|
INTRODUCTION
Talking about how to grow a healthy church - church revival.
ILLUS: Can’r help but think about a song: Sung so well by Ray Stevens. “The
Mississippi Squirrel Revival” - “The day the squirrel went berserk in the First
Self-Righteous Church, In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula, It was a fight for survival
that broke out in revival they were jumpin’ pews and shoutin’ Hallelujah!“
I want to preach song - Two Point Alliterated Outline: 1. Sins of a Self-Righteous Church.
2. Signs of a Spirit-Revived Church.
Revisit, renew our Church Purpose Statement - QUOTE first line.
“A Family of Faith Growing Disciples for Jesus Christ.” Key words:
Family - close relational bond, united by the blood of Jesus Christ
Faith - personal faith centered on Jesus Christ.
Disciples - obedient followers, who desire to be like teacher Jesus Christ
Growing - maturing and multiplying in our relationship with Jesus Christ
The Textbook on how to Grow a Healthy Church is the Book of Acts. Their churches are examples for
us. The prototype church in Acts we will notice today is the Church of Corinth. What a church to
start with?
The City of Corinth:
- It was a port city, major commercial center. Sports and arts. Diverse: Greeks,
Romans, Orientals. 600-700,000 people, 2/3 slaves
- Wealth and poverty - aristocrats/abusers and parasites side by side
- Pagan cultic religions, Aphrodite’s Temple with 1,000 prostitutes
- It was the NT Sodom and Gomorrah. Sin City famous for allowing everything and
anything sinful - immorality and drunkenness.
- A form of name “Corinthian” became slang meaning “fornication”
ILLUS: I have never been to Las Vegas but from what I have read about
Corinth, Las Vegas is tame. What happens in Corinth didn’r stay
Corinth.
The Church of Corinth:
- Acts 18 records that Paul stopped there on his 2nd missionary journey,
spent a year and half. Started the church.
- 3-4 years later wrote 1st Corinthians. Visited the church again,
quickly wrote 2nd book. Visited church 3rd time and while
there wrote to the Romans - Romans 1 describes sinfulness he saw in Corinth.
- The two letters to this first generation church addressed many moral and
spiritual problems. In their corrupt culture it was easy for the Christians to
adapt to the low standards around them. Paul has to address many issues
specifically and boldly.
- 1st and 2nd Corinthians are two full letters on morality
& church life. These books clearly show a church with issues that needed
help.
ILLUS: A church in DM “Corinthian Baptist Church” - why???
- Yet the church of Corinth was a church of Christ. It was a family of faith. It
seemed like a dysfunctional family, but we can see some qualities of a family of
faith growing disciples of Jesus Christ in two passages: The first passage is
the founding of the church, the second passage is Paul’s introduction in
his first letter. Great descriptions of a family of faith.
FIRST TEXT: ACTS 18:1-8
1. Relationships
- Churches start and grow by relationships.
- vs. 1-3 Paul with Aquila and Priscilla. v. 5 Silas and Timothy came to
help. v. 7 meet in the home of Justus a worshipper of God. v.8 Crispus
was saved along with his family, then many of the residents saved.
- Relationships are the core and vital to hold the church together. Especially need when
church is clearly counter-cultural - swimming upstream in a cesspool of sin. We need
each other for support/account.
2. Reasoning. vs. 4,5
- “reasoning” showing the rational, the logic of Jesus Christ from
Word.
- v. 11 - 1 ½ years, “teaching the word of God among them”
- In Paul’s case it was the OT, we have the benefit of the complete Word of God - 66
books of the Bible - best selling book.
QUOTE: I said at Annual Meeting: “Our goal is always the glory of God, our
message is always the gospel of Jesus Christ, our empowerment is always the Holy
Spirit, and our first and final authority is always the inspired, infallible,
inerrant complete and sufficient written Word of God - The Bible.”
3. Rejection v. 6
- The Jews rejected Jesus the Christ/Messiah.
