Finally, Paul says, 'If there is any affection and compassion. ' Jesus said in Matthew 5 verse 7, 'Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. ' This indicates that a merciful heart is a sign of having received mercy. You are going to be merciful if you understand the mercy that you have been given. That is why Paul points us back so that we do not forget who we are in Christ and what He has done for us. It should be a continual reminder, daily reminder, which we have been given what we do not deserve. Because of this, we should be showing mercy, and love, and compassion toward others. That should be flowing from our lives on a daily basis because we have experienced the love, mercy, gratitude and grace of God. That should be pouring …show more content…
The gospel of Jesus Christ. That is our singular purpose in the church--to go and make disciples. To go and to share the gospel with every single creature. He says we are to be of the same mind. We are to have a common understanding and a genuine agreement on the gospel. How can we do that? It is by understanding and knowing God 's Word as the Holy Spirit works in us and through us.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:16, "For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." We can know what Christ thinks on every subject, every matter, if we understand what the Bible says. So we need to know only teach the Bible, but we need to teach people how to study the Bible. That is lacking.
Illus: I just taught Sunday School on how to study the Bible. The class had Christians who had been Christians for a lengthy period of time. And there were questions regarding how to study the Bible was incredible. Not many people know how to study the Bible, or even read the Bible. How can we understand the mind of Christ if we don 't even understand what the Bible says?
If there is no understanding of the Word of God, we will not be of the same mind, we will not have the mind of Christ. As a result, there will be a lack of
…show more content…
Verse 3: Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.
Don 't do anything from selfishness. This is the church today. Everything is about me. Give me what I want, let my desires be fulfilled, and if the church can 't do that then I am leaving. That is selfishness. Paul says don 't do anything with the purpose of being selfish. We see it all over the church today. Ministries because of what we want, we want to self exalt ourselves, self-promote ourselves, instead of doing it for the glory of God and for the sake of helping other people in the church.
God has gifted us, He has equipped for one purpose, and that is to use our gifts for the body. Not for me, I am not a teacher or want to be a pastor to glorify myself. I am there to serve the body of Christ. That is the purpose of a true shepherd. You see this in John 13 where Jesus gives us a great example of humility as he washed the disciples ' feet. He did not have to do that, He is Lord, He is God, but yet, He is not selfish, and demonstrates humility in such a profound
Drawing a distinction between being for someone and being with someone, Father Boyle writes: “Jesus was not a man for others. He was one with others. Jesus didn’t seek the rights of lepers. He touched the leper even before he got around to curing him. He didn’t champion the cause of the outcast. He was the outcast.” Such a distinction has significant implications for understanding ourselves in relation to others. While being for someone implies a separateness, a distinction between “them” and “us”, being with someone requires the recognition of a oneness with another, a unity that eradicates differences and binds people together. “’Be compassionate as God is compassionate’, means the dismantling of barriers that exclude,” writes Father Boyle. Accordingly, true compassion is not only recognizing the pain and suffering of others – it is not just advocating for those in need. It is being with others in their pain and suffering – and “bringing them in toward yourself.” Indeed, scripture scholars connect the word compassion to the “deepest part of the person,” showing that when Jesus was “moved with pity”, he was moved “from the entirety of his
Apostle Paul said,” And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” (Rom. 1:28 KJV).
Philosophy of Ministry: God's desires come first, I must always live my ministry God's way. I must live as a Christian (1 Corinthians 9:27) I must have a proper relationship of surrender to the Leader. In my personal life or in the Church I must understand that Christ is Head and Chief Shepherd (Ephesians 1:22, Hebrews 13:20). The “management” of Church is about relationships with God and Man, not just maintaining a social organization.
We therefore can conclude that grace abounds were sin abounds. While the church is a society of people on the receiving end of God’s grace, it’s the communal balance of excellence were we accept others fully on the same basis as God has accepted us. Wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God (Romans 15:7). While God’s grace is offered, anyone with honesty can accept this offer.
Etzel speaks on this in the text, saying, “Christians should be acquainted with the major figures and major events of the Bible. Also, the teaching ministry should certainly exalt the Bible as the Word of God, but should not neglect to point beyond the Word of God, to God himself who desires a vital relationship with every Christian.” (Etzel, 2016, p. 236.) Through my knowledge of scripture, I have had the opportunity to engage with my coworkers in discussions concerning relevant details of scripture and how they can be applied to their lives. In this way, I know that I’ve been bold in sharing my faith, but much more than that, I know that God has received
...what one does. God hopes that everyone lives a good, generous life. Everyone should perform actions from their hearts, because if one is forced to do something it is not love. For instance, throughout life one is taught that being there for the other or a friend is something that is out of love and is the significance of friendship. Everyone should be friends with the poor, get to know them, and lend a helping hand.
