How Shall They Hear?

(To download an mp3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen online, click on the play button of the audio player here.)

This is the fourth and final message in a short series of sermons regarding the three main purposes or priorities of the church. This sermon speaks about the "Outward Priority" to go out and spread the kingdom of God over all the earth. The sermon asks, "Why should we go?" "Who should go?" and "How should we go?"

Written Excerpts:

Romans 10:14 ^(NKJV) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

Introduction:

First, I want you to look at the passage in Acts 8 that was read earlier. I want to share a few observations about this story.

1. (v.1) When persecution began to get intense, the believers were “scattered” EXCEPT the apostles. This is a key point in understanding another verse later.

2. (v.4) Those who “scattered” went everywhere preaching the word.

3. Taken together, these two verses give us a clear indication on how the apostles and early believers interpreted Jesus’ command when He said, “Go into all the world…” It wasn’t restricted just to the leaders, but was practiced by all believers.

4. (vv. 11, 13) One of the new converts had previously practiced sorcery (witchcraft) and had astonished the public with his power and “magic.” But when he saw the power of God working through the apostles, he was amazed. He hadn’t seen “anything” yet.

I guess I have been preaching a mini-series without actually announcing it as a series! It all began a few weeks ago as I was reading a book recommended by Dr. Sillings and Rev. Howard Russell. The book describes the three primary purposes of the church: 

·     Upward – Glorify God

·     Inward – Nurture, Edify, Care for other believers

·     Outward – Spread the Kingdom of God on earthOnce I decided to preach on the first one, I just kept following through with the others.

Therefore, today we are going to be talking about the third primary purpose of the church – the outward purpose. That is, to spread the kingdom of God through proclamation of the gospel and the demonstration of divine love.

Before we get started, however, I want to mention one more thing regarding the message last Sunday.

Near the end of the sermon last week, I mentioned the best way to nurture and care for one another would be to meet in small groups. (It’s not really possible to know the cares and burdens very well when we only meet in Sunday morning worship services. It’s not possible to encourage and build each other up at just the right time, if we don’t know what’s going on in each other’s lives.)

I do not really have the time to try to organize small groups. However, if God should lay it on someone’s heart to do it, I would be willing to provide guidance and direction. Or, perhaps there would be several individuals that feel God speaking to you about hosting a small group in your home, and you would be willing to invite several to join you.

Ok, let’s move on.

The Scripture text I want to begin with is found in Romans 10:14-15 – How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

Here are the “links” in the chain of faith that Paul understands:

þ   Calling on Christ requires faith in Him.

þ   Faith in Christ requires hearing about Him and understanding what I’ve heard.

þ   Hearing about Christ requires a messenger to tell me about Him.

þ   Messengers who tell about Christ must be sent out with the commission to proclaim the message.

How will people hear about Christ? They won’t unless someone tells them.

The 3^rd priority of the church is to bring the world to Christ. Or, “bring Christ to the world.” But they won’t know about Christ unless someone tells them. That is why the title I chose for today’s message is, “How Shall They Hear?” 

As we think about taking Christ to the world and spreading the kingdom of God over the earth, let me provide a few insights for our consideration.

I.    Why should we go?

·     God deserves the worship of every person.

A few weeks ago as we talked about giving glory to God as our 1^st priority, I mentioned that God deserves the worship of every person in our township; county; state; nation; world.

Instructor in Perspectives Course shared how this concept changed his perception on evangelism and sharing the gospel. Rather than feeling bondage over warning people about hell, he began to feel privileged to tell them why God deserves their worship.

·     People are lost without Christ.

Having just stated that being in bondage to warn people about hell is not necessarily a good motive, yet we do need to always remember that EVERYONE is lost who does not know Christ in a personal saving relationship. Down & Outer; Up & Outer; “good person”; it doesn’t matter who they are. If they do not know Christ, they’re currently lost, and they are at risk of being eternally lost.

II.  Who Should Go?

Everyone. Refer back to Acts 8:1, 4.

I grew up in an era where the generally accepted method of bringing sinners to Christ was “invite them to church and let the preacher preach to them.” Many people have accepted the philosophy that the reason we hire a pastor is for him/her to save the lost and add to the church.

Remember:

·     We already mentioned at the beginning of this series, the “Upward Purpose.” We come together primarily to worship the Lord and give Him the glory and adoration He deserves.

