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The
entire King James Bible is written FOR us, but it is not all written TO
us!
We
learn from the "For" and study Paul's writings to apply the 'TO!"
Sermon
Notes
October
19, 2008
Lies That Will Unravel a Church
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The whole body fitly joined... compacted...
Ephesians 4:11-16 - And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no
more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up
into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom
the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every
joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of
every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in
love.
Lies that I have heard in the ministry that can unravel
the body fitly joined - if it ever was fitly joined in the first place, that
is.
I'll fix it!
- Hey, this place
does not belong to the pastor - it belongs to the people. It is
your job to keep it clean, fixed. Any improvements, etc. are to be a
family project!
Amen!
- That usually
means that a good point was made for someone else. People who get
spanked by the preaching usually don't say amen to tell others that
they were needing that!
You should be here when the door is open!
- Right, the doors are open during hunting season, holidays and special tv events, etc. also.
Don't go after the messenger because of the message!
- And those that quit are usually quitting because of the messenger.
- Those solid amens usually don't last!
- Yes,
there are reasons to quit a church - don't get me wrong, but not just because of the
preacher; the KJV Rightly Divided word has to be preached - IN season and OUT of season.
I believe the KJB is the Word of God!
- "almost' that is... enough to believe it for your soul but not enough to trust it for your walk.
Don't worry about the money!
- This is most often said by folks who haven't given much money, if any, to the church.
I don't care where the money is spent, I just give it to God.
- Right! Unless the preacher buys a .... and a, and an...
Good sermon!
- Think carefully on this one.
- If
someone compliments the sermon, they are often meaning the sermon
itself, not the words - not the preaching and teaching of God's words.
- just the sermon.
- When they hear a bad sermon, then it is also the preachers fault.
- So
often a solid amen is a sign that someone is looking at the preacher
and will soon be gone - as soon as there are enough bad sermons, that
person is gone!
- Good sermon = good preacher. Bad sermon = bad preacher. Too many 'bad sermons = fewer sermon listeners.
We quit the church!
- No, they really didn't quit.
- 1) First, they never tell the pastor - he only hears through the grapevine.
- It is seldom over doctrine - but if it is, then the quitting is VERY justified - if you do it quietly.
- In my years of ministry, it has ALWAYS been over the teachings of the WALK in Timothy and Titus.
- 2) the men quit the preacher, not the church.
- 3) the wives will secretly stay in touch!
- They add their stories, 'sides' of the issue - they cause doubt in all the deceivable, emotional and angry women.
- Then someone else must decide who is telling the truth.
- They don't know who to believe.
- If it gets to this point, the church is unraveling!
- Only the men can prevent this stage but most men are not man enough to stop their wives and daughters from this wicked stage.
- They want to have favour with all people! Acts 2:47
- Horses are social creatures. Song of Solomon 1:9
- It
is the ladies that are leading everyone to the modern churches and
modern Christianity - and keep their men back into the Great Commission.
- It is the men allow it!
- Jeremiah 44:15-17 - Then
all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other
gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the
people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah,
saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name
of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly
do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense
unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as
we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the
cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we
plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
When folks leave, why don't the church family members realize what the 'quitting family' is doing?
- They are weakening the very church they need.
- Unless they are doing the church favour!
- If
so, then men, take the lead at home, and ladies, leave %100 - don't
keep calling the ladies in the church, or letting your kids play with
their kids.
- If you don't want the church, then it is the people that you are leaving, not the buidling and not the preacher!
I Agree to Disagree
- This is a very popular 'tolerance' saying that is NOT scriptural today.
- It is a Great Commission / Gospel concept.
- It is not from Paul's teachings at all!
- Sure
- Paul's pattern is 'Grace,' 'Mercy,' 'Patience,' 'Longsuffering,' '
Prayer,' 'tears,' then comes 'avoid,' 'withdraw,' from such turn away,
' etc. and if that doesn't work, then they must be 'sent out to the
world / Satan - and if that doesn't work, dust your feet and move on.
When we take a stand, do we drive someone away?
- We are so worried that we don't have favour with all people!
- Acts 2:47 - this is a Great Commission teaching BEFORE Paul!
Who do you think you have driven away?
- Who are still afraid of driving someone away?
- If they are going to go, they will eventually go no matter what today...
- agree to disagree
- upped your grace beyond what you should
- not standing
- incorrectly applied meekness
- thinking 'shame' will 'blame'
- fit it to your way...
- life up yourself and your own way
If you have, or will be driving someone away... it won't be wrong if it is because of...
- rightly dividing
- preaching paul's manner of life
- Paul's gospel
- From Risen Christ's own personal teachings through Paul
- You have been through 'Paul's Pattern.'
- Truth, not church-religion folly
- Trying to follow, expect, teach R.D. Truth today!
Finally, one more lying thought that can unravel us all!
Wanting to know what God can do for you!
- Job 21:14,15 - Therefore
they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of
thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
-
Paul's teaching is about what Christ has done TO us already - and
Paul's walk is about pleasing God BECAUSE of what He has done for and
to us.
- You want something from God!
- You want something from Jesus Christ
- You want something from Holy Spirit
- You want something from Paul
- You want something from King James Bible
- You want something from pastor
- You want something from sermons
- You want something from church attendance
- You want something from fellowship
- You want something from your giving.
- Do
you serve God for personal profit?
- Then you will be a quitter
some day.
- We are to serve Him, not Him to us.
- He already
did to us what He was going to do To us.
- Knowledge of his ways means to follow Paul's ways - the ways of the Risen Christ to us today!