Church Administration (A Look at The Early Church)

7/29/2019 Church Administration (A Look at The Early Church)

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A Careful Study of the Office of Deacon, 5-Fold MinistryGifts, the Ministry of Jesus, and the Ordinances of the

Church

Special Section on 501C3

Chaplain Mark H. Stevens, M.Min


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New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies


How the Church SHOULD Function

Scriptures from King James Version

NASB

NIV

Mark H. Stevens, B.Th, M.Min


Jan.2004Room 104

1 Cooper Plaza

Camden, NJ 08103

[email protected]

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INTRODUCTION PAGE 5

CHAPTER ONE THE OFFICE OF DEACON PAGE 6

CHAPTER TWO THE 5 FOLD MINISTRY PAGE 11

CHAPTER THREE JESUS EXAMPLE PAGE 20

CHAPTER FOUR THE LORDS SUPPER - PAGE 29

CHAPTER FIVE BAPTISM PAGE 32

CHAPTER SIX EVANGELISM PAGE 36

How to Become Tax- Exempt

CLOSING THOUGHTS

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Introduction

Acts 6:8 "And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wondersand miracles among the people."

Most churches especially in America are governed by onepersonthe Pastor! In most African-American Churches thePastor is NOT ONLY a pastor, but he pretty much doeseverything in the church related to ministry. This man or womanpreaches almost every sermon; many teach Bible study, lead

prayer meetings, go into prisons and hospitals, and some evensweep and clean the church house. This is as ludicrous as aBasketball team that lets the point guard shoot 50 times a gameand post up in the centers position. Just like a Basketball teamthe church was given guidance from GOD as to how to run theteam called the CHURCH!

In the Early Church you find that the Body of Christfunctions very different from the church as we know it today.The Early Church was NOT clergy driven, it was laity driven. Infact it almost seemed like there was no such thing as laity, thesaints of the Book of Acts were an active and vital part of theministry. The Apostles could NOT have had the spiritual successthey had unless they had ministry minded men and women

functioning in their respective positions.

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Chapter One

DEACONS

Let me give you some examples of what I am talking about.After Pentecost the Apostles chose men they called Deaconswhich is translated Servant-Ministers, these men whereresponsible for the physical aspects of the ministry while theApostles devoted themselves to prayer and preaching the Word

of God. Two of the Deacons were responsible for an explosion ofspiritual growth for the Early Church. Philip was a Deacon, buthe also was anointed to be an Evangelist. Today we wouldconsider Deacon and Evangelist two separate offices orministries, but the Word makes no such distinction. There aremany people in the Body of Christ anointed to function in one ofthe five-fold ministries and they may NEVER be ordained or

recognized by man (The Local Church). I find that too many ofour churches are filled with people that are NOT allowed tofunction in their office because of control freaks in the pulpitscalled PASTORS!

Phillip was led by the Holy Ghost to minister to the EthiopianEunuch, which led to the Gospel being spread in Africa. Philip led

by the Spirit went to Samaria and preached JESUS. Devils werecast out and people healed by a DEACON! Imagine in some ofour churches today if a Deacon decided to go off and ministerwithout first checking with his pastor? Even if he did check inwith the pastor, many of our pastor would tell the Deacon, wait

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until he got a ministers license or ordination papers, or theywould accuse the Deacon of being overzealous or out of line fortrying to be a minister. Well I have news for you Pastors

Deacons ARE ministers! When I was a Deacon I was only 22years old, I was also called to be an Evangelist. I went out on thestreets on Song Tan City, South Korea and witnessed andpreached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had brothers try and tellme I should get the Pastors OK before I did this, well what theydidnt know was I DID! He didnt think it was safe! SAFE?!?!Since when is ministry, true ministry ever SAFE! I went out by

myself initially, until the Lord saved my roommate and we bothwould go out and win souls. I was a Deacon and my roommate wasa new convert. Many souls came to the Lord because we wereobedient to the Lord.

Now I am NOT advocating rebellion, but as Peter said in Acts,I must obey God NOT man! Too many of our Pastors refuse to

see the need for outreach and evangelism in the church, theythink if they have church, folks will come. Jesus said GO in thehedges and highways and COMPELL men to come to HIM! Youcant compel ANYONE from a pulpit or a pew!

Phillip only called for assistance when he realized the newconverts needed a pastor, Pastors and Evangelist have to work

hand in hand, and they need each other like a center needs agood point guard. Remember Magic Johnson? Someone asked himwhy was he was as successful as a player, he said I utilized myBig Man and I got the whole team involved! Magic and Kareemwere like a well oiled machine, Magic never thought about

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himself first but the team first, that means self sacrifice andsharing the glory. Too often immature and insecure pastors dontwant to do either! Pastors are like point guards in that they have

to see the big picture and include EVERYBODY in order tosecure VICTORY!

Acts 6:1 "And in those days, when

the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a

murmuring of

the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were

neglectedin the daily ministration."

We see, here, the church growing to a large number. As longasthe church was small and they each were greatly needed, theywere all

pulling in one direction. They were working for a common cause.Nowthat the number has gotten so large, there is murmuring. Someof theGreeks think the Hebrew widows are being cared for betterthan theGreeks. It seems that the early church was very concerned

about theneeds of widows. Many times widows lived in the church andprayed forthe church. In I Timothy 5:9, Paul tells them to not take awidow

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under 60 years.

Acts 6:2 "Then the twelve called the multitude of the

disciples[unto them], and said, It is not reason that we should leave the

word

of God, and serve tables."

These twelve disciples who seemed to be the leaders of allthe

rest are explaining that they should not be encumbered bytrying tosee to the needs of all of these widows. The man or woman ofGodministering has enough to do staying in the Word of God andbringingspiritual guidance to the people. Some one else should see to

thefinancial responsibilities of the church. If they have to stopandsee to the physical needs of the people, they will not be able tocarefor their spiritual needs.

Acts 6:3 "Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you sevenmen of

honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may

appoint

over this business."

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Seven, as we have said before, means spiritually complete.We see

that these seven were to be men who were very close to God.They mustbe wise men to take care of the finances of the body of Christ.

Theymust be honest and of good report. This is one of the

Scriptures usedwhen churches choose seven deacons to raise the finances of

thechurch. Many people want to be a deacon of the church until

theylearn that the deacons are really responsible for the financial

needsof the church.

Acts 6:4 "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, andto

the ministry of the word."

The twelve apostles were not to be bothered with anything,exceptthe spiritual needs of the people. Perhaps, that is one of the

problems in churches today. We have made business men out ofourministers. They learn as much about the way to raise money, tohave a

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bus ministry, and to satisfy the I.R.S. as they do about theWord ofGod. They really should not be burdened with all of these

administration duties. It takes too much of their time awayfromprayer and study of the Word.

Acts 6:5 "And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and

they

chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and

Philip,

and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, andNicolas a

proselyte of Antioch:"

Of these seven, of course, Stephen was the most known to us.Thesemen were above reproach. They were men of high character.

These menwould be fair in all their dealings. Some believe that many ofthesewere Hellenist (Greek Jews), but I believe they were a crosssectionof men of God, so that each one would be representing their owngroup.

