foundations book

FOUNDATIONS how we got here | who we are | what we believe

Table of Contents

“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.”1 Timothy 4:7

1

Our History 2Fireplace Illustration 3Scripture 6God 9Man 15Salvation 21The Gospel 25Stewardship: Money 27Gifts of the Spirit 33Church 38

1


Our History

Building a Team

In January 2011, Life Community Church (LCC) started out with 10 faithful people who had a vision to be a part of something great in Columbia, IL. With lots of prayer, hard work, and God’s amazing grace we are where we are today. Life Community Church officially launched as a congregation on April 23, 2011.

Kingdom Accountability (Cornerstone Church Network and advisors.)

Starting a church is not easy. We never have done it before and honestly didn’t know what to expect. The leaders of Life Community did not want to start a church alone. LCC needed direction, accountability, and stability, therefore we are part of a church launching network called Cornerstone Church Network who has been instrumental in the success of LCC.

Furthermore, LCC is equipped with what we call “advisors.” These individuals are well seasoned in ministry and can give us great perspective when we need it most. Each advisor is scheduled to speak at LCC once a year in order for the leaders and congregation to stay connected and familiar with whom they are. Here is a list of our advisors:

o Dobie Weasel- Pastor of Life Church, Omaha, Nebraska. o Jeff Deyo- Founder of Worship City Ministries and Professor at

North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. o Dr. Jeff Lunn- Pastor of Park Baptist Church, St. Louis, MO and

Professor at Missouri Baptist University.

Staff and Board

o Jamey and Kelly Bridges- Lead Pastors o Vinny and Jaimee Hall- Associate Pastorso Paul and Amy Stern- Worship Pastorso Cinda Adams- Children’s Director o Rick and Christy Johnson- Board Memberso Gary and Janet Straub-Board Members o Jim and Nichole Schweppe-Board Members

2

2


Fireplace Illustration(Adapted from The Household of Faith Community Church)

For many years the Bible has been treated like a deck of cards. Denominations behave like players in some doctrinal “card game” where each church holds only a few cards in its hand as it competes with other churches for new members. Every church has its own “doctrinal distinctives” or emphases which may even be reflected in the church’s name (e.g. Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.) In addition, churches are grouped into larger camps, based on over-arching values (e.g. Reformed, Charismatic & Evangelical). Such divisions rob every church of its heritage in the whole counsel of God.

Generally speaking, Reformed churches hold tightly to the cards (i.e. the passages of Scripture) that pertain to “the doctrines of grace.” They also emphasize the need to guard sound doctrine from error. Charismatic churches hold the cards that relate to the Holy Spirit and His gifts. They emphasize supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Evangelicals hold on dearly to the cards that teach the Great Commission, personal evangelism and world missions. They emphasize winning the lost to Christ.

Our analogy breaks down, of course, because no true church is void of all interest in the doctrines championed by the others. But over time, these three camps have drifted farther and farther apart. Today they seem mutually exclusive of one another. What is worse, as each has over-emphasized and over-reacted to each doctrine, errors have occurred on all sides. As each church pushes its favorite truth to an erroneous extreme, the other churches attempt to distance themselves from those errors and all but abandon some key doctrines. “We don’t emphasize election here.” Or, “We are not ‘seeker sensitive.’” Or, “We won’t stand for Holy Spirit wildfire.” In this way, major passages of God’s Word are being abandoned to other churches who, in their zeal, distort them and make them the primary basis of their church’s identity. By being taught without the balance that comes from knowing and believing the other doctrines, every church loses out.

It Takes All Three!The situation today requires a Christian to attend three churches just to receive a balanced diet of what the Bible actually teaches— one to enjoy expository Bible teaching and basic Bible doctrine (e.g. a sound Reformed Church), one to experience supernatural ministry (e.g. a sound Charismatic church) and yet another to be equipped to live the Great Commission (e.g. a sound Evangelical church). As long as every church holds only its own limited denominational “hand,” no church is “playing with a full deck.” The whole counsel of God has become divided, disjointed and out of balance. Life Community Church is an

3

3


attempt to bring these three camps of Bible doctrine back together in one local church. We strive to be biblically Reformed, biblically Charismatic and biblically Evangelical in order to enjoy the benefits and avoid the errors of all three. We want everything that the Bible teaches, but nothing more.

Strengths Can Become WeaknessesThe strength of the Reformed pastor can become his weakness. He has such confidence in the truth of the Bible and the sovereignty of God that he distrusts the Spirit of God and becomes fatalistic in his response to missions. He becomes cold and academic in his teaching. He closes all opportunities for God to move with power in the church. He “despises prophesy” as “adding to the Scripture.” He “forbids speaking in tongues,” dismissing it as “wildfire.” He is like a man with a massive stone fireplace made up of sound Bible doctrine. But he would rather sit in a cold, dark, empty house than take any chance that the fire might get out of the fireplace, or that careless guests might damage his stone work. He does not understand that his precious fireplace has been designed by God to safely hold the blazing fire of God’s Holy Spirit for the benefit of many yet to be saved.

On the other hand, the strength of the Charismatic pastor can also become his weakness. His confidence in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit can undermine his motivation to do the hard work of Bible study and sound doctrinal preaching of the Gospel. He believes he need only read a passage and “pray through” until he “feels the anointing.” Then he steps into his pulpit to serve up half-baked ideas to an ever-enthusiastic, but doctrinally famished congregation. This pastor is like a man who builds a bonfire in the middle of his living room floor. A wonderful stone fireplace stands just a few feet away. But he thinks that any attempt to regulate the moving of the Spirit, to limit the use of tongues in the service or to evaluate the content of a given prophesy, (as the Bible clearly commands us to do in 1 Cor. 14:26-33), would somehow “quench the Spirit.” He also presumes upon the Holy Spirit in evangelism, failing to explain what God has accomplished for the sinner through Jesus Christ, not taking seriously the fact that the Spirit of God works through the proclamation of the Gospel to save sinners. Fire belongs in a fireplace.

In yet a similar way the Evangelical pastor’s strength can become his weakness. His desire to reach people for Christ is admirable. But when he compromises God’s Word and despises God’s Spirit in order to get more people to make decisions for Christ, he does everyone a disservice. In his attempts to be “culturally relevant” and “seeker sensitive,” he can become ashamed of the Gospel, attempting to offer a Savior who is not Lord. There is a lack of zeal for sound doctrine for fear that God’s truth will turn off the visitors. A lack of faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to convict and convert the lost through the foolishness of the Gospel message propels Evangelical pastors to offer only a

4

4


diet of short, fluffy, topical messages that produces many false conversions. This plague that we call “nominal Christianity” is seen in the growing number of people who now attend evangelical churches, but who have never been born again, have only a false assurance of salvation, who bear no spiritual fruit, are not zealous for good works and who know very little Bible doctrine.

Such an Evangelical pastor does not understand that without the fireplace of sound doctrine to display God’s Truth there can be no knowledge of sin, true repentance, nor saving faith. Without the fire of the Holy Spirit to confirm God’s Word with power in the new birth, there will be no lasting fruit. It is the combination of the fireplace and the fire that provides an ideal context for effective evangelistic ministry.

The Balance of God’s TruthIn each camp, the remedy is to be found in the doctrines now monopolized by the other two camps. The entire Bible is for the entire church! What has been lost in this situation is the integrity of the Truth itself. The major doctrines referred to by the terms Reformed, Charismatic and Evangelical, interact with one another in dynamic ways that check the excesses of one another and maintain the balance of Truth.

