Starting Point Lesson #2 - Leader Notes and Slides (2)

Welcome (5 Minutes)

Ask what is one thing you enjoy about the Morning services at CLRBC?

Book Study What is a healthy Church Member? (15 min)

Discuss Chapter 1 A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener

1. What is Expositional Preaching?

a. a form of preaching that details the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture. It explains what the Bible means by what it says. Exegesis is technical and grammatical exposition, a careful drawing out of the exact meaning of a passage in its original context.

2. What does it mean to be an expositional listener? (in notes)

Simply, Someone who listens with the intent to understand the text the way God meant for it to be understood, and then looking for ways to apply it to their daily life.

3. On Page 20-21 it gives us 5 Benefits of Expositional listening

a. Cultivates a hunger for God’s Word. HOW?

i.When the sermons consistently point to the main point of scripture it tunes our ears to listen for the truths I scripture.

b. Helps us to focus on God’s Will and to follow him How?

i. When God’s Word is central its message is the central thing not the preachers or the peoples.

c. Protects the gospel and our lives from corruption. How?

i. Read 2 Tim. 4:3-4 (itching ears)

2 Timothy 4:3–4 ESV

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

d. Encourages faithful pastors How?

i. Nothing brings more joy to a pastor than a congregation that listens to Gods word and response with changed lives

e. Benefits the gathered congregation. How?

When the church listens expositionally They become one mind,, One Body with one gospel in Christ.

4. What are some of the ways that you can cultivate the habit of Expositional listening? (pg. 22- 25)

1. Meditate on the sermon passage. 

2. Invest in Good Commentaries.         

3. Talk and Pray with others about the sermon.

4. Listen to and Act upon the sermon during the week 5. Listen with Humility

5. How can you strengthen your ability to be an expositional listener.

Discuss Chapter 2

How would you describe a biblical theologian?

Someone who studies all of Scripture, Including the redemptive story, major themes, and doctrines, including the old and New Testaments.

-How familiar are you with biblical theology?

Do you think you have an adequate grasp of the major themes and developments of the Bible?

-Ask for volunteer:

COULD YOU EXPLAIN TO A NON-CHRISTIAN OR A NEW CHRISTIAN HOW THE ENTIRE BIBLE FITS TOGETHER AS ONE BOOK?

Ask Volunteer to Explain the redemption story if the 1st volunteer didn’t hit it.

(30Min) read through the class material

Our Philosophy of Preaching

Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2)

Expositional Preaching: The main way that we teach the scriptures is through expositional preaching. Expositional preaching is where the sermons main points come from the main points of the passage.

Meaning we preach the main proof the author intended the audience to receive.

Our method is to preach verse by verse through a larger portion of scripture so that we as the church can understand the true meaning of the passage and apply it to our own lives accuratly.

How to Prepare for Sunday

Expositional Listening:

“Expositional listening is listening for the meaning of a passage of Scripture and accepting that meaning as the main idea to be grasped for our personal and corporate lives as Christians.” – Thabiti Anyabwile[1]

How Can A Church Member Cultivate the Habit of Expositional Listening?

· Meditate on the sermon passage during your quiet time.

· Invest in a good set of commentaries. (Logos)

· Talk and pray with friends about the sermon after church.

· Listen to and act on the sermon throughout the week.

· Develop a habit of addressing any questions about the text itself.

· Cultivate humility.

Christian Education

Our mission does not stop at evangelism- Our mission is to make and equip disciples of Jesus Christ.

meaning as a church we are to be producing disciples who make more disciples.

therefore our….

Christian Education is our adult education program which explores the Bible and Christianity on a deeper level. We offer classes on books of the Bible and a variety of topics like marriage,

parenting, apologetics, finances, and more. At the heart of our classes is the desire to equip followers of Jesus in their mission of sharing Christ and becoming like Him in their life. Our Christian Education Classes meet Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

Why Teaching Matters

“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” (Acts 2:41-43)

As a church, what is the first activity listed in Acts 2:42?

The devoted themselves to the Apostles Teaching……..

Why does doctrine matter so much in the life of a believer?

Because It affects our view of God, the church, salvation, our mission (gods glory) & purpose (gospel)

What We Teach

Who Wrote the Bible?

