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All quotations are taken from the New American StandardVersion unless otherwise indicated.
2014For republication please contacttim@graceofforesthills.com
For more booklets in this series go toguineafield.blogspot.com
or graceofforesthills.com
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Table of Contents
LESSON Glorifying God 1-11
LESSON 2 Proclaiming Christ 12-24
LESSON 3 Utilizing Scripture 25-45
LESSON 4 Praying Always 46-63
LESSON 5 Maturing Members 64-77
LESSON 6 Shepherding Leadership 78-91
LESSON 7 Loving Others 92-103
LESSON 8 Maintaining Unity 104-118
LESSON 9 Joining Grace Baptist Church 119-127
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What drives you? The Harvard Business School is
writing a series of books entitled The Results Driven
Manager. 1 What do we mean by being driven? When
we say someone is a driven person, we are usually
referring to their motivation. They are a motivated
person. They are quick to get up and get going. So
when Harvard Business School entitles a series of
books The Results Driven Manager what they are
saying is that the results are motivating the manager.
Results are what drive much of the business world a
product must sell or it is set aside. Therefore, much of
the business world is bottom-line driven. What are
other secular motivations in life? Education systems
can be driven by achievement test scores. In an
improper setting, the test scores can become the
motivation for all that is done in the classroom even to
the point of placing learning aside.
1 Making Smart Decisions: The Results-Driven Manager Series (2006);Retaining Your Best People: The Results-Driven Manager Series (2005);Harvard Business Press.
Bible-Driven Church
LESSON 1 GlorifyingGod
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According to Hall of Famer, Joe Montana, desire is
what drives people to excellence. 2 So whether it is
success, results, fear, or desire we are all driven bysomething.
What should drive a church? What is our motivation at
Grace Baptist Church? Sadly, many churches follow
the business pattern and are quick to incorporate
anything into their regular practice that will bringresults. Results often meaning bigger numbers
more bodies, bucks and buildings. Or perhaps a
church might be driven by the fear of appearing
mediocre to other ministries. Believers should never
be tempted by these motivation; they are wrong for a
church and a believer.
We must not be driven by any secular motivation; our
drive must be God. We must find Him as our end and
beginning and our all in between. As Romans 11:36
teaches, For from Him and through Him and to Him
are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Our
drive, or our motivation, according to the Bible,
should be the love of God (2 Corinthians 5:14). Our
love to Him and His love to us must be the motivating
factor behind Grace Baptist Church.
2 Desire drives us to discover just how good we can be. The WinningSpirit: 16 timeless principles that drive performance excellence By JoeMontana, Tom Mitchell; Random House
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So how does the love of God and our desire to Glorify
Him relate to being Bible driven? Driven is not just
referring to our motivation, it is also our roadmap todoing things Gods way. It shows the way we drive,
where we are to drive, as well as what should drive
(motivate) us. A church that loves God will not do just
anything and everything that comes along. They will
be careful to listen to Gods Word to know what to do,
how, and when to do it in a church.
So a Bible driven church is motivated (driven) by the
glory/love of God and drives a ministry the way God
desires. Stated on an individual basis - A person who
is Bible driven is motivated (driven) by the glory/love
of God and drives their life the way God desires (as
revealed in the Bible).
Bible Driven Church Living
This booklet will define what a Bible driven church
looks like. We will highlight eight different facets of aBible driven church. These are the eight activities that
God wants a local church to make their emphasis. As
you will see they are taken straight from Scripture.
This is our DNA at Grace Baptist Church. We believe
that God has declared what He wants a church to focus
on and we are responsible to head that direction in our
ministry philosophy. They are each included in our
church purpose statement:
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The purpose of Grace Baptist Church will be to glorify
God by being Bible-driven:In its message - Proclaiming Christ to those who
believe and to those who do not believe.
In its means Praying Always and Utilizing
Scripture to build Mature Members who have
been equipped by shepherding leadership to do
the work of the ministry building the body to . . .. . . Love Others
. . Maintain Unity
We did not pick these eight principles from a hat.
We actually took hours studying the entire NT gleaning
these themes from a detailed study of Scripture. The
original study included over 600 principles of church
ministry. These hundreds of principles were organized
into the above eight Bible themes for what a local
church should highlight. This is why we say this is a
Bible-driven church. It began with a study of what God
wants in church ministry. Not what others said, what
the church leadership thought practical or important
or what church growth gurus said was essential.
Instead, we went to the NT and discovered what God
wants in His church. That is why we say Grace is Bible
driven. These the eight themes were clearly
prominent when it came to the Bibles instruction on
church ministry.
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As we walk through each of these essential principles
we will not only turn the search light of Gods Word toexamine our own fellowship at Grace Baptist Church,
but we will also search out our own individual lives as
well. These principals are essential to the individual
believer as well as the entire church body. Lets begin
with the first theme.
The purpose of Grace Baptist Church will be to glorify
God by being Bible-driven :
Theme 1 Glorifying God
If we are not existing for Gods glory then we are not a
Bible driven church. The glory of God must be
preeminent. We must make God great in others eyes.
This is the first theme in our purpose statement for a
reason. It is the biggest concept from which all the
others flow. The remaining themes of our purposestatement above are organized below this major
purpose.
The beginning of the Westminster Catechism teaches
children this all important foundational truth in the
form of a question. Believers have been teaching/using
this formula for centuries since it was first used in the
mid 1600s:
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Question: What is the chief end of man?
Answer: To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Take a moment to read through several passages of
Scripture that teach this principle.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly
beyond all that we ask or think, according to thepower that works within us, to Him be the glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations
forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking
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 glorified
through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory
and dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter
4:11).
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be
the glory forever. Amen (Romans 16:27).
to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ
our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority,
before all time and now and forever. Amen (Jude
1:25)
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Gods glory is indeed a weighty matter. In fact,
weight is one way to define the word glory. The O.T.
term that is translated glory is also used to refer toweight (as in a very plump priest - Eli I Sam. 4:18).
Gods weightiness, His greatness, is above the
greatness of anything else. This is His holiness. He is
great beyond our comprehension. All the truths we
teach about God (His attributes) expound one aspect or
other of His glory how He is greater and bigger thananything we can imagine. Each of these attributes are
like a ray of light from His glory staggering and
enlightening our simple minds. Our ultimate job as a
church and as an individual is to make more people
understand how big and how great (how weighty) God
is.
One of the greatest ways that the church can show that
God is weighty/great is by listening to Him. If
someone says that the Lord is very weighty but they do
not listen to Him then they are mistaken. The first
step in being a church that glorifies God is to examine
the Bible to see what God wants the church to do, to
find out how He wants the church to look, to worship,
to organize itself. That church must understand what
His priorities are. In fact, the degree to which we give
attention to His instructions demonstrates the degree
to which we truly see His instructions as being
weighty in our decisions. A church or individual that
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says they live to the glory of God without seriously
considering Gods Words is deceived.
Below are some other principles in our study of the
church and church ministry that reflect how and why
the church exists to Gods glory.
1. God owns and dwells in the church (I Corinthians
3:9; His Family Ephesians 2:19; His Temple Ephesians 2:20-21; His Flock I Peter 5:2).