By keeping the fire in the fireplace we create the best possible setting for effective evangelism — a beautiful backdrop of God’s power in the confirmation of God’s Truth as an expression of God’s Love. Here we find God’s people showing their love for God by the way they love one another. Here we experience passionate worship toward God that is both “in spirit and in truth,” and discover a confidence in the Gospel that allows us to boldly speak God’s truth in love.

All of the Bible doctrines monopolized and distorted by the three major camps of Protestant Christianity are found in every Bible. They have always been there. They comprise an integrated whole. One group’s misunderstanding or misapplication of a doctrine cannot justify the rest of us in ignoring that part of God’s Word. All of God’s truths are intended to be understood, believed and obeyed in relation to one another by the entire Body of Christ. Every church is intended to be “a full deck church” with all of the checks and balances in place. LIFE Community Church is an attempt to be just that. So far we find the combination to be both refreshing and effective.

Scripture

5

5

, 09/10/12,

Just a suggestion...this sentence seemed too long and awkward.


We accept the Bible, consisting of the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, as the written Word of God. The Bible is the only true record of God revealing His heart to mankind as it leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The Word of God comes in many different forms.

As a Person, Jesus Christ- Many times the Bible refers to the Son of God as “the Word

of God.” For instance, in Rev. 19:13, John writes about seeing the risen Lord in heaven and declares, “The name by which he is called is The Word of God.” We can also see in the beginning of John’s Gospel this reference, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).”

As speech by God- God’s words can take the form of decrees that cause events

to happen and cause things to come into being. Genesis 1 is a perfect example of this type of decree. “And God said, ‘Let there be light”; and there was light” (Gen 1:3).

Many times God will communicate with people on earth by speaking directly to them. In Matthew 3:17, God spoke from heaven to John the Baptist saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

God’s words can also be spoken through a person. Frequently in Scripture we see God speaking through the prophets. In Scripture, these words are in no way diminished because they were spoken through humans. In fact in Deut. 18, God says to Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” See also Jeremiah 1:9, Exodus 4:12, Numbers 22:38

God’s words are also spoken in written form. The Ten Commandments are a perfect example, “And God gave to Moses…the two tablets of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God” Exodus 31:18

What Does Scripture Say About Itself?

6

6


Given by inspiration of God- 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:19-21 The very words of God- 1 Thessalonians 2:13 All we need to know about God- Luke 16:29, 31 A perfect guide for life- Proverbs 6:23 Pure- Psalm 12:6, 119:140 True- Psalm 119:160, John 17:17 Flawless- Proverbs 30:5-6 Perfect- Psalm 19:7 Effective- Isaiah 55:11 Precious- Psalm 19:10 Powerful- Hebrews 4:12 Nothing to be taken from or added to- Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32 For everyone- Romans 16:26 To be obeyed- James 1:22

What about the Old Testament?

Most Biblical Scholars can agree that the Old Testament (OT) is the Word of God. The phrase “thus says the Lord” is repeated hundreds of times as He spoke directly and through His prophets. What a prophet spoke in God’s name is what God says.

The OT ends with the book of Malachi (around 400 B.C.) and this concludes with a promise that would change the course of redemptive history forever and start something new. Malachi forecasts the coming of John the Baptist who would prepare the way for Jesus (Malachi 3:1, 4:5-6 and compare to Matthew 3:1-17, 17:9-13), who would then prepare the way for salvation and righteousness.

From the book of Malachi to the start of the New Testament, (NT) the Bible is silent for about 400 years. Many books were written during that time that include history, stories, and end-times speculation. However, these books, although good (Like a Christian book in our bookstore today) are not considered to be part of the Bible as we know it.

We call these the Apocryphal Books and they are not considered Scripture. Why?

1. They do not claim for themselves to be authoritative as the Old

Testament writings. 2. They are not regarded as God-inspired words even by the Jewish people

from who they originated. 3. Even Jesus or any of the New Testament authors do not consider it to

be Scripture. 4. They contain teachings that are inconsistent with the rest of the Bible.

7

7


Why should I trust the Bible is Accurate?

Eyewitness Accounts The Bibliographical Test The Internal Test The Historical/ Archeological Test

For Discussion:

1. Does my faith make the Bible true? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. We consider the Bible to be free of error. Do you feel the same way? Why or why not? And how do we define error? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

God

8

8


“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Have you ever wondered what God is like? Is God a distant clockmaker who pieced things together, wound them up, and then left them alone? Is God a holy Santa Clause who gives good gifts to the nice boys and girls and bad gifts to the naughty ones? Is God a cosmic killjoy who enforces a lot of rules to keep you from having fun? Is God a genie in a bottle ready to grant your every wish if you just ask the right way? Is God an insecure nag always searching for compliments and praises?

Is God a heavenly puppet master violating our wills and pulling our strings or is God anxiously biting His nails hoping we get His will done down here? Is God surprised by the decisions you make or is God making you make those decisions?

Let us be clear. No. No. and No. God is not like that at all. Those gods are human inventions complete with human traits and flaws. Those gods are made in our image. Those gods are uninvolved, controllable, or petty. Those gods are not the God of Biblical Christianity. Those gods are safe.

The one true God is not a human invention. He is not made in our image. In fact, He was not “made” at all. He always was, is, and will be. He is separate from us. He is unlike anything we can create. How do we know this? Well, He told us all about Himself. God went out of His way to tell us who He is and what He’s like. Virtually every misunderstanding of God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and Christianity in general, stems from a misunderstanding of what God tells us about Himself in nature (Rom 1:20), in The Bible, and through His Holy Spirit.

The traits that make God who He is are like the many facets on a diamond. Each facet highlights a different aspect of God's nature and character. Do the individual facets tell the whole story? No, but together they paint a picture of God that helps us to know Him as He wants to be known.

With that said, we believe it’s important to take time to think about all of the things we can know about God. But, before we begin, consider this word of caution: It is naive at best and blasphemous at worst to assume we can “know” everything there is to know about God. An old quote by Saint Augustine illustrates this beautifully:

“One day as [I] was walking by the sea, [I] saw a small boy who, with the help of a shell, was emptying water from the ocean into a hole he had dug in the sand. "What are you doing, son?" I asked. I was impressed by the

9

9

http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/4790821

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1069006.C_S_Lewis


boy’s naive answer, "I'm going to empty all the sea into this hole." I smiled. An inner voice, however, was saying to me, "You are trying to do the same thing by thinking you can understand the depths of God with your limited mind.”

Friends, because we are limited and God is not, we cannot know everything there is to know about God. However, this is not an excuse for being ignorant. God decided to reveal Himself to our hearts (emotion) as well as our heads (intellect) so we could know Him. It is both our delight and our duty to receive this knowledge as best we can for His glory and for our good.

Below you’ll find the various traits or attributes of God that theologians, over the centuries, have compiled. In addition to the trait you’ll find a brief description of the trait and supporting Bible verses. Please Note: These verses are not exhaustive. Further study will uncover more supporting scriptures.

God’s Attributes (With Supporting Scriptures)

1) Personal: God is a self-conscious Being capable of thought, will, and interaction with others.

OT: Gen 1:1-31; Exod 20:1-17; Job 12:13; Ps 2:4; Prov 3:19; Isa 55:8. NT: Matt 6:1-15; 2Cor 1:3; 1Thes 4:3,7.

2) Creator: The whole of creation came into existence through the will, word, and power of God.

OT: Gen 1:1-31; Neh 9:5; Job 38:1-41; Ps 19:1; 24:1; 33:6-9; 89:11; 95:6; 102:25-27; Isa 44:24; 45:18; Zech 12:1. NT: Acts 14:15; Rom 1:20; Heb 11:3; Rev 4:11.

3) Life Giver: All of life was created by and is dependent upon God.

OT: Gen 2:7; Ps 36:9; Job 12:10; 33:3; Dan 5:23. NT: Acts 17:25; 1Tim 6:13; Rev 22:1.

