Difference between revisions of "The Brides Actions"
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==Preview: There are all sorts of things that a church does but today I want to focus on three primary ways in which the church proclaims Christ. The edification of believers, the fellowship of the Lord's Supper and the picture of Baptism. These are the main things and no matter what we do, we must make sure to keep the main thing always the main thing.== | ==Preview: There are all sorts of things that a church does but today I want to focus on three primary ways in which the church proclaims Christ. The edification of believers, the fellowship of the Lord's Supper and the picture of Baptism. These are the main things and no matter what we do, we must make sure to keep the main thing always the main thing.== | ||
| − | ==Text: | + | ==Text: Various texts read before each subpoint when listed== |
=Body= | =Body= | ||
| + | The New Testament calls the universal church the bride of Christ. We here are all part of the universal church or the bride of Christ but we are also part of a local church, a local assembly of believers. As a local assembly we must make sure that we are keeping the main thing the main thing. A key component of that is making sure that our actions here as a local assembly are consistent with the actions that Christ calls on his bride to take. | ||
| − | ==The Bride of Christ proclaims the Lord | + | The first action I want to talk about is corporate worship. |
| − | + | ==The Bride of Christ proclaims the Lord by ''gathering'' ''together''.== | |
| − | + | The word worship is used 79 times in 71 verses in the New Testament. However, if we restrict ourselves to the Pauline epistles then the word worship is only used 8 times in the writing of Paul. And none of those uses of the word really tell us what worship is. Since our focus is on what it means for the church to worship God we can turn instead to the book of Acts. In the book of Acts the word worship is used in 13 verses. However, again, most of these uses of the word do not provide insight into what worship in the local church consisted of. The verse that helps us the most is Acts 13:2 which states "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" what we learn is that corporate worship was something the local church did. So, what was the church in Antioch doing in Acts 13:2? Well the Greek word that we here translate as worship is not the usual προσκυνέω but instead λειτουργέω which means "to render a special form of service." What I want us to understand is that the churches in the New Testament worshipped God. We too should worship God, but what exactly does that mean? Let's look at some passaged to understand what worship really looks like. | |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ===Why gather? For public edification (1 Timothy 4:13).=== | |
| − | === | + | If you know Jesus as your personal Savior you have a personal relationship with Jesus and thus you also have a personal spiritual life. I hope that you are doing personal devotions and spending personal time in prayer. However, there is more. In 1 Timothy 4:13 Paul reminded Timothy that there was a need for Timothy to pay attention to not only his own personal private spiritual life but the public spiritual life of the church. Three elements of public ministry were vitally important, public reading of Scripture, the preaching of the Word, and teaching. |
| + | |||
| + | ===Why gather? For public song ().=== | ||
===The content of worship: preaching the Word, prayer, song.=== | ===The content of worship: preaching the Word, prayer, song.=== | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | === | + | ===Why gather? For public prayer (1 Timothy 2:1-8).=== |
| − | |||
===Image: === | ===Image: === | ||
===MTR: Make sure that you are not distracted practicing corporate worship.=== | ===MTR: Make sure that you are not distracted practicing corporate worship.=== | ||
Revision as of 16:22, 15 April 2024
Theological Proposition/Focus:
Homiletical Proposition/Application: We must always be on guard against distractions. As a church we are called to proclaim Christ through specific God ordained means.
Introduction:
Image: Wells Fargo, focus on what you are good at
Between 1983 and 1994 Carl Reichardt played a pivotal role in transforming Wells Fargo into one of the largest and most successful financial institutions in the United States. His strategic vision, leadership, and focus on operational excellence helped position Wells Fargo for long-term growth and success.
Something that Carl Reichardt especially emphasized was keeping the main thing the main thing. Reichardt emphasized focusing on Wells Fargo's core competencies and strengths within the financial services industry. Instead of trying to be all things to all people, he concentrated on areas where Wells Fargo could excel, such as retail banking, mortgage lending, and commercial banking. Reichardt ensured that Wells Fargo's resources were aligned with its strategic priorities. He directed investments in areas that supported the company's core business lines and competitive advantages, while divesting from non-core assets that did not fit with its long-term strategy. By focusing on core competencies, providing clear strategic direction, aligning resources, promoting simplicity and clarity, and maintaining a long-term perspective, Reichardt helped position Wells Fargo for sustained success during his tenure as CEO.
Reichardt has been praised for employing what is sometimes known as the hedgehog principle. The concept is inspired by an ancient Greek parable delivered by the philosopher Archilochus that contrasts the behaviors of the fox, who knows many things, and the hedgehog, who knows one big thing.
Preview: There are all sorts of things that a church does but today I want to focus on three primary ways in which the church proclaims Christ. The edification of believers, the fellowship of the Lord's Supper and the picture of Baptism. These are the main things and no matter what we do, we must make sure to keep the main thing always the main thing.
Text: Various texts read before each subpoint when listed
Body
The New Testament calls the universal church the bride of Christ. We here are all part of the universal church or the bride of Christ but we are also part of a local church, a local assembly of believers. As a local assembly we must make sure that we are keeping the main thing the main thing. A key component of that is making sure that our actions here as a local assembly are consistent with the actions that Christ calls on his bride to take.
The first action I want to talk about is corporate worship.
The Bride of Christ proclaims the Lord by gathering together.
The word worship is used 79 times in 71 verses in the New Testament. However, if we restrict ourselves to the Pauline epistles then the word worship is only used 8 times in the writing of Paul. And none of those uses of the word really tell us what worship is. Since our focus is on what it means for the church to worship God we can turn instead to the book of Acts. In the book of Acts the word worship is used in 13 verses. However, again, most of these uses of the word do not provide insight into what worship in the local church consisted of. The verse that helps us the most is Acts 13:2 which states "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" what we learn is that corporate worship was something the local church did. So, what was the church in Antioch doing in Acts 13:2? Well the Greek word that we here translate as worship is not the usual προσκυνέω but instead λειτουργέω which means "to render a special form of service." What I want us to understand is that the churches in the New Testament worshipped God. We too should worship God, but what exactly does that mean? Let's look at some passaged to understand what worship really looks like.
Why gather? For public edification (1 Timothy 4:13).
If you know Jesus as your personal Savior you have a personal relationship with Jesus and thus you also have a personal spiritual life. I hope that you are doing personal devotions and spending personal time in prayer. However, there is more. In 1 Timothy 4:13 Paul reminded Timothy that there was a need for Timothy to pay attention to not only his own personal private spiritual life but the public spiritual life of the church. Three elements of public ministry were vitally important, public reading of Scripture, the preaching of the Word, and teaching.