2. God chooses the church (Romans 8:29-30;
Colossians 3:12) and loves the church (Colossians
3:16)
3. God the Son is the Head (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23;
Colossians 1:18), Redeemer/Savior (Acts 20:28;
Ephesians 5:23-26), and Pattern (Ephesians 4:15;
Colossians 3:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:12) of the
church which waits for His return (I Thessalonians
4:18; I Peter 1:13; Jude 21).
4. God and His Word (Acts 19:19-20) are the source of
the churchs strength (2 Timothy 2:1), growth (Acts
2:47; 14:26-27; 1 Corinthians 3:4-7, 10; Colossians
2:19), service (I Peter 4:11), and protection (Acts
20:32).
5. God the Spirit is the source of the churchs
ministry functions (spiritual gifts) and how they are
organized (Acts 1:8; 13:52; I Corinthians 12:4-6).
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Johann S. Bach (1685-1703) is considered one of the
greatest composers of all time. His complex pieces
involved a beauty that typifies the Baroque period. As
Music Director of St. Thomas church in Leipizig,
Germany, Bach was challenged to compose a new piece
of music every week for the church. His tireless efforts
reflected his desire to work not just for men but for God.
In fact Bach is well known for writing SDG at the bottom
of many of the pages of music that he composed. These
initials stood for Soli Deo Gloria which was one of the
five Solis of the Protestant Reformation To God
alone be the glory.
Our lives should be like a piece of music - each note a
moment that brought together composes a day, a page
of time. At the end of each day we should be able to
write at the bottom SDG to God alone be the glory for
this day. In fact, that would be a good prayer at the
beginning and end of each day. May all our days be
book ended with these two notes Lord I pray that this
day and all that I do and say would be to your glory.
And as we close the sheet of music may we be able to
say with Bach, Lord, to you alone be the glory for all
that you have done through me today.
SIDE LIGHT: Living for Gods Glory
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1. There are two ways that we use the word
driven. Describe the two ways that this term
is used in our philosophy statement (see page
2).
2. What are some practical ways a church
demonstrates being Bible driven? What are
some practical ways an individual demonstrates
being Bible driven?
3. How does Gods glory correspond to being Bible
driven as a church or individual?
QUESTION AND ANSWER
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The purpose of Grace Baptist Church will be to glorify
God by being Bible-driven :By Proclaiming Christ to those who believe and
those who do not believe.
The second theme in our church purpose statement is
proclaiming Christ. This is another major theme of
the New Testament (N.T.). It is closely related to thenext theme (Utilizing Scripture) as He is the Word of
John 1:1. But in a narrower sense, we are to proclaim
Christ Himself in the Gospel. To get a good
understanding of what the Bible says about this theme
we will answer three different questions.
1. What is proclaiming Christ?
2. To whom do we proclaim Christ?
3. How should we proclaim Christ (in what
manner)?
Bible-DrivenChurch LESSON 2Proclaiming Christ
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1. What is proclaiming Christ?
To answer this question, we will examine the exampleof the early church as recorded in the NT History book
(Acts). Then we will look at what this practice is
equated with and lastly why God desires that we focus
on this as a Church.
The Early Church Example
It is clear that the disciples proclaimed Christ boldly
and unapologetically as the early church grew. Lets
follow the storyline of the early church. In Acts 1:8,
the Lord tells them that they will receive power once
the Holy Spirit comes on them and then they will beHis witnesses. They will testify to Him.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even
to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8).
This is exactly what they did as they went out. In fact
this word, testify or the related word witness is used
repeatedly throughout the rest of Acts to describe the
activity of the Apostles. This is one of the first
activities that Peter engaged in at Pentecost once he
had received the power of the Holy Spirit:
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"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the
Nazarene . . . this man, delivered over by the
predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, younailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and
put Him to death. But God raised Him up again . . .
This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all
witnesses (Acts 2:22).
That word witness means someone who testifies foranother. Jesus left a life as a legacy and everyones
future destiny is based on Who they judge Him to be.
We are to proclaim Christ to testify what is true of
Him. These words (testify/witness) both come from
the Greek word martureo this is the word from which
we get our word martyr. This shows the common
result in the early church to their testimony about
Jesus. Their witness did bring persecution. However,
they did not stop. In fact, instead of asking the Lord to
stop the persecution, they prayed for boldness to
continue to proclaim the good news of Jesus.
As they proclaimed the truth about Jesus, local
churches sprung up like plants in spring. God uses
faithful people proclaiming Christ to plant churches.
Examine below this vital pattern: 3
3 If you are not convinced, or if you just would like to enjoy afascinating subject study, look up the following passages aswell. These follow Pauls church planting journeys Acts13:5, 6, 10, 12, 15-16, 43-44, 48-49; 14:1, 3, 6-7, 20-21, 24-25;
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But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he
passed through he kept preaching the gospel to allthe cities until he came to Caesarea (Acts 8:40).
After they had preached the gospel to that city and
had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra
and to Iconium and to Antioch (Acts 14:21-22).
And according to Pauls custom, he went to them,
and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them fromthe Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that
Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead,
and saying This Jesus Whom I am proclaiming to
you is the Christ (Acts 17:2-3).
Preaching Christ Equals Preaching the Word
As you look at the verses highlighting the early
churchs example for starting new churches you see
that the words proclaiming Christ and preaching the
Word are nearly synonymous.
We know from John 1:1 that Jesus is the Word in flesh.
The message about Him is the Word. The Gospel is the
words about the Word, Gods Son.
15:35, 36; 16:10, 13; 17:2-3, 10-11, 17; 18:4-5, 28; 19:8, 9-10,19:20, 20:17-21.14
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So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken
the word of the Lord, they started back to
Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to manyvillages of the Samaritans (Acts 8:25).
God tells us to proclaim Christ/preach the Word
throughout the rest of the NT instruction to the
church. Paul set this as his example to the Corinthian
church above other possible facets of church ministry, but we preach Christ crucified When writing to
Timothy and Titus to give instruction on how churches
should be organized, Pauls constant mantra is to
preach the Word, preach Christ. Preach the word; be
ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort, with great patience and instruction.
Bible-driven churches give careful attention to Bible
preaching. We must carefully examine Christ and His
glory through the systematic preaching of the Bible;
and as we do this the church grows. There are many
helpful as well as many silly ideas on how to promote
church growth. But the primary church growth tool
clearly directed in Scripture is proclaiming Christ.
Lets look briefly at why this is the case. Why did God
choose to use preaching to build His church? You may
be shocked.
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Why Did God choose Preaching?
At times we have a false view of the effectiveness ofpreaching. It is not effective because it is intrinsically
the most effective way of communicating a message.
There are other ways to communicate messages
through drama, art, big productions great signs or
miracles, etc. Everyone sitting down and listening to
one person talk about the greatness of another
Persons death, burial and resurrection may sound a
little foolish. And that is exactly why God chooses to
use it.
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those
who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it
is the power of God For since in the wisdom of
God the world through its wisdom did not come to
know God, God was well-pleased through the
foolishness of the message preached to save those
who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and
Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ
crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles
foolishness, but to those who are the called, both
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the
wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is
wiser than men, and the weakness of God is
stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).
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When the exclusive Gospel of Jesus is proclaimed
openly and boldly there is often persecution. We
should not be surprised or intimidated by this.
