New Members Class Part 2

Refusing to Criticize or Gossip to Preserve Church Unity

Well secondly it says, I will protect the unity of my church by refusing to criticize or gossip. Okay, so there's the reference there Ephesians 4 .19, do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.

So does anybody have a good definition for gossip? I'll tell you so-and-so one time was gossiping to me and right yeah it's a it's a you have an issue with somebody and you're talking to somebody else about it, right.

Matthew 18 says what? Matthew 18 says if your brother sins against you go and where do you go? Don't go to Facebook, right. When your brother sins go and show him his fault says in Matthew 18 15 and of course what is the what is the goal in verse 15?

To win your brother, to win him or to win your sister, to win her. That's the whole you have a problem with somebody, somebody sins against you, somebody sins and you know that they don't understand what's going on and the hurt they're causing and it bothers your soul.

Talk to somebody else, go talk to them and notice it says if your brother sins go and show him his fault. He knows what's in our hearts, doesn't he? The traditional methods involve you know, you know, aliating in some way, showing you know showing a cold shoulder to somebody or telling other people to get a whole lot of people agreeing with you about how bad this person is or how bad the church is or something like that, you know.

So that's gossip. Those who commit themselves to Sunnyside Baptist Church because it says the local church should refuse to criticize or gossip. Now if there is a problem, if there is an issue that doesn't mean, well I notice there's a problem but I can't say anything, right?

This is an occult, okay. If there if there's an issue perhaps like for instance, I have a real issue with pews. They hinder me from worshipping. Then the person to talk to would probably be your elder.

Talk about why do we have to worship in pews? They're so restrictive and I have to sit too close to people. I want my own chair, my personal space. Well you know you could talk to a whole lot of people about that and try to create an insurgency against pews or the biblical way, if something's bothering you, then you can come talk to your elder, somebody who's going to be you know helping to craft the budget and the vision for the church and why do we why do we still have pews?

You know this is 2018. And talk to them about it, right? That would be the most helpful thing to do rather than you know calling around or messaging around and saying you know and just like I am just so hindered blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Well that you know what that that hurts a lot of people. That hinders a lot of people. That doesn't help anybody grow in Christ. So definitely if there's an issue we got to go talk to the person and do so in grace and in patience with all charity.

Following the Leaders and Practicing Church Discipline

Thirdly by following the leaders. Hebrews 13 17 says obey your leaders and submit to their authority to keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy not a burden for that would be no advantage to you.

This is the admonition of the preacher to the his Hebrews. Best sense of what's going on in the letter to the Hebrews is that if this is a pastor who's writing his sermon and sending it along from afar he can't be there but the other elders are and he's wanting to encourage them to stay strong in the faith and and he gives a whole list of Christian admonitions in Hebrews 13.

Leaders, the elders of the church are to keep watch over the flock accountable to the head shepherd Jesus Christ accountable for the souls for the spiritual condition of those in the flock. That is our concern as elders and we want to do that with joy and for the most part I think that we do so in joy and of course we we know those times that we don't but when there is when there is sin when there is for instance just taking the first two if there is someone who's not acting in love toward other members if there's criticism and gossip flying about I tell you what there is great burden as the elders get together every week for prayer as we get together every month for our meeting there is great burden amongst us and we're not joyful we're deeply concerned and we're praying and we're and we're talking to one another how can we help this family or help this person you know because we are accountable to God we're accountable to God and we take it very seriously.

The first part of our meetings together every month is about talking about the flock talking about the people in the church and how what are their needs and we pray for the people of this church and and and purpose ourselves to to lead well so unity is is I think fostered by following leaders plural a traditional model might be to have one leader and it's his way or the highway.

Okay that produces a form of unity through many schisms finally you have everybody at the same page and but if you have a group of leaders then when they're together and we're together and we're praying we're seeking to how to lead together.

And then I think that there's there's a sense of perhaps more balance more scriptural fidelity when we're when we're helping one another and we're trying to lead forward and I and also elders in general do not want to hammer down some major change major shift.

We talked about that with our church polity that if there's some major issue major change that we want to hear with at least two weeks from the congregation opportunities to get together have coffee call a letter to be written and mailed in arrive whatever the version is that folks in the congregation like to communicate with the elders.

We want to give that space of time to hear from the congregation because we sure don't want to you know take a hard right and send people out you know through the window. So we want to make sure that we're leading and leading well.

Any questions so far about this first section under the heading of unity and I've already mentioned Matthew 18 but Matthew 18 is an excellent study about Jesus understanding what we're going to go through and how to best preserve the unity of the church even when there are issues even when there are problems church discipline is something that is both formative and something that is corrective and formative.