Proselyte means a new comer. In Hebrew, it meant stranger.Philipand Stephen are really the only two out of the list that theBibletells us anything else about. These are like many deeply sincere

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people in the church today who really work in the backgroundand donot feel the need to be recognized by others.

Acts 6:6 "Whom they set before the apostles: and when theyhad

prayed, they laid [their] hands on them."

This is just a ceremony to anoint these men to the job theyare

to do. They were installed formerly when the apostles laidhands onthem.

Acts 6:7 "And the word of God increased; and the number of

the

disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of

thepriests were obedient to the faith."

We see, here, that, these apostles having their prioritiesstraight caused the Word of God to increase greatly. A churchis onlyas powerful as the prayers that go up for it. These apostles

spentmuch time in prayer and their ministry was powerful because ofit.Disciples, here, is the same as followers of Christ. This strong

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message of God's Word even convinced many of the priests andtheybelieved, also.

Lets Examine the lineup God ordained for the Church! Mostteaching on the Ministry Gifts Exclude the Deacons and Ibelieve that is to the detriment of the church that is why Iopened discussing Deacons. These are the duties of a Deacon:

1. To care for the Widows and the Fatherless. Thebenevolence ministry in the local church SHOULD be

managed by the DEACONnot the PASTOR!2. Deacons should be the leaders of church outreach (See

Phillip)3. Deacons should be your leaders in Church Education. (See

Stephen)4. Deacons should be the overseers of church finances and

resources (Not the Pastor) this goes against the mindsetof most Churches! Especially in Pentecostal and Holinesschurches. Many Baptist churches EMPOWER the Deaconsand those churches that have Godly Deacons FLOURISH!Why because that is the way God established it! This iswhy it is important to have men FULL of the Holy Ghost,FULL of wisdom, and FULL of the Word holding the

OFFICE of Deacon. Unfortunately we have made the officeof Deacon a flunky position with NO AUTHORITY!

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5. Deacons should be father figures for the fatherless boysin the congregation. When I accepted Christ at the age of14 in Richmond, Virginia, the church I attended had a

strong Deacon board that played basketball with the teenboys, taught a youth Bible Study, Ran the Boys Scoutprogram, and created a Junior Deacon Board. All of thesethings helped me make a decision for Christ because therewere strong men showing me the way!

6. Deacons should take Communion to the hospitals andNursing Homes.

7. Deacons should be at the forefront of outreach in thecommunity. (Remember Phillip and Stephen)

8. A Deacon should be an example of male spirituality andstrength in the church and the community. I remember allof the Deacons in my church were known throughout thecommunity. Even unsaved people knew the Deacons becauseof the works they did in the community. (Youth Activities,

Feeding Seniors, delivering groceries)9. As the office of Deacon was slowly eroded in the church a

rise in ethical problems arose. Deacons are the key to goodstewardship in local churches, if they are chosen withBiblical guidelines. (Full of The Spirit Full of the Word Full of Faith)

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Chapter Two

The Five-fold Ministry Gifts

Apostles are leaders and visionaries... they bring direction tothe church. They have the courage and ability to keep theChurch moving forward, growing, building in new directions.Apostles are also fathers, able to nurture and disciple theother ministry gifts. They have maturity and experiencebeyond their fellows and can give guidance as well asleadership. They wear the Helmet of Salvation, which meansthey walk "within" salvation. They know the mysteries ofChrist's salvation. Such knowledge is only acquired throughtime and experience, trials and testing. An apostle is proven

by his example of holiness and demeanor in Christ Jesus. TheHelmet of Salvation is not a royal crown: it is the hat of awarrior general who is accustomed to putting his life on theline, for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Many who are inthis office will never be recognized as APOSTLES! The reasonis this, when a man is truly led by God to establish a work ofany kind, it may bristle against the establishment.

The Apostle Paul is a good example of a man on a Missionfrom God, I laugh as I write this because I am reminded ofthe movie The Blues Brothers, They were the oddest of odd,

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yet they went through every obstacle because they believedthey had a mandate from God. Listening to God is not easy, itcan cause you to be treated like an outsider and at times even

a rebel! I believe men that are in the office of Apostle arealways MISUNDERSTOOD and treated like oddballs. Basedupon scriptural precedence apostles are usually the recipientsof dreams and visions, Apostles receive an abundance ofRevelation from God, Why? They establish ministries andchurches. It is quite possible to be an Apostle and NEVERpastor a church.

Contrary to popular belief Paul WAS NEVER A PASTOR!Paul was a TEACHER/APOSTLE. Now another shocker is thatPETER was not a PASTOR either, the PASTOR of the churchin Jerusalem was JAMES (The Lords Brother); Peter was anEVANGELIST/APOSTLE. Apostles usually carry dual roles!Here is another curve for you Barnabas was an Apostle too,

but he was a DEACON/APOSTLE his ministry was one ofservice and support yet he was counted as an APOSTLE! I dobelieve that there are Apostles today, Men that are SENT toestablish works according to Gods divine mandate. Now toomany guys are starting storefront churches and callingthemselves Apostle. Real Apostles dont run around callingthemselves APOSTLE! They know it, and they walk in it!

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Prophets/Prophetess has a strong sense of right and wrong,but even more than that: they have a strong sense of theSpirits leading. Their spiritual antennae start quivering whenthings are going off balance or in wrong directions. Theirvoice is important for keeping the Church on track in what theLord wants to do. Prophets also understand justice and aredefenders of what is fair and right. Prophets carry theBreastplate of Righteousness, which illustrates the passion

and conviction that burns deep within their heart and soul andspirit. "Righteousness" is actually an ethereal word, asupernatural word. True righteousness flows only from thethrone of God. Therefore, the insight of the prophet is a verymysterious, deep conviction that is not easily described evenby those who walk in this gifting. The purpose is for guidanceand revelation, so that the church can learn what it means to

be the Holy People of God.

The Prophet/Prophetess must maintain a level of personalholiness that is exemplary. The primary purpose of theprophet is to warn the church of apostasy and help saintspress into the holiness and purpose of God. (Elijah andEzekiel) Unlike the Office of Apostle which is male ordered,

Women can function in this office as well as men. (Deborah,Huldah, and Phillips Daughters)

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The Prophet must have an extraordinary prayer life, If youstudy the life the Biblical prophet they were often solitarypeople. (Elijah and Jeremiah) They didnt have a lot offriends, this is on purpose! God needs those in the propheticoffice to be focused on HIM! The Prophet and the Teacherare similar in this regard; Prophets focus on the inspired word(Rhema) and the Teacher more on the written (Logos). But ifyou look at Acts 17:11 the Bereans understood the importance

of both, but they confirmed the Rhema by studying the Logos!Usually God places Prophets and Teachers as friends andcompanions for this reason.

Teachers build the foundations of the church. They ministerin the Word of God and remind us of the priorities andfoundations that will keep us stable in our lives. They teachthe church how to be wise in the ways of God. Both teachersand prophets have a special gift for worship because theprophet can worship in "spirit" and the teacher can worship in"truth" and those two characteristics are necessary for trueworship. Teachers carry the Belt of Truth, which means theyhave intimate knowledge of Him who is Truth.

