My Five Year Plan (part 2)

Father in heaven we come before you this morning just thankful To be here thankful to be with those that you have called your own that you have called to yourself Father as we look to you your word what it says about The church we just pray that you would bless our time strengthen us as we seek to encourage one another to love and good works and to Be a body that is well equipped to Minister of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ father.

We pray for these things in Christ's name. Amen. Okay, my cell phone is off. Oh I thought it was off. I Turned it off. I don't know how it turned itself back on stop that. It's got a mind of its own. Just give me the little thing.

Okay, there we go. Okay, so last week we started talking about my own personal five-year plan to transform The church but before I start kind of reviewing I wanted to Bring in the TBN newsletter. And I do this only to embarrass myself.

There's somebody here in this Newsletter and by the way, you might wonder how do you get this newsletter? If you'd like to get it See me after class. I Once gave money to a man who's on this page right here.

His name is Dwight Thompson and because I did that now I can never get my name off their their mailing list. So that's the only reason I want to bring it up. There is Dwight Thompson. You can well you can't see him.

But I I did want to mention there is a Philosophy of ministry that the TBN has which is what what is their philosophy of ministry? What's that? Show me the money. Yeah. Movie was that Jerry something or other.

I Don't think that's a good philosophy of ministry. But it might be the philosophy of ministry of this of this operation here because basically if you have enough money You can get on their air. If you send enough money, you can get a gift you can get acknowledged over the air all those kind of things.

But yeah, show me the money would be a good way to summarize it if you were gonna start a church right now and You listen to the church growth gurus, what would you do? What would they advise you to do.

Take a survey. Find out what what the people in your area wants and then give them what they want. Old song by the kinks give the people what they want. Probably most of you don't know that song. What else would you do if you're starting one right now, and you're listening to the people who say?

You want to grow the church, what would you do? I'll tell you what you wouldn't do. What wouldn't you do? Expositional preaching. You wouldn't play hymns. You wouldn't. There are a lot of things that you wouldn't do and they're all the things that the Bible says do so.

The Three Roles of the Church

Last week we started talking about the three roles of the churches to fill and I mentioned last week that they are first exalting God through appropriate worship secondly evangelizing the Unbelieving community and thirdly edifying or building up the individual members of the local congregation.

Three E's Exalting evangelizing edifying or equipping. We talked about exalting God about the idea of not being man-centered, but of being God centered of making him first. And we were getting down to or we started with the six elements of a proper worship service.

And we mentioned public reading of Scripture. Paul writes to Timothy that he needs to give attention to the public reading of Scripture. Why is that? Well, I suppose it's because God likes his word to be the center of worship of a worship service and It is good for us to hear the Word of God.

Secondly Our second of the six elements of worship service. There must be profound Preaching of the Word of God and again, this goes contrary to everything we hear today. In fact, you know, what was the big thing about the the emerging church the emergent church?

What was their big? Conversation. There shouldn't just be one person up here giving an authoritative message. There should be kind of a discourse a conversation a chat between. There really even shouldn't even be a pulpit should be somebody sitting here and let's just all chat about things and that would be lovely a Pooling of ignorance as we used to call it, but that's not what we're called to.

Let's look at first Timothy 2 12. First Timothy 2 12. Let me see how much context I want to give that here. Well This this just has to do. Oh, yeah I Just want to make the the simple illustration. We won't spend much time on this but that needs to be a man and not a woman.

Paul says I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man rather She is to remain quiet can't have women elders. In fact when I was I Don't know how many saw this but I this kind of amazed me.

I don't know if you saw this but there is a seminary now Southwestern Baptist Seminary, I think it's in Texas somewhere like Waco or a Waco or something and they actually have a Muslim student at the school and a little bit of controversy surrounding that and I posted on Facebook and an unbelieving Friend asked the question.

Well, what's really kind of wrong with that? And What was funny to me was while I was answering her I thought I I want to say now listen to this. I want to say well in order to have persons Prepared for ministry and then I thought boy Steve you are really waffling here.

Why? Because we know that Let's just be candid here women are not to be trained For ministry, in other words, I mean if they had a wife track, that'd be fine, but we're talking about getting people prepared to preach and teach the Bible and and that wouldn't be right so I'm just like I did I really didn't want to get into the Side show that I knew would go with this woman about you know, why can't women be pastors and everything?