Church discipline should be going on all the time such as I'm going to encourage my sister not the gossip. I want to encourage my brother to be more sensitive to the needs of others. I'm going to call up so-and-so and ask them to go with me to go visit somebody who's sick and so on and so forth.

Those are that's formative. That's that's kind of forming up and doing things to help one another follow Christ. It's it's you can call it discipleship if you like it's helping others follow Jesus in these active ways.

And that's going to be 90 of the time or even more. That's going to be what it is in terms of church discipline. Now corrective church discipline gets you know happens every once in a while every once in a while you you put your car into 90 miles an hour every once in a while when you've got to get around a big rig throwing rocks all right every once in a while you've got to do something and every once in a while we have corrective church discipline which means you go to your sister or your brother and there's an issue and they tell you off you know it was a bad day or something things aren't going well something needs to be corrected and you can't seem to do it on your own.

So you then you bring somebody else what Jesus says Matthew 18 verse 16. But if he does not listen to you take one or two more with you so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.

If he refuses to listen to them tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. What is Jesus after here again that the goal is to win your brother to win your sister.

If it doesn't go well bring somebody else. Bring an elder of the church along with you an elders wife or somebody who's in in a natural discipleship role over this person that they trust somebody who can see whether you're making a mountain out of a molehill and maybe correct you and and and maybe resolve and bring peace and reconciliation.

The goal is to reconciliation. The goal is winning one another back to Christ. Well you keep on going and and this take this isn't a one two three three day process. Okay this is something that will take a while and these steps can be repeated as much as wise.

But when it comes to telling the whole church I've only been involved in two situations like that and and to the utmost only one situation where there was treat someone like a Gentile and a tax collector is a is a euphemism for saying this is a severe mercy.

You need to understand what it feels like to be outside the flock of Christ out what it feels like to be outside of the covenant so that you will feel that and recognize your need to repent in return.

That's the goal. And other passages in in the New Testament give the same sense of when you were put outside the camp in Israel because you were unclean or had the plague or whatever it was. It was your goal to get clean and healthy as fast as you could to get back inside the camp.

And that's the whole idea in church discipline. If it goes to the nth degree the whole goal is that we're still praying for this person. We're so loving this person and we want them to return. So that's a very rare case.

I've only seen that you know and maybe in the course of ten years I've only seen it twice and and and one of them wasn't as clear of a situation as this. But I've also seen other church discipline issues go to the maybe second or third level and the person repents and returns and is faithful.

So I you know I trust this because Christ told us. But also I've experienced it and following okay Jesus what next. Okay follow the instructions. Because sometimes you just feel like you feel like you're flying blind.

I just feel like you don't have. You know what am I doing here. Well as the old saying goes trust the instruments. If you can't see out the see what's outside. The second heading is I will share that I will share the responsibility of my church first by praying for its growth.

Praying for Growth, Discipleship, and Stewardship

And of course we should pray for the growth of the of the of the number because we want to see souls saved because we want more opportunity to disciple others. And in Acts 2 47 is mentioned there that the Lord added to their number daily those who are being saved.

I'm glad it's phrased that way to remind us that it's the Lord who builds his church. I will build my church he says to Peter he doesn't say you. And the latest marketing technique will build your church.

He says I will build my church. And if the Lord builds it it's going to last right. The church growth movement with its marketing techniques is very effective in growing numbers so effective that the Unitarian Church who was dying employed Rick Warren's methodology and now they're flourishing.

So also our Mormons. Okay this there's nothing spiritual about it. It's just understanding human nature and how to market and how to get people involved. What we want to do is to truly live out lives of Christ live out Christ to those around us and lead them to Christ.

And we would like to see the number in our flock grow but according to the way that the Lord adds to the number of the church also by involving ourselves in personal discipleship in the body Jesus is it follow me.

I'll make you fishers of men. And he also said go and make disciples of all the nations teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. So every Christian every Christian is to be involved in discipleship in some way at some level.

And discipleship does not mean a program where you're the teacher and you have two or three students that can be a manifestation of discipleship. It's not the only way discipleship. Helping other people follow Jesus may be as simple as what ideas you know when you deal with somebody and you you're not going to compromise on an issue.

Why. Because of this and this and this and all of a sudden you're instructing and you're teaching and you're showing them something. Right. Okay that's good. Sometimes it's being available right. Being available at some level helps with discipleship.

