Essential 6- Uniting with the body in pursuit of godliness
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· 5 viewsThe church is called to live out there calling in faithful communion with God inside the bounds of the local church.
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Online Services
Online Services
We are able to offer a second method of online services this week streaming on Youtube
Our Youtube channel is “Antioch Baptist Church of Aynor, SC”
This will hopefully help those who may not have FB but yet cant be present to worship together on the Lords Day.
However I want to reiterate why we have these streaming options
The main reason is to allow those who cannot be with us in person with us to still be able worship together with the local body.
Also, there maybe other churches not offering an online service option and therefore this maybe a good outlet for them to be apart of worshipping God together.
I do want to stress this- this does not replace the local body and the necessity to meet if possible whether that be our church members or others watching in other places
IF you can meet, please go be encouraged with your local body of believers
This is vital in our Essential #6- Uniting with the body in pursuit of godliness
As we have been walking through our Essentials of Discipleship we have reached the critical point of uniting with a church
New believers and maturing believers must be connected to a local body
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
This is as plain and simple as it gets
Its for us to stir one another to love and good works if we are not connected to a local body
This has been a real struggle for many people lately in the last year
Man was meant to be isolated but in communion with other but also we were not meant to live in isolation from the church as believers
The Lone Ranger christian is not what we see in Scripture
But even if house churches were meeting, it involved more than just ones own family
As the author of Hebrews writes, he understands that it easy to find oneself out of faithful discipline of meeting corporately
Its a discipline beloved
So we hear the comment over and over, the church isnt the building , its the people
So I think we need to clarify who is the church, What the church should put down, what the church should look live, and why believers should take part in it.
We will be reading in Colossians 3 today
If you were apart of our bible study on Thursday night, this will look very familiar
I had been looking at a couple other passages and Benji reminded me of the common audience in Colossians is the church first and individuals 2nd
So today we will look at the need for us to Unite with the Local Body in pursuit of godliness here Colossians 3
To begin with, Paul has just explained how much better Jesus is than any of the other false teachers and religions
So we will begin today with question #1?
Who is the church? Col 3:1-4
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Vs 1- the prerequisite to being apart of Gods family and the local body is being raised with Christ
-Christ was killed, buried and rose again to life
-So too has every person who has responded in faith to His faithful call
-We have been brought from death to life
Because of that- the church is called to set its mind on things of God- kingdom things, righteous things
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
There is sin and there is weight
Sin needs to go and some things are not evil or bad in and off themselves, we just cant hold to the plow with both hands full of stuff
So know we are not sinners anymore in Christ, but saints and joint heirs with Christ
As he is seated so to he has promised all his people that they to will forever be with him
Vs 2- Reminds us of this is not natural for the believer but requires action and deliberate work
“Set your mind on things above” not “on things below”
The natural move for us is to be preoccupied with the world and therefore fix our eyes on earthly things
Setting our eyes on heavenly things is deliberate and changes everything the church does
“What does this do for the kingdom of God? What is its purpose?
When we can clearly identify the kingdom purpose- we have something to move forward with
VS 3- Why does our eyes need to set on things above- Paul says because you died to the old ways
Now your hidden in Christ
If God were to scan the saints on earth, he would see Jesus blood covering us
We have been buried in Christ and risen inseparable in his goodness
Vs4- so when Christ returns, the church will be with him in glory
But in verse 4 there was an interesting part in Vs 4- “who is your life”
When Christ, who is the distinguishing marker on your life appears, make no doubt you will forever be with him
So who is the church, its s group of believers who have been raised from death to life in Christ Jesus and are now living for Him .
2. What things should the church put aside Col 3:5-11
Vs 5- gives us a clear picture here
-Kill these things
-But most importantly is that these are “ in you”
-What a list of them- Im sure we can all find us somewhere in the list at sometime
Vs 6-Says its because of these very things that permeate out mans own heart- that Gods wrath is coming
-Just read Revelation a bit, and you will clearly see the wrath of God
Vs 7- clearly states we were in that boat-living in it and loving every minute
Vs8- But now that lifestyle doesnt work anymore- the church cant have any part in this
IT came up that one reason the church is ineffective is that when the world look at the church it doesnt see much different
However the conduct of the church is to be set apart in its conduct
Vs 9- We see he speaking to the church even in how they are to not lie to one another living an immoral life but one of a changed life
So what should the church put down? The church kill off all sin in our lives because if not it will kill us.
3. What should the church look like?
VS 10- the old man is dead so speak and a new man is here
Because of the work of Christ in us, we now are to be renewed by the word of God
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
So the churches pursuit should be for the glory of God in all things
Vs 11- For anyone in Christ, their age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status is irrelevant
Every follower of Christ finds his worth in Christ finished work on the cross
Vs12- So in light of all these things the church, God chosen ones ( amazing truth), holy and loved by God is to start looking more like its Savior
-Compassionate hearts, kindness, humilty, meekness, patience
Vs 13- bearing with one another, forgiving one another as the Lord forgave you
At times we can treat the outside world with more grace than we can treat other believers
Vs 14- Most of all the church is to put on love
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
-its possible to bear with one another and not do it out love
-you can be humble and still be unloving
-these actions can all be duties
-I read a good story- a guy gave his wife flowers and she was all thank you, i love them
-As she reached to give him a hug, he held up his had and said Im just doing my duty
-the very act of giving the flowers means nothing if love isnt the driving force
Vs 15- the peace of Christ rule in our hearts- the fact that we have been made at peace with God in Christ should keep us from falling into a mess
-also knowing that not only but the church can and should live out this peace
-What a blessing to know we have in Jesus the cure to worlds greatest disease
-We dont any Covid shots in here but freely administer the Gos-pel to anyone who is lost and in sin
Vs 16- let Gods word rest upon the church
-May it be taught in truth and used to encourage us all forward
-Singing hymns and songs are what the church is called to