Today’s message summary of May 6, 2018 from Pastor Gus Brown:
Many people claim to be saved and love the Lord Jesus Christ, but they do not want to have anything to do with the church.
The church is not a man-made institution. It is not about supporting a pastor or worshiping him or for the sake of entertainment. If you do not see Jesus Christ in the church, then it is time to pack up and go.
The teaching that comes from the church about Jesus Christ should have an impact upon all aspects of your life. Our relationship with God the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit changes all of our relationships for the better.
This teaching impacts our male and female relationships (2 Corinthians 6:14). It reflects having a value in the person and also a respect for boundaries, which is a contrast to how the world responds.
It impacts employer-employee relationships (Colossians 3:23). God has you in this position to serve Him in the workplace.
It affects husband and wife relationships (Ephesians 5:22, 25; 1 Peter 3:1, 7). These relationships are different that the others noted because of the intimacy of married couples.
This teaching is to emphasize doing good for all people (Galatians 5:10; Matthew 22:39), and not just people of your own ethnic background. The reason this is necessary is because all people need Jesus.
The church has the task of preparing the people of God to deal with all of these different relationships.
- The primary relationship is between Jesus and the person who claims salvation (Colossians 1:15-20; John 15:5). There needs to be a deepening (an in-depth relationship) with Jesus Christ in order to love the things that he loves, and that especially includes the church.
The church exists not for the sake of itself; instead, it exists to be a light in a dark world for others. The foundation of the church is Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
For everything was created by him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and by him all things hold together.
He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
For God was pleased to have
all his fullness dwell in him,
and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross.
- The church teaches about the importance of having the desire to grow in Jesus. God is patient with us during this growth process, but even as we grow, we are still teaching what we have learned, and even re-teaching for emphasis.
2 Peter 3:14-18
Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace. Also, regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.
Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stable position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.
In our teaching, we are to show examples of growth in Jesus in how we live for Christ.
The Bible is the church’s company handbook. It contains the rules that are to be followed if you intend to remain a part of His company.
The church has its own book to learn from and to follow. We are not to join a church and make up our own set of rules and call it the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18).
As we learn together from this book, we help each other to become wise. This knowledge unites its people, and it should call us to have a desire to do God’s will.
Proverbs 13:20
The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Knowledge of Scripture is to make us wise.
- It gives us knowledge of our salvation and how to live out life.
- Scripture is God-breathed, as in “God said it.” (v. 16)
- It teaches how we are to live (Isaiah 55:7-8, Proverbs 3:5, 12:15; Luke 18:18).
- It trains us in righteousness (Proverbs 15:6, 21:2; Isaiah 1:16-17, 5:20)
- The training is also to teach you to work for God (v. 17) (1 Corinthians 3:5-9, 4:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:4-7; 1 Thessalonians 1:5).
The Lord is teaching us through the church, and He guides us through His Word.
The learning never stops.
Akron Alliance Fellowship 