We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the text of the original manuscripts of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, which alone constitute the inerrant Word of God.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

What is God Like?

We believe in the trinityof the Godhead. (three persons in One – all equally God)

God the Father

God the Son

and God the Spirit

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Cor. 13:14)

Who is Jesus?

We believe in the deity, virgin birth, perfect humanity, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Deity. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

Note; We believe that Jesus was fully God - the second person in the perfect triune Godhead. Sent by God the father as a substitute for mankind all so that mankind could have a way back to god.

Virgin birth. “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:13–14)

Resurrection. “…that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Substitutionary Atonement. “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:21-24)

What About Spiritual Gifts?

We believe that the sign gifts of the Spirit were temporary, providing revelation for the church and authenticating the ministry of the apostles.

Note; We believe that they are no longer needed because we now have the completed Word of God which has everything we need to truly believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of ther Living God!

What About Election?

We believe that the Triune God saves sinners by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. God secures their eternal salvation, having sovereignly chosen them as His children before the foundation of the world.

“Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:4)

What About Creation?

We believe that God created the universe (including mankind) in six literal, consecutive 24-hour days apart from the process of evolution.

What About the Future?

We believe in the pre-tribulational rapture and bodily resurrection of the Church at Christ’s imminent coming. We believe that Christ will return a second time after the tribulation to establish His kingdom on Earth. We believe that This kingdom will be a literal 1000-year reign of Christ called the Millennium.

Ask For Questions

SAY : All of this is laid out in more detail in our statement of Faith . Please spend some time reading it and if you have nay questions please come let me know.

What We Believe and Teach (STATEMENT OF FAITH)

We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the text of the original manuscripts of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, which alone constitute the inerrant Word of God. We believe the Bible supports using a grammatical, historical method of interpretation in light of the progress of revelation. Thus, we believe that the Bible is the clear, sufficient, and supreme authority for all belief, life, and ministry.

We believe in the trinity of the Godhead: one immutable and omnipotent God, omniscient in all things past, present, and future, who eternally exists in three equal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe in the deity, virgin birth, perfect humanity, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only means of salvation from sin and the sole mediator between God and man.

We believe in the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit, through whose ministry believers today are, at the moment of salvation, regenerated, baptized into Christ and His body, indwelt, sealed, gifted, and empowered for service.

We believe that gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to build up the body of Christ. We believe that the sign gifts of the Spirit were temporary, providing revelation for the church and authenticating the ministry of the apostles.

We believe in the personal existence of angels as created spirit beings. God’s holy angels are ministering spirits. Satan and other fallen angels can influence believers, but believers cannot be demon possessed.

We believe that God created the universe (including mankind) in six literal, consecutive 24-hour days apart from the process of evolution. We believe that man was created in the image of God and retains that image after the fall. Therefore, we affirm the dignity of human life and affirm that all people are worth pursuing for the cause of Christ.

We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church. Children from the moment of conception are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.

We believe that all human beings, except Jesus Christ, are totally depraved and guilty before God as a result of the fall of Adam. We commit acts of sin because we are sinners by nature.

We believe that the Triune God saves sinners by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. God secures their eternal salvation, having sovereignly elected them to be willing recipients of His grace in Christ, whose blood was shed for the remission of

sins. We believe that salvation is evidenced through good works that are part of the pursuit of a holy life. We believe that every Christian has the joyous responsibility of making disciples in obedience to Christ’s Great Commission.

We believe that the universal Church is the body of Christ, comprised of all true believers from Pentecost until the Rapture. Jesus Christ is the sole head of the Church. We believe that the local church is an assembly of immersed believers, led by pastors and served by deacons, independent and congregationally governed, in fellowship with other churches of like faith and order. We believe that the only biblical mode of the ordinance of baptism is immersion; that baptism is for believers only; that it is a testimony of their identity by faith with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection; and that it is a prerequisite for local church membership. We believe that the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper is for believers only, is solely a memorial of Christ’s death, and that the body and blood of Christ are not present in the bread and cup.

We believe in the priesthood of all believers and that we have direct access to God apart from any mediator except Christ. We respect the God-given capacity of individual soul liberty through which each person will give account for living by the dictates of his or her own conscience.

