Articles
The Purpose and Intent of Teaching in Worship--Transcript
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
I'd like to see if you would turn back to the book of First Thessalonians chapter 1, that brother Eduardo read just a little bit ago in the first eight version. Verses of that chapter.
As we enter into this message tonight, I want to say something specifically to those that are not Christians, that the content of what we're going to talk about this evening , I believe I hope will give you an understanding of what it is that we do here.
Not only what is it is that we're doing, but also the reason for us doing it.
If along the way, you understand very clearly, of an assignment that was made by Jesus to the Apostle before he hasc up into heaven in Matthew chapter 28 in the last two, three verses, you will understand that we are wanting you to understand the value of being a disciple as is expressed in that chapter.
And in doing so, he says that you need to deliver a message to these people to make the disciples.
Make them the followers of yours.
It is probably something that's been on your mind for quite some time, some of you, some of us, some of you that are here, baby, this is the first time that you really seriously thought about it.
But I want you to think about you becoming the next Christian, the next disciple.
Not only that, but it provides you an opportunity not only to see what one of the great purposes of us being here and understanding how valuable that is as a part of what we're doing in worship, but also, it also gives you an opportunity to be responsible individual.
We are living in an era of which the idea of irresponsibility, no accountability, no s sense of doing, really is part of our learning and our teaching.
But every single one of us are.
And as a result of that, we would hope and pray that you would be the next disciple, the next child of God, by virtue of what we're going to talk about tonight, the idea of teaching scripture.
Now, I'm not going to introduce to you what I know has been done over the last several months and probably several years, by a lot of different churches.
I have seen video clips of different churches assemblies, and what it is that they're doing, not only what they're doing, but also what they're teaching.
And I would say there's problems some of you that may know some of those people that are attending those churches, and you know some of the things that they've talked about that they're being taught.
In some cases, you see, maybe through those little video clips that you may have witnessed, that there's not very much about scripture that they're teaching.
There might be some individual that stands up like on a podium like this and starts singing individually to some beat of a music.
And then there might be somebody that stands up after that.
It could be a man, it could be a woman that starts standing up and starts giving us testimony about how they were saved.
And they might, after they're through, talk about how that you should be the one that is the next individual that's delivered from sin like myself.
And we'd like for you to be a part of a small group here. And it may go further to talk about how it is that we're going to in the next couple of weeks, we're going to go on a mission trip to a particular country, or a particular area, and we want you to go with us.
But we need you to be a disciple before you do that.
And it may go something like that.
It may be totally different.
It may be totally different.
But I'm not trying to give you an understanding about what everybody else is doing.
I want you to understand by things that you're going to hear out of this text here and some other places in scripture, there have been an accommodations made for the audience and the assembly to speak in terms that will make them feel good, maybe build up their self-esteem, exalt certain , maybe achievements by people.
It's not very much that there's going to be any negativity that's mentioned, but the younger people are in many cases, the main point of view.
It's a matter of trying to accommodate them, is trying to trying to bring some attraction to them.
And slowly, but surely, there have been some older people that have approved of that.
And there have been people who would come into this building that have mentioned those very same things to me.
But they've not made any moves about changing where it is that they're worth worshiping to go anywhere else.
They're just going to stay right there.
So to gradually, slowly, but in a very subtle way, they just accommodated an approval of what's being taught and what they're doing.
And one of the main reasons they want to stay there, it's not the only reason, but one of the reasons I want to stay there is because they have children of their own that are there with them.
And they don't want to depart and go to a different place for the sake of trying to encourage and help their children.
And you might see some of the faults related to that reasoning, but that's normally what you're seeing in a lot of cases .
That's slowly, but surely people have found themselves adoptingting, approving, compromising, and just going along with whatever is taught.
One of the things that you're going to see from the book of Pesss chapter 1, is something very interesting to me in verses one to verse, hey, this group of people that are Christians here are very well doing the things similar to the way the church began in the Book of Acts the 2 chapter verse 42.