The Greek word testify is our word martyr and
often the testimony is what causes martyrdom.
Take Stephen for example he was publicly
stoned for his testimony for Jesus. Stephen is the
first recorded martyr of the church (beginning in
Acts).
Throughout church history, others were martyred
for what we might consider minor issues of
doctrine. Because Thomas Helwys believed he
should be able to worship openly as a Baptist in
England, he was imprisoned for years till death.
God chose preaching because it was foolish. For this
reason we should not try to change Gods method or
water down His message. Cultures change but at alltimes what is done in the preaching of the Gospel will
appear to be a little foolish. However, God wants to
use that foolishness to save those who are lost.
SIDE LIGHT: Witnesses
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He wrote a pamphlet that stated people should be
able to worship openly according to their
conscience. Not only did he try to hand hispamphlet to King James but when he did not
succeed in this effort he sent a signed copy to the
King. John Stilman publicly spoke against
worshiping and praying to images (icons) and was
burnt to death by the Roman Catholic Church. For
centuries men and women have boldly proclaimed
their faith and were ready to die because their
conscience was bound to the objective truths of the
Gospel.
This concept is foreign to the twenty first century
US church. In fact, our churches are comfortably
cushiony. So much so, that some churches shy
away from teaching the faith because it might not
be what people want to hear. What a difference
this attitude is from past generations. Not just
different from past generations, however, believers
all over the world are persecuted for their faith.
Across this globe believers are persecuted every
day for their testimony for Jesus with a settled joy
that they are dying as witnesses to Jesus Who died
for them. And it is that testimony that spreads the
faith The blood of the martyrs is the seed of thechurch.
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2. To whom do we proclaim Christ?
According to the philosophy statement we are toproclaim Christ to those who believe and to those
who do not believe. Often when we think of
preaching the Gospel we focus our attention solely on
how the Gospel applies to unbelievers. How someone
initially has their sins forgiven. However, the Gospel is
just as needy for the believer as the unbeliever. We
must always believe in the Gospel. Our sins are
washed away once and for all. But if Satan or our
conscience accuses us we need to be believing in the
Gospel. We need to proclaim the Gospel to ourselves
to remember again that our sins are washed away and
we stand complete in Jesus Christ. This is the way
Paul preached the forgiveness of sins in Acts.
Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that
through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to
you, and through Him everyone who believes is
freed from all things, from which you could not be
freed through the Law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).
The word believes is in the present tense means the
one who is believing is freed . . . There is never a time
when our faith should not be steadfastly fixed to the
good news of Jesus. As the Hymn writer said Tis
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grace that led me safe this far, and grace will lead me
home.
If you study the word Gospel in the NT, you willnotice that the Gospel is used in connection with
believers. It is the Gospel that continues to establish
us (Romans 16:25). And the believer stands in the
Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1). The word establish in
Romans 16:25 is used of the activity that Paul
endeavored to do when returning back to the churcheshe had planted to disciple the believers.
And having spent some time there , he left and
passed successively through the Galatian region and
Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples (Acts
18:23).
So the same Gospel that Paul used to bring people to
the faith is the Gospel that would establish them in
that Faith. It is the same for you, believer. The good
news of Jesus not only brings you to faith but builds
you in the faith. He is the milk of the Word and the
meat of the Word. The Gospel does not just include
justification (being declared to be like Jesus in heaven);
it also includes sanctification (progressively growing to
be more like Jesus on earth). It is the Gospel that
motivates us to live a life that is pleasing to God. The
Bible teaches that we are not saved by our good works
but we are saved unto good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).
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This is confirmed in I Corinthians 15:1. We stand in
the Gospel if we hold fast our believing it. As believers
we must always remember that our standing beforeGod is always based on Jesus. If we ever slip into
thinking that our standing before God is based on how
I am performing for Him today we are destined to fail
every day. Our standing is in Christ. The Galatian
believers were fooled to believe that after they believed
in Jesus they had to do certain things to maintain thatrelationship to God. Paul calls this a different Gospel
(Galatians 3:1-3).
3. How in what manner) should we proclaim the
Gospel?
Much more will be said about our manner of speech in
later studies but it is important to outline some of the
themes that come up when considering the
proclamation of the Gospel.
Speak the Gospel Boldly.
"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and
grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your
word with all confidence (Acts 4:29).But after we had already suffered and been
mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the
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boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of
God amid much opposition (1 Thessalonians 2:2).
Speak the Gospel Clearly.
Praying at the same time for us as well, that God
will open up to us a door for the word, so that we
may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I
have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clearin the way I ought to speak (Colossians 4:3-4).
Speak the Gospel Lovingly.
To the weak I became weak, that I might win theweak; I have become all things to all men, so that I
may by all means save some. I do all things for the
sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow
partaker of it (1 Corinthians 9:22-23).
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1. How could you summarize early church planting
efforts in different cities (Acts 8: 40; 14:21; 20:24)?
2. What is Gods primary tool for church growth?
3. Why is the manner in which we proclaim Christ
important?
QUESTION AND ANSWER
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The purpose of Grace Baptist Church will be to glorify
God by being Bible-driven :By Proclaiming Christ to those who believe and
those who do not believe.
Utilizing Scripture
We demonstrated in the last lesson how important it is
that a church Proclaims Christ. In doing so we saw
that proclaiming Christ is synonymous with
proclaiming the Word. Our third theme develops this a
little further showing how the Word is necessary to a
healthy church. God will use His Word. Lets take a
minute to examine how the early church made this a
priority. And then we will highlight eight reasons why
using Gods Word is essential to our church ministry at
Grace.
The Early Church Prioritized Utilizing Scripture
Lets look at the practice of the early church to see how
they utilized Scripture. The common word in Greek
Bible-DrivenChurch LESSON 3Utilizing Scripture
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for word is logos . This is used more times in the book
of Acts than any other book in the New Testament (65
times). This shows how important utilizing the Wordof God was to the early church. They made the Word a
priority.
They were continually devoting themselves to the
apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).Now at this time while the disciples were
increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part
of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews,
because their widows were being overlooked in the
daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the
congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not
desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order
to serve tables. 3 "Therefore, brethren, select from
among you seven men of good reputation, full of
the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in
charge of this task. 4 "But we will devote ourselves
to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:1-
4).
But when Silas and Timothy came down from
Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely
to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that
Jesus was the Christ (Acts 18:5).
Summarize what these verses teach in relation to the
early churchs example of making the Word not just an25
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activity among other activities, but made it their
priority:
There are many good ministries to be involved in. And
many churches are able to do extensive good and
profound help in their community by giving to those
with physical need. These ministries may be known for
one or another of these good moral activities. As a
compassionate community we (the church) are
naturally going to love others and that love will bedemonstrated by taking care of peoples physical
needs. However, a problem can come when this
becomes the churchs main priority. Taking care of a
citys homeless, or a communities lepers are Christ-
like activities; and yet, if they are not means to a
greater end then they fall short of the churchs main
ministry. Our priority must be the Word of Christ
sharing the truths of the Bible that will transform
people to love and worship the one true God. If we fall
short of this, then our ministry, no matter how helpful,
is not Christian ministry in the truest sense.