Teachers are guardians of Biblical Doctrine (Logos), the

Bereans (Acts 17:11) Exemplify the character of a Teacher.Teacher search the scriptures. I am a teacher and I study theWord more than the average person, there are times when Ihave stayed up all night reading entire books of the Biblebecause I had to determine if something I heard preached in

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church was accurate. In many cases Teachers are somewhatcold, in that they care more for truth than unity or peoplesfeelings. If you remember Paul in Galatians, He read Peter and

the Hebrew saints the riot act for the way they allowed theJudaizers to distort the Gospel of Grace. When I hear asermon that is off scripturally it drives me crazy. I believeTeachers are like the Scribes of the Old Testament in thatthey were determined that every jot and tittle would becorrect. Pricilla and Aquilla were teachers and they caughtApollos preaching doctrine that wasnt correct, they pulled him

aside and corrected him in love. If a church doesnt have theoffice of a teacher within its ranks it is in danger of fallinginto error. (I Tim. 4:1-4)

Without a proper foundation, buildings don't stand, civilizationsdon't last, and Christians don't witness well. The foundation Iam talking about is the foundation of basic Christian doctrine.Do you know what the Trinity is? How many natures does Jesushave, one or two? Are we saved by grace through faith or bygrace and works? For what purpose did Jesus die? Did He risefrom the dead? And If so, why?

Perhaps you do not believe that knowing doctrine is

important. Maybe you think that we should just tell people aboutJesus and let them choose to accept Him or not. Unfortunately,witnessing isn't always that simple. Knowing what and why youbelieve is essential. For example, if someone says he wants toreceive Jesus as Savior but doesn't believe that He is God in

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flesh, is that important? If someone says that the Trinity is notbiblical, what would you say? Is the Holy Spirit a force or God?Doctrine is important because it defines who you put your trust

in. It is not simply that you have faith, it's who you put yourfaith in.

Evangelists are the warriors, the foot soldiers who take thegospel to the remote areas of the world. They advance thegospel and in so doing they battle directly with the hindrancesof the gospel as well. There are many more warriors in an army

than there are generals and so there must be many, manyevangelists in the church. Evangelists wear the Shoes of Peacebecause they bring news of Peace to a world that suffers instrife and turmoil. Every one of the other 5-Fold MinistersMUST do the WORK of the Evangelist, because soul-winning isEVERY ministers duty!

Too many of our churches have lost sight of the office ofEvangelist and have distorted their purpose by callingRevivalist Evangelist, there is difference by a mile. AnEvangelist is a SOULWINNER first and foremost, they gointo the streets, prisons, hospitals, and mission fields. Manyof the people we call evangelist are preaching to peoplealready saved. A revivalist preaches to people already saved

to inspire and fire them up, this really more of the ministry ofthe Prophet, an Evangelist bottom line is REACHING THELOST and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The motto ofan Evangelist could be a quote from Paul, Woe unto me if Ipreach not the Gospel!

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Pastors nurture the flock and comfort them. They build upthe sheep in the most holy faith. They tend to the woundedand the sick and have skills for healing. The pastor leads the

healthy sheep into good pastures so they will eat well and bestrong. And, the pastor looks for the sheep who havewandered away so that none will be lost. Pastors carry theShield of Faith. Often a warrior was protected by an armorbearer who held his shield for him. In the same way, pastorswill shield those who need it until they are strong again. Theyhover over their flock to build them and strengthen them in

the faith. The pastor is not distant from the sheep. Thepastor is next to them and among them, holding the Shield inorder to deflect the flaming arrows, the weapons, the wildbeasts that would destroy. The pastor works one on one sothat his sheep will prosper. A flock that prospers is a directcredit to the shepherd who oversees them. A Pastor has tolove the sheep, too often people choose Pastors because they

can preach well, but eloquence is not the earmark of a greatPastor, it is LOVE. Pastors have to care for those that arehurting and broken, and at the same time be open to have theother 4 ministry offices SHARE in the ministry, I think toooften it has been supposed that the office of Pastor is themost important office, but they all are equally important. APastor needs an Evangelist to bring souls into a place where

they can be nurtured and fed the sincere milk of the Word ofGod.

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Chapter Three

JESUS EXAMPLE

Help people understand Jesus' role as a preacher.Communicate biblical passages that describe Jesus as apreacher and tell what He preached. Ground your own preachingfirmly in Jesus' preaching model - proclaiming the good news ofHis kingdom in terms that your listeners can understand. Don't

preach about people as much as you preach about God - who Heis, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do.

Confront pluralism. Don't be afraid to confront the error thatall religions are essentially the same with biblical truth. Proclaimthat eternal salvation can only be found in Christ alone, knowingthat it's not intolerant, but loving, because you care enough not

to let people be misled. Emphasize that God wants everyone tobe saved and has made it possible for anyone to come to Himthrough Christ. Affirm that no human effort to earn salvation(as other religions encourage) will ever be enough to merit it,because sinful humans cannot justify themselves before a holyGod. Declare boldly that the power of salvation lies in God'swork - His loving gift to humans - rather than any human

effort. When speaking with people of other faiths aboutChristianity, treat them with dignity and respect while showinghumility and genuine love so their hearts will be open to hearwhat you have to say.

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Let the Bible drive your sermons. Make the Bible your primarysource for sermon texts; don't let other sources (like newsstories or psychological theories) dominate the sermon. When

using other sources, filter them through the Bible passages youuse so Scripture can work its unique power. Explore the Bible'smeaning, seek to understand its concerns and gain itsperspective, and try to get your audience to apply its truths totheir lives. Get your sermon's main idea from the Biblical textyou choose. Develop the idea in your sermon the way it isdeveloped in Scripture. Reflect the purpose of the passage in

your sermon, aligning your words with the biblical writer'spurpose. Also make sure that your sermon reflects the mood ofthe Scripture you use.

Connect with your congregation. Strive to demonstrate theBible's relevance to your audience. Help your listeners adjust tothe biblical message without adjusting the message to

them. Help your audience understand the sermon's claims, theevidence to support those claims, and how they might bestreceive the sermon's message. Think through how you would likeyour listeners to respond to your sermon and apply its messageto their lives. Keep that goal in mind as you write your sermon.

Structure your sermon well. Seek to understand the biblical

writer's flow of thought for the passages you're using in yoursermon. Retain his natural progression of ideas rather thanrearranging them into an arbitrary list of points. Put thesermon's message in a nutshell that succinctly and easilyconveys a central truth your listeners can take away with

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them. Connect the sermon's points to your audience members'everyday lives so they can see how its message applies to them.

Capture your audience's attention. Realize that many peopletoday are biblically illiterate, so don't assume that they haveany prior knowledge of the stories and characters you mention inyour sermons. Explain the context of what you say. But restassured that today's people are similar to the ancient people ofthe Bible in that they have the same basic needs anddesires. Respect personality differences, but know that every

human being on the planet needs Christ. Listen carefully topeople when they share their thoughts and feelings withyou. Help your audience members feel their need for Christ byshowing them how their unique needs and desires can only betruly fulfilled in Him. Before writing each sermon, ask the HolySpirit to guide you in prayer so you'll know what specific goalsGod wants you to accomplish with it. When you speak, be

authentic.