In Acts chapter 2, after the're preaching about Jesus dying on the cross and there's these people killing him, about 3,000 people verse 41 were baptized.
After that took place, what they did was very, very important to not only the beginning of that church, but the continuing existence of that church.
For in verse 42, it says they continued in the apostle's doctrine , fellowship breaking a bread and prayers.
In other words, they are looking for not just the thing that they needed to follow as a pattern to be a Christian, but they're needing to continue to follow whatever it was that brought them to the point of being saved .
In other words, if it brought them to the point of being saved, there's a very good possibility to keep them there.
So when you read 1 Essle in chapter 1, and you read verse 1, to verse, one of the great things that Paul really committedends them about is that they're delivering the message that brought them to being a Christian, just like it is with what goes on in Acts chapter 2, They're following the same pattern that this gospel that brought those about 3,000 souls safe, they're continuing to follow that same teaching of which brought them to the point of salvation.
There's no reason to depart from it.
But there's ever reason to keep following this message.
One of the things, too, that you might want to think about is that they are going to, in the book of Acts chapter 2 , see a man by the name of Paul, follow right along with the idea of preaching this in different locations.
One place happened to be in Troaz, in the book of Acts chapter 21 verse 7, that he continued his speech until midnight.
While at the same time, there was this observanceance of breaking a bread that you see introduced in the book of Acts, the 2nd chapter verse 42.
The Teaching by Paul.
Not the length of the sermon was really any significancy, but though they did talk about it, it was a content of that teaching was very, very valuable to the brethren that were there.
And as you read through what we began to talk about this morning in the book of Jesuses chapter 1, the church is the fullness of God that filleth all in all, but just helps you understand simply that it is the body of Christ that is all sufficient in everything .
There's no need to really pick apart the intent and purpose of the church and come come up with some other way of achieving the same thing.
It's already established.
One of the things that you will notice here, in the Book of Phes in chapter 4, are these individuals that he mentions of verse 11 as apostles and prophets and evangelists , and passors and teachers.
What they were going to be responsible for is verse 12, that the perfecticing of the saints, the building the work of the ministry, and the building up of the body of Christ, till we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, until a full grown man to the measure of the statue, the fullness of Christ.
We're looking at a situation here where these individuals are teaching about Jesus to bring these individuals who are unbelievers to Jesus initially .
And it's also to keep them close to Jesus because of what the purpose is in verse 12 or really verse 13, that we all have the knowledge of the Son of God and grow up into the stature of Jesus., the Christ that saved us.
Therefore, when you look at Acts 24 242, verse E in chapter 1, verse 1, verse 8 , and Acts 20 verse 7, then you see Epix's 4 to 13, it makes a perfect sense.
For why teaching an assembly is so valuable.
One of the things that Paul did in Act 20, I must say this, , besides him getting a public discourse in verse 7, verse 20, when he got the elders together of Ephesus and Meletus, he said, I taught you publicly and from house to house house.
The teaching was just not private 101.
It was publicly as well.
Now, is this what you're seeing already, is this in any way identical to the churches of which you know of or heard about today?
Or more specifically, is it anywhere identical to what we are doing here?
There have been a lot of churches that have begun with a lot of different ideas, a lot of plans, wonderful, valuable purposes, intents.
But in some cases, it has nothing to do with what the scripture teaches and has a lot to do with trying to accommodate some kind of social interaction with the community, developing a program that doesn't really exist.
They haven't seen anywhere.
They've got some belief system that they haven't nobody's come up with yet, that might be worth looking at .
But in the midst of them removing themselves for what the Bible says about the teaching and what the content that teaching should be be, here's a question that I would have.
If they're going through that, and if we choose to do that, if we choose to depart from the intended purpose of the church, and let's say we want to be culturally dominated in everything that we do, then, let's say six months, a year, five years down the road, will we be able to say that we are identical to what the Bible says, or that we are more identical to all what other churches are doing?
And that really, we're trying to become to be just like everybody else is.
There's no reason for us to be different, but there's every reason for us to be identical or similar or like, like everybody else.