If you're always unavailable can't never disciple anybody. I think another way is if you are in the scriptures if you've been reading if you've been thinking if you've been memorizing if you've been Bible intake then you've got something to share with somebody.

And sharing the scriptures with someone is one of the most basic ways to disciple someone. And you don't have to be a theologian you don't have to be a scholar. All you have to do is read the scriptures or maybe memorize a passage of scripture and just share it with somebody.

You know I've been thinking about this the other day. I read such and such and this and this and this and all of a sudden you've brought their attention to the things of Christ. Haven't you. You brought their focus to where it really really matters.

Paul says in Colossians 3 set our minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And that is the touchstone of sanctification of being renewed in Christ if we put our attention on him.

Well if when you when you share scripture with somebody and you help set their mind on things above aren't you helping disciple. It doesn't take too much to do that and we can all be involved with that.

One way I've often thought about in helping disciple others is by singing together. Singing in the church is not performance. It was we'd all get fired. Singing in the church is discipleship. It is truly in encouraging those around you with the biblical truths that are in the hymns or in in the songs and the Psalms whatever we're singing we're singing that.

And what you're to do is you to encourage those around you with those truths that you together with them are affirming these truths. And you're helping to set their mind on things above by singing hymns together.

And everybody who sings in congregational worship is helping to disciple truly. And especially when we do it in the right frame of mind right spirit. We also should attempt to make disciples of those outside the church.

If we're never outside the church that doesn't happen a lot of folks initiate relationships with those at work or initiate relationships with those in a maybe a whole homeschooling co-op or some other venue.

But when we're out and about and we should be thinking about how to make disciples. You don't know where you but you don't know where somebody is. You don't know if they're absolutely a pagan. If they have no concept at all of the Bible you don't know where they're at.

So you start talking to them a little bit and help them on to Christ. Maybe you're not going to be able to get the whole Romans road in in that conversation. But you've got us. You got to start somewhere.

There's a whole lot of work to be done in the harvest laboring for the harvest. And we should not look upon even the smallest efforts. If I feel like I'm only gonna have like a minute and a half with this person.

Don't look on the smallest of efforts with disdain. Jesus taught us that the faith that the size of a mustard the mustard seeds smallest of all the seeds that they that they had for their gardens but it becomes the biggest plant in their garden.

And we talk about the growth of the kingdom. We can't look on small things as bad. Jesus says the small things are what we need to be paying attention to and doing the small things and not despising the small things.

After all it's just a little bit of leaven. It's just a little mustard seed and they're all little children who come into the kingdom of God. So don't despise the small things that gives glory to God by him working big things out of the small.

Another item about sharing responsibility in my church by giving regularly. There's a mentioning of Paul's efforts to relieve the the hunger of the church in Judea because there was a great famine. And in Corinthians 1st Corinthians 16 to on the first day of every week each one of you should set aside some of money in keeping with his income.

Well that was a Paul was trying to make sure that the churches in Macedonia and Achaia and all these other places would be gathering together their resources to send it to other churches who were in need.

Okay there are other passages that talk about you know don't muzzle the ox on the ox that you know don't muzzle the ox. Let him eat the grain that he treads on. So it's okay to support a pastor. And it's especially important that we support the work of the gospel in other places which is why our our missions budget is traditionally about 20

And we try to support churches in needy places just for missionaries who are trying to establish churches in these needy places following in the example what John wrote about you know if we if we are faithful to support these kinds of people we share in their labor for the gospel's sake.

So this isn't exactly the tithe but it certainly is modeled after it. Paul is giving instructions to follow in something that they're very accustomed to. I think so the fifth point is by praying for other members of the body.

And Andrea's already mentioned that as a way to love people that we pray regularly for one another. Keep on praying for all the Saints. Paul says in Ephesians 6 18. So share the responsibility of the church.

Christ Fulfills the Law and Shapes Christian Giving

Any questions about that second section of the covenant. What we take as a rule of thumb as we read through the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus takes up the old covenant and parts of it as interpreted by the rabbis of the day and tries to clarify what it means when it comes to following him.

Right. Jesus Christ is the one who fulfills the law the prophets and the writings. He's the one who fulfills all of it. So when we follow Jesus he's certainly not going to lead us against the Ten Commandments or against the extrapolations of the Ten Commandments.

But in fact when we follow Christ we will truly be living righteously in ways that fully express God's law. For instance you've heard it said do not murder. But I said you don't hate your brother in your heart.

Right. There's an intensification. It feels like an intensification of the commandment. Tithing is an extrapolation in the Old Testament of one of the Ten Commandments. Can we guess which one. Okay. Do not steal do not covet.

