 regarding several aspects of God’s shielding power in protecting our salvation.
How about taking a few minutes right now and read the above two passages and join in the writers’ praise and thanksgiving!
Intercession
After praise and thanking God, we then are ready for the second type of prayer, intercession (praying for others). Intercessory prayers mark one difference between a loving person and a selfish one. We can and should offer up prayers for others before and more than ourselves.
It is proper to pray for their material needs. “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” (3 John 2). (Unfortunately, too often our prayers are limited to this kind of need.) This kind of prayer needs to be accompanied by a willingness to do what we can to relieve those needs ourselves: “If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:16).
Prayers for their spiritual needs are more important since these needs have eternal consequences. Paul’s prayer for the believers in Colosse is an excellent example (Colossians 1:9-11): “For this reason, . . . we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience . . . .” This prayer is an excellent one for ourselves as well as for others.
We also should be constantly praying for the growth of the church. Rather than despairing when growth in spirit and numbers is just not happening fast enough, we need to examine Bible teaching on the essential climate for church growth. The last prayer of Jesus, prior to his entry into the Garden of Gethsemane, dealt with an essential factor in the spread of the gospel (John 17:20-23): “‘My prayer is not for [my apostles] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.’” One might ponder this prayer with wonder: why does the church continue to think that it can fulfill its mission without the glory that comes only through the unity of believers? Many factors contribute to or, in some cases, oppose the growth of the church, but Jesus prayed about none of these! We know better than he! Right?
Although it is wise for churches to avoid politics (except when scriptural morality is involved), we are told to pray for government leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2): “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” Paul then connects these prayers with the spread of the gospel.
And finally, we must not forget the leaders and other members of the church. Rather than criticizing them, we should pray for their efforts in spreading the gospel: “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should” (Colossians 4:3-4).
Supplication
Supplication simply means asking for something. We really do not need to be told to pray for ourselves, but we need to expand our usual prayer list. We pray for money and for health, without being told. These, however, can be selfish if we are not careful. “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:2-3).
It certainly is proper for us to pray for the needs of this life, our “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). Proverbs 30:7-9 puts such prayers in the correct context: Give “me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” We must remember our priorities. Prayers for our spiritual growth and our service to God must be given greater attention than the things of this life.
Conclusions
What do we do when God fails to respond to our prayers? Keep on praying! Luke 18:1-8 relates the importance of not giving up in our prayer life, especially when it seems that God is not listening.
There are many reasons why a church may not be growing, and now we have explored two of the qualities for being an effective church, qualities in which we may be lacking. If the whole church read the Bible and prayed like you, how effective would we be?
WHAT KIND OF CHURCH DO WE WANT TO BE?
(3) A CHURCH OF FELLOWSHIP
New Hope Christian Church, 1/30/22
Our language sometimes betrays our ignorance. For example, we are limited in our understanding when we refer to our meeting place as the church, or when we refer to our assembly hall as a sanctuary or even a worship center. The same is true when we immediately think of eating when we hear the word fellowship (as in fellowship dinner or fellowship hall). Fellowship is not just eating together (although it often includes eating).
We need to understand what fellowship is before we can answer the question, what kind of church do we want to be, with “we want to be a church characterized by fellowship.” Christian fellowship is much broader and much deeper than worldly fellowship, for it deals with sharing (the basic meaning of the word) in a common life. Here are three components of Christian fellowship.
Fellowship with God
The ultimate basis of our fellowship with one another comes from our fellowship with God. The apostle John wrote (1 John 1:3,5-7): "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. . . . This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."
We are in fellowship with God when we walk in the light. The “light” in 1 John refers primarily to walking in love with one another, but more generally in the truth about Jesus and his teachings. Compare 1:7, “if we walk in the light,” with 2:6, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”
This fellowship is with all three Persons of the Deity. The above passage (1:3) refers to both the Father and the Son. The apostle Paul wrote that God has called us into fellowship with his Son (1 Corinthians 1:9). He described this fellowship as “sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10). He referred to fellowship with the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians 13:14. In Philippians 2:1 he associated the latter with encouragement from being united with Christ, comfort from his love, and tenderness and compassion.