You will see, though, in scripture, that the intent and purpose of the church is not to maintain accommodations, approval, acceptance, and compromise of everything going on in the church.
It's it's not to make everybody comfortable.
It is not to make everybody realize that what the society is going through, that's what we need to think about and satisfy every man and woman and child.
And that's not going to be possible. Let's just say, for example, that we started doing that.
But then somebody gets up and they start speaking the truth, and while everybody is just really relaxed, have no commitment and dedication to the truth, and they just forsook it all together, but they just feel good about where they are.
And all of a sudden somebody gets up here and starts talking about the truth. Then those people whose heart is not in the scripture as well as their mind is not in the Bible, you're going to have a fight.
You're going to have a fight.
And I'm going to approach that in just a minute in the book of of 2nd Tim chapter 4, and in the first five verses, just see what happened.
Here's one thing that you might want to think about when it comes down to the church involving teaching and worship, is that this is going to build up the body.
This is going to build up the church.
When Paul was there with those elders of Ephesus in the book of Acts chapter 20, when he got through talking to all about things that are very beneficial about this W, he said, we'm going to commend you to this word.
We' able to build up the church.
Is that going to tear it down.
It's going to build it up.
And when you look at what goes on, as we talked about well ago in the He's in chapter 4 verse 12 verse 13 , this is for the perfecting of the saints to the building up of the body of Christ.
It's to us to grow into being like Jesus, being exactly what he wants us to be.
Because when you look at 1 in chapter 3, verse 15, if it is true that the church is a pillar and ground of the truth, then we've got to continue to stay steadfast and be letting this truth be the foundation of what we do.
In other words, if we're going to mimic what first Timothy chapter 3, verse 15 says, the put on the ground the truth, we need to keep this going.
We need to keep this teaming.
And the church at Thesslanica knew that.
And that's why they kept this message going.
And what you will see in the book of First Thessia chapter 1, is that it was not something that they knew was valuable to the church there, but all other churches of Macedonia, Achaia, saw what they were doing .
And they became to be examples for them.
Now that brings us to this personal question for all of us.
How many other people, whether it's a Murfersboro, Nashville, Kentucky, Texas, wherever, whatever city you want to name. Or whatever state you want to name.
Would when they hear the word Veterans Parkway Church of Christ, know and believe without a doubt that we are fulfilling the purpose and intent of this part of worship, of teaching, just as it wouldn't be for the church of Thessonica, that they were the examples for the church at Achaia or all the churches in Macedonia.
Everybody knew about what they were doing.
And as a result, there were no suspicions, there were no doubts, there were no questions, and there were no uncertainties about going to worship with those people over there.
Could the same thing be said without hesitation, but with true conviction that people could come and be a part of what we're doing right here?
And we wouldn't have to back down.
We wouldn't be ashamed.
We wouldn't have to apologize.
And we wouldn't have to make excuses for anything we're saying or anything we're doing.
I hope and pray that none of you are backing down and making excuses for why you're here.
One of the things that you will see in the book of 2 Corinth is chapter 11, as well as Flippians chapter 1, verse 325, is that both of these churches knew the value of the teaching and how important that was to the body of Christ. So much so that they would support an individual who would preach the gospel, like Paul, whether it was the church of Philippi or whether it was the church at Curan.
Paul talked about it in chapter 11, verse 8, as I was robbing other churches.
Paul mentioned to the church at Philippi, he said, I'm thankful to God that you're there and you're supportinging the effort and what I'm doing to priest this word.
So they know the value of this.
Then they want to fulfill every purpose intent that's found within scripture .
And the reason is, is because this church, whether it's Corinth, or whether it's Philipippi, or whether it's Troaz or whoever it may be, even the church at Thessalica, they're trying to teach sound words to people, words that were bring them to the point of being saved.
Words that were bring them to the point of being like Jesus.
Words that would bring them to conviction.
Words that they would not have to hesitate to follow and words that would not bring the vision.
According to 1 Corinth chapter 1, verse 10, he says, he knew that there was the vision that existed among them.
