Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP200048S
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00:01 If you love truth and you love studying the Bible,
00:02 well, then you're watching the right program. 00:04 Here on 3ABN Sabbath School Panel, 00:06 we are making our way through our fourth quarter study 00:09 on Education. 00:11 And this week we're diving deep into lesson number nine 00:13 in which we're going to be talking about 00:15 the church and education. 00:17 And you may be new to this program. 00:18 And we want to tell you exactly where you can get 00:20 a free copy of this lesson. 00:22 You can find your local Seventh-day Adventist Church, 00:24 and I'm sure they would love 00:25 to put a copy in your hand for free 00:27 and you can study with them. 00:28 Or you can go online 00:29 to ABSG.Adventist.org. 00:33 That's ABSG.Adventist.org. 00:37 And you can download a copy of the lesson for free. 00:40 We are so thankful that you're joining us. 00:42 Why don't you just hang on with us? 00:43 We're about to study, we're about to have some fun. 00:45 And we're going to go 00:47 on an epic Bible study adventure together. 01:20 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:23 We are well over halfway at this point of our lesson 01:27 on Education, our fourth quarter lesson. 01:30 We're getting down to the end of the year. 01:32 And lesson number nine is entitled, 01:34 "The Church and Education." 01:36 It's going to be a very, very special study today. 01:38 And we want to thank each and every one of you 01:39 for taking time out of your busy day 01:41 to join us in this special study. 01:43 Thank you for your love, your prayers and support 01:45 of 3ABN ministry where we believe 01:48 in preaching the undiluted message 01:50 and that's exactly what you're going to hear today. 01:52 An undiluted message, a straight message, 01:54 but a message of love and compassion 01:56 from Jesus Christ, 01:57 because that's what education is all about. 01:59 We serve the Master of education, 02:01 the Master Teacher. 02:02 And we've already learned that in our lesson. 02:05 I'm not going to talk anymore. 02:06 I'm going to pass it on to our panel 02:08 and introduce this panel. 02:09 And then we're going to get into our lesson for today. 02:11 Ah, to my left, we have Miss Shelley Quinn, 02:14 I almost called you Jill. 02:15 I don't know why. 02:17 Ha-ha, well, we are sisters. 02:19 Miss Shelley Quinn, it's a blessing to have you. 02:20 How are you? Good to be here. 02:22 Wonderful. 02:23 Pastor Lomacang, 02:24 it's always a blessing to hear from you, Brother. 02:26 Well, we have been having a blessed time 02:28 going through the Bible. 02:29 And I don't expect that this is going to be 02:31 any different when we ask for the same Holy Spirit 02:33 to be with us. 02:34 Amen. 02:36 And as always, we're always excited to hear your wisdom 02:38 and your excitement. 02:39 Brother Danny Shelton, 02:41 thank you for joining us once again. 02:42 Oh, I'm happy to be here with you all. 02:43 This is great fun. 02:45 Amen. Praise the Lord. 02:46 And, of course, Miss Jill Morikone. 02:47 It's always a blessing to have you. 02:49 How are you doing? 02:50 Doing well, thank you so much Ryan. 02:51 Privileged to open up God's Word 02:53 and study together. 02:54 Amen. Praise the Lord. 02:56 As I said, lesson number nine is entitled, 02:58 "The Church and Education," but before we go any further, 03:01 we always like to invite the Holy Spirit 03:03 to lead and guide us in our studies. 03:05 And so, Brother Danny, I'm going to ask you 03:06 if you would please pray for us. 03:07 Yes. 03:09 Heavenly Father, we thank You 03:10 for Your many wonderful blessings 03:11 that You've given us. 03:13 We thank You for life and for health 03:14 and for strength. 03:16 And today we pray for an anointing 03:17 of the Holy Spirit upon each and every one of us 03:19 here in front of the cameras and those behind, 03:22 and those in the homes, 03:23 that in the end what we will see is a great, 03:26 as Ryan already said, a great and loving God 03:29 who cared so much for us that He made a plan 03:31 of salvation for us. 03:33 He's coming back very soon in the clouds of glory. 03:35 Thank You, Lord, for loving us that much. 03:37 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 03:40 Amen. Praise the Lord. 03:41 I would like to go ahead and start with our memory text, 03:44 which comes from 1 Thessalonians Chapter 2, 03:47 and we're going to read verses 6 through 8. 03:49 Again, this is 1 Thessalonians 2:6-8 03:52 and the Bible says, 03:54 "Nor did we seek glory from men, 03:57 either from you or from others, 03:59 when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. 04:03 But we were gentle among you, 04:06 just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 04:10 So, affectionately longing for you, 04:12 we were well pleased to impart to you 04:15 not only the gospel of God, 04:17 but also our own lives, because you had become 04:20 dear to us." 04:22 You know, the one thing that I have so enjoyed 04:25 as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, 04:27 most of you, some of you may not be aware of this, 04:29 but I was not raised 04:30 as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. 04:32 I was raised as a Christian but of a different series 04:35 of denominations. 04:36 But one thing that impressed me most about coming in 04:39 and fellowshipping and studying 04:40 with the Seventh-day Adventist Church 04:42 is that I love the open dialogue. 04:44 I love the openness to be able to study, 04:46 to be able to ask questions, to be able to, 04:49 you know, glean from everyone, 04:51 kind of like we do here on this panel, right? 04:53 I love 3ABN Sabbath School Panel 04:55 because that's exactly what we do here. 04:56 We just, we get to hear wonderful wisdom 04:58 from each and every panel member 05:00 for their day and you know what, 05:02 that's the same across the entire world 05:04 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 05:06 And you know, that's exactly how God wants His church to be. 05:09 The church is a teacher, in a sense. 05:12 And that's what our lesson's about, 05:14 the church and education. 05:15 The church should be a place 05:16 in which God's house is always open 05:18 to those who are seeking God in His Word. 05:21 In fact, the Bible is flooded with many examples 05:23 of those who love truth, 05:25 who love the Word of God from all around the world 05:27 from different races, who come together, 05:30 they assemble themselves together 05:31 for the learning and the growing 05:33 and the knowledge of God's Word. 05:34 And so we're going to continue on that note, 05:36 but I have to read this from the lesson. 05:38 It was worded so well, and it sets us up so well 05:41 for Sunday's lesson. 05:43 And that's what is, what appears 05:44 in Sabbath afternoon's text. 05:46 So notice what it says here. 05:48 It says, "Since the earliest times, 05:50 in which the faithful have gathered to worship God 05:52 in synagogues, homes and churches. 05:54 The Bible reveals people who through their study 05:57 of the church and through their worship long to know God 06:00 and to understand His will for their lives. 06:03 The Bible also repeatedly reveals 06:05 that the church is a place where serious 06:07 and relevant discussions should take place 06:10 and where people can grow in their knowledge of God 06:13 and His will for their lives. 06:15 Sometimes we are afraid of asking questions. 