Fellowship with the Universal Church, God’s Community
Because we are in fellowship with God, we also share in the life of the entire Christian community, down through the ages and around the world. In Galatians 2:9 Paul referred to the fellowship he and Barnabas had with the apostles in Jerusalem, even though their ministry had taken them to other parts of the world. When we are in fellowship with God, then we are also in fellowship with one another. By the way, we can no more choose those with whom we have fellowship than we chose who would be our biological brothers and sisters.
We are on a common mission, sharing life, with those believers in the first century. Paul explained that the believers in Philippi were partners (“in fellowship with”) in the gospel (Philippians 1:5). This shared life is in fact with all believers around the world and through the ages. To the recipients of Ephesians Paul wrote that his prayer was for their strengthening in the power of Christ “together with all the saints” (believers) so that they could be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God,” resulting in glory to God “in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever” (3:14-21).
This fellowship around the world was demonstrated in the believers’ concern for the physical needs of one another. In Romans 15:26 Paul refers to his efforts to collect donations for the poor in Jerusalem. In this verse, the word for fellowship (koinonia) is usually translated contribution. (That could also be the meaning of the word in Acts 2:42. See below.) A similar donation had been sent to Jerusalem by the church in Antioch when the Christians there heard about a coming famine in Judea (Acts 11:28-30). The Romans collection was the same one described in 2 Corinthians 8:4. Referring to the churches in Macedonia, Paul wrote that “they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing [koinonia] in this service to the saints.”
Another example of this fellowship with other believers occurs in Paul’s commendation of Philemon (5-7) regarding his sharing (koinonia) his faith by refreshing the heart of the saints.
Fellowship in the Local Congregation
Fellowship in its most immediate and visible context occurs within the local congregation. The very first church provided us with an example to follow (Acts 2:42,44-47): "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Circumstances are different in our own day and age, but the general principles demonstrated in their fellowship with one another can be and should be applied by us in our own congregations.
This fellowship teaches us the importance of unity in faith, heart, motives, and mind (1 Corinthians 1:9-10): "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." See also Philippians 2:1-5.
This fellowship is demonstrated primarily in our communion with one another as we jointly participate in the Lord’s Supper each Lord’s Day (1 Corinthians 10:16-17): "Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." The word translated participation or communion is koinonia!
Therefore, we need to spend serious time together so that our sharing of life is both real and beneficial to us all (Hebrews 10:24-25): "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
That’s why we want everyone to be involved in small groups in addition to regular attendance. Only in these groups can we really get to know one another.
Conclusions
Christian fellowship meets one of our greatest needs, the need not to be lonely.
Has your horizon been expanded regarding fellowship? Do you now see it as more than just getting together to eat? How can you help us explore the concept of koinonia more fully?
WHAT KIND OF CHURCH DO WE WANT TO BE?
(4) A CHURCH OF WORSHIP
New Hope Christian Church, 2/13/22
Jesus visited Mary and Martha. Martha was doing important things, but Mary was doing the most important: sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening. This was reported immediately after the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, perhaps to emphasize that helping one’s neighbor is still second to listening to Jesus.
Too often we think of worshiping God as a set of actions in a certain time and place. For a proper understanding of worship, we must go beyond the question of whether you can worship God out in nature as well as in church. True worship is not a part of one’s life: it is the foundation of all aspects of our life. To help us understand what it means to worship God we need to consider the following four aspects of true, Biblical worship.
Worship begins with an awareness of God.