What if you were to develop a cure for an acute type of blindness that took the site of 20 million people
worldwide? Someone close to you lost their site to this
SIDE LIGHT: Priority inMinistry
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disease so you were motivated to dedicate your life to
find a cure. Years of painstaking research and
collaboration finally brought you to the point where youwere confident of a cure that was inexpensive and readily
treatable. Would you not be considered a fool if you then
decided to give the rest of your life to helping those with
this disease feel comfortable in their current condition?
Instead of giving them the solution, you hid it away and
thought that the compassionate thing to do was to care
for them in their blindness. People would doubt your
compassion to care for the needy. You had a solution!
And if you did not prioritize your efforts to administer
the remedy to the blind you would be considered
heartless indeed.
We too have a remedy that opens the eyes of thespiritually blind. And this is the ministry that the church
must see as their greatest priority. All our humanitarian
efforts must be to point humans to a gloriously loving
Savior Who will satisfy all of their longings with Himself.
Even taking care of humanities physical pain and
suffering must be a means to the end of opening their
spiritual eyes to the need of spiritual life. So let us not
forget to care for the needy, but only that our caring may
bring them to the One Who can truly take care of their
physical and spiritual needs for now and for eternity.
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Reasons to Utilize Scripture
So it is very clear that the early church prioritizedusing Scripture in their ministry. Why would that be
the case? For the remainder of this lesson we are
going to answer that question by giving 8 reasons why
we should utilize Scripture at Grace Baptist Church.
Reasons 1-3
The first three reasons are taken from one passage of
Scripture that is extremely important to grasp. Read
the verses and explanation below. Then fill in the
blank to complete the first three reasons to utilizeScripture.
And that from childhood you have known the
sacred writings which are able to give you the
wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which
is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that
the man of God may be adequate, equipped for
every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
From a youth Timothy had been taught Scripture by
his mother and grandmother. The word used for
Scripture here is not the common word logos as28
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considered earlier. It is a special word that is only
used when referring to the specific texts of written
Scriptures that we know as the Word of God (Forfurther study compare John 19:24 with Psalm 22:18;
John 19:28 with Psalm 69:21; and John 19:37 with
Zechariah 12:10). Paul goes on to tell Timothy that the
Scripture he was taught ( Tanach ) was able to lead
Timothy to salvation. Notice that the salvation Paul is
referring to is not by works but through faith in ChristJesus.
In verse sixteen Paul makes a new Greek word that
fuses two separate words into one. They are the words
God ( Theos ) and wind or breath ( Pneuo ). Combined
together they make the word Godbreathed. Each
word found in your Bible is breathed out by God like a
musician would breathe out music through a trumpet.
The sound is the musicians completely but he uses a
musical instrument. The words of Scripture are all
Gods words but He uses a human instrument to write
these words. That is a very important reason to utilize
Scripture. Reason 1 The Bible is the Word of God.
Paul goes on to tell four very practical uses for
Scripture (verse 16). Because it is God-breathed, it is
profitable to hearers in special ways. It teaches,
reproves (tells us when we are on the wrong path),
corrects (tells us how to get back on the right path),
and trains in righteousness (it walks us carefully on29
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throughout life). Lets summarize reason number
three this way - Reason 3: The Bible is profitable for
teaching, reproving, correcting, and training believers.
Paul finishes his instruction to Timothy on the value of
Scripture by saying the end result of someone who has
utilized Scripture to the four purposes mentioned in
verse 16. The end result is that the person becomes
complete and fully equipped. This word equipped isused to refer to a room that is completely furnished
and ready for company. We want to be completely
prepared for any work the Lord gives us. We want to
be complete and that is what Scripture will do. And
that is why Grace Baptist Church must utilize
Scripture.
Lets summarize the first three reasons before we
move on to our next passage of Scripture and the final
five reasons we must utilize Scripture.
Reasons 1: The Bible is the Inspired Word of God.
Reason 2: The Bible is profitable for teaching,
reproving, correcting, and training believers.
Reason 3: The Bible will prepare me to be
adequately equipped for any good work.
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John Newton (Author of Amazing Grace) loved and
pursued the same woman his entire life. He waited
years till he was able to marry her and lived devotedly
to her until her death. John expressed his love to his
wife Polly through love letters. Polly expressed herlove by saving these letters and after both of them died
the letters were published in a widely celebrated
collection in the 1700s.
Consider another example. I found one of my friends
late one night burning some papers in a bonfire.
What are you doing? I asked. Its over. He said,with a wry smile on his face. And with that he emptied
the contents of a little box of love letters into the fire.
This was his way of burning his bridges and getting
over a difficult ending to a long relationship. There
was no chance to get them back and although he was
the one that was let go this was his chance of getting
back at her.
When was the last time you picked up the God-
breathed letter to you? If you never pick it up and read
it then you may as well be my buddy by the fire. That
really signifies the respect and love you have for Gods
love letter to you. We should be like Polly Newton,
devotedly saving and pouring over every word. That is
the person that will benefit from the Word of God.
That is a person in love.
SIDE LIGHT: Priority inMinistry
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Reason 4
How do you know what is right and what is wrong?How do you know what is true about God? How do
you know God? How do you know that you are right
with God? Your answers to these questions should be
tied in some way to the Word of God. However, it is
tempting to answer those questions with some life
experience outside of Scripture that relates to those
questions. This is a natural response because we see
God active and alive in our lives every day. These
experiences are very real and help confirm to us what
we read in the Bible.
But we must use lifes experiences as an additional
confirmation to what we already believe to be true
from Scripture and not use our lifes experiences to
direct what is true from Gods Word. Our lifes
experiences must always be subservient to what we
know to be true to Gods Word. Consider the following
differences between Gods Word and lifes experiences
below:
GODS WORD LIFES EXPERIENCES
REMAINS FIXED FLUCTUATE
ETERNAL TEMPORAL
OBJECTIVE SUBJECTIVE
HAS ONE CORRECT
INTERPRETATION.
CAN BE INTERPRETED
WRONGLY AND IN
MULTIPLE WAYS.
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In 2 Peter 1:16-21, Peter states that Gods Word is more
reliable to him than the Transfiguration experiencewhere only three men (Peter, James, and John) saw
Jesus brilliantly glorified before then speaking with
Moses. Even that mountaintop experience, was less
reliable to Peter than the Words of Scripture.
For when [Jesus] received honor and glory fromGod the Father, and the voice was borne to him by
the Majestic Glory, This is my beloved Son, with
whom I am well pleased, we ourselves heard this
very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him
on the holy mountain. And we have something
more sure , the prophetic word, to which you will do
well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark
place, until the day dawns and the morning star
rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:16-20, ESV, emphasis
mine).
So, a fourth reason why we must utilize Scripture in
our daily life is that the Bible is more reliable than
human experience.
Reason 4: The Bible is more reliable than human
experience.
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What about when our human experiences seem to
conflict with Gods Truth revealed in the Bible? At
times this can happen. Matthew Hoskinson knew the
words found in Romans 8 All things work together
for good. But when he was just over thirty years old
he was told that his shortness of breath and nagging
cough were actually due to a much more serious
disease. He had Lymphoma. Throughout 2008 and
2009 Matthew wrestled through chemotherapy and
radiation often being left with no strength at all. How
could God allow a young pastor and father of three
children go through such a debilitating and painful
experience? In the darkest times of that experience
perhaps it was difficult to see Gods good hand in
cancer.