06:18 However, in the Bible, we often find that questions 06:21 are used to bring people 06:22 to a clearer understanding of God. 06:25 In a similar manner, 06:27 stories are used throughout the Bible 06:29 to create opportunities for people 06:30 to rethink their commitments. 06:32 And, of course, it goes on to say, 06:34 "Jesus was particularly focused on this type of education 06:37 with His disciples and followers." 06:38 As we see many parables and many stories 06:41 that were used from Jesus to teach a moral lesson. 06:43 And then it goes on to say, "If the church is..." 06:45 And this is a good point. 06:47 "If the church is to be a place of education, 06:49 it must provide the space for genuine dialogue to occur," 06:53 which is what we were talking about earlier. 06:55 Just as we were repeatedly told as students in school, 06:59 there is no dumb question. 07:01 We must provide within the church a safe environment 07:04 for each person to grow in grace 07:06 and understanding of God and His plan for their lives. 07:10 I like that, a safe environment. 07:12 And that's kind of the bulk 07:14 of what we're going to be talking about today 07:15 as we get ready for Sunday's lesson. 07:17 There was a cute little story that was told here 07:20 about a rabbi who asked his students, 07:22 he says, "When does one know when the night is ended 07:25 and the day has begun? 07:27 When I first read that, I thought, well, I guess 07:29 when the sun goes down, right? 07:31 But it's a spiritual question. 07:32 Of course, as students begin to raise their hands 07:34 and give their responses, one said, "Oh, Rabbi, 07:37 one knows that, you know, when night has ended, 07:40 and the day has begun, 07:41 of course, when you can tell the difference 07:42 between a fig tree and an olive tree." 07:44 Another raised his hand and said, "Rabbi, no, no, 07:46 it's when you can know 07:48 the difference between the sheep and the goats." 07:50 But I like his answer. 07:51 He said, he said, "No one knows the night has ended, 07:54 and the day has begun. 07:56 Or no... 07:57 "One knows," excuse me, "when the night has ended, 07:59 and the day has begun, when you can look at a face 08:02 never seen before and recognize the stranger 08:06 is a brother or sister. 08:09 Until that moment, no matter how bright the day, 08:12 it is still the night." 08:14 That's deep. That's deep. 08:16 And that sets us up for our scriptural texts 08:19 that we're going to study 08:20 during this time, which actually comes 08:22 from Luke 10:30-37. 08:25 And most, everyone is 08:26 who is familiar with the scripture 08:28 and familiar with the New Testament, 08:29 and Christ teachings is going to very much recognize 08:32 this story, this parable. 08:34 Of course, it's the parable of the Good Samaritan. 08:38 And I love this parable because it always reminds us 08:41 of the compassion and the love and the mercy of Jesus. 08:45 I'm going to start in verse 30. 08:47 Again, we're in Luke10:30-37. 08:50 Notice what the Bible says. 08:52 It says, "Then Jesus answered and said: 08:55 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, 08:58 and fell among thieves, 09:01 who stripped him of his clothing, 09:02 wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 09:08 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. 09:11 And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 09:14 Likewise a Levite, when he had arrived 09:17 at that place, 09:18 came and looked, and passed on the other side. 09:22 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, 09:24 came where he was. 09:26 And when he saw him, he had compassion. 09:29 So he went to him, bandaged his wounds, 09:32 pouring on oil and wine, 09:34 and he set him on his own animal, 09:36 brought him into an inn, and took care of him. 09:41 On the next day, when he departed, 09:42 he took out the two denarii, 09:45 gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 09:47 'Take care of him, 09:48 and whatever more you spend, when I come again, 09:51 I will repay you.' 09:53 So which of these three do you think 09:55 was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" 09:59 Of course, this whole parable is in response to a question, 10:02 Jesus is talking about loving your neighbor, 10:03 and they said, who's our neighbor? 10:05 So He says, which of these, 10:09 they fell among thieves is the neighbor. 10:12 And, of course, verse 37. 10:13 "He said, 'He who showed mercy on him.' 10:18 Then Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.'" 10:22 There's much we can learn from these stories. 10:25 Most people know them as parables, 10:27 stories, but you know, I find that many Christians 10:29 will read those type of parables, 10:30 and they'll learn nothing. 10:32 Because even though we live in a world 10:35 where you would think we've learned we've grown, 10:38 we've had the Bible, the Word of God 10:40 for a couple of thousand years now, 10:42 or at least a few hundred years. 10:45 You know, it's interesting that many people 10:46 can still read these lessons, read these beautiful parables, 10:50 and still not glean the truth that God wants us 10:53 to learn from them. 10:54 You see as Seventh-day Adventist, 10:56 we have been blessed 10:57 with an abundance of doctrinal light. 11:00 And we have all of these precious truths, 11:02 you know, I can go down the list, 11:03 you know, the state of the dead, 11:04 and the beautiful message of God's law 11:06 and the Sabbath and, you know, the sanctuary message, 11:10 the Great Controversy message 11:11 and go through all the wonderful truth, 11:13 powerful truths. 11:15 But if we cannot learn to love our neighbor 11:18 and be kind to one another, none of that matters. 11:21 And I run into a lot of Christians today, 11:23 my friends, and it breaks my heart, 11:25 that they've got all the head knowledge, 11:27 they've got all the truths tucked away, 11:28 they can give you the greatest Bible study 11:30 in the world. 11:31 But you watch some of these same people 11:33 walk into the church, 11:34 and you see them treat their brother, their sister, 11:36 a wrong way based on maybe the color of their skin, 11:38 where they're from, some type of social class, 11:42 or whatever it may be, 11:43 we see this happening 11:45 and we have to be careful, my friends. 11:46 You know, this lesson really spoke to my heart, 11:49 as I believe that should speak to every one of us, 11:51 especially with what has transpired 11:53 in our country over the last few months. 11:56 While our church is the most diverse 11:59 than any other, and that's an amazing thing. 12:01 The Seventh-day Adventist Church 12:02 is a very diverse church. 12:04 I was amazed when I came in of all of the wonderful people 12:07 from all different nations all over the world. 12:09 But you know, sometimes I think we missed the point, 12:11 we still don't get it. 12:12 You expect the world 12:14 and the carnal minded people of the world 12:15 to act and speak in such a way that causes division 12:18 and promotes prejudices and racisms. 12:20 But, you know, when you see professed Christians 12:23 acting like this, and, 12:24 you know, posting public remarks and messages 12:26 that promotes these evils. 12:28 You know, we're living in a strange and sad time, 12:30 you know, my heart breaks for this 12:32 because I see people on my own social media, 12:35 Christian, sometimes members of my own church, 12:38 posting things that I'm just sad about, 12:40 because it shows that we have a lot to learn, 12:42 it shows that we need to get back to the Bible, 12:45 and we need to be educated on the church and education. 