Preach to the whole church. Don't worry about trying to focuson particular groups of people (men, women, singles, spouses,young people, the elderly, etc.) with different sermons. Realizethat every person in your church is looking for the same type ofmessage - one that acknowledges sin and calls for conversion,

describes the realities of people's struggles, and motivatesbrothers and sisters in Christ to love God and each other.

Offer hope for hurting people. While being careful not to letyour preaching become merely a group therapy session of self-help techniques, strive to reach out to people who need counsel

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and healing. Identify the critical problem the sermon willaddress (such as the pain of divorce). Speak in a conversationalstyle. Help your audiences recognize and take ownership of the

problem. Diagnose the problem. Then outline a plan to eitherprevent or treat the problem.

Adapt your sermon to the postmodern mind. Seek tounderstand postmodern people so you can speak theirlanguage. Make your preaching personal, holistic, andinteractive. Be open, honest, and vulnerable to establish

intimacy with your listeners. Help your audience get to know you,respect you, and like you so they'll open their hearts and mindsto your message. Give people opportunities to share theirpersonal testimonies in your worship services.

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Ministering Like Jesus - Key to Church Growth

38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that Imay preach there also: for therefore came I forth. 39 And hepreached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast outdevils.

Where did Jesus and His disciples preach?

a) In Synagogues b) In Cities and Villages (Matt. 9:35) c)Outdoors (John 8:1 / Matt. 5:2 / Luke 8:1) d) Everywhere (Mark16:20)

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord

working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.Amen. (Mark 16)

How did they preach?

a) Under the anointing (Luke 4:18 and Acts 1:8) b) Withauthority - 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and

not as the scribes. (Matt. 7) c) With Compassion (Mark 6:34) d)Without Fear

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29 And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, anddisputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.30 Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to

Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. 31 Then had thechurches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria,and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in thecomfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

Church Growth!

Why dont we experience it ?

1. The Aquarium Syndrome - Churches have become aquariums,or holding pens for Christians.

4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launchout into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And

Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all thenight, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will letdown the net. 6 And when they had this done, they enclosed agreat multitude of fishes: and their net brake. (Luke 5)

2. Not Realizing Our Potential

29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thyservants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 Bystretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wondersmay be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31 And whenthey had prayed, the place was shaken where they were

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assembled together; and they were all filled with the HolyGhost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4)

3. The Violent Take it by FORCE! Time to get in the devil'sface.

48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came anddrew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward thearmy to meet the Philistine. (I Sam. 17)

4. Evangelism doesnt work from pulpits very well. Worksbetter in the street.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in thename of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I havecommanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end

of the world. Amen. (Matt. 28)

5. Pentecostal Prayer and Praise

7 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is comeupon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of

the earth. (Acts 1)

32 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where theywere assembled together; and they were all filled with the HolyGhost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4)

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6. Must have a STRATEGIC PLAN

10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also,and sent them two and two before his face into every city andplace, whither he himself would come. 2 Therefore said he untothem, 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.

7. Discipleship vs. Membership - Disciples beget disciples,members come once a week.

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, lethim deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoeverwill lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For whatis a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself,or be cast away? 26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me andof my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when heshall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holyangels. 27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing

here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom ofGod.

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Jesus Evangelised with a Commitment Philosophy

The following chart shows how Jesus evangelised people at thevarious levels of commitment.

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Chapter Four

The Lords Supper

A study of the Lords Supper is a soul-stirring experience because of thedepth of meaning that it portrays. It was during the age-old celebrationof the Passover on the eve of His death that He instituted a newsignificant fellowship meal that we observe to this day, and is the highest

expression of Christian worship. It is an acted out sermon, rememberingour Lords death and resurrection, and looking to the future for Hisreturn in glory.

The Passover was the most sacred feast of the Jewish religiousyear. It commemorated the final plague on Egypt when the firstborn ofthe Egyptians died and the Israelites were spared because of the bloodof a lamb was sprinkled on their doorposts. The lamb then was roasted

and eaten with unleavened bread. Gods command was that throughout thegenerations to come the feast would be celebrated. The story is recordedin Exodus 12.

During the celebration, Jesus and the disciples sang together one or

more of the Hallel Psalms (Psalms 111 118). Jesus, taking a loaf of bread,gave thanks to God. As He broke it and gave it to them, He said, Take,eat; this is My body which is broken for you. In the same way He took

the cup, and when He had supped and gave the cup to them, they drank ofit. He said, This cup is the New Covenant in My blood; do this whenever

you drink of it in remembrance of Me. He concluded the feast by singinga hymn and they went out into the night to the Mount of Olives. It was

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there that Jesus was betrayed, as predicted, by Judas. The following dayHe was crucified.

The accounts of the Lords Supper are found in the Gospels in

Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:17-25, Luke 22:7-22, and John 13:21-30. TheApostle Paul wrote concerning the Lords Supper by divine revelation in 1Corinthians 11:23-29. (This was because Paul was not, of course, in theupper room at its institution.) Paul includes a statement not found in theGospels: Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in anunworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood ofthe Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the breadand drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizingthe body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself (11:27-29).We may ask what it means to partake of the bread and the cup in anunworthy manner. It may mean to disregard the true meaning of thebread and cup, and forgetting the tremendous price our Savior paid forour salvation. Or it may mean to allow the ceremony to become a dead andformal ritual, or to come to the Table with unconfessed sin. In keepingwith Pauls instruction, each should examine himself before eating of the

bread and drinking of the cup so as to heed the warning.Another statement Paul made that is not included in the Gospels is

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim theLords death until He comes (11:26). This places a time limit on theceremony until our Lords return. From these brief accounts we learnhow Jesus used two of the frailest of elements as symbols of His bodyand blood, and initiated them to be a monument to His death. It was not a

monument of carved marble or molded brass, but of bread and grapejuice.

He declared that the bread spoke of His body which would be

broken there was not a broken bone, but His body was so badly brokenthat it was hardly recognizable (Psalm 22:12-17, Isaiah 53:4-7). The

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grape juice spoke of His blood, indicating the terrible death He wouldsoon experience. He, the perfect Son of God, became the fulfillment ofthe countless Old Testament prophecies concerning a Redeemer (Genesis3:15, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, etc.) When He said, This do in remembrance ofMe, indicated this was a ceremony that must be continued in the future.It indicated also that the Passover, which required the death of a lamband looked forwardto the coming of the Lamb of God who would takeaway the sin of the world, was now obsolete. The New Covenant took itsplace when Christ, the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), was sacrificed(Hebrews 8:8-13). The sacrificial system was no longer needed (Hebrews9:25-28).

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Chapter Five

BAPTISM

One of the most nagging questions in Christianity is whether or notbaptism is necessary for salvation. The answer is a simple, "No." But youmight ask, "If the answer is no, then why are there verses that say thingslike . . .baptism that now saves you . . . (1 Pet. 3:21, NIV) and . . . Repentand be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the

forgiveness of your sins . . ." (Acts 2:38, NIV)? This is an honest questionand it needs a competent answer. But, before I tackle this I need to lay afoundation of proper theology, then I'll address some of those versesthat are commonly used to support the idea that baptism is necessary forsalvation.