There will be times when God lays it on the heart of the pastor to preach an evangelistic message, but if that was done nearly every Sunday, then the believers would never grow deeper in their understanding and obedience to the Word.

·     Also, Eph. 4:11 tells us that God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints and the edifying of the body of Christ.

III.   How Should We Go?

·     With an understanding of the gospel message. Learn key verses that describe how to be saved.

·     With a personal experience of transforming grace in our own lives. We can't pass on what we don't have our selves. 

·     Bathed in prayer and in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are only instruments. The Holy Spirit does the work of convincing and convicting.

The model in Acts shows the apostles and believers starting out with special baptism of the Holy Spirit, then they lit the world on fire.

Conclusion:

Jesus Christ left His disciples with the mandate to impact the world. That mandate is still ours today.

Our closing song, O Zion, Haste, reminds everyone one of us that we have been given a task to accomplish. As we sing this hymn, let us ask the Lord to give us wisdom and the anointing of His Spirit to fulfill the task before us.

Body Life - II

(To download an mp3 file of this message, click on the title above. To listen online, click on the play button of the audio player here.)

This sermon is the third message in a series of messages that speak about the three main purposes or priorities of the church. Today's message continues discussing the "Inward Priority" of edifying, nurturing and caring for other members in the body of Christ, by using verses in the New Testament that speak about believers' behavior toward one another.

Written Excerpts:

Colossians 3:12-13 ^(NKJV) Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

Introduction:

For the past two sermons I have been reviewing the main purposes that God has given to the church. 

There are a number of things that churches do and ought to do, but all of them probably can be identified with one of the three main purposes of the church.

·     Bring praise and glory to God.

·     Nurture and edify other believers.

·     Spread His kingdom throughout the world.

In the first sermon I tried to emphasize the importance of giving praise and glory to God, and truly making that the very first priority of our lives and our actions. When the body of Christ gathers, we gather to corporately worship the Lord and celebrate His goodness and His awesome grace.

Last Sunday I spoke about the second purpose of nurturing and edifying fellow believers in the church. We talked about loving one another, and living in peace and unity with one another.

Today, we will be continuing to speak about our Christian responsibility to care for other Christians.

When we were talking about the responsibility we have for one another, I mentioned that I had looked up most of the passages in the NT which included the words “one another.” We are going to continue looking at more of these Scriptures today to discover what God has intended the church to do for its own members.

To live out the second purpose or priority God has given us we need to…

IV.   Edify One Another

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ^(NKJV) Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. 

The word “edify” is a word that means to build up. There are a number of other NT passages that urge Christians to build each other up by various means.

Here are some other words that the NT uses in describing our responsibility towards one another and will work towards building each other up in our faith and build us up in the Lord.

A. Exhort – παρακαλεω; lit. to call to one’s side, console, comfort, etc. This is a word that is used in many different contexts.

Hebrews 3:13 ^(KJV) But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 

Hebrews 10:25 ^(KJV) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

1 Thessalonians 4:18 ^(KJV) Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 

The word that is translated “comfort” here is the same word in the Greek that is also translated “exhort” in other verses. When Christians exhort and comfort one another, they are building each other up. They are helping that brother or sister keep faith and purpose. They are inspiring them to keep on going.

B. Admonish – νουθετεω; lit. to put in mind, to warn, rebuke, or counsel, etc.

Romans 15:14 ^(KJV) And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. 

Colossians 3:16 ^(KJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 

The body of Christ is supposed to be looking out for one another and warning one another about the traps of the devil, and the ways he works.

We are so independent today, we don’t want other people warning us and correcting us. We don’t want other Christians admonishing us about the ways we might be going astray. Because we generally are that independent as a whole, then those who are concerned are afraid to speak to us for fear of losing friendship or offending us. But the Bible tells us to submit to one another.

Ephesians 5:21 ^(KJV) Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Paul makes this general command right before he applies it to the marriage relationship between husbands and wives. Christians, who all love the Lord and love one another, should be able to admonish/warn each other and we should be able to accept admonition without getting angry and suspicious of each other, because we are submitting to each other in love and grace.

When Christians admonish, warn, counsel or rebuke each other in the right spirit, they build each other up in the faith and spur each other on to greater and better service to God.