First, we must understand that worship is not primarily focused on us but rather on God. Worship begins when we become aware of God. We can know God somewhat from creation, from observing the universe. The apostle Paul wrote (Romans 1:18-20): “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Paul may have been thinking of the words of David (Psalm 19:1-4): “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
Creation is limited, however, in what it can teach us about God. It cannot give us a clear understanding, for example, of his righteousness and love. These and many other characteristics of God can only be understood from his revelation of himself in his word, the Bible. Insofar as we understand it clearly, we can count on it being truthful in all that it says. And, of course, since he came to earth and lived among us as one of us, we are able to know God most clearly through the Gospels. Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
We also learn more about God as we experience living out his word. “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17). As we walk in faith with him, we come to realize more and more, how awesome is our God!
Worship arises out of an awareness of our need.
Not only does worship come from a knowledge of God, the more we see our need for him, the more we turn to him in worship. Subjectively we learn from personal experience how short we fall from righteous living. Like the tax collector in the parable (Luke 18:9-14), we cry out, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (9:13).
Whereas our corrupted conscience may not be totally accurate in teaching us about our spiritual need, Scripture objectively convicts us of our sinfulness. “I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet’” (Romans 7:7). Only Scripture is able to inform us accurate about right and wrong.
Unfortunately, too many people turn a blind eye to the teachings of nature and of scripture. We must be willing to accept the truth in order to worship God properly. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were considered to be the most religious people around, but most of them closed their eyes to the truth. The apostle John writes (9:39-41): “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’ Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, ‘What? Are we blind too?’ Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’” They could not be forgiven so long as they refused to admit their need for forgiveness.
Worship bows in reverence and adoration of God.
As we learn how awesome God is and how sinful we are, then we are ready for true, Biblical worship. Certain words translated as worship both in the Old Testament (Hebrew) and the New (Greek) refer to bowing down or even falling prostrate on the ground in reverence and adoration before God. This worship may be performed literally or by an inward, heart-felt, attitude. The prophet Isaiah demonstrated this kind of worship in his own experience (Isaiah 6:1-7): “I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’”
In their three years living with Jesus, the apostles (as well as many of the people with whom they came into contact) had many opportunities to see God in Jesus. After the feeding of the 5,000+ people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus sent them across the lake (Matthew 14:22-33). A storm arose suddenly, threatening to sink their boat. Jesus came to them, walking on the water. He stilled the waves with just a word, and they responded in worship, “saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (14:33).
Worship motivates us to serve God.
True worship cannot stop with bowing in worship and lifting up praises. Bowing before God is only the first, though it is the foundational, component of true, Biblical worship. This second component is service to God. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8). Paul, after concluding his teaching about the gospel with an exclamation of how marvelous God’s plan is, urged his readers (Romans 12:1-2): “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Spiritual worship begins in the mind but it shows itself in the body as we obey the will of God. This will is, in effect, carried out by the “God of peace” (the Holy Spirit?) as he equips us “with everything good for doing his will” and works in us “what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).
A thorough study of scripture shows that we truly worship God by doing his will. If we are not serving him in the world, then we are not worshiping in church.
Conclusion
Mary and Martha signify two components of true, Biblical worship. Jesus’ rebuke of Martha was not directed against her desire for service but rather the priority of relationship (sitting at Jesus’ feet) over action (cooking dinner). Praise without service is hypocrisy, and service without praise is not worship. Is your worship true and Biblical?
WHAT KIND OF CHURCH DO WE WANT TO BE?
(5) A CHURCH OF MINISTRY
New Hope Christian Church, 2/20/22
Who is the minister here at New Hope? If you are a Christian, you are! In the Bible the word minister simply means servant. Different kinds of ministers/servants are mentioned, but the nature of the work determined what kind of minister each one was. For example, “ministers of the word” included anyone involved in teaching God’s word, and “ministers of tables” included those selected to distribute food to widows in the church. (See Acts 6:1-4.)