4) Spirit / Invisible: God's existence can be immaterial, non-physical, and is distinct from His creation.

OT: Exod 20:4; Dt 4:11; Job 9:11; 23:8; 35:14. NT: John 1:18; 4:24 (cp. Luke 24:39); 6:46; Col 1:15; 1Tim 1:17; 6:16; Heb 11:27; 1John 4:12.

5) Omnipresent: God is present in all places at all times.

10

10


OT: 1Sam 2:3; 1Ki 8:27; Ps 73:23-28; 139:7; Jer 23:23. NT: John 4:20-24; Acts 7:48-50; 17:26-28; Eph 4:6; Heb 13:5.

6) Omniscient: God knows all things.

OT: 1Ki 8:37-39; Job 34:21; 37:16; 38:1-3; Ps 10:11-15; 33:13-15; 59:5-9; 94:4-11; 139:1-6,11,15-18; 147:f; Prov 15:3; Eccl 12:13; Isa 29:15; 40:12-14,25-28; Jer 16:17; 32:19; Zech 4:10. NT: Matt 6:7; 10:30; Acts 15:18; Rom 11:33; Col 2:3; Heb 4:13; 1John 3:20.

7) Knows the Future (extension of His Omniscience): God's omniscience includes knowledge of all that will come to pass before it occurs.

OT: Gen 15:13; Exod 3;19; Deut 31:15-21; 1Ki 13:1 (see 2Ki 23:15); 1Ki 14:12,17; Josh 6:2, 1Ki 16:34; Ps 139:4, 16; Isa 40:12-14,27-31; 41:21-24; 44:6-8; 48:3-5; 65:24; Jer 1:5; 32:3-5, Ezek 12:13; 2Ki 25:5-7; Dan 2:28. NT: Matt 2:4-6; Eph 1:3; Acts 3:18; 15:16-18; 1Cor 15:3; Rev 13:8; 17:8.

8) Omnipotent: God can do all things with an unlimited amount of power.

OT: Gen 17:1; 18:14; Deut 32:39; 2Chr 20:6; Ps 33:6-11; 115:3; 135:6; Isa 14:24-27; 40:28; 43:13; Jer 32:17,27. NT: Matt 19:26; Luke 1:37; 18:27; Rom 8:31; Eph 1:11, Rev 19:6.

9) Sovereign: God is absolute Lord over His creation and all that occurs therein.

OT: 1Sam 2:6-10; Lam 3:37-39; Job 9:12 (cp. 23:1-7); 34:24-30; 36:22f; 37:20; 38:1-4; 40:1-8; 42:1-6; Ps 2:1-12; 33:10; 37:12; 103:19; 135:6; Isa 40:12-17,22f; 45:9; 64:8: Dan 4:35. NT: Matt 10:29; Acts 5:38; 17:24-26; 18:9; Rom 9:20; Eph 1:11, Jam 4:13-15.

10) Incomprehensible: God cannot be fully known.

OT: Job 9:10; 11:7-9; 36:26; Ps 139:6; 145:3; Isa 40:28; 55:8f. NT: Rom 11:33-36; 1Cor 2:11,16; Eph 3:9; Phil 4:7.

Note: God can be known insofar as He reveals Himself: Jer 9:23; Dan 11:32; John 17:3; 1Cor 13:9-12; Eph 1:9; 1John 5:20.

11) Eternal: God had no beginning and will have no end.

OT: Gen 1:1; 21:33; Exod 3:14; Deut 32:40; 33:27; Job 36:26; Ps 10:16; 41:13; 90:2; 93:2; 102:27; 106:48; 117:1; Isa 40:28; 43:13; 44:6; 57:15; Hab 1:12. NT: Acts 15;18; Rom 1:20; 16:25; 1Tim 1:17; 6:16; Heb 4:3; 11:3; Rev 1:4; 11:17; 21:6.

11

11


12) Self-Existent: God has life within Himself; His existence is not dependent on anything or anyone.

OT: Gen 1:1; Exod 3:14. NT: John 5:26; Acts 17:24; 1Tim 1:17; 6:16.

13) Immutable: God’s nature, character, and dependability do not change.

OT: Gen 8:22; 9:8-13; Numb 23:19; 1Sam 15:29; Lam 3:22f; Ps 33:1; 89:34; 102:24-27; Isa 40:28; Mal 3:6. NT: Rom 11:29; 2Tim 2:11-13; Titus 1:1-3; Heb 6:13-20; 10:19-23; Jam 1:17.

14) Perfect: God is flawless and complete; He does not lack anything or have any moral imperfection.

OT: Gen 18:14; Deut 3:3; 2Sam 22:31-33; Job 21:22; Ps 19:7. NT: Matt 5:48; Rom 12:2; 1John 3:3.

15) Incomparable: God is superior over all in His essence, character, and actions and is worthy of all praise.

OT: Exod 15:11; Deut 33:26; 2Sam 7:22; Ps 35:10; 50:21; 71:19; 86:8-10; 97:9; 113:4-6; Isa 40:25; Jer 10:6-16. NT: 1Tim 1:17; 6:15; Jude 25; Rev 4:8-11.

16) Good: The moral character of God.

OT: Exod 34:6; 1Chr 16:34; Ps 25:8; 34:8-10; 135:3; Lam 3:25; Nah 1:7. NT: Matt 7:11; Acts 14:17; Rom 2:4; 2Thes 1:11.

17) Holy: God is separate and set apart, from all else, especially from all evil.

OT: Exod 3:5; 19:10-21: 20:18-21; 33:18-23; Lev 19:2; Deut 5:23-27; 1Sam 2:2; 6:20; Ps 22:3; Isa 6:1-5; 57:15; Jer 5:22; Hab 2:20. NT: Jam 1:13; 1Pet 1:15; Rev 3:7; 4:8-10; 15:3.

18) Righteous and Just: God's nature and actions are always morally right.

OT: Gen 18:25; Exod 9:27; Ps 11:7; 19:8; 33:4; 89:14; 97:2-6; 111:3; 119:142,160,172; 129:4. NT: Matt 6:33; Acts 17:30; Rom 1:16; 3:21-26; 3:21-26; 7:12; Jam 1:13; 1John 1:5,9; 3:7; Rev 15:3; 16:4-7; 19:2.

19) Judge: God is the final determiner of what is morally right or wrong; all people are answerable to Him and His standards.

12

12


OT: Gen 18:25; Deut 32:34-43; 1Sam 2:3,10; 1Chr 16:33; Ps 7:11; 9:7; 10:8-18; 10:8-18; 50:1-6; 58:10; 82:8; 94:2; 96:13; 98:9; Isa 66:14-17. NT: Rom 1:32; 2:2-5; 10:16; Heb 10:30; 12:23; 13:4; Rev 20:11-15.

20) Wrathful: God's moral character leads Him to judge and punish all unrighteousness.

OT: Exod 15:7-10; 22:22-24; Deut 4:24; 7:10; 32:21; Isa 13:11-13; Jer 10:10. NT: Matt 3:7; Luke 12:2-5; John 3:36; Rom 1:18; 2:5; 5:9; Eph 2:3; Col 3:6; 5:6; 1Thes 1:10; Heb 10:26-31; 12:29; Rev 11:16-19; 15:1,7; 16:1.

NOTE: Examples of immediate judgments: Gen 38:7-10; Lev 10:1-3 (cp. 16:13); Numb 16:1-49; 21:4-9; 2Sam 6:1-13; Ezek 18:4; Luke 13:1-5; Acts 5:1-11; 12:20-23 (cp. Gen 2:16; 3:1-6; 5:5).

