Ingredients for A New Testament Church (Steadfastness)

Ingredients for A New Testament Church (Steadfastness) (Acts 2:42)

Steadfastness

to continue all the time, persisting in a certain course of action, to be devoted, to be firmly fixed and not subject to change.

Someone that is trying to run a 5K . (being consistent in eating right, running, working out.)

Someone who wants to learn an instrument needs to practice and learn everyday consistently to be able to play well.

The born again child of God needs to be steadfast in certain aspects of their Christian walk to hear “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

Scriptures (apostles’ doctrine)

Psalms 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

Psalms 119:97 “MEM. O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.”

Purging

Psalms 119:9-11 “BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.”

When we are steadfast in the word, and meditate on the word, we’re less likely to sin!

Pleasure

Psalms 119:16 “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

Psalms 119:49-50 “ZAIN. Remember the word unto thy servant, Upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: For thy word hath quickened me.”

plans may change, but God doesn’t change.

heartache will come, but God can be our comfort.

We can take comfort in reading our Bible!

Producing

1 Peter 2:1-3 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

If you want to grow in the Lord, you have to be steadfast in the word.

You can’t produce what you don’t know!

Protection

New converts in Berea received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily, whether the things Paul and Silas said were true!

Let God be true!

Men can tell the truth, but are also able to tell lies. GOD CANNOT LIE SO HE ALWAYS TELLS THE TRUTH!

Squad (fellowship)

Who you consistently fellowship/hang out with will effect your walk with Christ.

“Two fellas in a ship going to the same place.”

Fellowship with Sinners

2 Corinthians 6:14-17 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”

If we are friends with the world, we are the enemies of God. We don’t want God to be against us!

Solomon, the wisest man on earth, had fellowship with many strange women, and it changed his fellowship with God.

1 Kings 11:1–8 KJV 1900

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

BE CAREFUL THAT YOU DON’T FELLOWSHIP WITH SINNERS.

If your “friends” pull you from Christ, they are not your friends at all.

Fellowship with the Saved

It’s of utmost necessity to be steadfast in our fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Fellowship with the Sovereign

Luke 15:11-24

Swallowing (breaking of bread) (what you take in)

We’ve dealt with the continual fellowship we need to have. This deals with what’s on the outside. But what about we put INTO us. What are we constantly putting in us? Is it good things? Is it bad things?

If I eat 400 Reese’s and drink 30 MT. Dew’s in a day, I’m going to feel awful. If I eat natural foods that God has made and control myself, I’ll feel a lot better than eating a lot of junk.

If you HEAR certain things long enough, you may start to believe them.

LGBTQ agenda with our children.

False doctrines given by “Christians” of today.

1 Timothy 4:1-3 “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”

If there are things in your possession that you know may hinder you that you think you have control over, be careful. It may be best to get rid of those things so that you can consistently put in good Godly things in your life.

If you WATCH certain things, or people long enough, it may hinder your walk with Christ.

Naboth’s vineyard.

Because of what Saul had heard and seen after David slew Goliath, Saul became consumed with killing David and not honoring God.

1 Samuel 18:6- 9 “And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.”

What you consistently watch and listen to, what you put into your mind and heart, will effect your walk with Christ.

Supplications (prayers)

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”

Luke 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

Prayers for the Saints

Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

So and so made me mad. Pray for them.

Look at him. He’s living in sin. Yeah. But he’s saved. Pray for him.

Look at sister so and so. She looks like a harlot. Yeah. Pray for her.

PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION IS TO BE MADE FOR ALL SAINTS!

Colossians 1:9-11 “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”

Prayers for Sinners

1 Timothy 2:1-4 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

Christ’s only prayer request was that God would send laborers into the harvest to tell sinners about the gospel and get saved!

Luke 10:2 “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”