I mean if there's a more pointless thing in life than arguing Doctrine with unbelievers. I don't know what it is. Right. Does that make sense? Because they want to argue about the Bible even though they don't understand it and don't believe it.

So I just said I just said, you know to train Pastors, I just skipped over the whole issue. But this is that is an issue Sadly today, but why do you think I would even have a problem with a Muslim being in a seminary?

For those of you who didn't see it on Facebook. Why do you think that would be a problem? What's the big deal? So there's a Muslim in a Christian seminary. Well, yeah, I mean it's how can two walk together unless they agree, right?

I mean and and and so what we really have ultimately is people giving they give their money to a Christian seminary to equip men to teach and preach the Word of God and then we're gonna allow somebody in who is of a completely different religion.

You know who believes that Jesus was a prophet faked his death on the cross right, he wasn't even he was not even killed on the cross and. So, why would we have somebody at that like that or a seminary that would be a complete waste of time and money and Really kind of a fraud.

So this is kind of a controversy that's going on down there. But talking about Preaching the word. Let's look at 2nd Timothy for a Familiar passage, but again, I think it's just important to bring emphasis to this Language because it is courtroom language.

You see this a lot in the Old Testament. God even calls as witnesses. Sometimes all of creation the Sun the stars and he says I want all of creation as witnesses to what I'm about to charge To you and listen to what he says or the charge.

He's going to give somebody listen what Paul writes in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 beginning of verse 1. I Charge you now listen to the witnesses in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. Some pretty compelling witnesses that you know, it's kind of like Paul saying here's the contract Timothy.

And by the way, you're signing it whether you know it or not. Here's your commission witnessed by God the Father and Jesus Christ Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing and by his kingdom just to remind you of who Jesus Christ is.

Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove rebuke exhort or an exhort with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but have itching ears.

But having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. What drives me here's what drives me nuts. Somebody might come here and they may or may not like it. I mean that's beside the point but if somebody tells me that they go to a church because The preaching makes them feel good.

It seems relevant to their life. It's something their kids really enjoy. It gives me something to talk about at work. I mean the pastor always has three or four good jokes that I can repeat at work. Those are not good reasons preach the word.

What I like to hear is. You know, I go to such-and-such a church. Maybe it's Bethlehem Bible Church. Maybe it's somewhere else. Why? Because The word is preached. The Bible's taught when we go there we are Brought into as it were the presence of God not through some mystic kind of means.

But because God is preached from the pulpits. His word is presented to us. It's Explicated it's explained. It's taught in a Logical fashion in a piercing fashion. I mean what it what is the Word of God do it pierces between?

Joint and bone. Bone and marrow. Yeah, that's it that's the point a church service must have profound preaching of the Word of God and Involves explaining the text in a manner that enables the hearer to get the sense which is Nehemiah 8 8 pastor must be able to Teach sound doctrine and must be willing and able to refute those who teach Contrary to scripture that makes people a lot of people uneasy.

Why do you have to call out these false teachers? Why do you have to talk about the people who don't preach the truth? Why do you name names? Because scripture does that and it tells us to do that says to Refute those who contradict sound doctrine all those things must take place in a worship.

Surface service. Third thing. We've had first public reading of scriptures. Second profound preaching. I'm glad I didn't stick with the peas. Okay third. There must be music. Music why. Well, I guess God likes music.

I was I was contemplating thinking about music this week and just it's almost like hardwired into us. Even as I watch my grandkids learn to you know, each one of them I Introduced them to the profound hymns of the faith.

So one of the first songs that they all fall in love with is sugar sugar by the Archie's. Maybe not so profound but one by one. I mean now it's like every time I see autumn, you know. She's she'll look at me and go sugar and she doesn't want a spoonful of sugar.

She wants to hear the song Let's look at the Colossians 316 with somebody read that please Colossians 316. Go ahead. Well, okay talking to a church and he says, you know, this is something that should take place.