This is why our view of God must be directed by His
Word and not just our lifes experiences. Because
Matthew had his view of God based on the Bible and
believed passages like Romans 8:28 to be true he was
able to go through the experience of cancer and see
Gods hand at work during the darkest hours. The
Lord brought Matthew and his family safely through
that experience and he was able to share his testimony
in a message entitled, The Mercy of God in Cancer.
SIDE LIGHT: SeeingExperience in Light of theBible
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Reason 5
For you have been born again not of seed which is
perishable but imperishable, that is, through the
living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:23).
Being born again refers to having spiritual life by faith
in Jesus Christ. All those who have placed their trust
in Jesus are born again and will live forever. Peter
states in this passage that there is an amazing
relationship between the Bible and the process of
becoming born again. Did you pick it up when reading
verse 23 above? How do we become born again? How
are we born spiritually? We are born spiritually by the
spiritual seed of the Word of God. Gods Word is the
In this testimony Matthew shared, The Lord brought
cancer to me. He did not just allow cancer, but He
brought it to me.
Among other ways that Matthew demonstrated how
God was good in giving him a difficult life
experience, was that God uses suffering to change us,
to shape us, to mold us, and to conform us into the
image of Christ and we can rejoice in it. As we live lifewe must strive to interpret our experiences based on
the Word of God rather than interpreting the Word of
God based on our lifes experiences.
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seed that generates us. It is the spiritually germinating
seed in the soil of our hearts.
Another passage from the Bible that clearly teaches
this is Romans 10:9-17. Paul describes the necessity
for someone to share the Gospel (preach), in order for
someone to hear the Gospel, in order for someone to
come to faith in the Gospel. He concludes with this
statement:
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the
word of Christ (Romans 10:17).
Gods Word brings us to faith in the Gospel. This is
incentive to utilize the Word it is essential to any
spiritual life. You rely completely on Gods Word to
instil spiritual life in an unbeliever. Without this seed
being sown, you are wasting your time. The Word of
God is essential to the beginning of every persons
spiritual life.
Reasons 1: The Bible is the Inspired Word of God.
Reason 2: The Bible is profitable for teaching,
reproving, correcting, and training believers.
Reason 3: The Bible will prepare me to be
adequately equipped for any good work.
Reason 4: The Bible is more reliable than human
experience.
Reason 5: The Bible produces spiritual life.36
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Reason 6
Not only is the Bible life giving, it is also the Godordained way that you will grow in your spiritual life.
These are words that sustain our spiritual growth as
believers. Notice this truth from the following three
passages of Scripture.
Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth
(John 17:17).
You are already clean because of the word which I
have spoken to you (John 15:3).
As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the
word, that you may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2, NKJ).
The way you can be clean, set apart, and grow is
through taking in this Word. What a primary reason to
utilize Scripture at Grace. The third passage above
gives an effective picture of our need for Gods Word.
A full nursery of babies with empty tummies is not a
great place to be. In the same way, a church with many
baby believers who are not fed Gods Words is not a
great place to be. The moment the Word generates
spiritual life in someone, they should begin feeding
Gods Words so that they can grow. A church that
does not prioritize utilizing Scripture will not be
strong long-term.
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Reason 7: The Bible enables Gods spiritualblessing.
Our Christian culture is enamored with blessing, at
times perhaps even to an idolatrous position. Some
blessing seekers long for Gods blessing more than
they long for God. That is sad. Believers should long
for Him more than His blessing knowing that having
Him is a greater blessing than any of His gifts. AnneCousins put this so well
The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear Bridegrooms face;
I will not gaze at glory
But on my King of grace.
Not at the crown He giveth
But on His pierced hand;
However, the Bible also states that Gods Word,
walking in His Word secures His blessing in life.
Although His blessings are not always the same
blessings we have in mind. Looking back on a life
spent in Gods Word utilizing Scripture we will realize
that this is the best way to live.
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the
counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of
sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his
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delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he
meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree
firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields itsfruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And
in whatever he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are
not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives
away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the
judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the
righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of therighteous, But the way of the wicked will perish
(Psalm 1:1-6).
"This book of the law shall not depart from your
mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do according to all
that is written in it; for then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have success (Joshua
1:8).
Reason 8: The Bible is our sole authority for faith
and practice.
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the
prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in
these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom
He appointed heir of all things, through whom also
He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His
glory and the exact representation of His nature,
and upholds all things by the word of His power.
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When He had made purification of sins, He sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty on high . . .
For this reason we must pay much closer attentionto what we have heard, so that we do not drift away
from it . 2 For if the word spoken through angels
proved unalterable, and every transgression and
disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how will we
escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it
was at the first spoken through the Lord, it wasconfirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also
testifying with them, both by signs and wonders
and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy
Spirit according to His own will (Hebrews 1:1-3;
2:1-4).
Preach the word (2 Timothy 4:2).
Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for
all handed down to the saints (Jude 1:3).
Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those
who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to
the teaching which you learned, and turn away from
them. 18 For such men are slaves, not of our Lord
Christ but of their own appetites; and by their
smooth and flattering speech they deceive the
hearts of the unsuspecting Romans 16:17-18).
We must realize that we have one standard that will be
the measure of what we believe at Grace Baptist
Church, and will determine how we function as a body.
This measure is Scripture. Scripture is the faith once40
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for all handed down to the saints for which we must
contend. This Scripture was given to us accompanied
by signs and wonders through Jesus, Gods Son andHis Apostles. Hebrews shares this revelation as the
climax, the zenith of Gods revelation of Himself. He
can get no more personal than His Son.
So Scripture stands as the only authority. As no other
authority can replace that which is the zenith, thehighest point, namely Himself. We are not seeking
fresh revelation or a new word from the Lord. We have
His Words and His words are enough as they give us
the Living Word Who is sufficient for all.
CONCLUSION:
How does this change the way Grace Baptist Church
operates? Since the early church made the Word of
God an essential part of their ministry and made the
Word of God their priority we should as well.
Also, highlighting these eight reasons why we should
utilize Scripture at Grace Baptist Church should
motivate us to keep the Word of God central to our
weekly functions as a body. How are these truths
evidenced on a regular basis at Grace?
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1. We highlight the public reading of Scripture.
2. We maintain the careful teaching and preaching of
Scripture.
3. We encourage church members to regularly digest
Scripture for themselves in private worship.
4. We instruct the youth at Grace in Scripture through
childrens and teen classes.
5. We rely on the distribution of Scripture in our
neighborhood to win others to the Gospel.
Why be Bible driven?
Reason 1: The Bible is the Inspired Word of God.
Reason 2: The Bible is profitable for teaching,
reproving, correcting, and training believers.
Reason 3: The Bible will prepare me to be
adequately equipped for any good work.
Reason 4: The Bible is more reliable than human
experience.
Reason 5: The Bible produces spiritual life.
Reason 6: The Bible produces spiritual growth.
Reason 7: The Bible enables Gods spiritual
blessing.