12:49 As I said before, the church is a place of education, 12:51 and all people from all races, all nations, 12:54 all different backgrounds should be able to come together 12:56 and learn harmoniously, in God's Word, 13:01 you know, it brings my mind back to Daniel Chapter 11, 13:05 which is a very complex prophetic chapter. 13:07 But there's one thing I can get from that chapter. 13:09 And that's that, there's a north 13:12 and there's a south. 13:13 King of the North, king of the South, 13:14 and they're coming together 13:16 against each other in the last days. 13:17 But there's one thing for sure, 13:19 the devil is working both sides. 13:21 And that's exactly where the devil wants us as a church, 13:24 he wants us divided. 13:26 He wants the spirit of the north and the south 13:28 to infiltrate our hearts and minds 13:30 and filtrate the church so that we become so divided 13:32 that when we see our friend, 13:34 when we see our neighbor, when we see our loved ones 13:36 that need help, that need to learn, 13:39 that need to be educated, that need Jesus 13:40 as much as we do. 13:42 Sometimes we just pass by or sometimes we treat them 13:44 in such a way that that spirit of the North and the South 13:47 shows up in us and my friends, 13:50 we need Jesus more than ever today. 13:52 We need to be praying, we need to be a praying church, 13:54 because God does have a people. 13:56 He has a whole weak church that He's coming back for. 13:59 None of that processed and refined stuff. 14:01 Jesus is coming back for people that are ready, 14:03 that are prepared. 14:05 And some of us need to be re-educated 14:07 in the School of Christ. 14:08 Some of us need to get back to the Word of God 14:10 and we need to re-educate ourselves 14:12 on God's principles, God's teachings, 14:15 Christ teachings about what it means to be a neighbor, 14:18 what it means to love one another, 14:19 and what it means to be in the unity of the faith 14:22 in these last days. 14:23 We need to get back to the Word of God and submit 14:26 to what the Word of God says. 14:27 I just want to make an appeal in the last few seconds I have. 14:30 We need to be praying for each other. 14:32 We need to be praying for our church, 14:33 because the church is going to play a vital role 14:36 in these last days to educate the world 14:39 in God's ways and God's truth. 14:40 We are called to take three angels' messages 14:43 to this entire world to all peoples, languages 14:46 and nations all across this world. 14:49 They're all our neighbors. 14:50 They're all our brothers and sisters in Christ. 14:52 That's the teaching of Jesus. 14:54 May we submit to it. 14:55 Amen. Amen. Thank you. 14:57 We are, as you said, called 15:01 to walk in the light of the Lord, 15:03 the truth of the Lord. 15:04 We are called to live as light, which is Monday's lesson. 15:09 Light is a common theme in the Bible. 15:12 What is the purpose that the light serves? 15:14 It gives us guidance and direction by what we see. 15:18 Now, when the Bible uses the word darkness, 15:21 there's two ways in which it uses. 15:23 It can be a literal, physical darkness, 15:26 talking about like the darkness of night, 15:29 or it can be a figurative symbolic use, 15:34 where it's talking about error and falsehood, 15:37 walking in a way that is not God's way, 15:40 walking in evil deeds, sin. 15:44 And when we think about Ephesians 6:12, 15:47 he talks about the rulers 15:49 of the powers of the darkness of this age. 15:54 So we know that darkness is the absence of light, 16:00 but light dispels darkness. 16:02 And when the Bible uses the word light, 16:05 it uses it in two ways as well, 16:08 literal and physical like the luminaries, 16:10 the sun, the moon, the stars, or a lamp. 16:13 But it also uses it in a figurative sense 16:16 to talk about, light is the holiness, 16:20 the purity of God. 16:22 And that it is something interesting is that 16:26 when we get delivered from demonic influence. 16:30 The Bible talks about God shining His light 16:34 into the darkness. 16:36 In 1 John 1:5, we're not going to turn there to. 16:39 I'm just going to give you a few scriptures 16:41 till we get to the opening of the lesson. 16:43 But 1 John 1:5 says that God is light, 16:47 and in Him there is no darkness at all. 16:51 In fact, in 1 Timothy 6:16, 16:55 Paul describes to Timothy that God lives 16:59 in an unapproachable light. 17:03 He alone has immortality. 17:05 He lives in this unapproachable light. 17:09 So, you know, it's amazing to me that God as a Spirit, 17:13 no one has ever seen His full illumination. 17:17 Nobody can see the fullness of God 17:21 in His physical or in His spiritual form. 17:25 But what did He do? 17:26 God took on our flesh. 17:29 He veiled His divinity with flesh. 17:32 He came to us and we've used this so much, 17:35 John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, 17:37 the Word was with God, the Word was God, 17:40 and all things were made through Him." 17:42 But what we haven't used is 1 John 4, 17:46 I mean, John 1 says, "In Him was life, 17:51 and the life was the light of man." 17:57 That's why Jesus said in John 8:12, 18:00 "I am the light of the world 18:03 and He who follows after me, will never walk in darkness. 18:08 You won't walk in a path of sin, 18:13 when you're following our Lord Jesus. 18:16 And this is where we now turn to our lesson. 18:20 It points out that we're living in a current landscape, 18:23 what you said, there's moral bankruptcy, 18:26 there's darkness all around us. 18:28 And it's kind of frightening, 18:30 but in the midst of all this internal and external noise 18:34 that's going on in our heads, 18:36 here's what we hear. 18:37 Let's turn to Matthew 5:14. 18:41 Matthew 5:14. 18:43 This is Jesus speaking. 18:45 He's already said, "I'm the light of the world." 18:48 But now listen to what He says. 18:51 Matthew 5:14, 18:54 "You are the light of this world." 18:57 He's talking to me, He's talking to you. 19:00 It's not just His disciples. 19:02 He said, "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden 19:05 or do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, 19:09 but on a lampstand, and it gives light 19:12 to all who are in the house. 19:14 Let your light so shine before men, 19:18 that they may see your good works, 19:21 and glorify your Father in heaven." 19:26 You know, the Bible clearly 19:28 sets forth the principle we become what we behold, 19:31 2 Corinthians 3:18. 19:33 It's as we're looking to the Lord, 19:36 the Holy Spirit leads us 19:38 from one level of glory to another, 19:40 from one level of His character to another. 19:44 We receive light from Him. 19:48 We don't have any inherent light of our own. 19:51 We reflect Jesus' love, 19:55 we reflect Jesus' life. 19:58 We reflect His light. 20:00 It's just like the moon reflects the light of the sun, 20:05 the solar sun, we reflect 20:09 the light of the Son of righteousness. 20:12 And so how we live really influences 20:16 how other people see God. 20:20 If we do not speak up when something is wrong, 20:23 we're hiding our light. 20:26 If we are inconsistent in our walk with God, 20:31 we're putting the light under a bushel. 20:35 We have to have a convincing, consistent testimony. 20:41 And that's what brings God glory. 20:44 That is the believer's influence. 20:47 We make the beauty of the gospel, 20:51 the gospel of grace, a reality, 20:54 so that it makes God's truth visible. 20:59 The light of the world is an allusion to the prophecy 21:02 of the servant, Messiah, 21:05 in Isaiah 42:6, because God said, 21:08 "I will give you and keep you and give you as a covenant 21:13 to the people, as a light to the Gentiles." 21:18 Now, this is Christ, but He's also calling us 21:24 to continue His ministry, 21:26 to carry on this salvation. 