The church can be effective only when its members understand that the leaders are not the only ministers. When you were baptized into Christ, you became a minister of God. (You are also God’s priest—not in the traditional, popular sense of the word, but rather in the Biblical sense, that is, a minister/servant of God. See Isaiah 61:6 and 1 Peter 2:5,9.)
The church through the centuries has been a great benefit to mankind, to society, as well as to individuals, but most often only when ministry has not been left up to the leaders. We want to participate in a church that is involved in ministry. Here we will look at five factors in ministry (service to God).
Why to Be Involved in Ministry
Love for Christ is, of course, the primary reason anyone should take up serving God. The apostle Paul wrote (2 Corinthians 5:14-15): “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” This love for Christ, expressed in lives living for him rather than themselves, requires the kind of service that has a noble purpose (2 Timothy 2:20-21), the only kind that is worthy of him: “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” We are useful to the Master only to the extent that our purpose is true and noble.
A second motive for ministry is based on Christ’s love but arises also out of our own concern for others in their time of need. We care for others and thus seek to help them. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) reached out to help a total stranger who had fallen into the clutches of some robbers and left for dead. He helped the victim, providing needed medical care and attention. 1 John 3:17-18 urges us to follow Christ’s self-sacrificial love on others’ behalf: “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
A third reason to be involved in service deals with our public perception, the reputation of the church. Paul wrote (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12): “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” If working for a living, providing for ourselves and family, speaks to our public reputation, then certainly Paul’s instruction to the reformed thief would also: “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need” (Ephesians 4:28).
Where to Be Involved in Ministry
Where is there a need for ministry? What kinds of needs did Jesus meet? Of course, as the Son of God, he could meet more needs than we can. However, we can learn from him—he helped those who needed him. We can help where we can, with what we have. Romans 12:7-8 lists some ways that we might be able to serve Christ: teaching, encouraging, contributing money, leading, and showing mercy.
The key here is, what needs do you see which you might be able to meet? If you don’t see one, ask the Lord to open your eyes.
What Ministries Should You Be Involved In?
You see needs, but you can’t do anything about many of them. You might be able to share your concern with someone who can help, but as for you, what can you do? What ability do you have, or what skill interests you that you might be trained for?
When we compare Ephesians 4:7 (“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it”) with 3:7-8, we can understand that in the New Testament grace sometimes means something other than God’s gift of salvation. Paul’s gift of grace from God was “to preach to the Gentiles,” in other words, his ministry. This special kind of grace was a God-empowered mission. Therefore, when we read 4:7, we can see that Christ has given each of us an ability (or more than one) to be used in service to him.
What is your grace? That is to be determined in part by your abilities. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us” (Romans 12:6). Some examples: teaching, preaching, encouraging, working with children, music. Whether you were born with these gifts or received them after becoming a Christian, they’re still from God.
You may, and usually do, need to get training in these skills, either by experience or formally. Christ begins your training with church leadership: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” ( Ephesians 4:11-12). This training is not necessarily in your particular talent (for example, painting), but rather to give you a scriptural foundation on which to build with your own abilities.
When Should You Exercise Your Ministry Gifts?
The time and place in which you carry out your ministry will sometimes be planned and at other times may just pop up in your daily life. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5). Pray for the Lord to give you opportunity and then keep your eyes open!
Ministry is often a part of a group enterprise. That’s one of the reasons why we are part of the church. When called upon by others, we need to give our best effort to help. (See Acts 6:1-6 for an example of one such occasion.)
How Can You Do It?
Many Christians know they should be serving, and they want to, but they are just afraid they cannot. Romans 12:3,6 encourages us that we have the power if we just draw on our faith. “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. . . . We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.” In other words, we have the power of God (1 Peter 4:10-11), to be drawn on by faith: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
God will be glorified through Christ as we serve him.
Conclusion
Who is the minister here at New Hope? If you’re a member, you are! Along with all the rest of us. What do you need in order to be more effective?
If you’re not a member, where are you in relation to God? In relation to our ministry? We’re here to help you develop such relationships.