Reason 8: The Bible is our sole authority for faith
and practice.42
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1. What were Peter and the disciples eyewitness to (2
Peter 1:16) and to what event are they referring(Matthew 17:2)?
2. What does Peter say is more sure than that
experience (2 Peter 1:18)?
3. What activity of God is the author referring to in
Hebrews 1:1?
QUESTION AND ANSWER
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4. How has God done this in the past? And what do
you think this is referring to?
5. What is Gods final and perfect Revelation (1:2)?
6. How did God continue to reveal Himself through
His Son (2:4)?
7. According to 2:1, what must we be sure to do in
response to God speaking to us through His Son
(the New Testament)?
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The purpose of Grace Baptist Church will be to glorify
God by being Bible-driven:
In its message - Proclaiming Christ to thosewho believe and to those who do not believe.
In its means Praying Always and Utilizing
Scripture to build Mature Members who
have been equipped by shepherding
leadership to do the work of the ministry
building the body to . . .. . . Love Others
. . Maintain Unity
The next essential to a Bible driven church is that we
are a church that is Always Praying. It has been said
that, prayer is the Christians vital breath. This is
very true. A Christian that is not praying is dead or is
at least as good as dead. This truth is not limited to an
individual. A church body that is not praying is dead,
or at least as good as dead. The reason for this will be
clear from what we learn in this lesson. We will
examine below the example of prayer, the nature of
prayer, and the importance of prayer.
Bible-DrivenChurch LESSON 4Praying Always
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The Exam ple of Prayer
If you want to know what a church should prioritize,you should examine the example of the early church in
Acts or instructions given to the early church in the
Epistles. We are going to begin our understanding of
the importance of prayer by examining the early
churchs practice of prayer.
Look first at Acts 2:42. This is a verse that we have
highlighted in our study already. This is necessary
because of the how clearly it highlights the priorities of
the early church.
They were continually devoting themselves to the
apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).
Here Luke records the priorities of the early church
just hours after its beginning. In order to learn from a
church practicing its duties without any interference
from traditional additions we would have to start here.
Notice the fourth activity they prioritized prayer.
The following verses really demonstrate how this was
evident throughout the history of the early church:
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1. The leadership of the early church saw the need to
give up other necessary duties in order to give
more time to prayer (Acts 6:1-4).2. The early church prayed for grace to continue to
minister boldly during persecution (Acts 4:29).
3. The early church prayed during times of great
distress, bringing pressing requests to the Lord
(Acts 12:5-12; 9:40).
4. The early church prayed when beginning a largeendeavor or spiritual challenge (Acts 13:1-3; 14:23;
20:36; 21:1-5)
GROUP ACTIVITY: Match the above circumstances in
the lives of the early believers with situations that you
may face. Right the proper number above
corresponding to the situation below:
A father takes his son out on a special weekend
camping trip to spend some extra time together in
prayer before he goes off to college (principle #
from above ).
You are deliberating on whether or not to put a
Tract in your Christmas card to your Uncle who has
been openly against religion in general, so you
spend a morning in prayer asking for the boldness
to put the card in your Christmas card. (principle #
from above ).
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You have to eat quickly at lunch to carve out 20
minutes to pray in your car (principle # from
above_ ). Your spouse has just been told that they have a life
changing illness so you ask your friends to take a
meal the next week to pray specifically for your
spouses condition (principle # from above ).
After moving to a new neighborhood a young lady
prays and ask the Lord for grace to be a goodexample to her neighbors in her new apartment
building (principle # from above ).
The Nature of Prayer
We will look at the nature of prayer from two separate
teachings of Jesus. Prayer and Abiding, and the
Pattern Prayer.
Prayer and Abiding
The last night that Jesus was with His disciples He
shared with them a very important principle when it
comes to prayer.
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides
in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apartfrom Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).
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Abiding Positionally
Our access to the Father in prayer, is only valid as weare connected to the Son. We must be in Christ to be
heard by God at all. You must have this attitude in
prayer. You recognize your position in Gods
household is only because of His perfect Son Jesus.
Without Him we are nothing and can do nothing.
Abide in Him through understanding our spiritualposition. All we have before God is only because of
Jesus work on our behalf. Our spiritual vitality is only
as real as it is in Jesus. Just like a withering branch,
detached from a vine, is useless, so a Christian left to
himself is useless outside of Christ.
Jesus is teaching here that if someone is not in Christ
then they will not have their prayers answered. And a
person who is not having prayers answered is a useless
Christian. They are bearing no fruit. You have to
realize that in order for you to come before the Lord in
prayer you must be in Christ. You must be relying on
Him for your acceptance before God. Those that are
in Christ through faith will be bearing the fruit of
answered prayer.
Abiding Continually
Outside of understanding this truth positionally, we
must recognize it as a daily reality. It is only as we are49
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daily, moment by moment feeding off our union with
Christ that we have the ability to stand be spiritually
alive. We must keep in front of us that our access tothe Father only comes through Jesus. Consequently,
we must abide in Him through daily communion. We
spend time speaking to Him and remaining in His
presence through Bible reading. It should be clear to
others that we have been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
The Christians Pattern Prayer
Dr. John Dreisbach was a medical missionary in Africa
for over fifty years sacrificially giving his life to the
people he lovedunreached people groups. He
hungered to share the Gospel in villages and hutswhere the Name of Jesus had not been known. And
the Lord used his medial skills to bring many people to
Christ as Savior.
He tells the story of a man that he met while
ministering in a Muslim village who had never heardthe gospel. Dr. Dreisbach had to go out in the middle
of the night on an emergency medical call and was
returning in the early morning before the sun was up.
As he walked along the path in the chilly morning, he
could see his breath in the air. Suddenly he overheard
a man in a nearby hut passionately praying.
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He went to see the man because he knew him and had
seen him praying often. When the man came out to
greet him he was perspiring with the intensity ofprayers in spite of the cold temperature of the
morning air. Later, Dr. Dreisbach asked the Muslim
man what he had been praying. He showed Dr.
Dreisbach the passage but told him that he did not
know how to translate the passage. He had been
praying so fervently and yet did not know the Arabictranslation for what he was saying.
How sad it is for someone to be so involved in praying
what they do not even know. How thankful we are that
the One true God of heaven actually hears our prayers
and is interested in communication with Him, not
competition for His attention.
And yet, this Muslim man pictures how many
Christians treat the Lords Prayer. They recite Jesus
words as a scripted prayer over and over without
giving any thought to how to use this prayer on a daily
basis or even what the prayer actually means. But
Jesus told us to Pray, then, in this way (Matthew 6:9).
Jesus pattern prayer is not something to repeat
aimlessly, but to use as a pattern for individual private
prayer.
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The Background to the Pattern Prayer
Jesus instruction regarding prayer was probably givenseveral times. The one recorded by the Gospel writer,
Matthew, is the one we will examine was given during
His famous Sermon on the Mount. This occurred
fairly early in Jesus public teaching ministry.
Jesus gave this particular sermon on the hillside risingup from the Sea of Galilee. You can picture a pleasant
day, perhaps in the Spring. The people are gathering
from every village and as the sermon gets longer, the
crowd gets larger and larger. You have to keep as
silent as possible to hear every word to the Rabbi from
Nazareth. And everyone in the crowd of several
hundred is straining in the same way. He teaches with
such authority! As One Who is the Word of God.
