11/5/13

From Ben Fronczek.... Why Is Church So Important?

Why Going To Church Is So Important?

Why Is Church So Important?     

(by: Ben Fronczek)
 
Text: Acts 2:42-47

Did you ever notice how many church buildings are in and around Granville, NY area, or what ever area you are from? If I’m not mistaken there are about 20 churches within a 4 to 5 mile radius oour small country community of Granville. And even though some churches only have small congregations or have even close their doors, some of those church buildings date back hundreds of years, including our old building which was built in 1860.

Over those many years, I wonder over the years how many feet climbed those stairs to enter this facility? How many prayers and songs of praise went up to our Lord God? How many gave their heart to Jesus? How many sermons were preached? How many kids played behind the pews? How many meals were served downstairs after church?

By coming here today and worshipping with us, and sharing a meal afterwards, whether you realize it or not, you are part of a heritage.  People worked hard and gave of their means so that their children, their grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and great, great  grandchildren could gather together in church buildings like this all around the community. Why? Because they saw the importance of having a place to do just what we are doing here today.
Even generations ago those people understood the tremendous value of gathering together at least once a week as a church; as a church family.
I believe they recognized that all of us, whatever generation we live in, have a number of needs which God will take care of, if we assemble together for church.

Whether you realize it or not, Church can and should help us with at least three particularly important needs which each one of us have:

#1 It should fill some Spiritual needs that we have

#2 Some Social needs that we have

#3 And some physical needs that we have

Let me read to you a scene from the early church after it first began .    

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Proposition:
God has placed within each of us some basic needs that are met when we make church a priority in our lives.

In Act 2:42 the writer Dr. Luke tells us that these new Christians

“devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Now if you don’t know that background to this text the apostle Peter had just explained to this crowd who Jesus really was. I’m sure some in that crowd did not know about Jesus. Many of them had just made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival from other lands. He explained that Jesus was the one that the prophets of old spoke about. He was the Messiah that they had been waiting for, the one who would remove their sin. He tells them that their fellow Jews had Him killed by having the Romans crucify Him. The crowd was upset after hearing this and so Peter tells them want they personally needed to do to make it right. They needed to repent and be Baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. And we read that 3000 responded to Peter’s invitation and were baptized that very day.                   (Read Act 2 for the whole story)
But then what? Then we have verse 42.  They spent time together. They devoted themselves to learning more from the apostles. They devoted themselves to fellowship (spending time with one another, breaking bread sharing meals together like a family). And they also devoted themselves to prayer. And the text goes on to say that they shared and took care of one another whenever there was a need.
These are valuable things for us to consider today as one considers why we should even bother going to church on a regular basis.   

First of all, the church assembly is important… Because…
 
#I. We Have Spiritual Needs that need to be filled

So what are spiritual needs? For one thing, they are not physical needs. Someone once said, “A Spiritual need is the small black hole in one’s heart searching for truth.”  He goes on to say that “life is not worth living if one does not have anything to gain after death. These are all questions answered by spirituality, religion, and the divine truth of God. We are spiritual beings and our purpose is to seek knowledge of truth and follow the right path.”
When we are young most of us care more about our physical needs being met, but as we grow older, we want and need more. A spiritual appetite grows within us. That’s why I believe these early Christians devoted themselves to the Apostle teachings. They wanted to know more and feed on the spiritual truths being taught.

Three times Jesus told Peter to “feed My sheep or lambs”. (John 21:15-17)   Now Jesus did not have any four legged lambs, but He knew that there would be hungry souls that would want and need to know more about Him and the kingdom of God. And that’s what a good church should be doing; feeding you and helping you grow spiritually through good sermons and Bible studies. It should be a place where you can get those important questions answered.

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul wrote that,   

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

And as true as that is, and as many times as I have read the Bible through, sometimes I personally find it so very gratifying to sit at the feet of someone who has studied it more than I have. We should never stop seeking, and learning, and growing spiritually. We are designed to crave such things. And hopefully our church can help you with these.

2. The next thing that Luke tells us they were devoted to was “to fellowship…” and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper)…”
 
Now, they like us, had some social needs. I don’t know of any other time in history when the kind of fellowship one can experience in a good church is needed more than it is right now.