... that just learning about the Bible is not enough, but having a deepening understanding and personal relationship with it, so then there will be a transformation with the individual.
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15 to always be prepared to provide a defense, or reason, for the hope that Christians. For that to occur, one must understand his or her worldview. This makes it easier for the Christian to effectively and clearly present his or her reasoning. Ed Hindson succinctly similarly stated, “[S]tudying worldviews helps us to better communicate our faith to others.” When one understands his or her worldview, one will most likely find efficient methods of communicating his or her worldview.
“What does the Bible say Ryan?” My High School Bible teacher Mr. Williams stated this question whenever I would ask for his opinion on any given theological topic. He often would follow up that question by saying in effect “it does not matter what I think but what the Bible says, for the Bible is the source for truth, not myself, and don’t read it with your presuppositions Ryan.” I found his humility and instruction to be both admirable and biblical, for it aligned with Acts 17:11, where the Berean’s are applauded for comparing what the Apostle Paul said with scripture to see if what he said was aligned with canonical truth. As a student, I was taught to read the Bible by finding out the context of the time in which it was written and then take the lesson that was communicated and apply
... God’s word, and it provides humanity with his truth and revelation. His word is a guide to live by, and through his word, all is made clear. No doctrine or faith in Christianity should stray from the word of God. His word is pure and holy, and it reveals his plans and love for all.
(Acts 20:28-29)” An effective guardian, will feed his flock but first of all holding fast to sound doctrine (2 Timothy 1:13), preaching and teaching that sound doctrine. He will preach and teach the word of God. He will proclaim Jesus Christ as a crucified and Risen One. It is also his responsibility to preach and teach the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. To be an effective Guardian the pastor must in no doubt know his sheep.” I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and have known of mine.” (John 10:14). A good shepherd will love (John 10:11), lead (John 10:3, 15), protect (John 10:12, 16), feed (John 10:9), strengthen (Matthew 9:36), perfect (Hebrews 13:20 – 21), and preserve (John 10:27 – 30) his sheep. As a Guardian, the shepherd must understand his responsibility in preaching God’s word.” How very great, then, is the responsibility of those who preach God’s word! If the man is wrong and mingles his own unclean things in with the word, he defiles the word of God, greatly damaging it. The fundamental problem in preaching rests not on how much one knows of the Bible, for the mere knowledge of doctrine is a little avail…. As ministers, though, we can never be like the Lord Jesus who is the Word became flesh; still the Word of God is deposited in our flesh and is to be released through this flesh. We need to be daily disciplined Any defect in us will defile the Word and destroyed its
Scripture holds a prominent role in the sermon. In 2 Timothy 4:2, it states to “preach the word in season and out of season”. The Greek word for preach is ‘Kerusso’. It means to be a herald (proclaim) and to preach (announce) a message publicly and with conviction (persuasion). In this verse, Paul gave Timothy and the others ministers a charge and a commission to preach the Word. In order to be an effective preacher, the Word of God must be the foundation. In 2 Timothy 3:16, it states that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. In other words, the Word of God was written by man, God-breathed and divinely inspired. The Scripture is important because it creates an argument or appeal that is persuading the audience to do something. The substance of our preaching must come from the Bible because the Bible comes from God. As messenger and ambassadors of God, we are obligated to speak the mind and thoughts of God.
Our main goal is to present everyone fully mature in Christ. (Col. 1:28) we warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (1 Th. 5:14-15) We pray for them (Jam. 5:13-16) and help them to recognize and repent for their sins. (Matt.
...atest commandment of all is to Love your neighbor as yourself. We are human and our love is not always in our hearts. This commandment is telling us to let go of our selfish ways. At times, we see this commandment as not a reality for our world today. At times, we cannot show love to our enemies. Life can get to busy to take time and feed the poor, and the poor people need to take care of themselves. We are only human and can only do so much. Whether they appreciate you, or respond to your love, Jesus’ command is still valid: You must show love to your neighbor in a practical way. God said to his people to use of our earthly resources (our riches) should manifest our experience of divine mercy by graciously relieving the poverty of others. This grace demonstrates the sincerity of our love: Charles P. Krauth, Conservative Reformation and its Theology, 1871.
St. Paul writes in Philippians 2: 3-4, “Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” As I reflect on the community service that I have done this year, I am understanding more about how important this verse is. In life, success and riches can lead one to value oneself above others and become increasingly selfish. However, this is not the road one should take. God makes it clear in his Word that to whom much is given, much is required. Each man is called to utilize the gifts he has been blessed with, to benefit the lives of those around him. Will Smith once said, “If you're not making