The Motivation of the Pattern Prayer
No doubt you have heard of the Sermon on the Mount.
It has some of Jesus most familiar teachings like The
Beatitudes, The Wise Man and the Foolish Man, and
The Golden Rule. However, you may not be familiar
with the section where Jesus teaches us how to pray.
One theme Jesus taught throughout the Sermon is that
our righteousness must be internal not merely external
(in contrast to the practice of the Pharisees). He warns52
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in chapter 6 of Matthew that our religious duties (like
praying, giving, and fasting) should not be done to be
seen by others. This internal righteousness wouldonly be attainable by Him. Through faith it would be
available to those who in the future would accept His
forgiveness through His death on the cross. So our
prayer at Grace are not to brag about our attainments,
but to praise Gods ability.
Three Principles from the Pattern Prayer
Lets turn now to three principles from the Lords
Pattern Prayer to help us as a body incorporate Jesus
Pattern Prayer in our individual and corporate prayer
life.
Our Father Who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:9-13).
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"Who is in heaven..." God is transcendent. He is
above His creation and infinite in His being not limited
by time or space.
Praise God for He is holy (Isaiah 6:2-3; Habakkuk
1:13).
Praise God for He is powerful (Jeremiah 51:15;
Matthew 19:26).
Praise God for He is sovereign (Daniel 4:35; Psalm47:8).
Praise God for He is incomprehensible (Romans
11:33-36; Colossians 2:2).
Praise God for He is just (Deuteronomy 32:4; John
5:22-23).
2. Prioritize Gods Priorities in Prayer
Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,On earth as it is in heaven.
The petition of our prayers too, individually and
corporately, should be focused on the Lord. We must
seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Our
church requests should prioritize the spiritual needs of
community and Gods work in the spiritual lives of
believers at Grace and unbelievers who are acquainted
with our ministry.
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Ask things in His Name your requests will be
subservient to His will and the values of His kingdom
(His Name). This is an important principle becauseprayer is only as powerful as the Person to Whom or
through Whom we are praying. Some people speak of
prayer as something that changes things. Only the
true God of creation changes things and He uses our
prayers. Dont consider for a moment that the positive
thinking involved in prayer changes things. Even folksthat have no relationship with Jesus would say that
they pray. However, if that prayer is not offered to the
God of the Bible through Jesus it is not effectual.
Positive thinking apart from Jesus accomplishes
nothing. Prayer in Jesus name can accomplish all
things.
3. Pray for Necessities
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil
The second half of Christs pattern prayer turns the
attention to where our prayers often naturally fall
our own needs. But notice that the personal petitions
are focused on necessities. As we pray we pray for
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"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic
and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire
and often into the water.16
"So I brought him toYour disciples, but they could not cure him." 17
Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and
perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?
How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to
Me." 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came
out of him; and the child was cured from that veryhour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately
and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 So Jesus
said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for
assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a
mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move
from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing
will be impossible for you. 21 "However, this kind
does not go out except by prayer and fasting
(Matthew 17:14-21).
1. Why were the disciples not able to cast the demon
out?
2. Are there things in life that are impossible if not
done through God answering prayer?
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Applications:
1. Church times of prayer are more important thantimes of work.
2. People that may not be able to be active in the
visible aspects of church ministry or even be
bedridden yet they can play a more important role
than
3. A Bible driven church must make prayer a priorityin ministry endeavors.
4. The pastors of the church should give priority to
praying for each person in the church on a regular
basis.
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Hiebert in his book Working with God through
Intercessory Prayer gives a great illustration of this
point. In 1872 D. L. Moody made a short trip to
England for rest, having no intention of preaching
while there. While he was in London, however, a
Congregationalist minister asked him to preach in his
church. Moody consented. The Sunday morning
service was marked by smug, stolid drowsiness,
making Moody rue his acceptance of the invitation.
Following his message in the evening service when
Moody asked all those who would decide for Christ to
rise, hundreds did so. He was surprised, and thinking
that they had misunderstood him, asked them to be
seated. He repeated his invitation more clearly and
again hundreds stood. As a result of the meetings
which followed, that church received four hundred
new people into its membership.
Moody began to make inquiries as to the secret.
Finally he learned of a bedridden girl, a member of
that church, named Marianne Adlard, who had prayed
that God would send Moody to her church for revival.
She had read of his work in Chicago and, putting that
report under her pillow, began to pray that God would
send him to their church in London. When her older
sister returned from the morning service and told her
SIDE LIGHT: Working withGod in Prayer
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Of course, even if we did not understand the reasons
outlined above in our study of prayer we should still
make it a priority at Grace because it is commanded in
the Lords instructions throughout the N.T. As we
close this lesson, read through the clear commands in
Scripture that compel us to work with God through
prayer.
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at
all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
(Luke 18:1).
that a man named Moody from Chicago had preached
that morning, the girl knew that her prayers were
being answered. Moody visited her, and she askedhim to write his name in her birthday book, promising
that she would pray for him every day.
More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
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Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Be kindly affectionate to one anotherpatient in
tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer(Romans 12:10-12).
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the
Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all
perseverance and petition for all the saints
(Ephesians 6:18).
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayerand supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of
God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:6-7).
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it
with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2 ESV).
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and
pray for one another so that you may be healed. The
effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish
much (James 5:16).
The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound
judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of
prayer (1 Peter 4:7).
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The purpose of Grace Baptist Church will be to glorify
God by being Bible-driven:
In its message - Proclaiming Christ to those
who believe and to those who do not believe.
In its means Praying Always and Utilizing
Scripture to build Mature Members whohave been equipped by shepherding
leadership to do the work of the ministry
building the body to . . .
. . . Love Others
. . Maintain Unity
In this lesson, we will examine the primary function of
the church. Of course, we exist ultimately to glorify
God; that is our primary purpose. But Jesus provides
for us a mission that helps quantify what glorifying
God is for a church our function. The can besummarized in this way - to make mature followers of
Jesus. Lets highlight this mission together by looking
Bible-DrivenChurch LESSON 5MaturingMembers
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at two different passages. The great commission and
the great blueprint for the great commission.
The Great Commission MakeDisciples
How will Grace Baptist Church glorify God on earth? -
by making disciples. The passage where Jesus really
highlights this command is usually entitled the Great
Commission because it is the final command Jesus
gave His followers when he left his earthly ministry.
The General gives us His marching orders.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew
28:18-20).
There is one major command here. It is the second
sentence Go therefore and make disciples. The
phrase preceding the command gives us the authority
for accomplishing the command. That which followsgives the steps to take to obey the command. And the
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final sentence gives comfort in obeying the command.
Lets take a moment with each of these sections below.
The Authority to Make Disciples
How does the church have the authority to tell people
to follow Jesus? Well that is explained when Jesus
states, All authority has been given to Me in heavenand on earth. Since Jesus has all authority to tell
anyone what to do, and He has told us to make
disciples of all nations, then we know that we have the
same authority. It is His command carrying His
authority. You have a message from the King of
heaven telling earth to follow Him. When asked howyou can tell people to follow Him we can simply tell
them that Jesus commands them to.
