Subject: Back2Church-#4 Title: Bible-Christ-Gospel Centered Church Text: I Corinthians 15:1-4 Sunday Bulletin Blurb August 5, 2012: As we come together today to worship the Lord, there are many things that we as believers take for granted. We believe that the Bible, the Word of God, is indeed THE WORD OF GOD! We believe the Bible to be true, that it is a Divine document inspired by God and given to us as a direct and thoughtful communication from the hand of God. We also believe that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Word, God clothed in human flesh, i.e., The Son of God. We believe that Christ is God in His person. God has revealed the glory of God to mankind in the express image of God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that He, Christ, is the focal point of all of history and all of God s Word. We believe that the Bible accurately speaks of and reveals Christ to us. He is the living Word. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily. We also believe that there is an overriding message from God given to us in the life, words and example of Christ. This is the Gospel, the good news, i.e., God so loved the world... (John 3:16). The gospel is the good news of new life, love, forgiveness, complete transformation and redemption. All of these truths are at the very core of Christianity. Every true and effective church must be Bible centered, Christ centered and Gospel centered. The local church must be a church of the Word! CONNECT GROW SERVE GO * worship * gospel-centered * ministry * evangelism * prayer * disciple making * Koinonia * vision * stewardship * youth focused A vertical church is one which is connected with God in spirit and in truth. Upreach ministry is first and foremost in the Christian life. worship - John 4:24 CONNECT prayer - Luke 11:1 stewardship - I Corinthians 4:1-2 Now we speak of GROWTH. Numerical growth is not the ultimate objective. The objective is spiritual growth, something impossible to quantifiably measure. Church leadership must keep the main thing the main thing and biblically persuade its constituency to pursue genuine, personal, spiritual growth. 1
This requires teaching and learning. A church must have qualified and willing teachers. It must have Christians willing to be discipled, willing and available learners. The quality of serving and going will largely depend on the work that is done here in discipleship. Churches may grow numerically by - birth - transfer - conversion Churches may grow spiritually only one way, through biblical discipleship or disciplemaking. Yet, disciples must be schooled in the main thing to be healthy disciples. They must be involved in a Bible-centered, Christ-centered, Gospel-centered church. These are the real issues for Christian spiritual growth. Here s why: A good church will first be correct about the Bible, Bibliology. A good church will teach: - inspiration - preservation - interpretation - application A good church will teach Biblical truth about God and Christ, theology and Christology. Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. A good church will teach Biblical truth about man, the fall, sin, salvation by grace through faith alone, etc. In other words, the Gospel! Three primary elements: * The Bible * Jesus Christ * The Gospel I Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 2
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: The Bible is the written Revelation of God. It is God s Word, it is truth, and contains what He wants us to know about Him and ourselves. Jesus Christ is the main character of the Bible. He is God in the flesh or the express image of God (Hebrews 1:3), i.e., He is all God and all man, born of a virgin. He came to save man from the penalty and consequences of sin. The Gospel is the main message of Jesus Christ. The Gospel tells us that man is morally fallen, he is lost, and thus separated from God. Christ came to save man from death by sacrificing Himself as a substitute and payment for all of the sins of all men. Man can be restored to fellowship with God, be transformed through repentance and faith in Christ, and redeemed by God s perfect sacrifice - the death of Christ and the shedding of His precious blood. The Bible - Bible centered God has revealed Himself to us in several ways: 1) General Revelation or Creation 2) Incarnation - Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16) 3) Special Revelations - recorded in the Word of God 4) The Bible - the written Word of God The origin of the Bible: II Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. II Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. I Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. 3
The Church should be Bible centered. The Bible is the primary source of the knowledge of God. Man s greatest problem or need is to know God. The Bible is our instruction manual for life. KJV Comments Jacob Von Brueggan There are three major issues in Bible translation discussions when it comes to accuracy: 1) choice of texts in the original languages 2) philosophy of translation work 3) opinion After 400 years the KJV and NKJV are always in the top four of sales with 200+ English translations available. Sixty-two percent of all adults who own one or more Bibles own a KJV. Two things: 1) You do not need to be ashamed of the KJV! 2) You do not have to doubt that what you read is true! Jesus Christ - Christ-centered Jesus Christ is God incarnate or God in flesh. He is all God and all man. The Bible s main character or personality is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. The Bible: * prophesies His coming at birth * speaks of His Virgin Birth * Deity * Relationship to the Father * Humanity * Sinlessness * Character * Teachings * Commands * Miracles * Death and Resurrection * Ascension * Second Coming * Eternity 4
The Church should be Christ-centered, He is the pre-eminent Person in Scripture. He is the Living Word. John 1:18 - No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. The Gospel - Gospel-centered The gospel is the good news, the good news of forgiveness, salvation, restoration, redemption and eternal life. It is the main message of the Bible, the main message of Jesus Christ who is inseparably tied to the gospel. The gospel, in general, includes all of the truths contained in the Word of God, but most specifically, it refers to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection. The Gospel speaks of: * creation * the fall of man * sin * judgment * regeneration and justification * the new birth * faith * repentance * forgiveness * sanctification and transformation * the new man The Church should be a gospel-centered entity. It is the message for which it is responsible to take to the world. The Bible tells us of Christ - Christ tells us the message. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. John 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 5
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father s hand. 30 I and my Father are one. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. I John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. John 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. The Church must be vigilant in keeping the message of the Gospel the main message. There are many distractions: * cultural decay * women s reproductive rights * definition of marriage * homosexuality * politics * public education * gambling * porn industry * social justice * poverty * women s rights All of these issues or causes threaten the primacy of the Gospel in the Church. The Bible - Christ - The Gospel should never be neglected in the pursuit of lesser important issues. Without conversion man has little basis to take a moral stand in our culture. 6
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. If I had to do it all over again! I would focus more of my time and energy on the CONNECT component than I have. My personal belief is that many fail or drop out of Christianity because they fail to learn to be before they learn to do. They fail to be worshippers, prayers, and stewards before they try to do each. I would do more to teach proactive Christianity rather than reactive. I would expect more of real Christians, not less. 7