The principles of the living church

LftLD

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:1-5  #church #ChurchLeadership #jesus #jesuschrist #Messiah #Principlesofthelivingchurch #salvation  https://lightforthelastdays.co.uk/articles/christians-issues/the-principles-of-the-living-church/

Transcript

00:01In general you could say the principles about how to behave in the Church of God

00:04are based on one fundamental principle in the Old Testament and New Testament

00:09which is stated by the Lord in the Gospel.

00:14Love God and love your neighbour.

00:17Then one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him and saying

00:20teacher what is the greatest commandment in the law?

00:23Jesus said to him you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind.

00:26This is the first and great commandment and the second is like it.

00:30You should love your neighbour as yourself.

00:33On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

00:38So these two commandments which are in both the Old and the New Testaments

00:41Jesus says on these hang all the law and the prophets

00:44and these should be what is guiding the new work which is coming into being

00:51the Church of the Living God.

00:53And you find that these principles go right through the teaching of the New Testament

00:58and come out in Paul's writings like in Romans chapter 13 verse 8

01:03where he says

01:05Oh no one anything except to love one another

01:07for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

01:10For the commandments you should not commit adultery, you should not murder, you should not steal

01:13you should not bear false witness, you should not covet

01:16if there is any other commandment all are summed up in this saying

01:19namely you should love your neighbour as yourself.

01:22Love does no harm to a neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.

01:28And in Romans chapter 12 verse 10 it says

01:30Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love

01:33in honour giving preference to one another.

01:36Those verses really don't need any interpretation, they speak for themselves.

01:40And that's how we should live within the body of the Messiah.

01:44Obviously it doesn't always work out like that.

01:47Things can go wrong in churches.

01:49Anybody here seen things going wrong in churches?

01:52Probably you have if you've been a Christian for a while.

01:55Just as they can go wrong in all institutions.

01:58And why do they go wrong?

01:59Because basically churches are made up of sinners.

02:02Sinners saved by grace but still people who have come from a sinful human nature.

02:10And you find that quite a lot of Paul's writings are directed towards churches

02:13where things were going wrong and needed correction.

02:16Especially Corinthians.

02:17As I say churches are made up of sinners saved by grace.

02:22In the process of what we call sanctification.

02:26Sanctification means we're moving from the person we were before we became a Christian

02:29to the person who God wants us to be.

02:32And ultimately working towards the time when we'll be glorified in heaven

02:34and become completely free from sin.

02:38Anybody yet arrived at being completely free from sin?

02:40No, nor have I.

02:44So it's a process which is going on.

02:47And there's an ongoing process which we're all in

02:49which is a battle between serving the spirit and serving the flesh.

02:53Some are further on than others.

02:56And sometimes we go on and then we fall back again.

02:59And we can see that pattern happening in our own lives.

03:05And some have come from backgrounds which are the very opposite

03:07of what you might hope to find in a church.

03:10Paul writes of the past condition of some of the people in the Corinthian church

03:13saying you were thieves, drunkards and sexually immoral.

03:17He says such you were but now you're sanctified in Jesus Christ.

03:23Such you were but now you are sanctified in Jesus Christ.

03:29Now you may have been a drunkard, you may have been sexually immoral,

03:32you may have been a thief, but you shouldn't stay like that.

03:35And that's one of the big problems which happens in churches

03:37that actually people don't totally change from the person they were before

03:43and sometimes even the church doesn't encourage you to change.

03:47And so things can go wrong in churches.

03:50A preacher was once asked, where can I find a perfect church?

03:54He answered, you won't find one, but if you should find one and join it,

03:59don't join it because it won't be perfect anymore.

04:04The church exists in a fallen world

04:06and so it has to contend with the world, the flesh and the devil,

04:09all of whom are trying to convert or subvert

04:12and neutralize its influence from within,

04:14even while the church is trying to influence the fallen world

04:17to repent and turn to Jesus.

04:20And we have to be aware that these things are happening

04:22and they happen in the first church, they're happening now.

04:24And we have to be on our guard against those things

04:27which are going to come in to destroy and to spoil the church from within.

04:32Again, they always go back to the central principle,

04:34you should love the Lord your God with all your heart,

04:36with all your soul, with all your might,

04:37and you should love your neighbour as yourself.

04:39Now, Paul warned that there were going to be false teachers who would come.

04:43False doctrine, he has frequent warnings about false teaching coming in,

04:47denying the Lord,

04:49serving the interests of men or of the organisation,

04:52or even of money, rather than God.

04:55I had a word to the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20, verse 27.