At one time these old church buildings were the center of the community’s social life. People did not rush to church, spend an hour worshiping, and then rush home. Back in the 1800′s people either walked, road a horse, or came by carriage to church. It wasn’t just a place to worship God, it was also a place to get together and visit with your neighbors, friends and family after a hard week of work; maybe even have a meal together. It was a place to learn the latest news and find out if someone needed help or encouragement. It was an important social network where people of like faith could worship together, eat together, play together, laugh together, work together, and cry together. I believe people are hungry for these kinds of relationships today. But somehow we’ve made ourselves so busy with our work, and taking care of kids, and our homes. Rather than spending time with people, we plop ourselves down in front of our television or computer exhausted until we conk out at night hardly speaking a word to someone who really cares for us all week long.

As much as one can worship God on the side of a lake, on top of a mountain, or walking through a pasture, I believe that God designed the church to fill some of our social needs. After becoming part of a church more than once I have heard people say that they felt closer to members of their church than they did to their own family, who many times seem distant and uncaring. I truly believe that God does not want us to be lonely. At any point in time, you should be able to call someone in your church family if you have that need.

It also has other benifits for our family, for example I read this story last week…
“A little old lady was amazed at how nice the young man was next door. Everyday he would help her gather things from her car or help her in her yard. One day the old lady finally ask the young man, “son, how did you become such a fine young man”. The young man replied, “well, when I was a boy, I had a drug problem”. The old lady was shocked, “I can’t believe that”. The young man replied, “it’s true, my parents drug me to church on Sunday morning, drug me to church on Sunday night and drug me to church on Wednesday night”
Even though our kids may not understand the positive effects church has on their life, never under estimate the power of what they learn by going to church. Even if they do not go later in life, what they learn and the time they spend in church becomes an underling foundation in their life. It’s an added bonus of what these spiriul teachings and what social network’s influence can do.

#3. The last thing that Luke tells us that they were devoted to, was that they devoted themselves “to prayer.”  
The emphasis is on collective prayer. This addressed some of their emotional and physical needs.In the early church, prayer was clearly a high priority and it was an important part of their life together. Christian not only sought the prayers of others, we also read where they prayed and fasted together for many reasons. That’s how much they cared for and were devoted to one another. And because of that, on many occasions those individuals and those churches were very successful. I have not heard of many successful churches that did not place a priority on prayer.

I believe God has created us all with these needs and I believe that these needs are meant to be filled within the context of community, a church family.

People like to say, “Well I can pray and read my Bible at home!”  True, but unfortunately, most don’t. And we have needs that won’t be met unless we take advantage of gathering together with a community of believers.
A lot of people seem convinced that going to church is simply not cool anymore; it’s out dated. It was for another time and another era, but I beg to differ. In a recent radio program David Jeremiah spoke of a friend, Leif Anderson, who wrote a book. And in that book Mr. Anderson gives some interesting statistics to put this all into perspective.

He mentions that the number of people who now attend church in the U.S. is about 102 million on an average Sunday. To put that number into perspective he compares that number to the number of people who attend a professional sport. The number of people who attended a professional sports last year, like professional Football, Baseball, Basketball, hockey etc., numbered about 94 million in the U.S.. That means more people go to church on a given Sunday than the number of people that went to a professional sporting event in all of last year. In a year’s time Sporting attendance was only at about 2% of church attendance. So if someone tries to tell you that church attendance is fading away in the U.S. don’t believe them.

A second thing which he mentions in his book is that for every 100 worshippers that attend a protestant church on that given Sunday that are 70-79 years of age, there is an average of 160 to 200 between that ages of 20-29. Every once in a while you hear that young people are staying away from church.. And I say, “Not they’re not!”

More and more people are beginning to realize that endless hours spent working, or watching television, playing video games  or surfing the internet is simply not enough. Something in their gut is telling them that they need more. They want more. They want answers, honest answers. They want those spiritual holes filled. And they also want to find some good people, people who really, really care about them and their needs, people they can trust and feel a sense of belonging to.

And that’s what we hope to do here. We are trying to become the kind of Church that God expects us to be, one that teaches the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We want to be a church where you feel comfortable with the members, maybe even becoming best friends with some of them. And we also want to be the kind of church that really cares about your needs and will help you and will pray with you.

