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God’s Plan for Order in the Church: Part 4

Posted by on Mar 8, 2009 in Rev. Serven | Comments Off on God’s Plan for Order in the Church: Part 4

One form of church government; Two types of Church Officers. Text: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 The Bible is not silent on the question of church government. In both the Old and New Testaments there are a large number of texts that set forth the proper teaching on government within Christ’s Church–and that is one led by a plurality of godly elders and deacons (cf. Exodus 18:13-27; Job 29:7; Psalm 127:5; Mark 3:14-15; Acts 6:1-6, 20:17-38; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 5:17-25; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 13:17; James...

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The Relationship of Rules and Relationships

Posted by on Mar 5, 2009 in Rev. Serven | Comments Off on The Relationship of Rules and Relationships

What is the relationship between rules and relationships? Between law and love? Love, joy, peace, longsuffering are more important than the nitty gritty of theological precision. A son chopping logs for his father. To give rule, you have to have relationship. Relationships drive specificity. You have to earn a passport to speak into a person’s life. Text: Gal 4:21-31 Guest Preacher: Pastor Kevin Swanson...

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God’s Plan for Order in the Church: Part 3

Posted by on Feb 23, 2009 in Rev. Serven | Comments Off on God’s Plan for Order in the Church: Part 3

Men are called to do a hard thing: be in dependence to God by committing to prayer. Women are called to do a hard thing: manifesting good works, thinking less of self and more of Christ. What is a godly woman to to do in Christ’s Church? She is to teach other women, but not the men. Not a question of capability, but of preserving order in the church. Headship in the family, church, and civil contexts. Meaning of word “teach”. She is to manifest good works, but not authority. Priscilla and Aquilla: informal discipleship along...

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God’s Plan for Order in the Church: Part 2

Posted by on Feb 15, 2009 in Rev. Serven | Comments Off on God’s Plan for Order in the Church: Part 2

How should godly women adorn themselves? With modesty, self-control, good works, and quiet submission. Growing from selfish to selfless; focusing on others needs, not your own. Distinction between male and female. Adorn is a similar word to “cosmos”; bringing order, arranging things in order, in a way that is respectable. Modest is a “sense of shame”; not flashy, gaudy, or drawing undue attention to yourself. Adorning yourself with moderation, discretion, and wisdom for the situation. Historical context of the passage....

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God’s Plan for Order in the Church: Part 1

Posted by on Feb 8, 2009 in Rev. Serven | Comments Off on God’s Plan for Order in the Church: Part 1

Example of order in a Battleship: knowing your job and doing it. Why did God say for men to pray? Why not evangelize, tithe, etc? Men are independent. Prayer creates dependance. Men are self reliant. Prayer forces them to admit uncertainty. Men are overconfident and can fall into sin. Prayer leads to conviction of sin. Men are called to have a sense of urgency regarding prayer. They are to pray “in every place” the church is gathered, either in worship or fellowship. Posture of prayer. The men of the church are to be the pioneers...

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What in the World is the Church to Do?

Posted by on Feb 1, 2009 in Rev. Serven | Comments Off on What in the World is the Church to Do?

The pattern of what a church is to do: teaching, fellowship, sacraments, prayer. The early Christians were determined to learn all they could from the appointed preachers. God has put something within us that desires to be in relationship, in covenant; we are hungry for fellowship. They received their food with glad and generous hearts. Prayer humbles us before the Lord. In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity. Text: Acts 2:42-47, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 The Reformers tell us that the two marks of a true church...

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For Whom Did Christ Die?

Posted by on Jan 25, 2009 in Rev. Serven | Comments Off on For Whom Did Christ Die?

If God wants to do something, he does it. The desire and decree of God are one and the same. God does all His holy will. Atonement=The reconciliation between God and man, brought about by Christ. The mediator=The one who restores peace. Christ actively gave his life for His people. Paul, appointed a herald of the gospel. Our responses: awe at the outworking of God’s redemption purposes, thanksgiving by giving our hearts to Christ, praise for His sovereign, holy, omnipotent desire and decree. Text: 1 Timothy 2:5-7 This is a key question...

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Church Government

Posted by on Jan 18, 2009 in Rev. Serven | Comments Off on Church Government

Text: Ephesians 5:22-33 Guest Preacher: Pastor Jeff Yelton One of God’s greatest gifts to mankind is government. Whenever men and women are gathered together in a community, they need a government. So, we experience many kinds of government in our everyday lives. We are under federal, state, and county governments. Even our families have a kind of government, since someone must make decisions, and others must submit to them. Churches also have governments. Just as the Bible has a great deal to teach us about civil governments and the...

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Standing on Holy Ground: The Worship of God through the Ages

Posted by on Jan 12, 2009 in Rev. Serven | Comments Off on Standing on Holy Ground: The Worship of God through the Ages

Text: Exodus 3:1-14 What does the Bible teach us about the worship of God? Especially that worship that is refreshing, redeeming, and restorative. literally, the word “worship” means (in Hebrew: shadchah) “to fall down in adoration, to kneel, to bow low, fall at another’s feet”; (in Greek: proskuneo) “make obeisance, reverence”. Our Old English word “worthship” means “the attention you give to one who is worthy, to show honor, dignity, reverence.” There are a great number of...

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Evangelistic Prayer

Posted by on Jan 4, 2009 in Rev. Serven | Comments Off on Evangelistic Prayer

There are certain duties Christians have. Prayer is one: on a regular daily basis. It takes determination, desire, and effort. You have to do something to make prayer a part of your life. Reverence before God. Bowing yourself before the Lord in humility. Making petitions because of your own or another lacks. What does “All” mean? “All types of people”—the Jews andthe Gentiles. One of the great benefits of prayer is resting before God: peace and tranquility in life. He rejoices as we submit ourselves to Him. Text: 1...

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