Don't don't be an idolater. Could probably possibly also apply. Right. I mean there's a whole lot there that when you think of a tithe now the tithe in the Old Testament is set with all the other sacrifices.

Okay. And it is an expression it is verbatim an expression of showing that God you are the one who gave me all this grain. It wasn't me it was you. I give back a tenth to you saying I truly will be satisfied when I'm satisfied in you I've got to trust you not my own ability to farm.

Okay. And that's exactly what it says in the Old Testament. It's all about acknowledging God as the provider. So Christ fulfills the law when we follow him. He's not going to lead us in contradiction to God's character expressed in the law.

So obviously we're going to be giving people. When we read about the new that the new church established in Acts they were giving a little bit more than the tithe. Weren't they. They were. You know they were found themselves in in dire need.

Lots of priests and widows were converting from Judaism to Christianity meaning they lost all their means of support. There was a lot of need in the church. People were selling houses selling land bringing money trying to make sure to meet all those needs.

And it seems to me that the sense of giving has to do with the appropriate need. Paul goes out of the way to highlight to the Corinthians the generosity of the Macedonians at Philippi how they gave even out of their poverty.

What we see in the New Testament is not so much looking for the tithe as Jesus accused the Pharisees. Yeah you tithe even down to the tenth of your mint and your dill and your cumin and you're tithing your herbs.

For goodness sakes you're keeping your tithe up. But you're ignoring mercy and justice. You're ignoring the weightier matters of the law. So I think Jesus's sense about how we should think of giving is that perhaps the tithe is a we should look we should learn from the tithe that what we give should be an appropriate expression of God.

You gave all this to me. I it wasn't me it was you. You gave me the strength the skill the wisdom the energy to do all this and I'm gonna give back to you in worship. Some people say tithe is a great place to start and then work your way on.

I don't know that might be helpful that might be harmful. Becca and I when we first were married listen to a preacher called the smiling preacher what is his name. He would preach and then he just stopped and go anyway.

Bill Bill Stafford is Bill Stafford anyway he talked about giving. He just came and preached about giving and it wasn't so he could get a lot of money he had. They had a lot. He'd sold his land and sold all his you know sold everything to give to the Lord.

And you know just lived off of basic means and we learned the joy of giving. So we you know we rejoice when we had more money to steward and we would give more. I mean that was just kind of what our general rule of thumb was and we there were times it was very lean but we didn't reduce our tithe what we called it our tithe.

We didn't reduce our offerings. I just had too many people who've discipled me in stories beyond stories of God's faithfulness and you give to him and he'll take care of you. I'm just my life is just full of those stories those testimonies.

So I don't know if that answers your question or not but we're definitely not looking for. You know you're required to give 10 but I think what it says is just it's just that you would give regularly now some and I you know and I'm perfectly fine with somebody who is you know incredible dire straits financially if they find a different way to give a different way to offer up something of value to help the church.

I mean I you know preachers that first went in the westward expansion you know they might get a chicken once a week you know. But you know so I mean that's just what is it that you know Jimmy smiling he's like well if I keep him alive I can give a chicken.

Hawks come after you. The help serving the ministry of the church says bit by being equipped to serve my pastor elders and teachers. We read that God gave some to be pastors and teachers to prepare God's people for works and service for the body of Christ might be built up.

Getting equipped is an essential part of being a part of a church. The the leaders not only are trying to encourage you and exhort you to shepherd you protect you this time but they were also supposed to be trying to equip you for more ministry for more service.

We should be helping you be better husbands better wives better parents better children those kind of things in helping your family glorify Christ. We should be helping you and equipping you to serve knowing how to make disciples of others better and to be evangelistic.

We should be equipping you. And and so if there are ways in which you feel deficient that's a great way to this is a great something to talk about. You know we want to be we want to equip you we want to help you.

If there's something you feel like deficient in well then come talk to us. We'll make provision to equip the body for ministry. Because it's not about one guy doing everything or just a group of guys doing everything.

It's about the whole church as the body of Christ working together. And we're only as we're only as strong as our weakest member. Right. So we're we need to be helping one another. We should develop and utilize natural talents and spiritual gifts.

Serving One Another with Gifts, a Servant’s Heart, and Faithful Attendance

So let's go to first Peter 4. I think that's a good passage to look at. And what are natural gifts or natural talents versus spiritual gifts. Why do we make a distinction. Do you think there's gonna be some parity between the two.