C. Teach – to give instruction and impart knowledge with the design and intent to inspire faith and advise conduct.

Colossians 3:16 ^(KJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 

Colossians 1:28 ^(KJV) Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

When Christians teach one another the word of God and instruct one another regarding the will of God, then they are building each other up in the faith.

To live out the second purpose or priority God has given us we need to…

V.    Care for One Another

The New Testament also reminds us that part of our responsibility to each other in the body of Christ is simply “care for one another.”

1 Peter 4:9-10 ^(KJV) Use hospitality one to another without grudging. ¹⁰ As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 

Peter urges believers to take care of each other; show hospitality to each other. And, as we receive the gift (hospitality) so we should minister (serve it) to each other. Every person in the church is different and made up differently. It is our responsibility and duty to one another to care for each other.

Romans 12:13 ^(NKJV) distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

This verse appears in a long list of instructions the Apostle is giving to the believers in Rome.

Hospitality pertains to the daily needs of life – food, clothing, shelter, etc.

Galatians 5:13 ^(KJV) For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 

1 Corinthians 12:25 ^(KJV) That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 

Galatians 6:10 ^(KJV) As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. 

All of these passages stress the importance of caring for the needs that others in the body of Christ struggle with daily.

To live out the second purpose or priority God has given us we need to…

VI.   Forgive One Another

Ephesians 4:32 ^(KJV) And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. 

Colossians 3:13 ^(KJV) Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

Un-forgiveness may be the most damaging thing in Christian relationships. We are instructed to forgive because Christ forgave us. We are to forgive in the same manner as Christ forgave us. There is no way for me to know this for certain, but I imagine that true revival would break out in the church if every Christian that is harboring grudges and ill feelings toward another person would just forgive and restore each other to mutual love.

Conclusion:

We’ve been talking about more ways that Christian believers are to be engaged in nurturing and edifying each other in our faith and the way we live the Christian life.

We have discussed:

·     Love one another

·     Live in peace and unity with one another

·     Edify one another (Comfort, exhort, warn, instruct, etc.) 

·     Care for one another (hospitality)

·     Forgive one another

These things are all evident in some degree in our congregation, but there is always room for improvement.

One of the primary ways that these responsibilities to each other can be accomplished is through meetings in small groups. It’s not possible for everyone to feel loved, cared for, and edified just in the Sunday morning worship service. We need times of getting together in small groups where everyone can receive the kind of attention that we all need in order to stay focused and remain encouraged.

The closing hymn I have selected for today reminds us that we are God’s people and we have various responsibilities that will demonstrate His Spirit in us and working through us.

Let us sing together We Are Called to Be God’s People

Body Life

(To download an mp3 file of this message, click on the title above. To listen online, click on the play button of the audio player here.)

This sermon is the second sermon in a series of messages about the main purposes or priorities of the church. This message discusses the "Inward Priority" of the church, which is to nurture, edify and care for other members of the body of Christ. It is based on several passages in the New Testament that speak of how believers are to respond to "one another."

Written Excerpts:

Ephesians 4:1-3 ^(NKJV) I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Introduction:

Have you ever used a table knife as a screwdriver? 

How about using a paper clip as a screwdriver?

Have you ever used a pocket knife to clean your fingernails?

There are any number of questions that could be posed to explore the ways people have used tools or items in ways they were never meant to be used. Sometimes (not always) when we use an item in a way that it was not intended, the outcome doesn’t work out so well! I know that I’ve had a few wounds over the years that were caused by trying to use the wrong object to accomplish a task it was not meant to do.

A couple of Sundays ago I preached a message that relates to the purpose God has for something He designed and created – the Church! I briefly outlined the three main purposes God has for the church as described in the Scriptures. And, just like so many other things we could talk about, the church works best when it fulfills the purpose for which it was made.

Those three purposes (or “three priorities”) of the church are as follows:

Upward Purpose/Priority – Glorify God

Inward Purpose/Priority – Nurture and Edify the Body

Outward Purpose/Priority – Evangelize and Serve the World

Two Sundays ago I spoke about the upward purpose and tried to remind all of us that our first and foremost priority in life is to bring glory to the Creator. We looked at several Scriptures which emphasize the expectation that believers should be primarily focused and interested in praising God with our mouths, and also living our lives in such a way to direct worship and praise to Him as well.

