Commands to the Church

Basis:

There are hundreds, if not just over a thousand, commands in the New Testament. We must learn what the Church was commanded to do because God made it for a specific purpose within His sovereign plan. Since God has carefully built, and continues to build, the Church for a specific purose, we must know what He made us to do. Knowing the identity of the Church must come before knowing the function of the Church, but the Identity of the Church will be a different Guide. Also, for the sake of being concise, we will only look at the New Testament letters. The Gospels and Acts will be different Guides as well. This Guide will look at what the Church is told to be, think and do.

Acts

Paul’s Writings:

Romans:

6:11 “So you should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”

613 “Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you ahve new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”

6:19 “Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.”

11:20 “So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, He won’t spare you either.”

11:22 “Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but is kind to you if you continue to trust in His kindness. But if you stop trusting, you will also be cut off.”

12:1-2 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies as living sacrifices to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice- the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of the world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

12:9 -14 “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.”

12:18-21 “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God… Instead, ‘If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.’ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.

13:1 “Everyone must submit to governing authorities.”

13: 3 “For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right and they will honor you.”

13:7 “Give to everyone what you owe them: pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.”

13:9 “For the commandments say “You must not commit adultry. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These- and other such commandments- are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

13:11-14 “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

14:1 “Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.”

14:5 “In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.”

14:13 “So lets’ stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.”

14:19 “So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.”

14:22 “You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God.”

15:2 “We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.”

15:7 “Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.”

15:10-11 “And in another place it is written, “Rejoice with His people, you Gentiles.” and yet again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise Him, all you people of the earth.”

Greetings throughout Chapter 16.

Paul’s instruction in Romans has a lot to do with first and foremost, having their minds changed from the old to the new, death to life, sin to the Holy Spirit, worldiness to godliness. He wants them to ‘consider’, ‘be conformed.. through the renewal of their mind’, and ‘set their mind on the Holy Spirit’. After the commands regarding their mentality, motives, and thought processes, he commands them to live as respectable citizens, a sensitive community, and ‘living sacrifices to God’. His commands involve being holy and facing the Spirit at all times. He gives the Roman church a solid, thorough walkthrough of Christian doctrine, then tells them how to apply it internally and communally.

1 Corinthians:

1:10 “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose”.

1:26 “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.”

1:31 Quoting OT “If you want to boast, boast only in the Lord”.

3:10 “But whoever is building on this foundation [of Christ’s Gospel] must be very careful.”

3:18 “Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by the world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.”

3:21 “Don’t boast about following a particular human leader.”

4:1-2 “So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries. Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.”

4:5 “So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time- before the Lord returns.”

4:16 “So I urge you to imitate me.”

5:7-8 “Get rid of the ‘old yeast’ [in the church]... Let us celebrate the festival not with old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.”

5:11-13 “ I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Do not even eat with such people… It certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning… You must remove the evil person from among you.”

6:9 “Don’t fool yourselves [… those who indulge in _____ won’t inheret the Kingdom of God.”

6:18 “Run from sexual sin!”

6:20 “You must honor God with your body.”

7:2 “But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman should have her own husband.”

7:3 “The husband should fulfill the wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs.”

7:5 “Don’t deprive each other of sexual relations… but only do so if you both agree to refrain from sexual intimicy for a linted time to dedicate yourselves more to prayer and fasting… Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

7:11 “But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him.”

7:15 “But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go.”

7:5 “But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go.”

7:17 “Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you.”

7:20 “Each of you should remain as you were when God called you.”

7:21 “[If you are a slave] and you get a chance to be free, take it.”

7:23-24 “Don’t be enslaved by the world. Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.”

7:27 “Don’t seek to ned the marriage… Don’t seek to get married.”

7:29 “So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorebed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. Those who use the things of the world should not be attached to them.”

8:9 “But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.”

9:24 “So run to win [the race of life]!

10:14-15 “So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true.”

10:18 “Think about the people of Israel [regarding the Lord’s Supper].”

10:25 “You may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience.”

10:27 “If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dineer, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience.”

10:31-11:1 “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the Church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”

11:6 “If she refuses to wear a head covering she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a women to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a head covering.”

11:10 “For this reason [of the creation order] and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a head covering on her head to show she is under authority.”

11:13 “Judge yourselves [about proper conduct].

12:28-29 “That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread of drunk the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment on yourself.”

11:33-34 “So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together.”

12:31 “So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.”

14:1 “Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities of the Spirit- especially the ability to prophecy.”

14:12-13 “And the same is true for you. Since you are so eaget to have the special abilities the Spirit gives you, seek those that will strengthen the whole church. So anyone who speaks in tongues should pray also for the ability to interpret what has been said.”

14:20 “Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding of matters of this kind.”

14:26-30 “But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they say. But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately. Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. But if someone is prophesying and another person recieves and revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop.”

14:34-35 “Women should be silent during the church meetings. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home...”

14:37 “If you claim to be a prophet or think you are spiritual, you should recognize what I’m saying is a comman from the Lord Himself.

14:39 “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking in tongues. But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.”

15:34 “Think carefully about what is right and stop sinning.”

15:58 “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

16:1-2 “Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.”

16:10-11 “When Timothy gets there, don’t intimidate him… send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me.”

16:13 “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”

16:15-16, 18 “You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion.... You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.”

16:20 “Greet each other with a sacred kiss.”

Main commands from 1 Corinthians:

1:10- Live in harmony, let there be no divisions, be of one mind, thought and purpose.

3:12, 8:9, 15:34- Live carefully!

4:16, 11:1- Imitate Paul imitating Christ.

7:17, 20, 24- Remain as you were when God called you.

7:29-31- Focus on God, not your earthly things (marriage, emotions, posessions).

5:3, 7-8, 11-13, 18, 20- Remove sin!

13:31-14:1, 12- Desire spiritual gifts.

Paul tells them to be unified to remove sin, to ‘examine themselves… run the race to win.... be careful… judge for themselves what is true… be on guard, etc.”. Paul is commanding them to diligently and thoughtfully prepare their hearts, community and relationships (the Church) for disciplined living that will lead to honoring God and walking in victory together.