21:30 And I want to read something to you that I love. 21:34 This is Philippians 2:15-16. 21:37 But I'm going to read it from the Amplified Version. 21:40 I love this. 21:42 Philippians 2:15-16. 21:46 Now, I want you for a moment to imagine 21:49 that you're receiving this letter 21:51 inspired by God written through Paul 21:55 and here's what he says to you. 21:57 "He's praying that you may show yourselves 22:00 to be blameless, and guileless, 22:04 innocent and uncontaminated, 22:07 children of God without blemish, 22:11 without fault, unrebukable 22:15 in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation." 22:20 Don't we live in this spiritual perversion right now? 22:24 He says, "Among whom, 22:27 in this midst of this crooked generation, 22:31 the first generation, 22:32 among whom you are seen as bright lights, 22:38 you're stars, you're beacons of light 22:42 that shining out clearly in this dark world," how? 22:47 "As you are holding out to the world 22:52 the word of life." 22:56 See, if we want to let our light shine, 22:59 if we're going to live as children of the light 23:02 and walk in the light, we reflect it, 23:05 and we hold out God's Word to others. 23:10 In Acts 26:18, 23:14 is the story of when Paul meets Jesus, 23:19 he's telling the story of when Jesus, 23:22 he met Him on the road to Damascus. 23:25 And here's what Jesus said to Paul. 23:28 He says, "I am sending you to the Gentiles 23:32 in order to open their eyes, 23:35 to turn them from darkness to light, 23:38 from the power of Satan to God, 23:41 that they may receive forgiveness of sin 23:45 and inheritance among those who are sanctified 23:50 by faith in me. 23:52 Oh, that's what God's calling us to do, 23:56 to open people's eyes, 23:58 to show them the way out of darkness 24:00 to shine His light 24:02 as we hold forth the Word to Him. 24:06 Ephesians 5:8 says this, 24:10 "You were once darkness, 24:12 but now you are light in the Lord, 24:15 walk His children of the light. 24:17 For the fruit of the Spirit isn't all goodness 24:20 and righteousness and truth, 24:22 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord, 24:25 have no fellowship 24:29 with the unfruitful works of darkness, 24:31 but rather expose them, 24:33 seeing that you walk circumspectly, 24:35 not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time 24:38 because the days are evil. 24:40 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand 24:43 what the will of the Lord is." 24:45 And do not be drunk with wine, 24:48 but be filled with the Holy Spirit. 24:51 If you want to reflect the light 24:53 of the life of Jesus Christ, pray every morning, 24:56 or fill me with Your Holy Spirit. 24:59 And let me reflect Your light. 25:02 Amen. 25:03 Praise the Lord. 25:05 You was, you were showing the light through them 25:07 through that lesson, I like it. 25:09 Praise the Lord. 25:10 We're going to take a short break, 25:12 we'll be back in just a moment. 25:17 Ever wish you could watch 25:18 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 25:20 or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 25:23 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 25:28 A clean design makes it easy to find the program 25:32 you're looking for. 25:33 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:36 so you can follow along. 25:38 Sharing is easy. 25:40 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 25:43 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:46 Hello and welcome back to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 25:49 We're going to pass it on to Pastor John Lomacang 25:51 for Tuesday's lesson. 25:53 And we are talking about Living as Disciples. 25:57 Now each one of us is supposed to be a disciple, 26:02 but not everybody is a disciple. 26:05 Church membership and discipleship 26:07 are not the same thing. 26:08 So we're going to talk about the difference today, 26:10 how we can tell which one is which. 26:13 So what I'm going to do today, Jill, 26:15 is I am going to give 10 points 26:18 on what a disciple is. 26:21 Let me go ahead and define a disciple real quickly here. 26:25 Right in the sub little bit. 26:26 Discipleship in the Christian sense 26:29 is the process of making someone 26:32 become more like Christ. 26:35 The disciple of Christ is to become 26:37 like Christ in everything. 26:39 That's a tall order. 26:41 But the good news is it is God who works in us, 26:44 both to will and to do of His good pleasure. 26:46 But I don't want to make it sound like we're an automaton 26:49 and we're not involved in the process. 26:50 We have to submit to that process. 26:52 We have to be clay in the hand of the potter 26:55 that doesn't want to jump out of the hand of the potter. 26:58 And many people look at that process of discipleship 27:01 in the wrong light. 27:02 Sometimes they think it's something 27:04 I have to give up. 27:05 No, if I had, I saw a picture, 27:07 maybe some of you have seen this, 27:09 an adult with a large teddy bear behind his back, 27:13 and a little boy with a small teddy bear 27:16 and the adult saying, "Give me the teddy bear." 27:19 And the kid's saying, "No." 27:20 He had no idea what's behind the back. 27:23 If he had given up that little teddy bear 27:24 he would have got one about the same size as he was. 27:27 So often we look at Jesus the same way 27:30 that He is wanting us to give up something 27:32 that we have become attached to 27:33 when in fact He said to the rich young ruler, 27:36 if he had done what I asked him, 27:38 Peter hearing the exchange says, 27:40 Lord who then can be saved. 27:42 Then Jesus said something that I cannot forget. 27:45 If he had done that, 27:47 I would have given him 100 times more in this life, 27:52 and fathers and mothers and houses and land 27:54 with tribulation. 27:56 But the point of the matter as the Lord said, 27:58 "He had so little, but I was willing to give him 28:01 100 times more in this life, 28:03 in the world to come eternal life." 28:05 And so, when it comes to discipleship, 28:07 never think of it as giving up. 28:10 But think of it as standing in line to get yours. 28:14 And when Jesus gives you what He has in store for you, 28:17 it should not be because we want to receive 28:19 some selfish gift. 28:20 It should be because 28:22 we want to become just like Him. 28:24 The primary purpose of Jesus' coming to the world 28:27 was to establish the kingdom of God 28:29 through His death. 28:30 And that death brought life in the resurrection, 28:34 with the power to become a disciple. 28:37 Now, let's look at a couple of examples. 28:39 You pointed out Matthew 5:14, 28:41 "You are the light of the world. 28:43 A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." 28:46 Well, you know, there is no such thing, 28:47 Danny, or our panel as a secret disciple. 28:51 That's right. 28:52 Either your discipleship will destroy your secrecy, 28:55 or your secrecy will destroy your discipleship. 28:59 There is no such thing as a secret disciple. 29:01 And I'm just one of those guys. 29:03 I got an email from somebody yesterday who heard 29:06 that I witnessed to someone in the hospital. 29:08 They said, "At what point did you feel comfortable 29:10 to talk about the Sabbath?" 29:11 Well, you know, if you say, hey, share with me 29:15 what you believe that's all I need. 29:17 And, but I do it in Christ's name. 29:20 But the Lord will always guide His disciples. 29:23 So the first thing Matthew 8:23, to be a disciple, 29:26 you must be willing to follow Jesus. 29:28 He is the best guide. 