05:01Where he said, I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God,

05:04therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock

05:06among whom the Holy Spirit has made you overseers

05:08to shepherd the church of God,

05:10which you purchased with his own blood.

05:13For I know that after my departure,

05:15savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

05:18Also among yourselves, men will rise up,

05:21speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves.

05:25Therefore watch and remember that for three years

05:27I did not cease to warn everyone,

05:29night and day with tears.

05:31Notice it says, men will rise up,

05:33speaking perverse things to draw away disciples

05:35after themselves.

05:39My purpose is not to make you disciples of Tony Pierce,

05:42God forbid.

05:44We want to make you disciples of Jesus Christ.

05:47You have to learn from him, not learn from men.

05:50And one can see in some churches,

05:52especially big churches,

05:52they end up following the man rather than the Lord.

05:57And the purpose of these savage wolves

05:59is to draw away disciples after themselves

06:01and then to teach some things which are contrary to the scriptures.

06:05He says that's going to happen particularly in the last days.

06:07In 1 Timothy chapter 4,

06:09it says,

06:09Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times

06:11some would depart from the faith,

06:13giving heed to deceiving spirits

06:14and doctrines of demons,

06:17speaking lies in hypocrisy,

06:19having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.

06:22So one of the features of the last days

06:24is you're going to have people teaching things

06:25which are coming from a departure from the faith

06:30and apostasy

06:31and also giving heed to doctrines of demons

06:34and deceiving spirits.

06:38Which is pretty serious.

06:39If you have doctrines coming at you from the demons

06:41rather than God,

06:43then you're going to have people really being led astray.

06:45And I've been a Christian for 50 years

06:47and I've seen those things happening

06:49in certain churches around.

06:53And so Paul charges Timothy in his second letter,

06:572 Timothy chapter 4, verse 1,

07:01I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ

07:04who will judge the living and the dead

07:05at his appearing and his kingdom,

07:08preach the word,

07:09be ready in season, out of season,

07:11convince, rebuke, exhort

07:12with all longsuffering and teaching

07:14for the time will come

07:15where they will not endure sound doctrine

07:16but according to their own desires

07:18because they have itching ears

07:19they will heap up for themselves teachers

07:22they will turn their ears away from the truth

07:24and be turned aside to fables.

07:27But you be watchful in all things,

07:29endure afflictions,

07:30do the work of an evangelist,

07:32fulfill your ministry.

07:33So people are going to be turned aside to fables.

07:36What are fables?

07:38Fables are basically made up stories

07:39which are not true.

07:41And so you're going to find

07:42people teaching things

07:44which they've made up themselves

07:45and which are not true,

07:46they're not based on the truth.

07:48You've got lots of churches

07:49teaching fables.

07:51One of them is a prosperity teacher.

07:53Give £100 to the preacher

07:55and you're going to get £1,000 back.

07:58It's a fable.

07:59Then you find someone

07:59who gives a testimony to it.

08:01Probably a made up story.

08:03And you have lots of things

08:04happening in churches

08:05which are actually deceiving people

08:07with made up stories

08:08which are not true

08:09and getting them away

08:09from the basic message of the gospel

08:11that we're calling upon people

08:12to repent and believe the gospel

08:14and to follow Jesus.

08:16And so we have to contend for the faith.

08:19I mentioned this scripture last time I spoke

08:21but it's from the book of Jude.

08:23It says,

08:23Beloved,

08:24while I was very diligent to write to you

08:26concerning your common salvation,

08:27I found it necessary

08:28to write to you

08:29exhorting you

08:30to contend earnestly for the faith

08:32which was once delivered to all saints.

08:34For certain men have crept in unnoticed

08:36who long ago were marked out

08:37for this condemnation

08:39ungodly men

08:40who turn the grace of God

08:41into lewdness

08:42and deny the only Lord God

08:44and our Lord Jesus Christ.

08:47So you have people

08:48teaching things

08:50which are

08:50against what God says.

08:54Teaching even lewdness.

08:55Denying the only God,

08:57Lord God

08:57and our Lord Jesus Christ.

09:00You've got churches today

09:01which are affirming

09:02homosexual practice.

09:04Even allowing

09:05secular morality

09:06which are condemned by God.

09:09So you have things

09:10which are coming into churches

09:11which are against

09:12what God says.

09:14And we have to contend

09:15earnestly for the faith.

09:16We have to contend

09:17for the truth.

09:18And we have to

09:19affirm the things

09:21which are spoken of

09:21by the Lord

09:22and continually bring the church

09:24back to the apostles' doctrine

09:25to loving God

09:27and loving your neighbour

09:28as yourself.

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