God Works Covenantally

First, you need to understand that God works covenantally. Acovenant is a pact or agreement between two or more parties. The NewTestament and Old Testaments are New and Old Covenants. The word"testament" comes from the Latin testamentumwhich means covenant.So, the Bible is a covenant document. If you don't understand covenant

you cannot understand, in totality, the issue of baptism because baptismis a covenant sign.

If you don't think that God works covenantally then look at Heb 13:20

which says, "May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternalcovenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that greatShepherd of the sheep" (NIV). The Eternal Covenant is the covenantbetween the Father and the Son before the creation of the world,whereby the Father would give to the Son those whom the Father hadchosen. That is why Jesus says things like, "All that the Father gives me

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will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away" (John6:37, NIV). And, "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shalllose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day"

(John 6:39, NIV). And, "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world,but for those you have given me, for they are yours" (John 17:9, NIV).

If you fail to understand that God works covenantally and that Heuses signs as manifestations of his covenants (rainbow, circumcision,communion, etc.) then you will not be able to understand where baptismfits in God's covenant system.

Second, you need to know what baptism is. It is an outwardrepresentation of an inward reality. For example, it represents thereality of the inward washing of Christ's blood upon the soul. That is whyit is used in different ways. It is said to represent the death of theperson (Rom. 6:3-5), the union of that person with Christ (Gal. 3:27), thecleansing of that person's sins (Acts 22:16), the identification with theone "baptized into" as when the Israelites were baptized into Moses (1Cor. 10:2), and being united in one church (1 Cor. 12:13). Also, baptism isone of the signs and seals of the Covenant of Grace that was institutedby Jesus. It is in this sense a sacrament. A sacrament is a visible

manifestation of something spoken. It is also said to be a visible sign ofan inward grace. For example, the communion elements of bread and wineare called the sacrament of communion. When we take communion we arepartaking of the sacrament.

The Covenant of Grace is the covenant between God and Man whereGod promises to Man eternal life. It is based upon the sacrifice of Jesuson the cross and the condition is faith in Jesus Christ. As the CommunionSupper replaced Passover, baptism, in like manner, replaces circumcision.

"They represent the same spiritual blessings that were symbolized bycircumcision and Passover in the old dispensation" (Berkhoff, Lewis,Systematic Theology, 1988, p. 620.).

Circumcision was the initiatory rite into the Abrahamic covenant; itdid not save. A covenant is a pact or agreement between two or moreparties and that is exactly what the Abrahamic covenant was. God said to

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Abraham, "I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenantbetween me and you and your descendants after you for the generations

to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you"(Genesis 17:7, NIV). God later instructed Abraham to circumcise not onlyevery adult male, but also 8 day old male infants as a sign of the covenant(Gen. 17:9-13). If the children were not circumcised, they were notconsidered to be under the promissory Abrahamic covenant. This is whyMoses' wife circumcised her son and threw the foreskin at Moses' feet.(Ex. 4:24-25). She knew the importance of the covenant between God andher children. But at the same time we must understand that circumcisiondid not guarantee salvation to all who received it. It was a rite meant onlyfor the people of God, who were born into the family of God (who werethen the Jews).

An important question here is how is it possible for an infant to beentered into a covenant with God. There could be a lot of answers givenbut the point remains: it was done; infants were entered into a covenantrelationship with God -- through their parents.

In the New Testament, circumcision is mentioned many times. Butwith respect to this topic it is specifically mentioned in Col. 2:11-12: "In

him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, notwith a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision

done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with

him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the

dead" (NIV). In these verses, baptism and circumcision are related.Baptism replaces the Old Testament circumcision because 1) there was aNew Covenant in the communion supper (Luke 22:20), and 2) incircumcision there was the shedding of blood but in baptism no blood is

shed. This is because the blood of Christ has been shed.If you understand that baptism is a covenant sign, then you can see

that it is a representation of the reality of Christ circumcising our hearts(Rom. 2:29; Col. 2:11-12). It is our outward proclamation of the inwardspiritual blessing of regeneration. It comes after faith which is a gift ofGod (Rom. 12:3) and the work of God (John 6:28).

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Third, the Bible says that it is the gospel that saves. "By this gospelyou are saved..." (1 Cor. 15:2). Also, Rom. 1:16 says, "I am not ashamed ofthe gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone

who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."

What is the Gospel?

It is clearly the gospel that saves us. But what exactly is the gospel?That too is revealed to us in the Bible. It is found in 1 Cor. 15:1-4: "Now,brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which

you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you

are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise,

you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as offirst importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the

Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day

according to the Scriptures." The gospel is defined as the death, burial,and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. Baptism is not mentioned here.

Paul said that he came to preach the gospel, not to baptize: "I amthankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no

one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized

the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if Ibaptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to

preach the gospel..." (1 Cor. 1:14-17). If baptism is necessary for salvationthen why did Paul downplay it and even exclude it from the description ofwhat is required for salvation? It is because baptism isn't necessary forsalvation.

Additionally, in Acts, Peter was preaching the gospel, people gotsaved, and then they were baptized. Acts 10:44-46 says, "While Peter

was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard themessage. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were

astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on

the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Then Peter said, Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with

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water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.' So he

ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they

asked Peter to stay with them for a few days" (NIV). These people weresaved. The gift of the Holy Spirit was on the Gentiles and they werespeaking in tongues. This is significant because tongues is a gift given tobelievers, see 1 Cor. 14:1-5. Also, unbelievers don't praise God. They can'tbecause praise to the true God is a deep spiritual matter that is foreignto the unsaved (1 Cor. 2:14). Therefore, the ones in Acts 10 who arespeaking in tongues and praising God are definitely saved and they aresaved before they are baptized. This simply isn't an exception. It is areality.

Let's Suppose...

Another way of making this clear is to use an illustration. Let'ssuppose that a person, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John16:8), believed in Jesus as his savior (Rom. 10:9-10; Titus 2:13), and hasreceived Christ (John 1:12) as Savior. Is that person saved? Of course heis. Let's further suppose that this person confesses his sinfulness, criesout in repentance to the Lord, and receives Jesus as Savior and then

walks across the street to get baptized at a local church. In the middleof the road he gets hit by a car and is killed. Does he go to heaven orhell? If he goes to heaven then baptism isn't necessary for salvation. IfHe goes to hell, then trusting in Jesus, by faith, isn't enough forsalvation. Doesn't that go against the Scriptures that say that salvationis a free gift (Rom. 6:23) received by faith (Eph. 2:8-9)?

Saying that baptism is necessary for salvation is dangerous because itis saying that there is something we must do to complete salvation. That

is wrong! See Gal. 2:21; 5:4.All right, so this sounds reasonable. But still, what about those verses

that seem to say that baptism is part of salvation? I'll address thosenow. But, because this subject can become quite lengthy, in fact,

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sufficient for a book in itself, I'll only address a few verses and then onlybriefly.