- There are always enemies of the church of Jesus Christ they often blaspheme as they
condemn the church and Christians. Don’r find it unusual that our culture is
hostile to faith in Christ. Too exclusive, too ridged, intolerant. How dare we declare
John 14:6 “I am...”?
4. Reaping vs. 7-8
- Many people believed and were baptized
- What did they believe? Jesus is the Christ, the Savior, the Son of God.
- Why baptized? It was a public demonstration of their faith in obedience to Great
Commission. What a visible shocking statement in a pagan culture to identify with
Christ.
ILLUS: In Muslim cultures when a person is baptized as a Christian it is step of
separation - persecuted, shunned, disowned. A high price for their faith, but a
powerful testimony of faith. Other nations as well.
That is how the church started - patterns for church planting.
SECOND TEXT: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-9 (two outlines for price of one)
- Corinth was a Church that belonged to God. In spite of all their problems, notice how
Paul begins? He writes about their standing/calling in Christ as saints. Then he spends
the rest of the book talking about their state/lifestyle as carnal Christians - one foot
in the world, one foot in the church. They needed to mature, grow as disciples of Jesus
Christ.
- We too have issues - we not a perfect church - but notice Who we are?
1. Sanctified by Christ Jesus, saints v. 2
- Part of the church around the world.
- Set apart for God’s possession and use. What an honor? So are we!
2. Showered with Grace of Christ Jesus vs. 3, 4
- “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me...”
- Through Christ Jesus - His shed blood on the cross we can be saved.
- Grace: “God’s resources at Christ’s expense.” It is all about
Christ - 9 times in 9 verses references to the person of “Christ Jesus our
Lord.”
3. Shared in the Spiritual Gifts of Christ v. 5-7a
- The fact that they had gifts was evidence that God was at work. A testimony of the power
of Christ. Gifts are special endowments.
- Paul wrote a length section (3 chapters) devoted to this subject.
- Do we possess and humbly use our spiritual gifts?
4. Seeking the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ v. 7a
- They were looking forward to the Lord’s return - the consummation of the ages, the
establishment of His eternal kingdom - “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in
heaven.”
- The Lord is patient these past 2000 years He is waiting for more souls to be saved. As
the world gets worse, we want Him to return all the more.
- We joke about the rapture, but I trust in our heart we really seek return.
ILLUS: I look at the world misery ask why wait, Lord?
5. Secure in the Lord Jesus Christ vs. 8-9
- Believer’s Commentary: “Paul knows that since God has gone
to such tremendous cost to make them sharers of the life of our Lord, He would never let
them slip out of His hands.” (564)
- We are protected, prepared for good works, provided abundant and eternal life. Our state
may be full of imperfections and sins, but our standing in Christ before God is secure.
God sees us through the blood of Christ - holy/blameless... Not because of who we are
but Who God is.
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION
A Family of Faith Growing Disciples for Jesus Christ: What does it look like if we
really do it? What does it look like if we actually are?
- We each personally believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As God’s Son, Jesus died
on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and rose again from the dead the third day
to give us eternal life. We have come suddenly, or slowly, or steadily - but each came.
Each of us is to know we have passed from death to life - secure in Christ. Do you know?
Have you believed?
- We are disciples - eager students, ready listeners, obedient followers of our Savior and
Lord. Not easy for Corinthians, Paul spent a lot of time and effort dealing with this
church. Maybe not easy for us also as world has strong pull.
- We consider ourselves a church family. We are more than just casual acquaintances
because we are united by the blood of Jesus. We are here for each other. We are building
deeper relationships. We share our spiritual gifts for each other - can’r do gifts
by yourself.
- We are maturing in our relationship with Jesus each day seeking to be conformed to His
glorious image by the power of the Holy Spirit. Godliness, Christlikeness.
Transformation (Rom 12:1,2) Holiness. We have to change. We are amazed by God’s
grace. Are you amazed?
Are we fulfilling our church purpose statement for the glory of God?
|