Singing songs and hymns and spiritual songs. I'm not gonna break those down today. But you know, there are churches that say you should only sing psalms and again, I think that's fine you know if people just want to use the book of Psalms as their him thing what it what I really don't like and I mentioned this often as I I just don't like songs that have little to do with God and say much about us and there are plenty of them.

I mean we should just do that. I mean, I maybe I'll do that sometime I'll just go here are all the bad hymns and our hymnal and I'll just kind of. And there are a number of them. I mean there are some where I just kind of go I don't even know how that got in there.

And then there are some that I I just object to For no other reason then they just remind me of bad things like let's see. There's one here. Well Sorry, I'll step on a few toes here my tribute and one of the reasons I don't like it is because I Seriously wonder about the guy who wrote the song being saved given how many times he was arrested for cocaine I mean He wrote the song and then he got arrested over and over and over again I just wonder about that.

I'm not saying he's not a Christian. I'm just kind of curious about it. Then there's a Let's see another song up here Early in the thing. Where is it? Anyway, it's morning has broken and I go every time I hear that song.

What do I think of? Yusuf Islam. You know Used to be Cat Stevens. And so I don't really care for that one either even though it's an old Irish song. It just reminds me of that. But anyway And Listen to this the music in our services ought not to be a distraction or a stumbling block.

What does that mean a distraction or a stumbling block what would a distract song that's a distraction be. There's one song that I actually it's in our hymnal and actually like it. The problem is when we start singing it it sounds so Rogers and Hammerstein that people can't sit still.

Yeah, we all start, you know bouncing around everything like that and so, you know, pretty much we don't sing it anymore not because there's anything wrong with the song but because the music is so you cannot you know, you have to kind of and.

So it's I think in my mind. It's a distraction and I've used this illustration before but you know, I mean just imagine we said Charlie this morning. I want you to just plug into your amp, you know, bring in your strat and You know just just have at it.

You know. And then he just breaks his guitar and smash it and everything and sends Taylor the bill now that. That would be a distraction if the point is. Ultimately what we should be working up towards is That the preaching should be the pinnacle the high point of the service.

Although I have argued by the way in L in even in elders meetings that just like one Sunday Way to have what I propose calling Pearl Harbor Sunday. Where we do the preaching first so that everybody who's consistently 15 or 20 minutes late walks in goes.

What happened. I mean we go well, you know, you'll have to listen online or show up earlier next time. Anyway, I digress. What what kind of thing could be a distraction in the songs or a stumbling block.

I Think anything that takes you away from Worshiping God that causes you to wander off. So, you know lyrics that are Inappropriate or that could be interpreted a multitude of ways. I don't think we'd want those.

Any other thoughts about the singing or music or things that we ought not to do Charlie? Can we give Charlie a mic? See you can teach this on a Sunday morning. That's what I'm saying. We should have a Sunday school like that.

What Charlie was saying is words? So kind of weld themselves to the tune that it becomes easier to Memorize to learn scripture to learn profound theology and so we're able to recall these things and keep them in mind.

I mean I I could still I mean I remember the The books of the Old Testament because of a song that I learned in high school. You know, how do you how do you do that? Well, that's how you do it. You know, otherwise, it's just if you have to force yourself by rote memory.

It's harder, but if it's if it's kind of easy and just sort of you know, now there are a few exceptions. You could play my wife is extremely sophisticated because if Blending things music and lyrics if the idea is to help the unsophisticated remember things my wife is very sophisticated because she can hear a song a hundred times and not remember the words, so.

So the contrary is obviously true too, I think it's funny. I'll go do you know that song and she'll go no and I'll go. But now yeah, that's true right songs, yeah ABC. In fact, we're listening. It's funny how just to kind of jump off that we're talking about yesterday how kids can go.

You know how many songs have the same tune? ABC and twinkle twinkle little star and they all have and so they'll just kind of mash all those songs together, you know and you'll go ABCD how I wonder where you are or whatever, you know, and it's.

And if you'll notice there are a lot of songs that have the same Tune in our hymnal which is helpful, right? Because you go. Yeah, I know that song and then it's just new lyrics and so that's pretty easy.

But yeah, that is it. That is a great way to learn and I remember this when my son was in high school. He said I mean, he had a bunch of CDs. I went through a CD collection after I got saved and I just started tossing things out and He goes, you know, I don't even listen to the lyrics.