29:30 The Bible says, "Now when he got into a boat, 29:33 His disciples followed Him." 29:36 How do you get into the church? 29:38 You don't get into the church because you want to go 29:40 into the church. 29:41 You get into the church under the leadership of Jesus. 29:44 That's where He got. 29:46 That's the safest place to be. 29:47 Now, let me make a point about the boat. 29:49 The church sometimes is like a boat, it's rocking, 29:52 sometimes it gets filled with water. 29:54 But I want to tell you, when Jesus was in the storm, 29:57 one thing He didn't do 29:58 that we should follow His example. 30:00 Jesus didn't jump out of the boat 30:02 and neither should we. 30:03 He never said the church wouldn't be rocking. 30:06 But He did say we'll get to the other side of the shore. 30:09 Get in the boat with Jesus. Second thing. 30:11 You know, think of discipleship in the Old Testament. 30:13 We'll go to Isaiah 8:16. 30:16 Isaiah 8:16. 30:18 First one, Jesus' disciples follow Jesus. 30:21 Second one, the disciples are loyal. 30:24 What are they loyal to? 30:26 Isaiah 8:16, "Bind up the testimony, 30:30 seal the law among my disciples." 30:33 Isaiah, the prophet said that, not at a time 30:36 when they were 12 disciples, 30:38 but the point of the matter is 30:39 discipleship was always existing. 30:42 It's just that Jesus came 30:43 and personally became the discipler. 30:46 But all through the Old Testament, 30:48 all of those who decided to follow God were disciples, 30:51 because the same example, 30:52 that the same mission that they had, 30:55 is the same mission that Jesus came 30:57 to make disciples of all nations. 30:59 As a matter of fact, He said, as to the Hebrews, 31:01 He said to the Israelites, actually, which are Hebrews, 31:04 in nationality. 31:05 He said to them, as Paul said, it was God's intention 31:09 that the gospel should be given to you first, 31:12 and that you should be a light to the Gentiles. 31:14 So the mission has never changed. 31:16 The third point about discipleship is 31:19 Matthew 9:37-38, 31:22 "Disciples, labor in the vineyard, 31:25 just as Jesus labored in the vineyard." 31:29 Then He said to His disciples, verse 37 of Matthew 9, 31:33 "The harvest truly is plentiful, 31:35 but the laborers are few. 31:36 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest 31:39 to send out laborers into His harvest." 31:42 So the Lord of the harvest 31:44 to send out laborers into the harvest, 31:46 when the day of Pentecost came, 31:48 that's exactly what Jesus is doing. 31:50 But they couldn't do it without the unction 31:52 and the power of the Holy Spirit. 31:54 So don't just go out, but wait at Jerusalem 31:58 for the Spirit of God to inform you, 32:01 as well as to empower you, 32:03 then you're going out in the name of the Father, 32:05 and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 32:07 And by the way, people that struggle with the name of, 32:09 the name of, the name of, the word, 32:10 their name means in the power and authority of. 32:13 Somebody knocks on your door and said, "This is the police." 32:16 Are you going to say, "What's your name?" 32:19 It's not going to make a difference. 32:20 No, in the authority, the authority has said it all. 32:23 This the police, that's all you need to know. 32:25 But then ask for some ID. 32:27 Number four, disciples live by the same standards 32:31 as the Lord. 32:33 Matthew 10:24, 32:35 "The disciple is not above his teacher, 32:38 nor a servant above his master." 32:41 So what the Lord asked you to do 32:43 is the same thing He's going to do. 32:45 We are not above Him, 32:46 and a servant is not above his master. 32:49 Number five, Matthew 11:1. 32:53 Matthew 11:1, this is one that Jesus said to Peter, 32:56 you know, when Peter was saying, 32:58 when the Lord said, "Follow me," Peter said, 33:00 "What about Ryan?" 33:03 Instead, if I want Ryan to stay around here till I get back, 33:05 that's none of your business, you follow me, 33:07 which brings me to point number five. 33:09 The disciples go where they are sent. 33:12 It's a personal, it's a personal mission. 33:15 It's a personal appointment. 33:17 We don't follow Jesus because the crowd does, 33:19 we follow Him because He says to us, you follow Me. 33:22 Matthew 11:1. 33:23 "Now it came to pass when Jesus finished 33:26 commanding His 12 disciples," notice, not suggesting, 33:30 "that he departed from there to teach and to preach 33:33 in their cities. 33:34 He commanded them." 33:36 And by the way, 33:37 the commandments are not 10 suggestions. 33:39 Okay. He commands them. 33:41 Point number six. 33:42 Let's go to Matthew 15:2. 33:45 The disciples' prize truth above tradition, 33:49 very important. 33:50 Matthew 15:2, 33:52 "Why do your disciples transgress 33:55 the tradition of the elders, 33:57 for they do not wash their hands 33:59 when they eat bread and Jesus later said, 34:01 "Why do you transgress the commandments of God 34:04 by your tradition?" 34:05 The disciples' prize truth above tradition, 34:08 which fits right into the Sabbath 34:10 versus Sunday issue. 34:11 The Sabbath is not tradition. 34:13 The Sabbath is the word of God. 34:15 You got to make a decision as to who you want to impress, 34:18 and who you want to show your loyalty to. 34:21 Point number seven, 34:22 the disciples live a life of self-denial. 34:24 Matthew 16:24, 34:27 "Jesus said to His disciples, 34:29 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him," what? 34:33 "Deny himself, 34:35 take up his cross, and follow Me." 34:38 And in Mark he said, take up his cross daily, 34:40 not just whenever you feel like it, 34:42 take up his cross daily and follow Christ. 34:45 A lot of people think that trials as a cross. 34:47 No, no, no trials are the part of life. 34:49 The cross is the denial of the character 34:52 that Christ wants to get out of you. 34:54 You deny that you have it. 34:55 That's the cross, lay down your character 34:58 and pick up His, not the trials of life. 35:01 Point number eight, 35:02 disciples are called to bear fruit. 35:03 John 15:8, "By this My Father is glorified, 35:06 that you bear much fruit, 35:08 so that you will be My disciples." 35:11 And point number nine, disciples make other disciples. 35:15 Danny, "Go therefore 35:16 and make disciples of all nations." 35:21 Matthew 28:18-20. 35:23 We are called to make disciples of all nations, 35:26 not just to preach, not just to teach, 35:29 not just to sing, not just to share, 35:31 but to make disciples. 35:32 How do we do that? 35:34 By example, greater than just by teaching. 35:36 And point number 10, 35:38 disciples remain loyal to God's Word. 35:41 John 8:31. 35:42 "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 35:45 'If you abide in My word, 35:48 you are My disciples indeed." 35:51 Amen. Danny. 35:52 Thank you, Pastor. 35:54 And he got all of them in there, 35:55 didn't he, all 10 points. 35:57 Mine is Seeking Truth. 35:58 Wednesday's lesson starts out talking about Albert Einstein. 36:01 I think everybody 36:03 listening has heard about Albert Einstein. 36:06 He's often regarded as this, the Father of modern physics. 36:10 Einstein once said, 36:12 and this comes from the quarterly quote, 36:14 "The important thing is not to stop questioning. 36:17 Curiosity has its own reason for existence. 36:21 One cannot help but be in awe 36:23 when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, 36:26 of life, of the marvelous structure 36:28 of reality. 36:30 It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little 36:33 of this mystery every day. 36:36 Never lose a holy curiosity." 36:39 Oh, wow, that almost sounds like 36:40 Albert Einstein was a Christian. 