21) Graceful, Merciful, and Loving: God's moral character leads Him to administer His goodness, generosity, concern, and compassion on unrighteous and undeserving sinners.

OT: Deut 7:7-9; 10:15-18; 33:12; 1Chr 16:34; Neh 9:17; Ps 63:3; 86:15; 100:5; 103:8; 119:64; 145:8; Isa 63:7-9; Jer 31:3; Lam 3:22-26; Dan 9:9; Jonah 3:10-4:2. NT: John 3:16; Rom 5:8-11; Eph 1:6; 2:4-10; Titus 3:3-7; 1John 4:9f; 5:11-13; Rev 21:4.

Do you feel overwhelmed? Don’t worry. We all do. It’s ok to process this information slowly. As a matter of fact, we would encourage that.

Joni Eareckson Tada said, “One of the most wonderful things about knowing God is that there's always so much more to know, so much more to discover. Just when we least expect it, He intrudes into our neat and tidy notions about who He is and how He works.”

She’s right. Studying and meditating on the traits or attributes of God is like drinking from a fire hose. You take in some but most of it blows right past you. That’s perfectly normal. As you read through your Bible, keep God’s traits in mind. If you see a passage that highlights one or more of these wonderful truths about God, take a second to process it. Maybe take a minute or two to pray about it. Your prayer could be as simple as this:

“God, I don’t understand everything about you, but I want to know as much as I can. You may not be safe like the gods of human invention but you are good. Help me to understand who you are on an emotional level as well as an intellectual level. Help me to worship you in spirit and truth. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”

13

13


For Discussion:

1. “Knowing God” is often described as a subjective emotional experience. This is true. Do you believe God also wants us to “know Him” in a more objective intellectual sense too? Yes or no? Why or Why not?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why do you think God inspired the writers of Scripture to reveal very specific things about His character and His traits?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How does a proper understanding of God’s traits or attributes help us as Christians?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How could an improper understanding of God’s traits or attributes hurt us? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Man

14

14


Where did we come from? What is our purpose? How is it that we are capable of such great good and such great evil?

These are good questions. These are universal questions. Christianity provides coherent answers to these questions. How we answer these question says a lot to the world, says a lot about us and, says a lot about our Christian beliefs.

Scripture teaches that mankind was and is the creative work of the one true God. Contrary to popular belief, man is not the result of an accident or a mindless evolutionary process. If we are just evolutionary accidents, there’s no difference between your value and a slug’s value and there’s no difference between Hitler’s mission and Mother Teresa’s mission. It’s all just evolutionary processes randomly acting on mobile matter. But we know that’s not true. Incidentally, the world knows that too (Rom 1:20).

The Bible says that after God had created all other creatures He formed the first man, Adam, from “the dust of the ground” and “breathed life” into him. From Adam, God then formed the woman, Eve, to be his companion and helper. In His image God created them both male and female (Gen. 1:26-27). Unique among all other creatures, only humans were created in the “image of God.” What does it mean to be created in His image? Does God have toes, a belly button, and bad breath in the morning? Are we mirror images? No, not at all. To be created in His image simply means that we share some of His attributes, but in a lesser way. Unlike other created things, men and women are self aware, spiritual, logical, rational, reasonable, loving, hating, creative, beings with emotions, intellects, wills, and souls.

Mankind was created, in God’s image, by God and for God. Mankind was created to share in God’s love, to have dominion over the garden, and to bring God glory. No meaning can be found for man’s existence outside of loving God, obeying God, and glorifying God.

Ok, so why is all of that important? Well, these truths define not just who we are but also why we are and what we are.

You see, if the Bible is true and God created us for the purpose mentioned above, then chaos is not our creator, we have a purpose, and we are not our own source of authority. To put it differently: We are not our own boss. If we are not in charge, then we don’t call the shots on our purpose and

destiny. God does. From the first humans all the way to you and I, we were brought into existence by the gracious will and power of God. So we do not belong to ourselves but to God who made us for His own purposes and good

15

15

http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Gen.%201.26-27

http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Gen.%201.26-27


pleasure. To seek separation from God is to sever ourselves from our meaning, our purpose, and life itself.

You may be thinking, “Well thanks for the Bible lesson but I don’t choose to separate myself from God so I really don’t see why this is so important.” Let us speak to that thought. You did choose to separate yourself from God. We all did it and we all do it. Let us explain…

Think about the first humans. In their original created state, Adam and Eve’s wills were in tune with the will of God. There was, at that time, no corruption in their will and no inclination toward evil. In other words, man's desires, in his pre-fallen state, were pure. His desires were free from all defilement and disorder because they were subjected to God. Man was good. However, this state of “goodness” was not fixed and unchangeable. Man’s original goodness (some call it “original righteousness”) was a goodness that could be lost. That was proven by man’s fall.

You may be wondering, “How did man fall if man was good?” Good question! Because God gave Adam and Eve sufficient power to resist evil as well as sufficient power to embrace evil, man’s will was moveable to evil. However, it was only moveable to evil by man himself. To say that differently, Adam and Eve had wills that were free from corruption. They had “free will” in the truest sense. Both Adam and Eve, after being tempted by Satan, freely chose to embrace evil. After Adam sinned, the game changed and the fall resulted. Man and creation were corrupted.

The effects and consequences of the fall are too numerous to list but in summary, the fall corrupted:

1. Man’s relationship with God. 2. Man’s relationship with man. 3. Man’s relationship with creation.

But that’s not all. In addition to the relational damage, this corruption changed the very core of Man’s nature. Instead of being naturally good man became naturally bad. Through his disobedience, Adam, willfully traded his original goodness (original righteousness) for original sin.

A.W. Pink says it like this:

“Man is not now as God made him. He has lost the crown and glory of his creation, and has plunged himself into an awful gulf of sin and misery. By his own perversity he has wrecked himself… He is a ruined creature as the result of his apostasy from God… By his wicked defection man brought himself into a state as black and doleful as his original one was glorious and blessed.”

16

16


Through Adam, all of humanity fell from total righteousness to total depravity. As our federal head, Adam’s sin was passed on to all of us. This can be confusing but stay with us here. You see, Adam represented the human race, and when he sinned against God, he did it on behalf of everyone (1 Cor. 15:22, Rom. 5:12). NOTE: Jesus also represented the human race as a true and better Adam, and through his righteousness, Christians were redeemed. (See 1 Cor. 15)

So what does that mean to be totally depraved? It means that we are dealing with a “double whammy” of cosmic proportions. It means that we are not born neutral. It means that our very nature as well as our choices separates us from God. Through our inheritance and our actions, we are rebels, every one of us. “Nature” and “nurture” both condemn us.

Friends, this is very bad news.

The Biblical doctrine of total depravity is humbling to say the least. It’s a complex word with a complex meaning. Because it’s complex, it’s easily misunderstood. Stick with us while we unpack this a little bit…

A totally depraved human is not just somewhat depraved or even mostly depraved. He is totally depraved. However, Christianity does not teach that men and women are as depraved as they could possibly be. It’s helpful here to differentiate between the extent of our depravity and the degree or our depravity. In other words, when Christians say mankind is totally depraved, what we mean is that depravity has reached every part of man’s being. Our mind, body, and spirit are all tainted by sin. This means that our emotions, our will, and our intellect are totally corrupt. But, we are not as corrupt as we could be. We are totally corrupt but not utterly corrupt. We are totally depraved but not utterly depraved.

So why is this so important? Why the theology lesson?