And when division exists, then how do you resolve the division?
Somebody's got to come to the realization of what the truth is.
And according to what you see in scripture, we have to find find ourselves not going in a different direction in Colesian chapter 1 , but find ourselves going in the same direction and following the same gospel.
And according to what Mark was telling us this morning in Bible class in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 17, this message was delivered to all churches.
This was not, this church is delivering and getting one message, and this church is getting another message .
Everybody's getting the same message.
Everybody's getting the very same information.
Nothing's different because the Holy Spirit reveals that for all of us to real, really, real, really read and understand.
This is exactly the prayer that Jesus offered in John chapter 17, verse 21.
This unity that existed, there's no possibility that unity can exist exist without somebody following the same standard.
You can just throw that out the window. If we just follow whatever it is we want to do.
So teaching builds the church.
But here is an interesting thing.
I want you to think about just a minute.
I want to take out that section where it says godly living of saints.
Any assembly, any assembly.
And now, when I say that, I'm talking about a very broad area of assembly, whether it's an assembly of people that are trying to be entrepreneurs or bringing being small business owners, or whether it's an assembly of a lot of medical people or trying to learn more understandable, better ways to serve the public.
Whatever particular assembly you've got, the people that are in that assembly become to be what they hear in that assembly.
Teaching by the church is supported by the godly living of the saints.
If we have an assembly that is speaking about and approving of homosexuality, then that's going to be supported by the way those people live.
If we're teaching things that relate to approval, compromising, social drinking , then those people in that assembly are going to show what's being taught at that place.
Whatever subject you want to cover, whatever it is, the teaching in that assembly is going to be supported by the lives of the people in that assembly.
But Biblically, to follow the true purpose and intent of the church is teaching by the church to present people in the world that live God in life.
That's exactly what Jesus had all the disciples with him for for.
So you could go out in this world and tell me about how fable it is.
And when Paul is teaching in the book of Acts chapter 217, that's exactly exactly what he was trying to get the people to do.
But here's the thing.
By the time that the service is over, by the time the message is delivered, people are asking, well, how can I apply this?
Where is this going to fit ?
Where can I use this?
Why should I know this?
Where, when am I going to need this?
Where's this going to really fit in my life, as they say, practically, as most people talk about, practically fit in the way in which I live?
And the reason people are asking those questions is, is because they're wanting some kind of immediate action.
They're wanting some kind of immediate application.
They're looking for some kind of immediate change.
They're looking for something they can go right out those and they can actually put into place at that moment. Immediately.
Because we're these instant people that we just need to be satisfied immediately with everything that's going on.
So therefore, I know that's why I came today because I needed that.
And I could use it immediately as soon as I walk out the door.
I would say without a doubt, there's some lessons that you've heard in this assembly that when you went out, you thought, how am I going to use that?
When, where?
That's a question that everyone student has asked himself when they're in the middle of the class of the teacher.
Where am I going to use this?
When am I going to use this?
How am I going to use this?
I don't see why I'm in this class.
And on and on and on you hear those kind of things.
Okay, let's just talk about that.
Teaching in an assembly, what's the value of that?
I mean, is there going to be any immediate change?
What does this teaching do in the book of Timoth 2 Peter rather,, verse chapter 1, verse 3, and verse 4, introduces this idea about what the scriptures are valuable for, seeing that this divine power power he has has granted unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness.
Through the knowledge of him that through called us by his own glory and virtue, where he had granted unto us his precious and exceeding gr promises that through these ye may becomeakers of the divine nature, having escape from the corruption that is in the world by lust.
So immediately, you see what this teaching does.
It provides promises.
Immediately, you can go out that door and understand the bag of that because there's a lot of people that just don't keep their word. And you probably work with them last week.
Probably a member of your family.
Somewhere along the way, you could immediately, but ongoing, even if it's at that moment, at some point in time, you're going to know how valuable those promises are , of which God keeps in Scripture.
And according to if he's in chapter 4, verse 11, verse 13, this is making us to be like Jesus.