We recognize we have a responsibility to meet some of these important need that each one us and every one of you have.
It is my prayer that you allow us answer some of your question and help you grow spiritually. If you can’t make it to our Bible studies or have other questions I will even come to your home to answer some of those questions and study with you. If you live out of our area feel free to email your questions to granvillechurchofchrist1@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer them.
I pray that you realize we have your best interest in mind here and we offer our friendship. We are no perfect, no church group is, but we are at least trying to live the way Jesus wants us to live. And we will do our best to help you and pray with you if your heart is troubled.

We are a small group now but it is our prayer to develop a sizable congregation of believers here Granville, NY to meet even more of these needs a we function as a close and loving family, the family of God, and I personally want to encourage you to become part of it.

For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

From Jim McGuiggan... Hindsight and Heroes—Romans 14

Hindsight and Heroes—Romans 14

With the benefit of hindsight and heroes it's easy to be good at saying how things should have been handled all those years ago. Where it is the case we now live in a world created by people better, wiser, braver and far and away less selfish than we are. We breathe the air they have purified, we think their thoughts or, better, the kind of thoughts their way of thinking brings and we are often seduced into admiring ourselves for our superiority over past ages. But without exceptional people—people unlike the rank and file of us—we would still be the people of past ages, doing the things and thinking the thoughts of ages now past. Those who led us well may not have redeemed us from a slavery that had our hands and feet in chains but they certainly delivered us from enslaved minds that dared to put chains on the hands and feet of others.

We shouldn't apologise or feel even the slightest twinge of regret that we as societies have advanced ethically and morally (where indeed that is the case) for even if we can "understand" some of the harsh and heartless institutions and public practices of the past we can never admire them and much less can we glory in them.

Still, because we each have a vote we're tempted to think we're worthy of it and because we each have a vote we're tempted to think we vote out of the reservoir of our individual brilliance and virtue. The truth is: without the sensitive and wise and brave, the bulk of us would mill around with our voting papers stuck in our collars, like sheep to be penned, and that might well be the case not only because we lack insight but because we lack character!

It isn't a mark of character if we jump on every bandwagon that passes by and join in with the crowd, subscribing to the latest trend in religion or foreign policy or social theory—it takes character to refuse to do that. But it's a mark of character to gladly submit our thinking to the test of other ways of thinking, other ways of doing things. It is a mark of character that we examine our preferred ways of thinking and doing for signs of self-service; "does it cost me to think or do this?" or "do I pursue this to further feather my own nest?" or "are we as a society blind and careless to the needs of all others?" As surely as it is no mark of character to follow the latest parade, it is no sign of character to be blindly loyal to the past and refuse to budge. Having thought, it is a sign of character to move forward on the basis of what seems to us to be the truth.

We owe our world a debt! Boreham passionately insisted, "Let me make no mistake. Unless I give back to the world something that costs me blood and agony and tears, I shall, when I quit the planet at last, be in the position of the man who leaves the neighbourhood without first discharging his just and honourable debts." This is the kind of thing Lord Macauley had in mind when he said: "We are free, we are civilised, to little purpose, if we grudge to any portion of the human race an equal measure of freedom and civilisation."
To cash in on the costly achievements of men and women of former days who stood up for the benefit of others and then to use their accomplishments to completely dismiss others is not to have known these people at all. It is to feed on their bones and forget their sacrifice; as if a Christian waxed tearfully eloquent over Jesus forfeiting his rights that he might live while he is stubbornly unwilling to forfeit some of his own that his brothers and sisters might live (see Romans 14).

It's more than arrogance, it's silly arrogance, when we strut with our store of respectable, even correct, views as if they were our creation and as if the world should thank us for what we have inherited.

Vision is never a merit, it is a gift and Macgregor was right: those who can see are always and everywhere debtors to those who are blind.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... The Pre-Eminent Christ (Colossians 1:13-20)







                     "THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS"

                     The Pre-Eminent Christ (1:13-20)

INTRODUCTION

1. When Paul first met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he did not know at
   that time who Jesus really was ("Who are you, lord?" - Ac 9:3-5)

2. But when we come to Paul's epistle to the Colossians, we learn that
   Paul had come to a much fuller understanding of exactly who Jesus
   was!