Well, if you don’t believe that humanity, corporately (through Adam) and individually (through personal choice), dove headlong into a pit of sinful rebellion and blatant idolatry, you don’t believe the Bible. If you don’t believe the result of that dive was and is our total corruption, our desperate misery, and God’s righteous judgment, you don’t believe the Bible. Furthermore, if you believe we are only “somewhat corrupted” by sin, you’ll be tempted to believe that we could climb out of the pit ourselves with just a little assistance. Even if you believe that we are “mostly corrupted” by sin, you’ll still be tempted to believe that getting out of the pit starts somewhere inside of us. But the truth is, a totally depraved man is not only fully exposed to the wrath of God but he has no desire, no urge, and no will to get out of the pit. That is, “unless the Father draws him.” (John 6:44).

17

17

http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Cor.%2015.22


Like we said, this is very bad news. The good news (the gospel) is not really that good until you understand the bad news. Man’s corrupted state is the text book definition of bad news. It’s worse than most of us think. It’s not just pretty bad. It’s very bad.

The good news, however, is better. Paul the Apostle says that “while we were without strength, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6) John said that God so loved His children that He sent His Son to rescue them (John 3:16). Like a lifeguard at a sewage plant, God Himself dove headfirst into the filthy pit to rescue totally helpless sinners like you and I. It’s important to recognize that God did not throw us a life preserver, for we had no strength to swim to it. God did not extend a hand of assistance, for we had no desire to take that hand. God jumped in, pulled us out, and administered C.P.R. to revive us. This is the good news.

Ravi Zacharias says it like this: “God didn’t send Jesus to make good people better or to make bad people good. He sent Jesus to make dead people live.”

Yes, the good news is really good. We’ll elaborate on this in “The Gospel” section.

You may be thinking: “Ok great, so I’m a sinner. You convinced me. But God saved me. So what’s the state of a man or woman after he or she is rescued from the pit and resuscitated by God? What is the condition of one who is born again?”

We’re glad you asked. “Simul iustus et peccator” is a scary Latin phrase that means, “Simultaneously Saint and Sinner.” This is the best summarization of the reality of the saved sinner’s life. If anyone asks you if you are a saint or a sinner you can say, “yes.” As born again Christians living on this side of eternity, we are both saints and sinners at the same time. We are declared perfectly righteous by God through Christ. But at the same time we still fall short of perfection and are asking God daily to forgive our sins (Romans 7). The old sinful nature “old man” and the new Christian nature “new man” do battle every moment of our earthly lives. (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10) But it’s not a fair fight…

While we have two natures and they are clearly opposite, they are not equal in power, character, authority, and relationship to God (Romans 6). The new believer, is in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30) and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). While the old man is crucified, the sin nature remains but we are no longer slaves to that old sinful nature (Romans 6:12,13). Once abiding in the new nature, which is from Christ, our will is influenced by the Holy Spirit’s ongoing ministries upon the heart. Through the miraculous process of sanctification, The Holy Spirit is making us more and more like Jesus every day. This too is very good news. We cooperate with this renewal process but it is

18

18


God who initiates and finishes. (We’ll elaborate on this too in “The Gospel” section.)

In summary, man was created for God’s glory and man’s good. In our original state we were perfectly righteous with the ability to choose or reject evil. Man, corporately and individually, chose evil. In so doing, we forfeited our original righteousness and gained original sin. Adam, through His rebellion, became totally depraved and every human to follow, through nature and nurture, remains totally depraved. Our minds, bodies, and souls are all marred by the corruption of sin. Fallen men and women prefer rebellion to obedience. However, God so loved the world that He sent His son to live the life we should have lived, to die the death we should have died, and to restore all things at the proper time.

The good news isn’t really that good until the bad news is clearly understood. As Tim Keller puts it: “You are more sinful than you ever feared but you are more loved, in Christ, than you ever dreamed.”

Definitions of Important Terms:

Original Sin - A depravity or tendency toward evil, held to be innate in humankind and transmitted from Adam to the whole human race in consequence of his sin.

Total Depravity – The Christian belief that sin corrupts the whole person: emotions, will, and intellect.

Federal Headship - The representation of a group united under a federation or covenant. In Christianity, this concept explains the relation of all humanity with Adam, as well as the relation of redeemed humanity with Jesus Christ, who is called the second Adam.

Simul Iustus et Peccator – “Simultaneously saint and sinner” This Latin phrase succinctly explains that, as Christians, we are declared righteous when God imputes the righteousness of Christ (an "alien righteousness") to our account. We are counted righteous in God's eyes because of Christ not because we ourselves are righteous. Our “original righteousness” restored is something we look forward to, not something we have already attained. On this side of eternity, the Christian is guilty in his or herself but in Christ he or she is righteous.

Sanctification – The gracious operation of the Holy Spirit, involving our responsible participation, by which He helps us to fight the old sin nature, enables us to live lives that are pleasing to Him, and makes us more and more like Christ every day.

19

19

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Jesus_Christ

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Jesus_Christ

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Adam_(Bible)

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Christianity


For Discussion:

1. Why is it important to look at humanity through a Biblical lens?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. The old sinful nature “old man” and the new Christian nature “new man” do battle every moment of our earthly lives. It what ways does our “new man” win these battles? And how can we encourage each other to keep fighting? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. The Bible is clear, “No one is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10).” However, a believer is confident, that in Christ Jesus alone we are made righteous. How are we to respond to the worldly belief that says, “being good, nice, and sweet” is good enough for eternal life? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Salvation

20

20


One of the greatest, if not the greatest miracles on earth, is our salvation. It is nearly impossible to really grasp the depth of this word, salvation. The craziest part of our salvation is that it is freely given to us. Why is this so crazy?

It’s crazy because Romans 5:9 tells us that because we are made right in Jesus, God has saved us from all his wrath and condemnation. THIS IS HUGE! God is holy, perfect, and righteous in every way, shape, and form. And because of our sins this should have caused God to pour down His wrath on each and every one of us (Romans 1:18-32, Psalm 11:4-7, John 3:36). However, because He is holy, perfect, and righteous He made salvation possible through His Son, Jesus Christ. CRAZINESS I TELL YA!

The Bible is clear that there is no salvation apart from Jesus:

John 3:17-18, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

WARNING! We would like to share some terms, yes, terms to help us learn and understand this concept of salvation. We’d ask that you’d be open to learn and grow as some of these terms may be new and intimidating. Are we asking you to memorize them? No. But we do ask that you read and consider them with an open mind.

Regeneration : This is also called “born again.” This is an act by God for which he literally imparts new spiritual life within us.

o John 1:12-13, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

o Ezekiel 36:26-27, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

21

21


Conversion: This is our part; this is our willing response to the call of God. This is the time when we truly and sincerely repent of our sins and give our life over to Jesus Christ. The word conversion means, “to turn away” and in the context of salvation, it means our turning away from sin, to a life of trusting and embracing Christ.

o God calls all of us to repentance and Romans 2:4 tells us that because of God’s mercy and kindness, he leads us to repent and he tells us this repentance leads us to salvation.

o 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”

Justification: It is here where we must ask a difficult question. What about the guilt of my sin? Justification is God’s response to our faith and in turn He promises to declare that our sins are forgiven in Jesus. This must be a legal declaration of forgiveness in light of God’s laws, stating that we are completely forgiven and stand righteous before a righteous God.

o Romans 8:29-30, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

o Romans 3:23-26, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation (def. a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath once and for all and in turn this wrath is transformed into favor towards us.) by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Adoption : This is an act of God where he makes us members of His family!

o 1 John 3:1-2, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

22

22


Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

o The Bible tells us that we are God’s children, however we will not receive the full benefits and privileges of His adoption until Christ returns and we have our new resurrected bodies. Romans 8:23, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Sanctification : The previous terms explain to us many acts of God that happen at the beginning of our Christian lives. Sanctification, however, is a lot more progressive and continuous in nature. It happened when we became a Christian and it is happening right now, and will happen tomorrow, and so on until the day we are present with the Lord. It is the process of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and more and more like Christ everyday.

o 1 Cor. 6:11,” …you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

o Ephesians 4:15, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”

Glorification: The day we are present with the Lord, is the day when we are glorified in our heavenly bodies. It is the final step in the working of our salvation.

o Romans 8:29-30, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

o Psalm 49:15, “But God will redeem my soul from the grave, he will surely take me to himself.”

o 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, “So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

23

23


For Discussion:

1. 1 John 5:11 says, “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” Our salvation is powerful when others hear it. Take a few moments to share your testimony with the group. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Salvation is free, but following Jesus will cost you everything. Think of a few costly moments in your life and share them with your group. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Gospel Message

The gospel message in its simplest form is this: It is the birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

24

24


To help understand the Gospel Message, we will go over six short points.