I can’t overemphasize the necessity for all of us who profess the name of Christ to regularly and faithfully worship the Lord and extol His majesty and greatness in all of His attributes.

A little over 8 years ago I preached a series of sermons on the attributes of God and I’m sure that a review of those could be beneficial. But just let me say that God is infinite and perfect in all His qualities and deserves to be exalted, honored and adored. He deserves for us to live our lives in such a way that people around us will direct praise to Him as well because of being inspired by what they see in us.

God deserves to be worshiped by every person in Mercer County! God deserves to be praised by every person in PA. God deserves to be honored and adored by every person in these United States. And God deserves to be worshiped and served by every last individual in the entire world. If every single person in the whole world would give praise to God it still wouldn’t adequately honor Him as He deserves to be honored.

As I stated before, giving praise and glory to God is the first priority of believers, meaning that it comes first in importance. When that is constantly our first concern, and our first action, then the other two purposes of the church will more smoothly fall into place.

Today, I want to begin talking to you about the second purpose/priority of the church – the inward purpose. That is, the responsibility that God has given to believers to admonish, nurture and edify one another. (I say, “I want to BEGIN talking about it” because I don’t think we will be able to adequately cover the topic in one sermon.)

God never intended for individual believers to serve Him in an isolated life, kind of like a “lone ranger” mentality. The Bible is very clear that all believers need the mutual support and assistance from other believers.

Quite a long time ago I heard someone say that a really interesting study in Scripture can be had by looking up all the references that use the phrase, “one another.” The NT is filled with passages where either Jesus or the Apostles give us admonitions about what we are to do for one another or how we are to treat one another.

For a little while today, I want to explore some of these references that admonish us regarding our care for “one another.”

What does the Bible have to say about the care we should show for “one another” in the body of Christ? There are a number of references we can look at for answers, so let’s begin.

To live out the second purpose or priority God has given us we need to…

I.    Love One Another

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. ³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

(God is basically saying the world has the right to judge us regarding our authenticity – it is love for each other.)

John 15:12, 17 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, that ye love one another. 

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 

Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 

1 Thessalonians 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 

1 Thessalonians 4:9  But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 

1 Peter 1:22  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 

1 Peter 3:8  Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 

1 John 3:11, 23  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. ²³ And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 

1 John 4:7, 11-12  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. ¹² No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 

Well, what does that mean, to “love one another?” You can find out by studying 1 Cor. 13.

Love will affect the way we speak to one another and the way we speak about one another. Love will motivate kindness and care for one another. This goes beyond mere words, and is manifested in action. “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Whatever you wish people would do to make you feel loved, do that.

To practice the “inward” purpose or priority God has given us we need to…

II.  Live In Unity with One Another

Romans 12:5, 16  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. ¹⁶ Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 

Passage that was read earlier (Eph. 4) says this,

Ephesians 4:3 (NKJV) endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

This verse immediately follows verse 2, “… forbearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” In other words, one of the natural consequences of having love for each other is “forbearing” in order to promote unity.

Unity in the body was a key ingredient in Jesus’ prayer in John 17. He prayed for His disciples and followers to be one just like He and the Father are one. The purpose for the unity is so the “world will know that you have sent me.”

Unity is not uniformity. Unity is not union. Unity is striving for a common goal and refusing to allow divisions to lead us astray.

To live out the second purpose or priority God has given us we need to…

III.   Live in Peace with (accept) One Another

The word for peace that is most often used in the NT means the absence of conflict.

Romans 14:19  Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. 

To “edify” one another gets into another theme we’ll come back to later, but this verse makes the point that peace between one another is a necessary part for edifying each other.

Romans 15:7  Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. 

Receiving or accepting one another promotes peace between each other. 

Conclusion:

There is more that the Bible has to say about our interaction and relationships with “one another.” We will probably continue looking at those passages next Sunday. The Christian life doesn’t have to be complicated. It may NOT be easy, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.

It is as simple as:

Love and worship God first and foremost.

Love and care for fellow believers.

Love and reach a lost world.

May God give us wisdom! May God give us courage!

Let’s end the service today by singing hymn: I Then Shall Live

As we sing, I trust that this will be more than singing a song, but we will be recommitting ourselves to a promise.