Loving Jesus Most (His Message to Ephesus. "Grace be with you all" is a salutation, but it is far more than a mere formality. We can't help but berate the other person in our minds and close our hearts off to shared joy or a widened vision of blessing. Our text says that the early believers give up themselves to the study of God's Word through the apostles. Putting God's Expectations above Our Own, Epiphany 4 (C) - 2013 What do they reveal to us about His mission? This church consists of both Jews and Gentiles. A Christian is a person who has made a definite choice for God in Jesus Christ. As the members identify their gifts and take on the responsibility of administering them under the leading of the Holy Spirit, the church increases its capacity to bless and to fulfill its mission on earth. The English dictionary defined the term "devote" as to set apart for a special use or service or to dedicate. As one who was characterized by his deep love for Christ, John especially warned about misplacing our love. If the church is filled with illiterate believers, then, they will easily stumble and give up. Action Needed:Jesus reports that what is needed is for them to repent of contamination by the world and draw near to God. The Bible says that the inability to distinguish right from wrong is a sign of immaturity. 6 He who continually goes forth [. Isaiahcan be called the Gospel in the Old Testament;Jeremiahcries out about how hard it is to minister to Gods Wayward People;Lamentationsrecords the pain that came to Gods disobedient people;Ezekiel records Yahweh Gods explanation of how to know that He alone is the True God;Danielportrays the God who rules over all nations, empires, and peoples. John calls the Devils system: the world. At a time when the church of Jesus Christ and Christian families are under severe attack by the forces of darkness, let us pray for a fresh infusion of the Holy Spirits power among His people. Palitha Jayasooriyais an Executive/Preaching Pastor of the 4000+ strong Peoples Church, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (I John 1:3; 2 Cor. Jobreveals the God who is enough, Who is named El Shaddai; thePsalmslead us in how He is worshipped by His people;Proverbsexplains how to live daily pleasing Him;Ecclesiastesgives the framework for a lifetime of pleasing Him;Song of Solomon shows the parallels between marital love and Divine Love. What the Bible Says About Godly Behavior. When you see that truth, it means that what Jesus said then applies to us here today. The expectation is that God will come to rule the earth at the end of time. If you have the Word of God without the Spirit, you dry up. WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT OF A CHRISTIAN? - Christian Publishing Here are the 7 characteristics I see in the passage in Acts 2:42-47: They devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching (Acts 2:42). It's human nature and it is difficult to combat. Too often we spend too much time trying to add our own commentary when presenting or studying the Bible when we would be better served simply to let the Scriptures do the talking! A Christian is person who is dedicated to the Kingdom of God. This must be admirable to the angels, who saw a good portion of their own fall with no possibility for redemption. Applying this process takes a life time - for God is working in His people changing lives. If you have both the Spirit and the Word of God, you grow up. He highlights quotes from Presidents, Prime Ministers, Scientists, Historians, Physicians, Lawyers, Educators, Philosophers, Writers, Astronomers, and many others to show how lives can be transformed and impacted. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter [NU name]. The love of the Lord for His church leaves everyone speechless. Bakke Graduate University Messiah in the Old Testament refers rather to three different figures in the life of the people of Israel. But what precisely do the Holy Scriptures tell us about this "messiah" of God who will restore justice and peace to Israel? Learn Religions, Feb. 16, 2021, learnreligions.com/the-bible-godly-behavior-712774. Romans 8:8-11So then, those who are in the fleshcannot please God. 8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop [Lit. Amen. Scriptures: In Ephesians 5:26-27, Paul declares that Jesus gave Himself up for the church, to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. Breaking Expectations For example, Jenna B., 16, recognizes the pressure of expectations from movies, the Internet, and even her peers. Rebuking reprove; to express disapproval of something done or said; in other words the Scriptures is our basis for approving or disapproving something done or said. God's Expectations For The Last Days Church 'Jesus loved the assembly (church, His Body of believers) and gave Himself up for it so He might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the Word so He could present the church to Himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and . The Word of God was one of the dominant guiding factors in what that church stood for. Jesus one time said, "For ye have the poor with you always" (Mark 14:7). The Operation of Faith: Expectations IIPastor Stacey CarverBIBLE: 1 Kings 18:41-46, Isaiah 53:1, Psalms 