Connecting With Community

Connecting With Community

Nov 1-2

Acts 2:41-45;
Matthew 28:19;
1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Personal Focus

1. Worship
2. Piety
3. Outreach Vertically
   1. Teaching Children
   2. Teaching Extended Family
   3. Teaching Neighbors Children
4. Outreach Horizontally
   1. Neighbors
   2. Fellow Countrymen
   3. Neighbor Countries
   4. Around the world
5. Evangelism
6. Community Involvement
7. Exercising gifts like Romans 12

The challenge for each person is to maintain balance; Balance in outlook, endeavor, concern, and goals. Each of these areas is important. The challenge is to rest in the Lord and thereby permit Him to guide and emphasize each one of these areas of focus at a specific time and place. At the end of a life an accounting will be made.

1. Who Is the Lord and savior of our life?
   How do we account for sins
   1. of omission or
   2. of commission
2. How well we used the gifts
   1. of talent
   2. of resources
   to fulfill the mission that was placed into
   1. our world and
   2. our hearts

Because this time (fifty, seventy, even a hundred years) we have on Earth is only a photo flash of time in a thousand year party, we must remember the long term goal. In the sum of it all; our mission is to know Him and the power of His Resurrection!

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Acts 2:41-45

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 ¶ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

The word always produces results; namely salvation. There are periods of time when people get saved in greater numbers than other times but the word preached will produce results.
If These results are not happening the first place to check is what is the word quality. The Scripture never promises to produce results based on our ideas. It does promise to produce results on it's ideas.
Receiving the word is a spiritual transaction.
People often are resistive to receiving the Word.
Others are believers and not doubters;
it is the ones that will take a risk who make the profit.
When I have spoken to a group that is eager to receive
the preach just jumps out . Contrarily the group that is resistive,
with a show me attitude, the message delivery
is like digging a hole in solid rock, very difficult.
I think that the blessing of the Lord is hindered as well.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine
and fellowship,       and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
These four corners of every fellowship support the building of the Church.
Every Christian or Jewish group that includes these four elements will grow and eventually flourish.
Every Denomination that has grown has started with these elements.
Apostles Doctrine is doctrine that an apostle has received from the Lord,
and crafted a message into the bite size pieces that a new believer can use.
Any person can receive a message from the Lord using the 20-20-20 method that
I outlined in last weeks message. When a person has a word from the Lord,
the people are fed, nourished spiritually. When to this "Word from the Lord"
is added fellowship; a mutual exchange of heart a deep need is met within the
heart of each believer. The frigid feeling of loneliness of soul is wiped away
when this fellowship, called in the Greek, Kononia is experienced.
A person is validated at a deep level by this experience. To this is added a
"breaking of bread. The Hebrew mind likens the table to
the mercy seat of God. He feels like the table can be a Holy Place
like the temple where one can experience the mysterious presence of the Lord.
It is an important place in the family, a place where much bonding takes place.
At a time where many hours of the lady's day were centered around the procuring
and preparation of the family meal; one can easily see why this place of great
sacrifice would be a place to meet God. One can also see where a writer might
allude to the table as a place where their god was their Belly!
Lastly we have the "Prayers!" The prayer in common does much to join a heart to heart.
Bonding after all is the main issue for a group of people.

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Matthew 28:19

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Go Ye! Three commands by Jesus.
Amazingly, Jesus gave only these three commands.
They defined the Law of Love. in this manor.
Jesus meant implied by his words that the Law of love must be put into practice. It must be lived out in day to day life.

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1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23 ¶ For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.

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Covenant..The backbone of all bonding with God.
View and approach to this concept sets the foundation to all of a person's
Faith When the chips are down, when the back is against the wall when
there is no hope/help but God what does the person do?
When the pressure is on, when all is on the table,
what do we actually believe? Many say they are believers;
profess a good confession. What do they do? Do they really rely on the
GOD of all eternity, on the covenant he has cut in blood
    This is the significance of this passage!
  I believe that is the real incidence of salvation.
Remembering the question of a few weeks ago..."Is you is or is you ain't
my Baby!" Are you really saved?

      
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Exercising gifts

Romans 12

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorts, on exhortation: he that gives, let him do it with simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;

11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, said the Lord.


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Belly!

Philippines 3:19 Whose end is
destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame,
who mind earthly things.)

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Three commands

Matthew 28:19 Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:

John 21:16 He said to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, said unto him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep.

Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Permit the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

1. Go into the world
2. Feed My Sheep
3. Bring the little children to me

Fellowship groups that do these three works of the ministry are the ones that grow.
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Law of Love

Matthew 22:

37 Jesus said unto him, You shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, You shalt love your neighbor as thyself.

1 John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:23

23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

Leviticus 19:18

38 You shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but you shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: ...I am the LORD.

Both of these passages delineate the further understanding of the law of Love found in Torah. The actual verse explains the verse in context. This section also has been called the Golden Rule.

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The Golden Rule

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!

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Is it Faith or Isn't it?

James 2:18-24

18 Yes, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

19 You believe that there is one God; You do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Do you see how faith was brought by his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed onto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

You can see by these words actions speak louder than words.
        We might also say,
Your actions are speaking so loud ... that I can not hear what you are saying!
   The challenge against the charge of hypocrisy is this:
make the walk match the talk. Nowhere is this more difficult than in the area of Faith.
In every other challenge of hypocrisy. the question is on the outside!
In this one we are often deceived as to what we really believe!
The proof of the "puddin" is in the eating!
Often by watching what we are saying in the idle moments
do we really find what we are believing.
It is on the reflex level that we discover what we are really believing.
It is easy to repent! If we have missed it we can easily redo!
All we have to do is the same process that we did the first time!
Say it and start acting like it was so! Sometimes an "I take it back,"
an "I'm sorry," or even an "I won't do that again" will help.
That is the great thing about the MERCY of God! Even as easy as it is,
I am surprised sometimes by the failure of good believers to walk through
the steps to actually do it! For my self I discipline my self to be
a quick repenter and a quick believer! I make my body expect to step back quickly,
if I make a wrong step. It feels like I know that a pot on the stove is hot
and I expect that handle to be to hot to handle! That is the care that I take
in my daily life!

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reflex level

Remember the five levels of learning?

1. Surprise
2. Recognition
3. Short term memory
4. Long term memory
   
5. Automatic recall also called reflex!

Matthew 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak,
they shall give account of it in the day of judgment.

Remember the day of judgment take place any time that you judge your self.


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