And I don't know how many times I've heard prayers in this building that speaks to let's be like Jesus.
Help us to be like the Savior.
One of the things that you will notice in James chapter 1, verse 22 to verse 25, is that Scripture is going to be that, which helps us understand how valuable it is to do, not just to sit back and listen, but it's to be followers in verse 22, be doers of the word and not he's only deluding or deceiving your your own sel, for anyone is here of the word and not a doer.
He's like a man thats himself in the mirror.
He beholds himself, goes away, and straight forgets what manner of man he was.
This is this word is for us to follow for us to do, as well as, give us all understanding and wisdom.
In the book of James as well, you will notice the things that he states in verse 13, through verse 1 , He even asks the question, who is wise to understanding among you?
Let him show by his life, his works and wisdom.
So this follows right along with what the church is doing by teaching, is that it's trying to let people know of God's promises and to be like Jesus, in order that they will be the ones who will live God's lives, because he says in verse 13, let him show his good life and his works of meekness and wisdom .
And then he compares two different types of wisdom.
One, that is of the devil, that he mentioned in verse 14, 15, 16, and then the other in verse 17.
Wisdom that is from above, is first pure then peaceable, gentle, easy to be treated full immers in good fruits , without variants, without apocrisy, and the fruit of righteousness has sown in peace within that makes peace..
Wonderful things that you see.
And as the Book of Psalm chapter 1, 19, verse 105, says, Thy word as a lamp unto my feet and I light into my path.
We know that this word and this teaching gives us wisdom, wisdom that we all need.
And we all need to realize the responsibility of that.
Paul was telling Timothy about his teaching in 1 Tim to chapter 4, 1, And he says, you need to take heed to yourself, and to your teaching.
Continuing these things, for in doing this, you'll say both yourself and then to hear thee.
And it was interesting to me that Paul even mentioned to Timothy a little bit later in the second letter in chapter 2, verse 2, he says that things that have been that that was known of and learned of, commit the faithful men who shall be able to teach others also.
This is not something that you're just learning and you're following, but you're going to be able to teach it to somebody else, too.
Because the people that see you follow the truth makes you credible before them to where they see the value of following the same truth.
Should they decide they want to be a Christian??
You see, how valuable that is?
So, therefore, we find ourselves in the position to be people who follow the teaching and that is so important in this world because of consistency should be that which overrules hypocrisy.
But I want to admit to something, too, before we leave this lesson, and that is, in the midst of the teaching, is the reproval of false teaching.
Let's look at it this way.
In the book of 2nd 10 chapter 4, notice this in verse 1, through verse 4.
He says, I charge you in the sight of God and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living in the dead and appearing in his kingdom.
Preach the word, be instance in, out of, rep, reb, ex with all long.
So the time will come when they will not endure the sounding, but having itching ears will heap after their own lust. And will turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside into fables.
And when you go back to the Book of Acts chapter 20 and you read the responsibility that the elders have that he gives to the end in verse 28, he says, this church came about because of shedding the blood of Jesus.
And as a result, you must be aware that there's some people out there that do not like the purpose and intent of the church and scripture, and they're going to be like these wolves coming in and they're going to take hold of the sheep and they're going to pull them away and lead them astray.
Devour them.
And the elders are going to have to be the ones that's going to be responsible to make sure that doesn't take place.
And that's why verse 32 comes along and says, we commend to you the word of grace that will build you up and give you an inheritance.
That's why you see entitus chapter 1, verse 9, one of the great responsibilities of an elder is to convict the gamesayer.
Those are in opposition to the truth.
The Church Church of Ba knew this in the book of Acts chapter 17, verse 11.
In other words, when Paul came along, they were listening to the things that he was saying, but they were examining what he was saying with scripture. To see whether or not what they were hearing was true from the apostle.
They were examining every scripture, every word, daily on a daily basis.
They didn't want false teaching.
They just wanted the truth.
But here's the most interesting thing about the truth.