Baptism Verses

John 3:5, "Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, no one can enter thekingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.'"

Some say that water here means baptism. But that is unlikely sinceChristian baptism hadn't yet been instituted. If this verse did meanbaptism, then the only kind that it could have been at that point was the

baptism of repentance administered by John the Baptist (Mark 1:4). Ifthat is so, then baptism isn't necessary for salvation because the baptismof repentance is no longer practiced.

It is my opinion that the water spoken of here means the water ofthe womb referring to the natural birth process. Jesus said in versethree that Nicodemus needed to be born "again." This meant that he hadbeen born once--through his mother. Nicodemus responds with astatement about how he can't enter again into his mother's womb to be

born. Then Jesus says that he must be born of water and the Spirit. Thenin verse 6 He says that "flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit givesbirth to spirit.." The context seems to be discussing the contrastbetween the natural and the spiritual birth. Water, therefore, couldeasily be interpreted there to mean the natural birth process.

I would like to add that there are scholars who agree with theposition and some who do not. Some believe that the water refers to theWord of God, the Bible, and others claim it means the Holy Spirit. You

decide for yourself.

Acts 2:38, "Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, inthe name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will

receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."This verse is a tough one. It seems to say that baptism is part of

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salvation. But we know, from other scriptures that it isn't, lest there be acontradiction. What is going on here is simply that repentance andforgiveness of sins are connected. In the Greek, "repent" is in the pluraland so is "your" of "your sins." They are meant to be understood as beingrelated to each other. It is like saying, "All of you repent, each of you getbaptized, and all of you will receive forgiveness." Repentance is a mark ofsalvation because it is granted by God (2 Tim. 2:25) and is given tobelievers only. In this context, only the regenerated, repentant person isto be baptized. Baptism is the manifestation of the repentance, that giftfrom God, that is the sign of the circumcised heart. That is why it says,repent and get baptized.

1 Pet. 3:21, "and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good

conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

This is the only verse that says that baptism saves. But, the NIVtranslation of the verse is unfortunate. A better translation is found inthe NASB which says, "and corresponding to that, baptism now saves

you." The key word in this section is the Greek antitupon. It means"copy," "type," corresponding to," "a thing resembling another," "itscounterpart," etc. Baptism is a representation, a copy, a type ofsomething else. The question is "Of what is it a type?", or "Baptismcorresponds to what?". The answer is found in the previous verse, verse20: "who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting inthe days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that

is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 21And

corresponding to that, baptism now saves you" (NASB).What does baptism correspond to? Is it the flood? Or, is it the ark?What was it that saved Noah and his family? Was it the water or theark? Obviously, it was the Ark. Noah built and entered the ark by faithand was saved (Heb. 11:7). The flood waters destroyed the ungodly. Peter,when referring to the flood waters, refers to them as the means of

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destruction of the ungodly (2 Pet. 2:5; 3:6). It was the Ark that saved.Noah entered the ark by faith. Baptism here, in my opinion, refers to theArk, not the waters. That is why the rest of the verse says, "not theremoval of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good consciencetoward God" which is consistent with what Paul said in Col. 2:11-12 whereHe equates baptism with being circumcised of heart.

Acts 22:16, "And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized andwash your sins away, calling on his name."

Is the washing away of sins done by baptism, the representation ofthe circumcised heart (Col. 2:11-12) which means you are already saved, oris it by the blood of Christ (Heb. 9:14; Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7)? Obviously it is

the blood of Jesus and the washing here refers to the calling on Jesus'name.

Rom. 6:4, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism intodeath in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the

glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."Because the believer is so closely united to Christ it is said that the

symbol of baptism is our death, burial, and resurrection. Obviously we did

not die--unless, of course, it is a figurative usage.

Titus 3:5, "he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, butbecause of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and

renewal by the Holy Spirit."The washing of rebirth can only be that washing of the blood of

Christ that cleanses us. It is not the symbol that saves, but the reality.The reality is the blood of Christ.

Gal. 3:27, "for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothedyourselves with Christ."

This is speaking of the believer's union with Christ. It is anidentification with, a joining to, a proclamation of loyalty to, etc. In 1 Cor.10:2 the Israelites were baptized into Moses. That means they were

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closely identified with him and his purpose. Baptism is not necessary forsalvation. It is the initiatory sign and seal into the covenant of grace. Ascircumcision referred to the cutting away of sin and to a change of heart(Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 9:25,26; Ez. 44:7,9) baptism refers to thewashing away of sin (Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21; Tit. 3:5) and to spiritualrenewal (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:11-12). The circumcision of the heart is signifiedby the circumcision of the flesh, that is, baptism (Col. 2:11-12).

One last thought: If someone maintains that baptism is necessary forsalvation, is he adding a work, his own, to the finished work of Christ? Ifthe answer is yes, then that person would be in terrible risk of not beingsaved. If the answer is no, then why is baptism maintained as beingnecessary the same way as the Jews maintained that works werenecessary?

Should we baptized "in the name of the Father,Son, and Holy Spirit" or "in the name of Jesus"?

The proper form of baptism is in the name of the Father, Son, andHoly Spirit as Jesus designated in Matt. 28:19, "Go therefore and make

disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father andthe Son and the Holy Spirit." The clear command of Jesus is to baptizethis way. But, if that is so, then why do we see so many instances in theNew Testament where people were baptized "in Jesus' name"?

Acts 2:38, "And Peter said to them, Repent, and let each of you bebaptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your

sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Acts 10:48, "And he ordered them to be baptized in the name ofJesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days."

Acts 19:5, "And when they heard this, they were baptized in thename of the Lord Jesus."

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The reason they were baptizing "in the name of Jesus" is not becauseit was a formula, but because the phrase, "in the name of" means "in theauthority of. We can see proof of this in Acts 4:7-10,

"And when they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, 'Bywhat power, or in what name, have you done this?'8 Then Peter, filled

with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 'Rulers and elders of the people, 9 if

we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man

has been made well, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of

Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you

crucified, whom God raised from the deadby this name this man stands

here before you in good health.'"

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CHAPTER SIXEvangelism

Why Should We Witness?

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why should I witness?" Severalreasons should come to mind. First, because Jesus commands you to: "Gotherefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,"(Matt. 28:19). Also,Ezek. 3:11 says, "and go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and

speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or not..."Second, you must witness because you love the unsaved (if you don't,you should). The most loving thing you can do is present the gospel inhopes of bringing others to salvation. Galatians 5:22 lists love as one ofthe fruit of the Spirit. It is love's nature to give. Take for example John3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..."Love gives, and if you have only a small portion of His love, you will want togive to others.

Third, witness because it is a wise thing to do. Prov. 11:30 says, "...hewho is wise wins souls."Now, I know I am not a very wise person. But,since God says I'll be wise to win souls, or try to, then great, let me at it.I want to be wise in God's sight.

Fourth, witness to keep people out of hell. Hell is a terrifying place ofutter anguish and eternal separation from God. Those who are not savedgo there. Witnessing is an attempt to keep them out of hell.

Fifth, witness because it pleases God and brings glory to His name.