118:17, Matt 4:4, Matt 7:24-29, Romans 10:8DATE: June-28-2023Let us be reminded of the operation of faith and the power of expectations. What is a Christian? And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Email: info@bgu.edu, Our Mission: Bakke Graduate University strengthens leaders who steward resources with and for vulnerable people and places, by means For the prophets, part of their end-vision was focused on a king who conformed to God's will, a new David who would shepherd the people in the return to the straight and narrow path. However, there is one prophet who was anointed with oil, Elisha (1 Kings 19:16). The believers were devoted to the teaching of Gods holy Word. Whose responsibility is this? United Church of God is a 501(c)3 organization. It is worth mentioning that in the New Testament, no synagogue, temple, chapel, tabernacle, building or any other meeting place was ever called a church. The term always referred to the Christian assembly and, in the New Testament, it was used for both the local community of believers and the overall collection of Christians. 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard;hold fast and repent. James says it is made up of the ten conscious choices we looked at last week inJames 4:7-10. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. This is also true of the psalms that describe the kingdom that will come. 1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)Do not love[present active imperative] the world or the things in the world. To start saving items to a SermonFolder, please create an account. The careful Christian reader is called to reflect on four great figures in the life of the people of Israel as represented in the Old Testament, the priest, the king, the wise man and the prophet. A lot has been said about how impersonal and unfriendly many churches are today. Specifically, it focused on the pressures and expectations faced in their leadership role and the impact this may have on their well-being. May we experience that power whenever congregations come together to worship the Savior. to furnish a house, a car equipped with overdrive). 20Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.. This can be selfishness because Im most important. Isaiah 2:1-22 Central theme of the Message: God expects His children to walk in His light. Another letter these churches would have received were the three short Epistles John wrote when he was pastoring the great Ephesian Church. The church must disciple the nations. Ironically, neither . In the scriptures, the Word is also symbolized as being a mirror that reflects truth, a seed that germinates and brings fruit, bread that gives spiritual life, a lamp that gives light and guidance, and as a sword, a hammer, and a fire. The expectation then was more of a messianic time than of a messiah, although many Biblical authors attached the coming of this kingdom to the coming of a Davidic king. More of Gods Word will bring more glory to His name. (NLT), Ephesians 5:8 - "For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. Earlier, God gave Moses and the Israelites these commands on Mt. But what does God expect from churches? Equipped to complete, fully furnished. Please turn your Bibles to Acts 2:36-47 and let us find out Gods expectations for our church. This image illustrates the reality of the church. Could we therefore strive to model what we read in Acts 2 and ask God to help us reach out in love and friendship to the hurting around us? The chief biblical texts that develop the requirements of leaders are: 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 2 Timothy 2:1-13, Titus 1:5-9, Acts 6:1-6, and Exodus 18:21-22. Baptist. Some have identified the condition of the modern church as the 80/20 syndrome: a small percentage of the members (20 percent) take on the responsibility of ministerial work, while the other 80 percent are mere spectators. Daniel 9:25-26). In fact, the word is only used twice in Hebrew in the prophetic books (excluding Daniel), one in Isaiah (45:1), when the word is a reference to King Cyrus of Persia, who allowed the exiles in Babylon to return to Jerusalem, and one in Habakkuk (3:13), when the word refers either to a Davidic king or the people itself. In 1 Peter 5, God lays out the three expectations for every pastor: to be an elder, a shepherd, and an overseer. God's Expectations of His People: A Challenge to the Church and its The expectation is that God will come to rule the earth at the end of time. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Our text says that the early believers give up themselves to the study of Gods Word through the apostles. is God calling you into pastoral ministry by God's. . As we, too, focus on more prayer and worship, individually and corporately, our churches would be energized to accomplish greater works for God. A message from the series "Great Expectations." Jason continues our January sermon series entitled Great Expectations, with #2 in the series: God's Expectations Of The Church. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will ishis good, pleasing and perfect will." Expect.doc Christ's Last Words to His Church Series: Christ's Five Expectations for His Church Declared in Revelation 2 & 3 The last book of the Bible seems to be the most fascinating and revealing of all the books of the Bible [i] for believers. No Other Chapters of the Bible are LikeRevelation 1-3. To Overflow with His Spirit Stop Loving the World. This blog is based on the outline of a sermon preached by Jimmy Chrisman at Liberty Avenue Baptist Church, Berea, KY, on May 21, 1980; and transcribed on May 29, 2021 for this blog by J. David Chrisman (with the intent of retaining his original style and structure). Our preferences, wisdom, rationality, and expectations become the standard to which God must submit or be rejected as false and untrustworthy. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 1 John 1:3, 1 Peter 2:2, 2 Peter 3:18, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Acts 2:36-47, Acts 4:31-33, Ephesians 4:4, Hebrews 10:25, Philippians 2:1-4, Romans 10:13-17, 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, Help your church understand God's plan in pain, Call your people to experience a higher freedom, Proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth. This is our immediate family in the faith. Until then, we rely on the local expression in order to experience communion. God's Expectations Regarding Marriage. But, how often do we think about God's expectations of . Such is the power of Gods Word! To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. Because God's at work in his church, it's easy for ineffectual pastors to appeal to the confounding nature of God's will to explain why growth or congregational maturity isn't occurring. Whatever is pulling us away from devotion to God causes us to be Gods enemy. "What the Bible Says About Godly Behavior." What are the related symbols? The first sense for which the word church is used, what we call local, is defined by its geographical setting. We should always expect to receive answers to our prayers. What separated them from everyone else was their faith. There is a third figure also referred to as messiah but who received a different kind of anointing, an anointing by God not with oil but rather with the Holy Spirit, and that is the prophet. To Please God we are expected to be Loving Jesus Most. In the Historical Books, the central figure is the king, who is supposed to represent the rule of the one and only king of Israel, God, by studying the Law day and night and ruling by it. Un-Friending Worldliness. Ezratraces God getting the Jews back into the Land of Israel from their 70-year Babylonian captivity; Nehemiahcaptures the 52 day wall building project around the city of Jerusalem;Esther describes how God watches over His people to keep them from extinction. What Is Biblical Discipline, and How Can We Grow This Virtue? God's Expectations: Pertaining to the Gift of the Holy Spirit. His writings, sermons, and illustrations can be found on You Version, Sermon Search, Thoughts about God, and Sermon Central. Learn Religions. In Ephesians 3:10, Paul explains what is currently happening with the church, so that Gods multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. We cannot fully understand the greatness of the church. A Christian is a person who has been changed from something old into something new. May we encourage our people to spend more time in His Word than on Facebook, social media, politics, sports, and on other activities. This is a sign of humility because prayer demonstrates dependency on God, as we see in Philippians 4:6. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. "Grace" is not Paul's usual word for spiritual gifts. The first time the word is encountered in the Old Testament is in the Book of Leviticus, in chapter 4, where the messiah is the priest (Leviticus 4:3.5.16.17). Those that observed the believers way of life called them people of the Waysurely due to their constant action, their defined doctrine, and because they could always be seen going from one place to another. Used by permission. Those that form part of the church belong to the winning team and should speak and act as such. The first meeting of the universal church will occur during the rapture: For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangels voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. But to be filled we must first empty what is already there in our lives. Kelli Mahoney is a Christian youth worker and writer. In this literature, there is certainly the dream of restoring the world by means of returning back to God. Therefore He says: God resists the proud' (NKJV) . The neighbor apparently invited the Christian to join him on the golf course many times but the offer was always politely declined on the grounds that he had to be in church at that time. Whatever is pulling us away from devotion to God causes us to be Gods enemy. Note that each time Jesus spoke to a church He said that what He desired was expected in ALL of the churches, not just that one. To be exact, He reveals five clearly described expectations for each of us who know and love Him this morning. Have faith in the Word of God, for His promises are true . Open there again and trace what we found out about Christs first expectation of them and us. But it is what God Almighty expects. Full reference The Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20. You are a representative of God, and your behavior is part of demonstrating your relationship with Him. . Romans 8:25 Verse Concepts But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. With this goal Christ gave Himself up, and with this goal His workers are to carry out their work. All rights reserved. 