36:43 But after I did a little bit of research on him, 36:45 I found that sometimes he was maybe a chameleon, 36:48 change the dependent on who he was talking to. 36:52 Albert Einstein's religious so I looked up Wikipedia says, 36:55 "Views have been widely studied and often misunderstood." 36:58 Albert Einstein stated that he believed 37:01 in the pantheistic god of Baruch Spinoza. 37:04 He also said he was agnostic. 37:06 He did not believe in a personal God 37:08 who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings, 37:12 a view which he describes as being naive. 37:16 Now, my study into his religious belief 37:18 appears that he often changed his views, 37:21 as I mentioned according about the Creator, 37:23 according to who his audience was. 37:25 But isn't it amazing? 37:27 Here's what really hit me about it. 37:28 I'm having a hard time going on with the rest of the lesson. 37:31 Because it's amazing to me that one of the most brilliant men 37:34 ever to walk on the planet earth 37:37 could not seem to understand something 37:39 as simple as Jesus loves me 37:41 this I know, for the Bible tells me so. 37:44 He could not seem to understand, 37:46 for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son 37:50 that whosoever believeth in Him 37:51 should not perish, but have everlasting life. 37:55 Isn't that amazing, the brilliant man, 37:57 and there's a reason, we'll talk about it in a minute 37:59 why he couldn't do it or why he couldn't... 38:01 Now we don't know where he ended up. 38:03 Hopefully, he gave his heart to the Lord before he died. 38:06 We don't know, we're not here to judge him. 38:08 Let's find out a little about him. 38:09 1940, Einstein became a US citizen. 38:12 He had many discoveries as a scientist, 38:15 but he's most well-known for his theory of what? 38:17 Relativity. 38:19 This theory changed much in every way 38:21 scientists look at the world 38:23 and set the foundation for many modern inventions, 38:27 including nuclear bomb and nuclear energy. 38:30 Now, relativity essentially is a theory of gravity. 38:34 The basic idea is that 38:35 instead of being an invisible force 38:38 that attracts objects one to another, 38:41 gravity is a curving or warping of space. 38:44 Now, the more massive an object is, 38:46 the more it warps the space around it. 38:49 So what is the theory of relativity? 38:51 What is it used for? 38:52 The theory explains the behavior of objects 38:55 in space and time. 38:57 It can be used to predict everything 38:59 from the existence of black holes, 39:01 to light bending due to gravity, 39:03 to the behavior of the planet Mercury 39:05 in its orbit. 39:07 The implications of Einstein's most famous theory are found. 39:11 These are like 1905, 1915, 1920. 39:15 I mean, so many years ago. 39:16 Now, we'd think that everybody on earth 39:18 would agree with me that Einstein was a genius 39:21 when it comes to physics. 39:22 But for some reason, he seemed to never grasp 39:25 the reality that we have a God 39:27 who loved us enough to send His own Son for us, 39:31 for the salvation of the world. 39:33 So why not? 39:34 I can't say for sure. 39:35 Einstein had his own theories, Ryan, 39:38 so I guess it's okay for me to have mine. 39:41 He has his in physics 39:42 and I have mine in the spiritual. 39:43 So I think he did 39:45 what most of the human race does. 39:47 Most people think and contemplate so much 39:50 on the physical side of life, that they neglect 39:53 the spiritual side of life. 39:55 That makes sense. 39:56 Notice in the statement I read where Einstein said, 39:59 "It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend 40:02 a little of this mystery every day." 40:04 Now, wait a minute. 40:05 It's enough if we just merely do a little. 40:08 So what it occurred to me, I said, let me ask you, 40:11 would Einstein be considered the world's greatest physicist 40:15 had he taken his own advice 40:16 when it came to discovering the laws of physics? 40:19 Just merely comprehend 40:21 a little physics every day and you'll get there? 40:24 No, absolutely not. 40:25 It shows, so it shows where his mind was. 40:29 In fact, he was so much on the... 40:31 He was a... 40:33 I put here, it appears he chose to be a physics seeker of truth 40:36 rather than a spiritual seeker of truth, 40:39 based on his statement. 40:40 Now he was so we can learn from this. 40:42 He was so consumed by physics, 40:45 that I'm told that he sometimes would show up to work 40:49 or wherever with two different shoes 40:51 that didn't match, maybe different socks. 40:54 And if you look at any of his pictures, 40:56 I don't know if he owned a comb, 40:57 or ever thought about combing his hair, right? 41:00 So I'm just telling you what you can already know 41:02 and look up. 41:03 But Einstein found a lot of truth in physics 41:06 that the world has never known. 41:08 What an impact he made on the world, 41:10 because he was a seeker in the physical world. 41:13 So think about this, Einstein became an American citizen 41:16 in 1940. 41:18 He was a German, had fled Nazi Germany. 41:20 Now he, get this, 41:22 had he bought into the lies of Hitler, 41:25 and the Nazis and bought into this, 41:28 if he wasn't looking for truth, apparently, he, all of us, 41:31 I believe, are looking for truth in our lives. 41:34 Had he bought into that, 41:35 the world would be a different place. 41:36 Why? 41:38 Because Germany would have had the nuclear bomb. 41:40 Whoever controlled the nuclear bomb 41:42 controlled the world. 41:44 So it was Einstein who went in 1939 41:46 to President Roosevelt and said, 41:48 "We can build this bomb. 41:50 Let me build this bomb, we can control the world. 41:53 If we don't, Germany is going to destroy 41:55 and take over the world." 41:57 Now all of that said, 41:58 only God knows the truth about Einstein. 42:00 So maybe he accepted the Lord Jesus, 42:02 we can hope so. 42:04 But here's what I believe. 42:05 I believe that as Christians, we should work just as hard 42:08 to seek spiritual truth as he did the physical truth. 42:12 We too can make a difference that can be life changing 42:15 to people all around the world who are seeking for truth. 42:19 See, I believe that everyone who seeks for truth, 42:21 everyone seeks for truth at some point in their life. 42:24 As Christians, we should make the search 42:26 to seek spiritual truth for our life, 42:29 it should be a lifelong task. 42:31 Some of the questions 42:32 we as humans find ourselves asking, 42:33 who are we? 42:35 Why are we here? 42:36 How should we live? 42:37 What happens when we die? 42:39 And why is there evil and suffering? 42:41 These questions that seekers of truth 42:43 have been asking since the beginning 42:45 of recorded history. 42:46 The Bible is the only book that has those answers. 42:49 So I quickly try to get through, 42:51 you may want to write down the scriptures 42:52 if you don't have a quarterly. 42:54 Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek Me and find Me 42:57 when you seek Me with all your heart." 42:59 Matthew 7:7, "Ask and it will be given to you, 43:02 seek and you will find, 43:04 knock and the door will be opened to you." 43:07 Acts 17:26-27, "From one man, 43:10 he made all the nations that they should inhabit 43:13 the whole earth, 43:14 and he marked out their appointed times 43:16 in history and the boundaries of their lands. 43:18 God did this so that they would seek Him 43:21 and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, 43:24 though He is never far away from any of us." 43:26 Psalms 25:55, "Lead me in your truth and teach me 43:31 for You are the God of my salvation. 