So it came I came home. I was working graveyard at the time. I came home and his alarm clock went off and it was some Horrid sounding song whatever it was that came on the radio and as soon as it went off He knew all the words.

I'm like, oh, yeah, you don't listen to lyrics. Okay. Sure. Whatever those things just stick in our heads. Okay, so music fourth. Fourth thing that must be in a church service the ordinances of the church.

Now, what are those? The ordinances. Baptism and communion. Yes. Obviously if you don't have anybody who needs to be baptized. You can't just fake it. You know anybody who wants to be baptized this morning and and you know, it should not be done lightly.

Why do I say that baptism should not be done lightly. Amelia. Okay, it's a really important symbolism of who we are in Christ, right? We're testifying publicly of what has occurred inwardly. So for you know somebody to and I've seen this happen I was I mentioned before I was at a Easter service in California a couple years ago and The guy actually did preach the gospel.

I. And then just people started walking forward and you know, they just came forward and there was a like a lake behind him and they just started dunking people in the lake and I'm like I Don't know. I'd at least want to do you know a little interview with him and make sure they understood what they were.

We're doing but and no public testimony just right in the water, so I don't I don't think that's the right way to go. But then the Lord's table also. And it should be regularly done. Well, what does that mean regularly.

Well Here we do communion once a month. We could do it more often. Some churches do it every week. It doesn't really say in the Bible how often we should do it. I mean we do it twice a day. I don't know but We're just to do it is to be a practice the fifth one.

Prayer in the Church Service

Fifth thing that must be in church services prayer. Let's go to first Timothy 2 8 and again. It's interesting as we as we do this how often the pastoral epistles are used. Because if you're going to instruct a young pastor on how to run a church, these are good things for him to know First Timothy 2 8 I'll just read that I desire that in every place and He doesn't mean Every place he's talking about every church the men should pray lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.

There should be prayer even earlier in the chapter. He's saying first of all I urge that supplications prayers intercessions and Thanksgiving be made for all people all kinds of people. So prayer is to be made Within the confines of a church service.

We are to pray what sort of Prayers are appropriate for a church service. Ones that honor God, okay. Brian. Okay prayers. They're in response to the word, okay. Any other thoughts? So you gotta watch out if you start scratching your head.

I'm gonna go Amelia. Okay prayers for the needs of the church. Yep. I think that's good individual members or the corporate body. Yep pray prayer. Repentance. Yep. Especially when we're doing That's okay.

I I mean as One of the elders gets up there I think it's appropriate to kind of what we are sinners and it's good to acknowledge that when we're praying. Any other thoughts? Thanksgiving excellent. Yeah totally.

Okay, and the sixth thing that must be in a church service. Let's look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 8 Versus 1 to 5 and if I can get a volunteer to read that 2nd Corinthians 8 Versus 1 2 5. Yeah, go ahead mark.

Okay it. It's a a good thing to do that. And and in fact if we looked elsewhere We would see that how are we to give we would see that we are to give, you know. Thoughtfully we talked about giving in the past.

We're to plan ahead of time. And Which is something that I think people don't often do. We're to do it from the heart. Voluntarily, in fact, let's let's just look at that First Corinthians chapter 9. Actually, that's not what I want isn't I Think what I was talking about is in I think it's there.

Anyway that the principle is that we are to give we're to plan ahead of time we are to give voluntarily. We're to give generously. This is pleasing and good to the Lord. It's also to why do we do it? Well, we give to support the work of the ministry.

We also do it to help the poor widows orphans who are in the church. Okay, so giving is an important part of a church service, let's go to the second part of. The first part was exalting God the so we've talked about all the things that would take place in a church service.

Evangelizing the Unbelieving Community

Let's talk about evangelizing the community. The second role of the church is to fulfill is that of evangelism? How do we know that we know that from for example Matthew? 28 the Great Commission. Where we are to make disciples go, what do we do?

We preach the gospel in more modern terms. Even Spurgeon would say that we're you know, what to win souls for Christ. How do we do that by proclaiming the gospel? Now that this command may be Obeyed in two ways number one within the confines of the local community through outreach programs and then secondly by the sending of missionaries.