And finally, witness so they may find the love and fellowship of God(1 John 1:3), the greatest of all treasures. I can think of no greater giftthan salvation. It frees the sinner from sin, it delivers the lost fromdamnation, and it reveals the true and living God to those who don't knowHim.

The angels of heaven rejoice greatly when anyone passes from

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judgment into salvation (Luke 15:10). Shouldn't we as Christians rejoicetoo? Shouldn't we weep over the lost? Shouldn't we ask the Lord of thefield to send laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2)? Certainly! Thesalvation of others is the goal of your efforts. The love of God is yourmotive. Is there anything greater? So, give. It is time for the church toMOBILIZE and go outside of the safety of the four walls! If we are asfilled with the Holy Ghost as we say we are we should WITNESS!

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does

not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth"(2 Tim.2:15).

Without a proper foundation, buildings don't stand, civilizations don'tlast, and Christians don't witness well. The foundation I am talking aboutis the foundation of basic Christian doctrine. Do you know what theTrinity is? How many natures does Jesus have, one or two? Are we saved

by grace through faith or by grace and works? For what purpose didJesus die? Did He rise from the dead? If so, why?

Perhaps you do not believe that knowing doctrine is important. Maybeyou think that we should just tell people about Jesus and let them chooseto accept Him or not. Unfortunately, witnessing isn't always that simple.Knowing what and why you believe is essential. For example, if someonesays he wants to receive Jesus as Savior but doesn't believe that He isGod in flesh, is that important? If someone says that the Trinity is not

biblical, what would you say? Is the Holy Spirit a force or God? Doctrineis important because it defines who you put your trust in. It is not simplythat you have faith, it's who you put your faith in.

What are you called to do?

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You are called by God to accurately know His word, "Be diligent topresent yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be

ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth"(2 Tim. 2:15).You are called by God to grow in your walk with Him, "Therefore,

leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to

maturity..."(Heb. 6:1).You are called by God to search the scriptures daily, "Now these

were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received

the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see

whether these things were so"(Acts 17:11).

How good is your foundation?

Are you like the people in that church? Are you weak in your basicChristian foundation? Can you defend the Trinity biblically? Can you showsomeone in the Bible that Jesus is God in flesh or that salvation is byfaith only and not by our works? Do you know if Jesus rose from the deadin the same body He died in or was it a different spiritual body? Thesequestions are crucial and you need to have the correct answers. Do you?

If your foundation is weak, then you need to strengthen it. Without a

good foundation you won't be able to stand against a breeze of opposition.That is why you must first establish your foundation: you must witness inthe strength of truth, not the weakness of error.

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Three Important Verses in Witnessing

"So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return

to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without

succeeding in the matter for which I sent it"(Isaiah 55:11).

If you only study one page on this section on evangelism, this page isit. Why? Because here is where you will learn three of the most importantverses of evangelism: Isaiah 55:11; Rom. 1:16; and John 12:32.

Isaiah 55:11

Isaiah 55:11 says, "So shall My word be which goes forth from Mymouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I

desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."God'sword is unique. It was by His word (speech) that God created, "God said,

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Let there be light'; and there was light" (Gen. 1:3). "By faith weunderstand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God..."(Heb.11:3). Jesus is called the Word, "In the beginning was the Word and theWord was with God and the Word was God... and the Word became flesh

and dwelt among us..."(John 1:1,14).When Jesus was on the earth, He taught. He taught with words and

His words had a very strong effect on people. They angered some andbroke others. But when Jesus spoke, things happened.

Jesus forgave sins by speaking, "And seeing their faith, He said,Friend, your sins are forgiven you'"(Luke 5:20). He raised the dead byspeaking, "Lazarus, come forth"(John 11:43). He calmed the wind and seawith words, "Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and itbecame perfectly calm"(Matt. 8:26). He cast out demons by speech,"And He said to them, Begone!' And they came out..."(Matt. 8:32). Hehealed by speech, "And He stretched out His hand and touched him,saying, I am willing; be cleansed.' And immediately his leprosy was

cleansed"(Matt. 8:3,13). God's words are powerful.The Word (the Bible) is described as having many qualities:

It is

inspired:

"All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for

teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in

righteousness"(2 Tim. 3:16).

It is

truth:"The sum of Thy word is truth"(Psalm 119:151).

It makes

free:

"...If you abide in My word, then you are truly

disciples of mine; and you shall know the truth, and

the truth shall make you free"(John 8:32).It

produces

faith:

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the

word of Christ"(Rom. 10:17)

It judges: "For the word of God is living and active and sharper

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than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the

division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow,

and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the

heart"(Heb. 4:12).

The Word of God is a mighty weapon. That is why you shouldmemorize!

Romans 1:16

Rom. 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of

God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also tothe Greek."What is the Gospel? 1 Cor. 15:1-4 says it is the sacrificialdeath and physical resurrection of Jesus for sins. It is the powerfulmessage of salvation to sinners. If you know that the Word of God willaccomplish what God wants it to and if you know that the gospel haspower to save, then it should ease your mind to know that in witnessing

you are using two very powerful weapons: God's Word and God's Gospel.The Word of God is the Bible. The Gospel of God is His revelation or

redemption.

John 12:32

John 12:32, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all mento Myself."Here Jesus speaks specifically about His crucifixion. It is Hewho draws to Himself all who are to be saved. When you present thegospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4), the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus forsins, Jesus draws the sinner to Himself. He does the work, not you.

As a Christian, you are to witness with truth, honesty, and integrity.As the Lord provides the opportunity, you should respond in a humble andgentle spirit (2 Tim. 2:24). And in that, you should point people to Jesus.

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It is He alone who saves.

If you know that God's Word will accomplish what God desires, thatthe gospel is powerful to save, and that it is Jesus who draws all men toHimself, then you should realize that the responsibility of salvation doesnot rest on you, but on God. You are the teacher, the deliverer of goodnews. "How shall they believe in Him who they have not heard?"(Rom.10:14). You help them hear!

These three verses should help you to gain confidence. You witness;God saves. You plant the seeds; God waters. He uses you. It is His Wordthat accomplishes salvation. It is His gospel that is powerful. It is HisSon Jesus who draws. You witness in power when you witness with theWord of God.

Salvation is God's work

"Salvation belongs to the Lord"(Psalm 3:8).

When someone appeals to God and seeks forgiveness in Jesus, his sins

are removed, he is cleansed, his relationship with God is restored, and heis made a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). All of this is the work of God, notman.

The Bible has a phrase that describes the non-Christian. It is 'naturalman'. In 1 Cor. 2:14 Paul says, "But a natural man does not accept thethings of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he

cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised."Our human condition can be compared to a drop of poison in a glass of

water: all the water is poisoned but it is not as bad as it could be. Thewater is incapable of being good. We, too, are incapable of really beinggood.

When Jesus' disciples asked Him who can be saved, He replied, "Withmen this is impossible, but with God all things are possible"(Matt. 19:26).That is why salvation rests in God alone by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-

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9).About now you are probably wondering what this has to do with

witnessing. Why do you need to know all this? I am glad you asked. It ishelpful to know because you must realize it is God who saves people.Specifically, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts the sinner of sin -- not you."And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world

concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment"(John 16:8).Remember, the gospel is preached after sin is made known. Because

the sinner cannot come to God on his own, he must be convicted of his sin,and thus be made aware of his need for salvation. The conviction of sin isbeyond our control. It is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8).