What comfort this brings when considering all the
things that a believer may face when stating the truth
about Jesus. Persecution and loss are not a hindrancefor us. His authority trumps every other authority. As
long as we are obeying His command we can go
forward with confidence.
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The Command to Make Disciples
The command is simple enough. Make disciples ofthe nations. What is a disciple? A disciple is simply a
learner. Now, this was a specific type of learner in the
first century. Its closest reference is the ancient
rabbinical tradition of the Rabi and his Talmudim . The
local rabbi would accept only those who were serious
about studying Tanach (OT Scriptures) with him to be a
part of his followers (His Talmudim). These followers
were committed disciples. What Jesus wants us to do
is make others follow Him. Look at the authority
illustrated in Jesus commanding others to follow Him.
Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He
saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and
Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for
they were fishermen. And He said to them, Follow
Me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Immediately they left their nets and followed Him
(Matthew 4:18-20).
As we approach others with the Good news of Jesus,
we ask them to leave all and follow Him. With all the
authority of Jesus Himself, we tell others to leave all
and follow Him.
Notice that we are to command all nations to be
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followers of Jesus. This was a different tune. To this
point Jesus reached out only to Jewish people. It was
uncommon to have Gentile followers. Now Jesus statesa revolutionary idea. I want you to reach all the world.
I want to have a Talmudim filled with all the people of
the world.
The Steps in the Comm and
Accompanying the command, Jesus gives the two steps
involved in obeying His command to make disciples.
These are wonderful. They are the two ing words
that follow the command to make disciples. You can
circle them in the verses above.
Baptizing
The first is baptizing. We are not able to go through
everything involved in baptism (see the booklet on theordinances of the local church). This was essentially a
practice that signified that a person was becoming a
follower. In the Jewish culture it had reference to
cleansing. When someone is baptized, they are
declaring to all that Jesus has forgiven them of their
sins and is their Lord and Savior.
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In the first century this was the way people professed
faith in Jesus. It was their proclamation of their faith.
It was extremely unlikely for anyone who was not atrue believer to be baptized. They would not threaten
to lose everything (which often happened after
identifying with the early Christian Church). When
they were baptized they were committing themselves
to a new life. These are people who are committing
themselves to Christ new believers.
Teaching
The second step includes much, much more! Those
who become believers in Jesus are not to be left on
their own. As we encourage people to follow Christ weare then to actually bring them along in that faith
through teaching everything that Jesus has said. This
is a huge goal. We find the summary of Jesus teaching
in the New Testament. This is the churchs mission.
As we seek to complete this mission we will find belowthe blueprint for how this works best. But lets make
one point clear from this passage. Giving a huge
section of our morning worship service to teaching
carefully through a specific passage of New Testament
Scripture is purposeful. It is not just that we enjoy it.
Or not just because of the benefits of it outlined in the
previous lesson. It is also commanded by Jesus in the
Great Commission.
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The Co mfort Included in the Comm ission.
We can do anything with the Lord. If He is with usaiding us than we are confident as we go forward.
Jesus gives us this assurance at the end of the passage.
I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
You are not alone. The church can take comfort in the
fact that Jesus is with us and will enable us to
accomplish His will to make disciples of all the
nations.
The Blueprint for the Great
CommissionWith such a huge commission, we surely need help in
carrying it out. The blueprint is given in Pauls letter
to the Ephesian believers. In this passage Paul uses the
illustration of a body. This is the illustration that we
pick up in our philosophy statement. We must makemature members of Christs spiritual body. As the
body grows in maturity it will better function for Gods
glory.
And He gave some as apostles, and some as
prophets, and some as evangelists, and some aspastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the
saints for the work of service, to the building up of
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responsible to equip others in the body. This whole
series is designed to do just that. We want everyone at
Grace to grow to the place where they are not justgrowing in Christ but also growing others in Christ.
The M inisters in the Blueprint
So who are the ministers/builders? If you continue to
read verse 12 in Ephesians 4, the ones who serve in building up the body are those equipped by church
leadership. Thats you! You should be involved in
helping others become more like Christ. One very easy
way to do this is to connect with another person and
begin to go through our series of discipleship booklets.
Begin with the booklet What is the Message of theBible? Then, move on to the next study in the series.
You dont need to know everything to begin building.
But you have to begin building.
Believers must be building (edifying). Believers must
be making disciples of other believers. 4 You areneeded. Perhaps you are feeling a lack of deeper
purpose in life today. Well, connect yourself with this
greatest mission of all time. Your life is about bringing
glory to God by making others more like Jesus through
intentional Christian discipleship. Yes, it takes
planning, purpose, and effort. And yes it is part of the
4 Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity withoutChrist. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Christian Discipleship.
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cosmic plan of Christ for His church. It is His
blueprint that is your purpose. That gives greater
purpose to your life than just pushing a pencil ordigging ditches.
The End G oal of the Blueprint
Ephesians gives us the end goal as well to our
Discipleship. Open up the blueprint and spread it outin front of you so you can see the concept building
pictured for us in Ephesians 4:15.
Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man,
to the measure of the stature which belongs to thefullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:15).
What a goal! And the Lord will enable us through His
Spirit using His Word to equip and to disciple with that
goal in mind. In short, we are to continue to
evangelize and disciple till everyone is as mature asJesus. That is the measure of the standard, Christ
Himself.
You may have had a doorpost growing up where the
children marked out their progress in growth. You
stood as straight and tall as possible as a sibling
marked your progress on the doorpost. As you
stepped away you were either surprised or
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disappointed at your progress. In the Christian family,
we are all comparing ourselves with Christ in every
area of our life. We are desiring to become like Christ,meeting His stature in every way (hence the word
Christian). We strive to grow as tall as Christ in our
patience, in our meekness, in our stand for truth, in
our love for others. Of course we all fall far short, but
He is the full grown (mature) image that we are trying
to represent.
This is quite a goal for us as a church, so we better get
to work! So each one must get to work properly,
laboring for others in love, until we all look like Jesus.
The blueprint of Ephesians 4 shares one primary way
that our maturity is evidenced-we are people who are
unaffected by false teaching. As we are built up in the
faith and the knowledge of Christ we are not fazed by
those who turn away from the faith.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed
here and there by waves and carried about by every
wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by
craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the
truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into
Him who is the head, even Christ (Ephesians 4:14-
15).
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Scripture continually warns against false teachers.
Jude describes them as clouds without water,
carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit,
doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea,
casting up their own shame like foam; wandering
stars, for whom the black darkness has been
reserved forever (Jude 12-13). Often false teachers
are described as using their teaching for personal
gain. They often have great speech abilities to sway
crowds. But the end result of their life (their fruit)will demonstrate that they do not preach the truth.
The false teacher comes within a church like a wolf
in sheeps clothing. In 1817 William Adam came to
Bengal as a missionary to help William Carey in
India. While in Calcutta, Adam came under the
influence of Rammohan Roy a Hindu Scholar to
whom Carey and his colleagues had been preaching
the Gospel. Carey and Roy had a common aim to
overthrow the practice of sati (where a widow is
burnt with her husband) and infanticide. However,
he had serious questions about the Deity of Christ,
the Trinity, the Authority of the Bible, and the
False Teachers
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