Let's talk about the local church. The local church has a duty to see Christ proclaimed across the globe. That would be missionaries and if possible by equipping funding. Sending out gifted men for the purpose of preaching and teaching in areas.

That would be beyond the way or beyond the means of the local church now ideally to me. We've never been able to do this. Maybe we will someday I would love to see us raise up a missionary from this church and to fully fund them from this church.

Why do I think that'd be good? What do what do missionaries typically spend a lot of their time doing there in in one sense? They're like politicians. What do politicians spend most of their time doing?

Raising money and what a missionary spend most of their time doing or at least a lot of it too much of it raising money. Why is that well because you know if they need I'll just make up a number of fifty thousand dollars a year.

You know the typical missionary gets probably about. You probably gets first of all forty nine thousand five hundred dollars a year if he if he needed fifty thousand and then the other part of it is you know he gets $500 from.

You know however many churches that is how many is that a hundred hundred churches. It's just like it's it's so spread out. Excuse me to where one church doesn't really have that much input for the missionary.

And ideally I think a church one church was sitting on a missionary in that way the missionary would be Accountable to that board of elders they would know who he is you know there would be more communication.

That would be a better situation. I think that's just my opinion. I don't have any great scripture to pass that to back that up, but I think that would be the ideal situation. Now let's just talk in the local area.

Church leadership should be involved in preparing Membership individually to give an answer and apologetic for their hope. For the hope that they have of eternal life first. Peter 315. Why do I say it that way that we should be involved in preparing members?

Individually to give an answer. Isn't it your job pastor to preach the gospel of everybody shouldn't all Worcester hear about Jesus Christ from you. That'd be good. But I'm one guy. Mike is one guy. Pradeep is one guy.

Scott is one guy. Harry is one guy now Harry you know my count is more than one guy, but. The point is what's more effective for us to you know. For everybody to sit back and kind of be the audience going.

Good job good job Mike. Whoo whoo whoo Steve you know we'll have cheerleaders and everybody go out. Is that more effective or is it more effective to have 300 missionaries? The ideal situation of course we don't have 300 members, but the ideal situation would be.

Every member a missionary. Every member equipped. To preach and teach the gospel you don't have to teach everything in Scripture, but you should know the gospel. And you say well, I don't know how to.

I don't know how to do that. I would ask this simple question for a while a couple simple questions first of all are you saved and If you're saved, how do you know that you're saved. Something has happened right if you can't articulate the gospel then.

There's something missing if you can't say I was a sinner. God opened my eyes to that fact I was in rebellion to him and when he opened my eyes, and I saw Jesus for who he was I ran to the cross. I Believe in his perfect life his death in my place his resurrection and because of that and that alone I am saved if you can't say that I don't know.

I don't know what to tell you. You Should be able to you should have heard them enough. You should believe that if you're not then How is it that you can say that you're a Christian you have to know what does it mean to be a Christian?

Be born again. Well what happened to you the second question? I would have is have you been baptized if you were baptized. Then you made a profession of faith there when you were baptized wherever it was.

You say well, I was baptized as a child well. Then be baptized again if you were a baby, and you didn't understand the gospel obviously. Then you should be baptized if you're a believer now. But our calling I don't want to call it our job our calling is to equip you for the work of ministry, let's look at Ephesians chapter 4.

And I'm actually planning on preaching through this here, and they're not too distant future, but let's. Let's look at Ephesians chapter 4. It's an interesting passage for a number of reasons. But verses 11 through 13 if somebody would read that please 11 to 13 yes go ahead Gary.

Okay now who's he in verse 11? Okay, Christ. He gave the Apostles that etc. Etc. Etc. Why and listen you know shepherds. Teachers why to equip the Saints for the work of ministry to equip the Saints for the work of ministry.

You guys are supposed to do the work. Okay, I can sit down. Again, it's it's a it's a basic principle. You know you send some people to school you you have some people that are teachers and preachers.

Why to equip you to do the work of ministry? What's better one person or 300? What's better one person trying to figure out how to make everything run or people voluntarily coming together and making it all work out.

And what else does the local church do we we also go after those who stray? But let's stay on on the unity of the body here. This is this is a theme. I like to hit often. It is when well, let's just let's just back up here for a second.