Prayer is essential in witnessing

It is, then, vital that you pray and request God to convict as well assave. Prayer is an essential part of witnessing. When you witness you mustpray. Then you are free to spread the gospel as effectively as you wantand to trust God to give the increase (1 Cor. 3:6-7). Ask Him to send theHoly Spirit; ask Him to convict the world of sin. The work of the HolySpirit is essential in salvation.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit works in two types of people during witnessing: thesaved and the unsaved. In the saved, He dwells within (Rom. 8:11), teaches(John 14:26), anoints (1 John 2:27), guides (John 16:13), and sanctifies (1Pet. 1:2). Without the Holy Spirit we would be like ships without rudders,unable to live as Christians and certainly unable to witness effectively.

In the unsaved, He convicts of sin (John 16:8). Sinners come to Jesusto have their sins cleansed. They do this after they discover their guiltbefore God. This too is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Since the natural man is separated from God because of his sin(Isaiah 59:2), the Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures (that you quote) toconvict him of his sinfulness, convince him of his need for salvation, and

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convert him through the Word. When a natural man (or woman) is awareof his sinful condition then the gospel message of deliverance from sin ispreached and becomes effectual.

How Do I Get Tax-Exempt Status?

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What is 501(c)(3)Church leaders are often confused by their friends (or their Attorney's),when they are told they must "Get" a 501(c)(3). What they mean to sayis, "Do you have a favorable "Ruling Letter" from the IRS." When achurch chooses to file the IRS Form 1023, they will receive this letter.

The Church must meet both the organizational and operational test.Whereas Section 501(c)(3) of the US Tax Code (and its various subsections) describe the various organizations exempt from paying taxes,and requires specific (organizational) IRS terminology written in theirArticles of Incorporation. The tax code does not define a "church." TheIRS has been careful not to ever officially in any way endorse any

definition of "church," or any list of criteria. The Courts have adopted a14 point (operational) test as a matter of common law. The IRS hasimplicitly followed this test without ever officially adopting it. A churchwould have to "substantially" meet this test, (but would not have to meetevery one of the 14 points) to be tax exempt. The 14 points are listedbelow.

Deductibility of contributions is determined under sections 509 and 170.

Section 508 speaks to reporting requirements, and 508(a) requires allnew non-profit organizations to file Form 1023 for recognition of exemptstatus within 15 months of their organization. However - 508(c) exemptschurches from the requirement of filing the IRS Form 1023.

Is A Church Subject To Federal Income Tax Without An Exempt RulingLetter? NO! Churches are immune (exempt), as long as they meet the 1)organizational and 2) operational test found in the Internal Revenue Code

501(c)(3), that is "organized and operated exclusively for religiouspurposes," (and this "purpose" must be so stated in the churches Articlesof Incorporation), and the 14 common law criteria.

"IRS News Release 1930" issued to IRS agents, lists guidelines fordetermining whether an organization is a church. An organization would

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have to "substantially" meet this test, but not all of the 14 points have tobe present. Following is the 14 point list:

1. A distinct legal existence.

2. A recognized creed and form of worship.3. A definite and distinct ecclesiastical government.4. A formal code of doctrine and discipline.5. A distinct religious history.6. A membership not associated with any other church or

denomination.7. A complete organization of ordained ministers ministering to their

congregations.

8. Ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed courses ofstudy.

9. A literature of its own.10. An established place of worship.11.Regular congregation.12. Regular religious services.13. Sunday School for the religious instruction of the young.14. School for the preparation of its ministers.

If the church is structured and functioning according to the above ITIS a 501(c)(3).

For more specific information, contact an Attorney or C.P.A., who fullyunderstands these issues. THE PURPOSE OF THE 14 POINT CRITERIAThe IRS uses this criteria to screen out the phony "house church," oftendesigned as a means of tax evasion a money laundry scheme. This

statement is not, in any wise, meant to cast aversion on the many greatoutreaches of todays churches, which meet in the homes of theirmembers, or for that matter are in the beginning stages of a new church.

But situations do exist where "churches" were established by anti-taxactivists for the sole purpose of avoiding taxation. Then having paid

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$25.00 for a sham Ministerial Credential from the Universal Church ofthe Whatever; incorporated as a "church;" invited all their friends andneighbors to join and donate their income in exchange for tax deductiblereceipts. Having purchased a hunting lodge or duck pond for their"religious retreat," they now pose as a tax exempt "religiousorganization." They will likely not "measure up," when screened againstthe required "purposes" clause of the Articles of Incorporation, and theabove 14 point list.

It is also worth noting, that it is not only the Church that is tax exempt but the Synagogue, Wicca (organized witchcraft), and all the other"Religious Organizations," who deny Jesus as the Christ, are also exempt.

So you see it is not a "church" issue, it is a "religious" issue.

You can easily determine this fact for yourself by looking at theinstruction sheet on how to fill out this Form.http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1023.pdf Look carefully on the firstpage of the instruction sheet, lower right hand side. See:

PURPOSE OF FORM. - Below that read:

1. "Completed form 1023 is required for section 501 (c)(3), unless itmeets one of the exemptions in 2 below:"

2. "Organizations not required to file Form 1023, - The followingtypes of organizations may be considered tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3), even if they do not file Form 1023:

1. Churches, including synagogues, temples and Mosques

2. Integrated auxiliaries of churches and conventions or associationsof churches .... "

Note The author has underlined the points above for emphasis only.

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SUMMARY: As shown in the IRS own printed word the church isexempt of all taxes, even if they do notfile the Form 1023. The

church is automatically 501(c)(3).

CONCLUSION

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There is a need for unity amongst believers; this is difficult because eachof the groups I mentioned has its good points and strengths, yet they areall flawed in some way. The Word of God has no flaws, and this is wherewe must meet. I was raised in the Baptist church, I went to a LutheranSchool (middle school), I have had fellowship with different groups withinthe military chapel system, and I worked with foreign missionaries inKorea for 2 years. I helped start the first Church of God in Christ inKorea. During Operation Desert Storm I lead 2 Muslims to Christ with anAssembly of God brother and an apostolic brother. (This was not easybut it happened) I have preached in Honduras, Turkey, and Somalia. Nowwhy am I sharing all of this? Everywhere I went God teamed me up withpeople from nearly every group I mentionedAND IT WORKED! Itworked because in the military we didnt have the luxury of always findingChristians just like you. My first assignment overseas I was teamed upwith a Southern Baptist Caucasian brother. He was from Forsythe County,Georgia. This is one of the most racist areas in America, yet we workedtogether like brothers.

The demonic walls of separation in the Protestant church MUST come

down. How can we preach to the Catholic about the mote in his eye, whilewe the Protestants have a beam in our own? The saints of God mustgather at the foot of the cross of Jesus. The Word of God

Documents

Church Administration (A Look at The Early Church)