43:33 On you, I wait all the day." 43:35 John 16:13, 43:37 "However, when He, the spirit of truth has come, 43:40 He will guide you into all truth 43:43 for He will not speak on His own authority, 43:45 but whatever He hears, He will speak 43:47 and He will tell you things to come." 43:49 John 17:17, "Sanctify them," what? 43:53 "Through thy truth, thy word is truth." 43:56 They knew it at home. 43:58 See I believe that we're all born 44:00 with a homing device 44:01 that is constantly seeking to draw us towards heaven, 44:05 to our Creator God. 44:06 Hebrews 11. 44:07 If you look at the examples of all of these godly men, 44:10 who stepped out in faith because they saw truth, 44:13 and they found it in Jesus. 44:15 Ecclesiastes 3:11, 44:18 "He has made everything beautiful in its time, 44:20 also he has put eternity in their hearts, 44:23 except that no one can find out the work that God does 44:28 from the beginning to the end. 44:30 Trust and obey, 44:31 for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, 44:33 but to trust and obey." 44:35 So as I close out, I just want to ask, 44:37 are you a seeker of truth? 44:39 If so, I promise you 44:41 that you will find truth in Jesus. 44:43 And this truth will set you free. 44:45 Not only for here, but for eternity. 44:48 So as we look at the picture, and I looked overview, 44:51 seeking truth, it occurred to me 44:53 everybody is wanting truth, 44:56 but they should be able to see truth in you and me 44:59 as Seventh-day Adventist Christians 45:01 because when we reflect the character of God 45:03 within our lives, 45:05 He shines out. 45:06 And He says, "I, if I be lifted up from this earth 45:09 will draw some men to me." 45:11 All. I'm sorry. 45:12 "Will draw all men unto me. 45:14 I if I be lifted up will draw all men unto me." 45:16 Does that mean they'll be saved? 45:18 No, but they'll all hear the truth 45:20 and have the opportunity to make a choice for eternity. 45:24 I'm so thankful to have an opportunity 45:26 to be a Seventh-day Adventist Christian 45:28 living in the closing moments of earth's history 45:30 and working in a ministry that is dedicated and its mission 45:34 is to get the literally the undiluted, 45:36 three angels' messages, 45:38 one that would counteract 45:39 the counterfeit into all the world. 45:41 What a privilege and I praise God for that. 45:43 And I hope today 45:44 that you submit and commit your life 45:46 to Jesus and ask Him for truth, 45:48 because He is the way, the truth, and the life. 45:50 Amen. 45:52 Thank you so much, Danny, each one of you, 45:54 what powerful lesson. 45:55 Praise the Lord. 45:56 We have the opportunity, the privilege to read truth, 45:59 to study truth, to practice and obey truth. 46:03 On Thursday, we have Sharing Our Lives. 46:07 Have we ever taught something yet never experienced it? 46:12 Have you ever believed something 46:14 yet you never practiced it? 46:16 Have you ever held to some certain beliefs 46:19 while living something entirely different? 46:23 If you have, then you know what it's like to live a lie. 46:27 Ananias and Sapphira did, saying one thing 46:30 while doing something entirely different. 46:33 It costs them their lives. 46:35 Jonah did pretending to be God's prophet, 46:38 while disobeying His exact command. 46:41 It caused him to be tossed overboard. 46:44 Jacob did, telling his father that he was his brother Esau, 46:49 when in actuality he was not. 46:51 It caused him to run from his home 46:53 as a hunted fugitive. 46:56 This lesson, Thursday's lesson 46:57 sharing our lives 46:59 really focuses on two different things. 47:02 The first is, learning to live in community. 47:05 Now this is not a commune. 47:06 This is community as in a living, breathing, 47:10 sharing, loving, forgiving community, 47:13 the body of Christ. 47:14 The second thing that we learn in this lesson 47:18 is learning to live what we believe, 47:20 to practice what we preach. 47:24 And you can learn that as you live in community 47:28 with brothers and sisters because I don't know about you, 47:31 but iron sharpens iron, 47:34 and a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. 47:37 So Pastor John, we have five ways 47:41 that we grow from living in community 47:44 as the body of Christ. 47:45 Five ways that you and I can grow 47:47 as we live in community as the body of Christ. 47:50 I'll give you the five and then we'll unpack them. 47:53 First, we learn to put others first. 47:56 Second, we learn to practice unselfishness. 48:00 Third, we learn to live for God not to please men. 48:04 Fourth, we learn to love others. 48:07 And fifth, we learn to become involved. 48:10 So let's look at number one, we learn to put others first. 48:13 Philippians Chapter 2, we've referenced this verse 48:16 several times this quarter. 48:19 But I love this passage, Philippians 2:3-4. 48:21 Let nothing, Paul's talking, "Let nothing be done 48:25 through selfish ambition or conceit, 48:27 but in lowliness of mind 48:29 let each esteem others better than himself. 48:33 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, 48:36 but also for the interests of others." 48:38 Now, it's very interesting to me, 48:41 I think as humans, we have tendencies 48:42 to fall into one of two ditches. 48:45 We're on this side or this side, 48:47 if there's a certain theological decision, 48:50 we often fall on this side or this side. 48:52 And in this situation, I think the two ditches are, 48:57 we focus entirely on self, 48:59 to the exclusion of not even looking 49:01 at the needs of other people. 49:03 That's what Paul's talking about here. 49:05 But you can fall into the other ditch. 49:07 You focus entirely on the needs of other people 49:10 without taking any look at what you need 49:13 for your own walk with God or your own spiritual growth. 49:16 Paul says to let each esteem others better than themselves. 49:19 Let each of you look not only for his own interest, 49:23 but also the interest of others. 49:24 He's saying don't just entirely focus on others. 49:27 But you also need some of your own as well. 49:29 It's that balance, 49:31 but we learn how to put other people first. 49:35 Second way we grow is to learn to practice unselfishness. 49:40 Let's look at the early Christian church, 49:41 Acts Chapter 2. 49:43 This is, Peter had the incredible sermon. 49:46 Remember, 3,000 people were baptized, 49:49 the Holy Spirit's poured out. 49:51 Pentecost happens and the 3,000 are baptized 49:53 and then we see this picture of the early Christian church 49:58 and I see here seven principles that the church had. 50:01 And we'll see if we can go through them. 50:03 We're in Acts 2:41-47. 50:06 "Then those who gladly received his word," 50:08 that's Peter's Pentecostal sermon, 50:10 "they were baptized, 50:11 and that day three thousand people 50:13 were added to the church. 50:15 And they continued steadfastly," 50:18 in Greek that word means to do it with intense effort, 50:22 to give constant attention to it. 50:24 So in other words, they gave constant attention to what? 50:29 "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine." 50:32 So that's the first principle of the early Christian church 50:34 was teaching and instruction. 50:36 That word doctrine 50:38 literally means teaching and instruction. 50:41 The early Christian church was focused 50:44 on studying the Word of God. 50:46 On learning, on this teaching and instruction. 50:50 "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine," 50:52 or that teaching and instruction and fellowship. 