We'll stay in Ephesians chapter. Well, no, we won't we'll go to 1st Corinthians 2 11. 1st Corinthians chapter 12, pardon me verse 11. What do we know about spiritual gifts? They're given by God. That's why they're gifts, right?

There were Spiritual skills and that would be something that we could study on our own and kind of pick them up and get better at them. But let's read 1st Corinthians chapter 12 verse 11 and again this chapter has to do with spiritual gifts.

Listen. All these are empowered all these people all these believers are empowered by one of the same spirit. Who apportions to each one? Individually. Who gives gifts to each one individually as He wills.

So these are gifts of the Holy Spirit. He sovereignly decides what gift to give every single person and then what are they to do with those gifts? I think ultimately is the issue. Let's just keep Reading here.

I think I think we'll get to that. Well, we will in 18 and 27 18 but as it is God arranged the members of the body each one of them as he chose if all were a single member Where would the body be as it is?

There are many parts yet one body the eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of you. Nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you. On the contrary the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are Indispensable and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable.

We bestow the greater honor and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty. Which are more? Which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body giving greater honor to the part that lacked it that there may be no division in the body but that the members may have the same care for one another.

If One member suffers all suffer together. If one member is honored all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And I think it's so important for us to remember that We all have different gifts.

But we are one body. The unity of the body is vital. It is the key the most gifted individual in The local church is absolutely useless. Without the other members of the body. As it says you know the head cannot say to the feet.

I have no use for you but all the all the different things. Why. Because the body functions better when it Functions together. Now what else do we know about spiritual giftedness. What about you know, somebody just being proud or boastful about their spiritual gift.

Go ahead. It was worn as a badge of honor didn't contribute the whole body and you said the real key there. It was without love. It was without love for the body and what did Paul say first Corinthians 13?

The one that's read at weddings and has nothing to do with weddings. They're meaningless if you're exercising your gift without love without care for one another then your gift is meaningless meaning.

Yeah, it's not very good. Hi, my wife has this little saying is she in here this morning. Yeah there she is. I've been talking about her all the time and She has this thing in fact we did it the other day.

You know where if you're serving somebody else, and you have the wrong attitude, and she'll just say you know. She'll look at me and Kind of pat me on the shoulder and say well that one just burned up.

Right with that love. We're wasting our time, right? We have to have the right attitude about it. And it really does if we're going to think rightly about ourselves, and how we fit into the big scheme of things.

No matter who we are there has to be a certain humility attached. Because we have to think okay. I'm not exercising this gift for me for my fame for my Benefits, but for the benefit of everyone else and not in such a way where we just think.

Well, I'm such a gift to you guys. I have to exercise my gift. That's the wrong attitude. It's like we need to be thinking if I don't do what I'm doing. Not only am I not honoring the Lord. I'm not fulfilling the function that he gave me.

He gave me this to do and I need to do it. Why because as I do it I am actually helping the entire body whatever it is you say well I don't get you know clean how cleaning the kitchen helps. I do. I Don't get how making sure you know the nursery schedule is set helps.

Well. I do. Because if all those things if everything is functioning well, then these are issues that other people don't need to take care of and believe me the more cohesively the more kind of Independently people are functioning as they are gifted the easier things go.

We need to close there, but let me just say that Just summarize the giftedness part. Again. Every single Christian is given a gift we don't get to choose it, but we have a gift and it may be a composite of several different gifts that are listed in Scripture, but our.

It's both our joy and our burden. To exercise that sometimes you might think well. I don't necessarily want to do that or What have you sometimes you might have to stretch a little bit to get beyond yourself.

But what you will find is as you exercise your giftedness other people will say you know what? Thank you. I appreciate that and things go better when you're doing whatever it is. So we need to we need to do that is for the unity of the body.

It's we're commanded by Scripture. It's for the building up of the body ultimately. Let's pray a father in heaven Lord. We thank you that You have blessed us here at Grace Bethlehem Bible Church. What so many people who are?

Gifted by you and not just pastors elders deacons but folks who work behind behind the scenes and are just kind of. Would almost seem invisible sometimes. But Lord those That you have given that we would deem not that important.