We believe that civil government was instituted by God and is still His means of maintaining peace and order among men; that believers here on earth are responsible in the area of civil government and should participate in it to promote and preserve good order in human society; that civil governments and churches (and fellowships of churches) are distinct from each other, must be organizationally separated from each other and neither must seek to control the other.

We believe in the pre-tribulational rapture and bodily resurrection of the Church at Christ’s imminent coming. Believers will give account for their works at the Judgment Seat of Christ, which will follow the Rapture.

We believe that God will fulfill the biblical covenants made with the nation of Israel. Though they are now dispersed among the nations, they will be re-gathered in the land of Israel and saved as a nation at the premillennial coming of Christ to the earth. At that time, Christ will begin his Davidic rule over the world for 1,000 years and continue to reign in the eternal state.

We believe in the bodily resurrection and judgment of unbelievers after the millennial reign of Christ. We believe in the eternal existence and punishment of all unbelievers in the lake of fire and the eternal existence and blessedness of all believers in the new heavens and earth.

Ask For Questions

What Is a Baptist?

Biblical Authority (New Testament Authority)

The Bible is the final authority in all matters of belief and practice because the Bible is inspired by God and bears the absolute authority of God Himself. Whatever the Bible affirms, Baptists accept as true. No human opinion or decree of any church group can override the Bible. Even creeds and confessions of faith, which attempt to articulate the theology of Scripture, do not carry Scripture’s inherent authority. 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21

Autonomy of the Local Church

The local church is an independent body accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church. All human authority for governing the local church resides within the local church itself. Thus, the church is autonomous, or self-governing. No religious hierarchy outside the local church may dictate a church’s beliefs or practices. Autonomy does not mean isolation. A Baptist church may fellowship with other churches around mutual interests and in an associational tie, but a Baptist church cannot be a “member” of any other body. Col. 1:18; 2 Cor. 8:1-5, 19, 23

Priesthood of the Believer

“Priest” is defined as “one authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God.” Every believer today is a priest of God and may enter into His presence in prayer directly through our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. No other mediator is needed between God and people. As priests, we can study God’s Word, pray for others, and offer spiritual worship to God. We all have equal access to God–whether we are a preacher or not. 1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 5:9, 10

Two Ordinances

The local church should practice two ordinances: (1) baptism of believers by immersion in water, identifying the individual with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, and (2) the Lord’s Supper, or communion, commemorating His death for our sins. Matt. 28:19, 20; 1 Cor. 11:23-32

Individual Soul Liberty

Every individual, whether a believer or an unbeliever, has the liberty to choose what he believes is right in the religious realm. No one should be forced to assent to any belief against his will. Baptists have always opposed religious persecution. However, this liberty does not exempt one from responsibility to the Word of God or from accountability to God Himself. Rom.14:5, 12; 2 Cor. 4:2; Tim. 1:9

Saved, Baptized Church Membership

Local church membership is restricted to individuals who give a believable testimony of personal faith in Christ and have publicly identified themselves with Him in believer’s baptism. When the members of a local church are believers, a oneness in Christ exists, and the members can endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Acts 2:41-47; 1 Cor. 12:12; 2 Cor. 6:14; Eph. 4:3

Two Offices

The Bible mandates only two offices in the church–pastor and deacon. The three terms–”pastor,” “elder,” and “bishop,” or “overseer”–all refer to the same office. The two offices of pastor and deacon exist within the local church, not as a hierarchy outside or over the local church. 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Acts 20:17-38; Philippians 1:1

Separation of Church and State

God established both the church and the civil government, and He gave each its own distinct sphere of operation. The government’s purposes are outlined in Romans 13:1-7 and the church’s purposes in Matthew 28:19 and 20. Neither should control the other, nor should there be an alliance between the two. Christians in a free society can properly influence government toward righteousness, which is not the same as a denomination or group of churches controlling the government. Matthew 22:15-22; Acts 15:17-29

Ask For Questions

Homework

Read What is a Healthy Church Member Marks 3 & 4.

[1] Thabiti Anyabwile. What is a Healthy Church Member? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), 22-25. [2]http://www.garbc.org/about-us/beliefs-constitution/baptist-distinctives/

(5 min) Prayer