50:57 I love that word Koinonia, that spiritual fellowship, 51:01 that's the second principle of the early Christian church, 51:04 they had a spiritual connection. 51:05 You know, some churches, you come in, 51:07 and you're fed spiritually, but you don't interact. 51:10 You don't have any spiritual fellowship 51:13 with brothers and sisters, 51:15 that is a weak and dying church. 51:17 Now some churches might have spiritual connection, 51:19 and they have no biblical instruction, 51:21 you need both. 51:23 The third principle, they continued in the doctrine, 51:26 the fellowship and the breaking of bread. 51:28 I see here, physical community, physical interaction, 51:33 that's the third principle of the early Christian church, 51:36 breaking up bread. 51:37 They actually went into each other's homes, 51:39 and they shared food together, they got to know each other 51:42 on a personal level, and in prayers. 51:45 That's principle number four, 51:47 the church that prays together stays together. 51:50 Now, I know they might say that about marriages 51:52 and that's true, too, 51:53 but the church that prays together stays together. 51:56 So a church that's not just focused on doctrine, 51:59 which is important, not just focused 52:01 on that spiritual fellowship, which is important, 52:03 not focused solely on breaking of bread 52:06 and getting to know each other, 52:08 but spending time together in prayer. 52:11 Principle number five, we're in verse 43. 52:14 "Then fear came upon every soul, 52:16 and many wonders and signs were done 52:18 through the apostles." 52:19 I see a miracle working church. 52:21 Now maybe that's a lesson for an entirely different day. 52:25 But I want to see, I would love to see miracles, 52:30 live day miracles happen in the church today. 52:34 We see live day miracles every day here at 3ABN. 52:38 What an incredible thing. 52:40 Verse 44, "Now all who believed were together, 52:42 and they had all things in common, 52:45 and sold their possessions and goods, 52:46 and divided them among all, as anyone had need." 52:49 That's principle number six, 52:51 unselfish sharing with other people. 52:55 Sharing of their money, sharing of their food, 52:58 sharing of the possessions they had to help someone 53:02 who was in need. 53:04 Verse 46, "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, 53:07 and breaking bread from house to house, 53:09 they ate their food with gladness 53:11 and simplicity of heart, 53:12 praising God and having favor with all the people. 53:15 And the Lord added to the church daily 53:18 those who were being saved." 53:19 Principle number seven, I see is praise. 53:23 Joy in service. 53:26 It's not enough just to study the Word of God 53:28 or to fellowship or to spend time together 53:30 or to pray, or to see those miracles 53:32 or to unselfishly share with one another, 53:34 we are called to praise. 53:37 So when we are in community as the body of Christ, 53:41 we learn to put others first, 53:42 we learn to practice unselfishness, 53:44 which we see the early Christian church 53:46 did there in Acts 2. 53:47 Number three, we learn to live for God, 53:50 not to please ourselves, or men. 53:54 1 Thessalonians 2:6, Paul's speaking 53:57 and this was our memory text. 53:59 "Nor did we seek glory from men, 54:01 either from you or from others, 54:02 when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ." 54:06 The NIV says, 54:07 "We were not looking for praise from people, 54:10 not from you or anyone else, 54:12 even though as apostles of Christ, 54:15 we could have asserted our authority." 54:18 How often in the body of believers, 54:20 we seek for approval and praise from men, 54:25 from someone else 54:26 instead of looking to our father 54:28 for that approval. 54:30 Number four, when we live in community 54:32 in the body of Christ, we learn to love other people. 54:36 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8. 54:39 But we were gentle among you, Paul's talking, 54:42 just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 54:45 So affectionately longing for you, 54:47 we were well pleased to impart to you 54:48 not only the gospel of God, 54:50 but also our own lives 54:52 because you had become dear to us. 54:55 They learn to love other people. 54:58 We can live in the body of Christ and say, 54:59 well, I'm going to put you first 55:01 even if you don't love them, 55:02 or well, I'm going to live for God, 55:04 I'm clearly not pleasing you. 55:06 Or we can also learn to love our brothers and sisters. 55:11 And finally, principle number five, 55:13 learn to become involved. 55:15 We won't turn there. 55:16 This is the parable of the Good Samaritan 55:18 which Ryan already started out with Sunday's lesson 55:21 in Luke Chapter 10. 55:22 But the priest and the Levite were not involved. 55:25 They passed by on the other side 55:28 because they did not care. 55:30 They did not love or reach out for their brother 55:33 who was in need. 55:35 But the Good Samaritan had compassion. 55:38 He exhibited care, no matter the cost. 55:42 That's what God calls us to do. 55:44 As we learn to live in community, 55:46 we learn to actually practice what we preach, 55:50 because God's character is worked out in our lives. 55:54 It is in community 55:55 that the gospel can be lived out the best. 55:58 Amen. 56:00 Praise the Lord. 56:02 I was up here writing scribbling stuff 56:03 as you were talking. 56:05 How you fit all those lists in there is amazing, 56:07 but praise the Lord for what God gave you for that. 56:10 Let's go back through and give some final thoughts 56:11 for each day. 56:12 If we're talking about living as children of the light, 56:15 I'm just thinking of 2 Corinthians 3:18. 56:19 And it says, "We all with unveiled face 56:22 beholding as in a mirror," 56:24 and I believe that mirror is the Word of God, 56:27 "the glory of the Lord are being transformed 56:30 into the same image from glory to glory," 56:33 one level of His character to the next, 56:36 by the Spirit of the Lord. 56:38 Matthew 5:14, 56:39 "You are the light of the world. 56:42 You do not need to try to hide your light." 56:45 Secrecy, as I said earlier 56:47 will either destroy your discipleship 56:49 or discipleship will destroy your secrecy. 56:53 Amen. 56:54 We should really seek for spiritual truth 56:56 that's good for physical truth 56:57 and education is great in the physical, 57:00 but in the spiritual as well. 57:03 And then again, John 17:17, 57:06 "Sanctify them through thy truth because," why? 57:09 "Thy Word is truth." 57:11 1 John 1:7, "If we walk in the light 57:13 as he is in the light, we have fellowship, 57:15 Koinonia with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, 57:18 His Son cleanses us from all sin." 57:21 Ask Jesus to come into your heart, 57:23 He will forgive and cleanse you and you can walk in fellowship 57:26 with your brothers and sisters. 57:28 Praise the Lord. You know what? 57:29 The Bible calls us to love our neighbor, 57:31 as we love ourselves. 57:33 And I love the story of the Good Samaritan 57:34 because Jesus asked 57:36 which one of these was the neighbor, 57:37 the one who showed mercy on him. 57:39 I hope you can show mercy on someone today 57:42 and love them as Jesus loves you. 57:44 We appreciate you so much 57:45 for joining us each and every week. 57:47 You got to join us next week, though, for lesson number 10. 57:50 We're going to be talking about 57:52 education in the arts and sciences. 57:54 It's going to be an exciting study. 57:56 Again, thank you so much for joining us. 57:58 Have a blessed day. 58:00 May God bless you every day more abundantly. 58:02 Have a blessed day. God bless. |
Revised 2020-11-30