3. In this lesson, we shall look at Col 1:13-20, and notice Paul's
   description of "The Pre-Eminent Christ"

4. In so doing, I hope we will be impressed with the fact that Christ is
   certainly our ALL-SUFFICIENT and PRE-EMINENT SAVIOR, who is worthy of
   our love, adoration, and obedience

[Who is this Jesus called "Christ"?  Our first point can be gleaned from
a comment made in verse 13, where Paul was giving reasons why we ought
to be giving thanks to the Father.

That is, Jesus is...]

I. THE KING OVER HIS KINGDOM (13)

   A. JESUS HIMSELF PROCLAIMED TO BE A KING...
      1. He claimed to have a kingdom, and even came into this world to
         proclaim the truth that He is a king - Jn 18:36-37
      2. After his resurrection, He claimed the extent of His rule: 
         authority over all heaven and earth! - Mt 28:18; cf. Ep 1:20-23

   B. HIS KINGSHIP AND KINGDOM PROCLAIMED IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION...
      1. He is "the ruler over the kings of the earth" - Re 1:5
      2. He has made His disciples "kings and priest" (or, "a kingdom of
         priests") to His God and Father - Re 1:6
      3. Those in Christ Jesus are in His kingdom - Re 1:9
      4. Those who persevere to the end will rule with Him even as He
         now reigns! - Re 2:26-27; Re 3:21
      5. He is truly "Lord of lords and King of kings!" - Re 17:14;
         19:16

["King of kings"...certainly an indication of "The Pre-Eminent Christ"!  
But notice that He is also...]

II. THE SAVIOR FROM OUR SINS (14)

   A. BY VIRTUE OF HIS BLOOD WE HAVE "REDEMPTION"...
      1. The word "redemption" (Greek, apolutrosis) means "a releasing
         effected by payment of ransom"
      2. I.e., we have been "released" from the bondage of sin through
         the payment of Jesus' blood shed on the cross - cf. Mt 20:28

   B. BY VIRTUE OF HIS BLOOD WE HAVE "FORGIVENESS"...
      1. "Forgiveness" (Greek, aphesis) means "release from bondage or
         imprisonment"
      2. In Christ, we have "forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting
         them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the
         penalty"

[As pronounced by the Angel to Joseph, "you shall call His name JESUS, 
for He will save His people from their sins." (Mt 1:21)

A "king" capable of providing "redemption" and "forgiveness" from sins;
truly indications of pre-eminence!  But there is more, for He is
also...]

III. THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD (15)

   A. THE WORD "IMAGE"...
      1. Comes from the Greek eikon {i-kone'}
      2. Meaning "an image, figure, likeness"

   B. JESUS IS THE "IMAGE" OF GOD WHO IS INVISIBLE!
      1. No man has ever seen God, but Jesus has "declared" (made
         manifest) Him - Jn 1:18
      2. As Jesus Himself said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father"
         - Jn 14:7-9
      3. As expressed by the writer to the Hebrews, Jesus is:
         a. The brightness of God's Glory
         b. The express image of His Person - He 1:3
      4. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians...
         a. Jesus is the "image of God" - 2Co 4:4
         b. In the "face of Jesus Christ" is "the knowledge of the glory
            of God" - 2Co 4:6
      5. From these passages, we learn that Jesus accurately and fully
         expresses the being and perfection of God!
      6. I.e., by looking at Jesus (as He is revealed in the Word of
         God), we can see and know the Father, who is invisible!

[The next description of "The Pre-Eminent Christ" is one that confused 
many and caused some to draw erroneous conclusions.  We observe that 
Jesus is also...]

IV. THE FIRSTBORN OVER ALL CREATION (15)

   A. CONCERNING THE TERM "FIRSTBORN"...
      1. It can mean "the first one born" (or created)
         a. Some have therefore concluded from this passage that Jesus
            is a created being, the first of all God's creations
         b. For example, those led by the Watchtower Society (who call
            themselves "Jehovah's Witnesses")
      2. But it is also used in the Scriptures as a metaphor to describe
         one who occupies the rank and privilege of being firstborn
         (without literally being "firstborn")
         a. Used by God in this way to refer to the nation of Israel 
            - Exo 4:22
         b. Used by God in this way to refer to David, who was the
            youngest of eight brothers - Ps 89:20,27
      3. Therefore, any interpretation of this term must be in harmony
         with what is taught about Christ elsewhere...
         a. And Jesus is clearly proclaimed to be the creator of ALL
            things - Jn 1:1-3; Col 1:16
         b. It could not be stated that He is the creator of ALL things
            if He Himself was a created being!
         c. Which is why the JW's try to get around these passages by
            inserting the modifier "OTHER" four times in their NWT
            translation of Col 1:16-17!
            1) To let it read as written by Paul, it destroys their
               doctrine that Christ is a created being
            2) So they must "add" to the Word of God...