Yeah perhaps. Right. Well I think it's I recognize not always should somebody serve in the church just because they have a skill but unless they should find a way to use that skill for the good of the church.

We've also to people here at Sunnyside that are excellent with fixing pipes and taking care of the buildings and grounds. And they have no special title. They just show up randomly and do stuff. I mean I mean I got a I got at least five people that do that no special title.

They may or may not get reimbursed. They don't care. They're just showing up and doing stuff. I mean and and so they have natural skill. They want to use it for the good of the church. Right. That's just one example.

We also have some widows in our church who are exceptionally bold and have a razor-sharp understanding of the gospel and they don't care who you are or what you're about. They're going to tell you about Christ.

I just are they're excellent at it. So those are some examples that here's somebody with a spiritual gift of evangelism and maybe she doesn't look like the prototypical evangelist but she's going to evangelize.

Right. So I think that those are some examples. But I think first Peter 4 is very helpful in simplifying things. We don't have to have what may some may consider to be an exhaustive list of all the spiritual gifts and whether or not you have that like a personality test.

But I think Peter simplifies things for us when we read in verse 10 as each one has received a special gift employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking in the utterances of God.

Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies so that in all things God may be glorifying through Jesus Christ to whom belongs the glory and the dominion forever and ever.

Amen. I think it's telling that we're stewards of the manifold grace of God that the grace of is manifold like the many facets of a diamond that when you turn you see the glistening of all the different facets.

And it's not that I have a grace and you have a grace but we are stewards of the manifold grace of God that those who speak or serve. And again Peter's not being exactly exhaustive but whatever we do we're to do it as this is God's authority and God's strength.

Right. And the goal is that God be glorified. And there's this doxology to Christ when when we serve in the power of God and by the authority of God and depending in dependence upon God. Guess who gets all the glory God does.

And that's that's his main interest in our church. We should serve in the ministries of the church. Each one of us is to consider ourselves a part of it a part of the church. Which way are you vitally serving in a ministry of the church.

Good question. Are we going to be a part of the body or apart from the body. Right. Are we a part of or apart from. We should develop a servant's heart. A servant's heart is the kind of heart that looks on the interest of others more than themselves.

So a servant's heart doesn't begin with what's best for me. A servant heart says well what's best for others. And with that is the primary consideration that I consider others as more important than myself.

Then we will put ourselves into position to serve those people. Not this is best for me but what's best for others. A servant's heart is manifested by nobody having to make an announcement about a need and a sign-up sheet.

But all of a sudden these needs get met because somebody is thinking about the needs of others and they're looking around they see needs and they go meet those needs. And we never have to have a sign-up sheet now that's and we have several several people here at Sunnyside who do that finally support the testimony of my church by attending faithfully Hebrews 1025.

Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing but let us encourage one another does not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some but all the more as we see the day approaching the day the last day the day of judgment Christ's return.

Anybody sense that the return of Christ is getting nearer that we live. It is right. So we should not ever be retreating from the gathering together of the Saints. That's what the scripture says. But we ought to be attending faithfully.

Why now. Hebrews 1024 says that we are to hold fast to the confession of our faith that we are to stir one another up to love into good works meaning we are to help disciple one another. So if we forsake the assembling together if we retreat from one another can we help each other follow Christ better by retreating from one another.

No we only help each other follow Christ better by moving towards one another. And we are to worship in heart and mind with God's people as we have opportunity to do that we actually have these fixed opportunities on Sundays to do that and Wednesday night by to worship together and by living a godly life whatever happens to conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ Philippians 127.

So that supports the minute testimony of my church by increasing the health of the church by together corporately declaring the glories of Christ in worship that he is the he is the Savior in whom God is well pleased and by living a godly life nothing so harmful to a local church than some of her members living immoral lives.

Or you know getting caught in embezzling money and all sorts of things. And they get a bad reputation in this and they say aren't you a member at such and such church. Many churches testimony has been ruined because their members do not live godly lives.

And so we should take that seriously and in that way we'd be serving one another. Right. If I live ungodly what does that do to everybody else at my church. Right. Okay. Well we've gone through the membership covenant.

I think there are some handouts that I will try to provide to you either tonight or you know in the middle of the week or next Sunday that well you can fill out and kind of talk about some things just information wise concerning the church and I'll let you all those of you who are interested in joining talk to me at your own conviction and impulse so that you can let me know if you are indeed interested in joining Sunnyside Baptist Church and then we'll we'll proceed from there.

Okay all right I have gone over time. So I'll have to shave off five minutes from the sermon to make up for that. So all right let's go ahead and close in prayer.