You and I die don't have to go out here and tell them I'm about to tell you the truth, be ready for it, because you won't like it.
You won't It just won't sound good to you.
I know it won't, but I'm just going to tell you anyway.
You don't have to announce anything about the truth.
Just say it.
Just speak it.
Deliver it, proclaim it, and the teaching of the truth will be matched up against that which is false , and it will irritate as it should, the soul of the individual who is not following it. To either keep going in the direction or step back and say it.
I think I need to consider a little bit more about what the Bible teaches.
And if there's somebody's life like yours in teaching them that supports what you're teaching, then that even means more to them.
Just like Paul is telling Timothy in 1 10 to chapter 4 16, Therefore, you don't have to announce the truth.
I'm about to tell you the truth because it's going to go against what you say.
The truth will always be against the false teaching.
But there needs to be this awareness.
And as Paul was talking to the brethren in Thessalike, he said, I want you to be aware that some people walk disorderly.
They don't follow it.
And he talked about that in verse 13 as well as verse 15.
There's some that will not follow that teaching. That should come from the purpose and intent of what the church should be.
And as a result, there was this warning that came from Paul Paul to the church at Rome, in Rome chapter 16, verse 17, and 18 , as well as to the man, Titus in the book of Titus chapter 3, verse 10, verse:1 11, that there's going to be people that are going to be heretics, as the scripture talks about, people that are false teachers.
And as a result, they will find themselves in a position where they're going to have to follow the scripture. Or they're going to just keep going in the direction that they're going.
But every time truth is spoken, there's a great possibility that's going to go against false ticking.
It will reprove the false teaching.
And that's exactly what the characteristic of the Bible is in 2 Timney chapter 3, verse 16, when whenever this inspiration of God is mentioned, it has this ability to teach.
It has its ability to reprove.
It has its ability to rebuke.
And it doesn't come out there to say, I'm about to rebuke you.
I'm about to reprove you.
I'm about to tell you that your fault.
It just tells the truth, and as a result of that, it acquires this wonderful divine characteristic of reproval against the false teacher.
It's going to happen just about every time.
And it's meant to keep people from being tossed to and fro and carried about from one day to the next and keep them steady and stable and enduring and steadfast.
So that the problems of of life do not overwhelm them to the point that they lose their focus of what they should be doing.
If we lose. Teaching, if we just lose the truth in teaching, we lose.
I mean, the church loses totally. And the church doesn't exist very long.
And I know that there are subjects that come along, topics that are discussed, where there's this tendency to feel as if maybe we ought to back off and stop so we don't offend. And be a little bit lighter on subjects that will bring more people around because you can't bring people around when you offend them.
I never get up here to speak and teach the truth with intent to offend anybody.
I just want the truth to come out, because this is exactly what Jesus did is he was upon the face of the earth.
He's not going around and, I do know, I do know.
John chapter 3, verse 16, he came to love, he came to die for the whole world.
But right after that, he said, I'm the light that's going to expose the darkness .
And just like truth exposes false doctrine, the light exposes the darkness.
Because those two do not get along and never will get along.
They're not to be mixed together because oil and water do not mix.
No more than the false teaching mixes with truth.
If to be this distinct church of intent and purpose of scripture, then we're going to have to be the ones who will find ourselves. Be people who will be built up by this truth and have ourselves follow the truth that is taught as well as finding ourselves in some cases reproving the false teaching, by the truth that is taught , by the truth that is taught.
And that's not only true for who whoever stands publicly here, but whoever enters one of those classrooms back there and starts teaching any child or adult.
For what's taught back there should be taught here without hesitation, compromise, or excuse or apology.
And if it cannot, then maybe we need to investigate a little bit more about what the intent and purpose the church is.
As I stated well ago, one of the great things about the presentation of the scripture and the truth is to make disciples, and we would hope that you would be the next one.
You know what the scriptures say in Matthew chapter 28 , verse 19 and 20, and Jesus wants to make a disciple by you being baptized for their mission everything of your sins.
Just make sure you do that while together, we sing this song.