   B. THE PURPOSE IN USING THE PHRASE "FIRSTBORN OVER ALL CREATION"
      1. To stress that Jesus is pre-eminent over all creation, He has
         all the rights of one as IF He were a "firstborn"
      2. Just as God...
         a. Declared Israel to be His "firstborn" over the nations of
            the earth (though certainly not the first nation to exist)
         b. Declared David to be His "firstborn" over the kings of the
            earth (though certainly not the first king either)
         ...so God has declared Jesus to be the "firstborn" over all
            creation (though He  Himself was not a created being!)

[As already touched upon above, we learn from Paul that Jesus is
also...]

V. THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS (16-17a)

   A. THIS AMAZING TRUTH CONCERNING JESUS IS ALSO CONFIRMED BY...
      1. John in his gospel - Jn 1:3
      2. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews - He 1:3

   B. FROM THESE VERSES WE LEARN THAT WHEN THE WORLD WAS CREATED...
      1. Jesus was the CREATIVE AGENT by which everything came into
         being!
      2. Everything was created FOR Him also!

   C. AS THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS...
      1. It only follows that He existed before anything that was
         created
      2. Which seems to be the idea of 17a ("He is before all things")

[In addition to being the CREATOR of all things, as we continue in 
verse 17 we learn that Jesus is also...]

VI. THE SUSTAINER OF ALL THINGS (17b)

   A. "IN HIM ALL THINGS CONSIST"
      1. That is, in Him all things are kept in their present state
      2. Their existence, order, and arrangement are continued in the
         present form by HIS power! - cf. He 1:3

   B. WHAT IF JESUS CHOSE TO REMOVE HIS POWER?
      1. Every created thing would fall into disorder!
      2. Or sink back into nothingness!

[Truly in regards to CREATION, Jesus is "The Pre-Eminent Christ!"  But
His preeminence also extends to the realm of REDEMPTION, as suggested
earlier in verses 13-14, and now developed further in verses 18-20]

VII. THE HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH (18a)

   A. THE CHURCH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST...
      1. The word "church" comes from ekklesia {ek-klay-see'-ah},
         meaning a congregation or assembly made up of people who have
         been "called out"
      2. Those called out by the gospel of Christ into His kingdom form
         a great assembly or congregation
      3. The term "church" is used in two senses:
         a. Universal - the body of saved believers throughout the world
         b. Local - a congregation of saved believers in one locality
      4. In the context of Col 1:18, Paul is speaking of the church
         "universal" (though what we are about to say in the next point
         would be true in a "local" church as well)

   B. AS THE HEAD, JESUS IS OVER THE CHURCH...
      1. As we have already seen, He has all authority in heaven and
         earth - Mt 28:18
      2. How much more so, should He hold the rank of preeminence in His
         Church!
      3. He is the One, therefore, who controls the destiny of those in
         His church! - cf. Rev 2 & 3

[Jesus is also...]

VIII. THE BEGINNING, THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD (18b)

   A. THE WORD "BEGINNING"...
      1. Comes from the Greek, arche {ar-khay'}
      2. Various shades of meaning include...
         a. Beginning, origin
         b. The person or thing that commences, the first person or
            thing in a series, the leader
         c. That by which anything begins to be, the origin, the active
            cause
         d. The first place, principality, rule, magistracy

   B. REMEMBER THE USE OF THE WORD "FIRSTBORN"...
      1. It does not necessarily mean the FIRST one, but can refer to
         the PRE-EMINENT one
      2. Jesus was not the first person to rise from the dead (cf.
         Jairus' daughter, the son of the widow of Nain, and Lazarus)
      3. But He is the first to rise, never to die again, and is
         declared elsewhere to be the "FIRSTFRUITS" of the resurrection 
         - cf. 1Co 15:20,23
      4. The term "firstfruits" suggests "the cream of the crop", i.e.,
         that which is pre-eminent

   C. THUS, IN REGARDS TO THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD...
      1. Jesus is BOTH the "origin, active cause" (the beginning) and
         the "firstborn from the dead"
      2. He is the "active cause" of the resurrection:  "in Christ all
         shall be made alive" - 1Co 15:22
      3. By His own resurrection, never to die again, He is the 
         "firstborn from the dead", the "firstfruits", i.e., the pre-
         eminent one!