1. The gospel message is eternal. The Apostle Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 15:3, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” We can see easily that this message was a message planned from eternity and written by our Father in Heaven.

2. The gospel message is an event in history. It happened! Jesus Christ was sent by Father God, born on this earth of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:35), born divine and as a man, and he knew his mission: To be The Ultimate Sacrifice for our sins. To be the one and only Mediator between man and God. To be our ultimate example and pattern on how we are to live our lives. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are all historical accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry.

3. The gospel message is an achievement in history. John 19:30 shows us a picture of Christ on the Cross just before his death. Jesus mentions these few, but very powerful words, “It is finished.” Up until this time, a complicated system of sacrifices compensated for our sins. Sin separated man from God, and only through the sacrifice of an animal, a substitute, could people be forgiven and come clean before God. However, this was only temporary and only an ultimate sacrifice would redeem us from our sin. Jesus became this ultimate sacrifice. The word “finished” in John 19:30

is the same as saying, “paid in full.” Jesus came to finish God’s work of salvation (John 4:34), and to pay the full penalty for our sins. Because of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven we (believers) are considered clean and righteous before God.

4. The gospel message is about the free offer of salvation . (See more in the “Salvation” section of this booklet.)

5. The gospel message is about how we as human beings apply and respond our lives to it. Knowing this: “there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…(Romans 8:1)”

6. The gospel message is about knowing the end, our forgiveness in Christ and our coming to God. 1 Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous and the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” Jesus wants the world to come to know him, love him, and trust him as Lord and Savior for the final purpose of bringing us before God, a place where we belong.

25

25


1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether you are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.”

Religion can easily give us a false picture of the true Gospel Message. Take a look at a few differences that make the Gospel a much better message.

Religion: I obey-therefore I’m acceptedGospel: I’m accepted-therefore I obey.

Religion: Motivation is based on fear and insecurityGospel: Motivation is based on grateful joy.

Religion: I obey God in order to get things from God.Gospel: I obey God to get to God-to delight and resemble Him.

For Discussion:

1. In what ways does our culture show that it is “religious” (even if they don’t profess a faith) according to the Religion vs. Gospel descriptions above? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. The Gospel message is the most powerful message ever to be told and is totally sufficient for today. Why then in today’s culture does this message appear not enough? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stewardship: Money(Adapted from The Journey)

Why Does LIFE Community Church teach on the subject of money?

26

26


25% of Jesus’ words in the Gospels are related to our resources and stewardship of them. o 28 passages in the four Gospels. o In the OT and NT combined there are over 800 verses on the topic of

money alone; dealing with a wide variety of financial issues including planning, budgeting, saving, giving, investing, debt, and tithing.

Money is one of the greatest idols in the world, especially in American culture.

Money is a critical component to the growth and health of the church.

Ecclesiastes 10:19“A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer to everything.”

While this verse may be true for almost everything in the world, there are still some things that money cannot buy, mainly our salvation. Some people may try, but rest assured, they will fail. God is not moved by how much money we have or by our possessions. He is not bribed by what we can offer him. God, in fact, is the giver of all we have (money and possessions) and cares not about them but about the condition of our hearts. Do we worship Him above and beyond everything else in our lives? Do we worship Him as the giver of everything? Does our “stuff” hinder our walk with God, or cause us to grow closer by rightfully acknowledging His grace? God does bless us, but it is for the purpose of giving Him the glory and not ourselves. It is so easy to fall prey to the love of money; the love of the next new car, the love of spending more than you make, the love to impress others, etc. Greed falls close to the flesh of every human. In large part it could be said that the American culture is currently built upon the premise of greed. As one author put it, “WE all buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t even like.”

This is why LIFE Community Church will teach on this subject without hesitation. The Bible has much to say about out money and possessions; most likely because God knows the state of the human heart and how we are so easily swayed by things of this world. Like any other area of our Christian life, it is imperative that we have good theology and that our doctrine mirrors how we actually live.

What is the function of money?

Money is simply a tool that Bible gives us as a framework for how to live our lives. Other tools included in Scripture are prayer, friendships/relationships,

27

27


teaching of the word, etc.; all of which are to be used to aid us in our lives as Christians and to carry out the following purposes:

Loving and Glorifying God- Proverbs 3:9, “Honor the Lord with your wealth.”

Advancement of the Gospel Providing needs for your family- 1 Timothy 5:8 Loving People- through generosity, hospitality, and blessing others. Enjoying God Until we properly understand the function of money from a Biblical

perspective we can’t begin to leverage it for its true purposes. Our money is most effective when it is in line with how God calls us to use it.

Who owns everything?

God Does! God owns everything we have, He makes everything we make, He is in control of everything and nothing is out of his hands. The great myth in this world is that we own anything we want, that we deserve anything we want, and that we can do anything we want apart from God and we are in control to govern our own lives. Nothing good that we have or do originates with us, it all comes from the hand of God. (See James 1:16-18; John 1:1-5; Haggai 2:8; Psalm 50:10; Psalm 139:13; and Luke 12:6-8 to name a few verses.)

What is stewardship?

Lets break this word “stewardship” down for a moment. A “steward” is a person, who by God’s grace, belongs to God. And because they belong to God they recognize that ultimately everything they are and have belongs to God and has been given to them as a gift. Therefore, stewardship means we seek to enjoy the gifts that God has given to us as well as investing those gifts in other people. We should all steward our time, talent, and treasure well.

Types of Stewards in the Bible: The righteous rich - Marked by hard work, faithfulness, and financial

blessing from God. (Proverbs 8:18; 15:6) The righteous poor - Marked by hard work, honesty, and contentment.

(Proverbs 28:6; Luke 21:1-4) The unrighteous rich - Marked by deception, lying, and stealing. (Proverbs

11:7 &16-18) The unrighteous poor - Marked by laziness and complacency. (Proverbs

6:10-11 and 20:4)

What are some common financial sins? Throughout Scripture we can see a number of ways that we, as humans, complicate and sin with our wealth or lack thereof.

28

28


False Idolatry and Worship

Matthew 6:19-24, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“ The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Pride- Giving to be Recognized

Matthew 6:1-4, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from

your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what

your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Unnecessary debt

Proverbs 22:7, “The rich rule over the poor, and the barrower is servant to the lender.”

Envy and Covetousness

Ecclesiastes 4:4, “And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring up from man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after

the wind.”

No Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 15:16, “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.”

29

29


Lack of Planning

Proverbs 21:5, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” (See also Proverbs 13:22, 15:21-22, and 19:14)

Greed and False Doctrine

1 Timothy 6:3-10, “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s.”

Not Giving

Malachi 3:8, “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you? In tithes and offerings.”