6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. It is important to go back to the early New Testament Church and use its example as your criteria for finding a church. Many of the royal psalms long for a righteous king, who will rule according to Gods will and thus bring justice and peace. The essence ofRevelation 1is seeing Christ as He is Today; the essence of chapters 2-3 is seeing Christ actively describing and encouraging His expectations for His Church. To please God, to experience His Hand most fully upon our lives, Jesus says each of us needs to decide we will not neglect what God desires in our lives. The church in Acts was however powered by the Holy Spirit. As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.(John 20:21), But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses [NU adds My witnesses] to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth., You are the light of the world. Acts 2:47 tells us that they were praising God (daily) and enjoying the favor of all the people.. Titles A-Z | LSM Online Publications - Living Stream Ministry Recent studies continue to insist that waiting for a messiah was not nearly as central to Judaism at the time of Jesus as is generally believed. They were not being obedient to the clear commands Christ had already given them, thus they were not pleasing Him. It's Role and Purpose According to the Bible, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. If you have the Spirit without the Word of God, you blow up. Jesus is focused upon bringing our lifestyle into conformity with what pleases Him. Separating from Sin. It could be said that the Christians were totally and extremely devoted to all that has been shared in this article. This can be untruthfulness because I need to protect myself. It was an attractive place with a warm, family feeling where people felt they belonged. Your email address will not be published. This power at work through the Holy Spirit is further emphasized in Acts 4:33 where it says, With great power the Apostles continued to testify to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus and in Acts 5:12, which says, The Apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.. Not only does God have expectations for elders, but He also has several for the church toward . Such was their daily lifestyle. May it be public or private, personal or corporal, Christians will and should study the Word of God. He did because He is interested on how we conduct our lives and express our potentials in doing His will. Phone: 1-214-329-4447 Copyright 2017-2023 Dicasterium pro Communicatione - All rights reserved. Dr. Barnett has curated an Amazon page with a large collection of resources he uses in his study of Gods Word. (Ephesians 4:4; 2 Peter 3:18), Maturity is the ability to do a job whether supervised or not; finish it once started; carry money without spending it; and bear an injustice without wanting to get even. As it advances, it teaches the nations how to live. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. February 19, 2021 " But you say, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant." - Malachi 2:14 (ESV). A Christian is a person who has made a definite commitment of the whole life, the entire self to God. One of the greatest witnesses to non-believers is the Christian teen setting a Godly example. 2. It is not what others expect. The word opposes, or resists, isantitassetai, a military term meaning to battle against.. The saints in Thyatira needed to stop their friendship with the world that led them to be displeasing to God. Hoseaexplains how faithful God is to His unfaithful people;Joelpaints the record of the Day of the Lord to come;Amosis the account of a God who sees and repays all wrongs. Actsshows what the Spirit of God, using the Word of God, can do through normal people. One day after another invitation to play golf on a Sunday was politely declined, the neighbor said, Its strange isnt it? Another way to maintain God's holy standard of conduct is through faithfulness in marriage. 5 of the 7 Churches Neglected Key Areas of Obedience. Romans through Juderecords the doctrinal truths and foundation for everything in our new lives as believers, when we become a part of Christs Church. Like Elijah, let us persist in prayer and refuse to give up when we don't see immediate change. Expectations of a Pastor | 1 Peter 5:1-4 | Passion Creek Church 2:4. 4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. They believed that the promises of the Old Testament about the coming bringer of salvation had been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, but that the fulfillment was not yet complete. He corresponds to the hope for a new prophet like Moses and the prophets of old, however he is a shocking surprise when his listeners realize that he is not only the prophesy but is united with the one who inspires prophesy, God the Father. 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