[Two more points are made by Paul in regards to "The Pre-Eminent Christ"
in this passage.  The first is that in Jesus dwells...]

IX. THE FULLNESS OF ALL THINGS (19)

   A. JESUS IS CLEARLY THE "FULLNESS" OF DEITY...
      1. We have seen that He is "the image of the invisible God" - Co
         1:15
      2. Paul later declares that in Jesus "dwells all the fullness of
         the Godhead bodily" - Col 2:9

   B. JESUS IS ALSO OUR "FULLNESS"...
      1. In Him we have "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
         of sins" - Col 1:14
      2. In Him we have "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" 
         - Col 2:3
      3. Yes, we are "complete in Him" - Col 2:10

[Finally, we learn that Jesus is...]

X. THE RECONCILER OF ALL THINGS TO GOD (20)

   A. THE FATHER'S DESIRE IS TO RECONCILE TO HIMSELF...
      1. "things on earth"
         a. Which includes sinful man - cf. 2Co 5:18-20
         b. Both Jews and Gentiles - cf. Ep 2:14-18
      2. "things in heaven"
         a. Admittedly, a difficult phrase
         b. It would be easy to fall into vain speculation as to what
            this means (e.g., what things in heaven need reconciliation
            to God?)
         c. Whatever Paul may be alluding to, the point is clear:  Jesus
            is to be the reconciler of ALL things to God!

   B. GOD IS ABLE TO RECONCILE ALL THINGS BY JESUS TO HIMSELF...
      1. "having made peace through the blood of His cross"
      2. Through the death of His Son, it is now possible for sinful man
         to be reconciled to God! - Ro 5:10; Col 1:21-22

CONCLUSION

1. Paul had certainly come a long way in his understanding of Jesus
   since that day he met Him on the road to Damascus!
   a. From saying "Who are you, lord?"
   b. To proclaiming Jesus to be:
      1) The king over His kingdom
      2) The savior from our sins
      3) The image of the invisible God
      4) The firstborn over all creation
      5) The creator of all things
      6) The sustainer of all things
      7) The head of the body, the church
      8) The beginning, the firstborn from the dead
      9) The fullness of all things
     10) The reconciler of all things to God

2. I trust that our own understanding and appreciation of Jesus has
   increased as a result of studying this passage!

3. Perhaps we can also appreciate why Jesus received so much praise and
   adoration in heaven - cf. Re 5:11-12

4. What are WE doing to show our appreciation to Jesus, our "pre-eminent
   and all-sufficient Savior?"

5. Consider the words of Jesus in Luke 6:46...implying that the best
   way we can praise Him is by obeying Him

Have you obeyed Jesus in responding to His Gospel (Mk 16:16; Ac 2:38)?
Are you obeying Jesus by living a faithful life as His disciple (Re 2:
10)?
Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary... Whatever...


Let me say for openers, I don't know if Helen Keller had a pet.  One look at her and you will see a look of contentment on her face and its obvious that she is happy!!!  Does it really matter if her pet is a dog or a cat; or if you call a cat a dog or visa-versa? Humm, this sounds a bit familiar to me and after you read the following passage from Paul's letter to the Philippians, I am sure that you will see the parallel right away...


Philippians, Chapter 1
 12  Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News;  13 so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ;  14 and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.  16 The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News. 

  18
  What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice.  19 For I know that this will turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,  20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.  21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.


Helen and Paul are both happy; so does it really matter why?  Helen has a pet and she cares for it. Paul preached a Gospel that others preached as well- so if they had differing MOTIVES for doing it; so what?  No harm, no foul!!!  If love is the end result and no sin is occurring.... pet or preach on!!!   However, I hope the pet's name is something like Mittens and not something weird like Zander or Diogenes!!!!