Money and Worship

Our money is linked to our worship both corporately and individually. As a body of believers, we worship corporately by contributing financially to our local church. We respond to God’s gifts and kindness by giving in return, so that the Gospel can continue to reach others through the work of the church. As scattered individuals we worship by loving our family and loving others with our money. This may take the form of sharing your home and a meal with friends, loaning your car to a neighbor, etc. Our whole lives are to be marked by worship; and how you use your money plays a role in this every day. Worship does happen on the weekends…but it does not stop there…

Giving in the Bible

Old Testament:

30

30


o It was basically (but not technically) a law. There is no punishment in the OT for not giving a tithe.

o 10% of earned money was given to fund the Levite Priests ministry (Numbers 18:21-29, 27:30) And another 10% paid for festivals to build community and celebration (Duet. 12:10-11, 12:17-18)

o 3.3% was given to the poor (Duet. 14:28-29)

o There were occasional additional tithes above and beyond regular giving. (Nehemiah 10:32-33). So it was not uncommon for a family to tithe 25% or more on a regular basis.

New Testament:

o Giving in the new testament is centered around grace, not law.

o The word “tithe s rarely used in the NT. It is used when Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and when relating to OT stories.

o The grace of Giving: 2 Corinthians 8 and 9Giving is a joy and an honor.Giving is a heart issue, there is no standard. Giving should come from your first fruits. Giving should be done regularly, cheerfully, and sacrificially. Giving is tied to your proportion of faith. The amount is between you and God. Giving is a spiritual gift- Romans 12

Proverbs 3:91-10,” Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

For Discussion:

31

31


1. Preach it, teach it, or ask for it. When it comes to the topic money in church, people cringe. Why does this happen? Has the church abused money? Are people just uneducated about a Biblical worldview of finances? Or both? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. No matter how much or little you have, as a believer you can discipline yourself to use money for the greatest purpose on earth: for the glory of God and for “the purpose of godliness (1 Tim. 4:7)”. It what ways can we glorify God with the money He has given to us? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Gifts of The Spirit

32

32


Disclaimer: Very few topics cause as much division in the church as this one. As you read this, take a second to pray that your beliefs will be informed by Scripture first, by experience second, and by your church tradition third. If you reverse that order, you’re final authority starts with man, not God. Be careful.

It’s been said that the narrow path has ditches on either side. It seems that the American church, generally speaking, has fallen into two opposite but equally dangerous ditches with regard to the supernatural gifts. The ditch on the left says that all of the supernatural gifts ceased with the early church and are not available to believers today. The ditch on the right says that all of the supernatural gifts must be experienced and practiced by all Christians, all of the time. These two views represent opposing but equally dangerous extremes. Satan himself, I’m sure, is equally pleased with either extreme.

Let’s talk about the two ditches…

The ditch on the left: “Cessationism”

Cessationism, as we define it, is the view that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, such as healing, tongues, and prophetic revelation, pertained only to the early church, passed away before or around the time the canon of scripture was closed, and are no longer available to believers.

The ditch on the right: “Charismania”

Charismania, as we define it, is the view that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, such as healing, tongues, and prophetic revelation, are not just available today but are to be elevated above and beyond all other gifts, are to be experienced by all believers (all of the time), and are definitive signs of spiritual maturity and personal holiness.

Regardless of your church background, most of us know people on both sides of this issue. But, before we call someone a heretic or claim they do not have the Holy Spirit, let’s remember that BOTH of these positions are well within the boundaries of orthodox Christianity. In other words, your beliefs on these matters are not essential to your salvation. Extreme beliefs will certainly cause problems, but genuine Christians live on both sides of this road. Please remember that.

Earlier we said that your beliefs on these matters should be informed by Scripture first, by experience second, and by your church tradition third. With that in mind, let’s look at Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians. Our best information regarding the supernatural gifts comes from The Apostle Paul in his 1st letter to the Corinthian church. It’s interesting to note that Paul wrote this letter, in part, to correct serious abuses and misuses of the spiritual gifts. There was much confusion in the Corinthian church regarding the source, the purpose, and the

33

33


method of distributing these gifts.

We’ll look first at cessationism and see what Paul has to say. The only place in Scripture that explicitly states when gifts will cease is 1 Cor. 13:8-12. Paul says:

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

In verse 10 it reads: " when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away." Most cessationists believe that the "perfect" referred to in this verse is the completed Bible. They use these versus to make their case. They believe that this text is essentially saying, “when the Bible is finished the gifts will cease.” Most Bible scholars, however, argue that the “perfect” here is referring not to the completed Bible but to Jesus and His second coming. Here’s why:

Verse 12 says: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” The word "then" refers back to the phrase "when the perfect comes." A quick examination of the way God uses the term "face to face" in other passages should help us understand this passage better.

The phrase “face to face” is used all throughout the Bible and usually means an encounter with a person. When God uses it in reference to Himself, it means a visual, personal encounter with Him (Gen. 32:30; Ex. 33:11; Num. 12:8; Duet. 5:4; and Jer. 32:4). Likewise, in the New Testament, it is also used to describe a personal encounter (2 Cor. 10:1; 2 John 12; 3 John 14, etc.). "When the perfect comes...then we shall see face to face" seems, most logically, to refer a personal encounter; in this case, a personal encounter with Jesus.

Furthermore, not only does the context of 1 Cor. 13:8-13 seem to show that the spiritual gifts will cease when Jesus returns (not when the Bible is complete) but 1 Cor. 1:7 may also be consulted here. It says: "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." In both this verse and 1 Cor. 13:8-12 the gifts, which aren't differentiated as to which kind they are, are connected to the return of Christ, not the completion of the Bible.

34

34


With that said, we think that “cessationism” is not Biblically based.

On the other hand, we think “charismania” is not Biblically based either. Some of the most specific teachings on the gifts of The Spirit are found in 1 Cor. 12. In verses 4-11 Paul says:

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who distributes to each one individually as he wills.

Like we said earlier, there was much confusion in the Corinthian church regarding the source, the purpose, and the method of distributing these spiritual gifts.

In verses 4 – 6, Paul explains the single source of power behind the gifts: “The Spirit… The Lord… and God.”

In verse 7, Paul explains the purpose of the gifts: “For the common good.”

In verses 8 – 10, Paul explains the distribution of the various gifts to individuals: “To one… to another… to another…”

In verse 11, Paul circles back to the power source and explains, more specifically, the method of distribution: “…The same Spirit… distributes to each one individually as He wills.”

Most Christians that believe in the present operation of the supernatural gifts can agree on the power source. Few will attribute the power to anyone or anything but God. However, God’s purpose for the gifts and God’s method of distributing the gifts to individuals are often misunderstood.

What is the purpose of the gifts?

Well, Paul clearly states that the purpose of the gifts is for the common good (verse 7) and implies that gifts are given to draw attention to God. That being said, if you see a spiritual gift being used for a purpose outside of “the common good” it’s likely that the gift is either being misused or the gift is counterfeit. Also,

35

35


if a gift is only helping the individual or is drawing more attention to the individual than to God, it’s likely that the gift is either being misused or the gift is counterfeit

So how does God distribute the spiritual gifts? This seems to confuse a lot of people. Apparently, it confused a lot of people in the Corinthian church too. Paul, we think, gives clear insight into this question in verse 11 when he says: “All these [gifts] are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who distributes to each one individually as he wills.” Paul says the gifts are distributed by God’s will.

Who gets the supernatural gifts?

Each one or “each Christian” does (verse 11).

Which supernatural gifts do they get?

Paul expounds on this in verses 28-31.

28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrators, various kinds of tongues. 29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. (1 Corinthians 12: 28-31)

Paul uses a teaching tactic here known as “rhetorical questioning.” A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked in order to make a point and without the expectation of a reply. However, the reply is implied. In this case, Paul asks in verses 29 - 30: “Are all apostles? Prophets? Teachers? Workers of miracles? Healers? Speakers of tongues? Interpreters of tongues?” What is the implied answer to Paul’s rhetorical questions? “No” is the implied answer.

So if we were to read Paul’s rhetorical questions with his implied answers, it would read like this:

All are not apostles, are they? No.All are not prophets, are they? No.All are not teachers, are they? No.All are not workers of miracles, are they? No. All do not have gifts of healings, do they? No.All do not speak with tongues, do they? No.All do not interpret, do they? No.

36

36


So the $10,000 question is: Does everyone have every gift? Clearly, Paul says “no.” However, Paul closes by saying, “earnestly desire the greater gifts.” This creates a healthy tension. Paul seems to be saying, “don’t expect all the gifts but don’t cease to desire them.”

With that said, we think “charismania” is not Biblically based either.

In conclusion, if you believe that the gifts ceased with the apostles, you have a problem. If you believe that every believer should have every gift and should expect to use that gift every day, you too, have a problem. That problem is The Bible. Our purpose in writing this is not to create division. God knows these conversations have divided His bride enough already. Our purpose for writing this is to challenge extreme positions. The Bible is faithful in its critique of extreme positions regarding the spiritual gifts. We should be to.

At Life community, you’ll find both members and leaders who come to slightly different conclusions with regard to the how’s, the when’s, and the why’s of these supernatural gifts. That’s ok. The how’s, when’s, and why’s of these gifts are mysterious. At the end of the day, our hope is that we can help our members and leaders to stay away from the ditches on the far left and the far right. This, of course, is more difficult than drifting one way or the other but with The Scriptures, The Spirit’s guidance, humility, and “earnest desire”, we hope to stay as centered as possible.

For Discussion:

1. Why is it important to be informed of spiritual gifts by scripture first, experience second, and church tradition last?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Does the administration of spiritual gifts during a weekend service make you uncomfortable? Why or why not? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Church

Naturally when we hear the word “church” our minds automatically go to a building. Now, that isn’t wrong Life Community Church has a building and we call

37

37


it a church. However, in the more biblical form, the word “church” refers to the body of believers.

Church- Is the community of all true believers for all time.

The word "church" comes from the Greek word "ekklesia" which means "gathering" or "assembly." Therefore, the church is the gathering of the believers who come together to participate in fellowship with one another as they worship God and hear from His Word, the Bible.

In Ephesians 5:25, The Apostle Paul tells us, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” God’s plan for the church was so great that he exalted Jesus to a position of highest authority for the sake of the church (Eph. 1:22-23).

Jesus is the foundation of the church and he continues to build on it. Matthew 16:18 clearly shows us this truth. Jesus says, “I will build my church…” Luke adds even more clarity to Jesus building the church as he writes, “the Lord added to their numbers day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:47).”

The church is Invisible, yet visible.

In its truest sense, the church of all genuine believers is invisible. This is because we as humans cannot know the true spiritual condition of someone else’s heart. Only God can do that. We can see those who outwardly attend the church We can see their lives changed for good and hope for inward spiritual change, but only God really knows. 2 Timothy 2:19 says, “The Lord knows who are his.” So to break it down, the invisible church is the church as God sees it. And the visible church is the church as Christians on earth see it.

The church is local and universal.

The church can be applied to a group of believers at any level. It can range from a small group of dedicated Christians meeting in a home, to a congregation meeting in a large building, to all believers everywhere on earth.

Metaphors for the Church In the Bible you will see the church mentioned as many other names and images to describe to us what the church is like.

• A Family - 1 Tim. 5:1-2

38

38


• The Bride of Christ - Ephesians 5:32

• A Branch on The Vine - John 15:5

• A Harvest - Matthew 13:1-30 and John 4:35

• Living Stones- 1 Peter 2:5

• A Holy Nation/ Holy Priesthood - 1 Peter 2:5

• God’s House- Hebrews 3:6

• The Body of Christ - 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 4:15-16

Communion and Baptism

They are an outward expression that Christ uses to communicate to us the meaning and benefits of his redemption and are used to reinforce and remind us of the true meaning and content of the gospel. Communiuon and Baptism are signs of participation in God’s covenant and they certify a true reality for us as God’s sons and daughters.

Communion: Communion is a tangible means of grace whereby our senses (taste, sight,

touch, hear, smell) connect to the promises of redemption in Jesus Christ through the drinking of the blood (wine) and the eating of the body (bread). This is a command issued by Jesus himself at his last Passover meal with his disciples. (See Matthew 19-20, 26-28 and See Luke 22:14-20)

Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” This means communion is a memorial act and proclamation of Christ’s death (1 Cor. 11:26) and, in turn, it means fellowship with the risen Christ.

We believe that communion is open to those who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and desire to celebrate and remember his death and resurrection. It is open to all those who believe, not just members or regular attendees of Life Community. We also believe that communion should NOT be taken lightly and without self-examination. 1 Corinthians 11:28 tells us, “A person ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks the cup.”

Baptism:

39

39


The bible teaches that those who are to be baptized are those who already have a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ. (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:41, 8:12, 10:47-48) The bible also teaches that every act of baptism in the New Testament was by full immersion in water. The Greek word baptizo means “to plunge, to dip, immerse” something into water. Furthermore, the Greek language has very clear words for sprinkling (rantizo) and pouring (epicheo or proschusis). Both words are never used in the bible within the context of baptism. It seems clear that the New Testament teaches us that the preferred method of baptism is by full immersion.

What does it mean?

o Baptism is an outward expression of an inward regeneration (Gal. 3:26-27; Romans 6:3-4; Col. 2:12). These verses help us understand that baptism is a step of faith for those who have responded to the word of Christ and their desire to make a further public profession of this faith through this sacrament.

o When a believer is baptized they are professing their faith in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. Before being immersed in water, they make a declaration that they are “putting to death” their old life and old ways. Once they are immersed in water, they are identifying with Christ’s burial basically symbolizing that their old life has died and has been put away. When they are pulled up from the water, it symbolizes their risen life with Christ as a new creation and he/she proclaims to the world that they belong to Jesus.

For Discussion:

1. What do you believe is the most important reason(s) to go to church?

40

40


________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. There are so many great churches to be a planted in? Why, do you believe God has placed you in LIFE Community? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

41

41


Yep, they helped us:

1. Assemblies of God Fundamental Truths, www.ag.org/beliefs

42

42

http://www.ag.org/beliefs


2. Boston, Thomas- Human Nature in its Fourfold state.

3. Chan, Francis- Francis Chan Resources www.francischan.org

4. Gospel Coalition, The- Resources/videos www.thegospelcoalition.org

5. Grudem, Wayne- Systematic Theology

6. Holy Hills Bible Church- Old Nature vs. New Nature.

7. Keller, Tim- Redeemer Presbyterian Church,

www.redeemer.com/resources.

8. Mountain Retreat Organization, The- (God attributes, descriptions, and

Scripture references)

9. Pink, A.W- The Total Depravity of Man,

www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Depravity/index.

10.Piper, John- Desiring God resources www.desiringgod.org

11.Russell, Corey-Pursuit of the Holy

12.Slick, Matt – Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (1 Corinthians 12

Scripture Exegesis & Doctrine of Man.)

13.Smith, Jeremy- Faith Ascent Ministries www.faithascentministries.com

14.Washer, Paul David- The Truth about Man.

15.Westminster Confession of Faith, The (1646)

43

43

http://www.faithascentministries.com/

http://www.desiringgod.org/

http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Depravity/index

http://www.redeemer.com/resources

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/

http://www.francischan.org/

foundations book

Documents

life church

true church

life community church

park baptist church

leaders of life community

reformed churches

charismatic churches

deck of cards