A Bible Driven Church

All quotations are taken from the New American Standard
Version unless otherwise indicated.
2014For republication please contact

tim@graceofforesthills.com
For more booklets in this series go to

guineafield.blogspot.com
or graceofforesthills.com
Table of Contents
LESSON 1 Glorifying God
1-11
LESSON 2 Proclaiming Christ
12-24
LESSON 3 Utilizing Scripture
25-45
LESSON 4 Praying Always
46-63
LESSON 5 Maturing Members
64-77
LESSON 6 Shepherding Leadership
78-91
LESSON 7 Loving Others
92-103
LESSON 8 Maintaining Unity
104-118
LESSON 9 Joining Grace Baptist Church
119-127
Bible-Driven Church
LESSON 1 Glorifying
God
What drives you?
The Harvard Business School is
writing a series of books entitled The Results Driven

Manager. 1 What do we mean by being driven? When
we say someone is a driven person, we are usually
referring to their motivation.
They are a motivated
person. They are quick to get up and get going. So

when Harvard Business School entitles a series of
books The Results Driven Manager what they are
saying is that the results are motivating the manager.
Results are what drive much of the business world a
product must sell or it is set aside. Therefore, much of
the business world is bottom-line driven.
What are
other secular motivations in life? Education systems

can be driven by achievement test scores.
In an
improper setting, the test scores can become the

motivation for all that is done in the classroom even to
the point of placing learning aside.
Making Smart Decisions: The Results-Driven Manager Series (2006);

Retaining Your Best People: The Results-Driven Manager Series (2005);
Harvard Business Press.
According to Hall of Famer, Joe Montana, desire is

what drives people to excellence. 2
So whether it is
success, results, fear, or desire we are all driven by

something.
What should drive a church? What is our motivation at
Grace Baptist Church?
Sadly, many churches follow
the business pattern and are quick to incorporate

anything into their regular practice that will bring
results.
Results often meaning bigger numbers
more bodies, bucks and buildings.
Or perhaps a
church might be driven by the fear of appearing

mediocre to other ministries. Believers should never
be tempted by these motivation; they are wrong for a
church and a believer.
We must not be driven by any secular motivation; our
drive must be God. We must find Him as our end and
beginning and our all in between. As Romans 11:36
teaches, For from Him and through Him and to Him
are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Our
drive, or our motivation, according to the Bible,
should be the love of God (2 Corinthians 5:14). Our
love to Him and His love to us must be the motivating
factor behind Grace Baptist Church.
Desire drives us to discover just how good we can be. The Winning
Spirit: 16 timeless principles that drive performance excellence By Joe
Montana, Tom Mitchell; Random House
2
So how does the love of God and our desire to Glorify

Him relate to being Bible driven? Driven is not just
referring to our motivation, it is also our roadmap to
doing things Gods way.
It shows the way we drive,
where we are to drive, as well as what should drive

(motivate) us. A church that loves God will not do just
anything and everything that comes along. They will
be careful to listen to Gods Word to know what to do,
how, and when to do it in a church.
So a Bible driven church is motivated (driven) by the
glory/love of God and drives a ministry the way God
desires. Stated on an individual basis - A person who
is Bible driven is motivated (driven) by the glory/love
of God and drives their life the way God desires (as
revealed in the Bible).
Bible Driven Church Living

This booklet will define what a Bible driven church
looks like. We will highlight eight different facets of a
Bible driven church. These are the eight activities that
God wants a local church to make their emphasis. As
you will see they are taken straight from Scripture.
This is our DNA at Grace Baptist Church. We believe
that God has declared what He wants a church to focus
on and we are responsible to head that direction in our
ministry philosophy.
They are each included in our
church purpose statement:
The purpose of Grace Baptist Church will be to glorify

God by being Bible-driven:
In its message - Proclaiming Christ to those who
believe and to those who do not believe.
In its means Praying Always and Utilizing
Scripture to build Mature Members who have
been equipped by shepherding leadership to do
the work of the ministry building the body to . . .
. . . Love Others
. . Maintain Unity
We did not pick these eight principles from a hat.
We actually took hours studying the entire NT gleaning
these themes from a detailed study of Scripture. The
original study included over 600 principles of church
ministry. These hundreds of principles were organized
into the above eight Bible themes for what a local
church should highlight. This is why we say this is a
Bible-driven church. It began with a study of what God
wants in church ministry. Not what others said, what
the church leadership thought practical or important
or what church growth gurus said was essential.
Instead, we went to the NT and discovered what God
wants in His church. That is why we say Grace is Bible
driven.
These
the
eight
themes
were
clearly
prominent when it came to the Bibles instruction on

church ministry.
As we walk through each of these essential principles

we will not only turn the search light of Gods Word to
examine our own fellowship at Grace Baptist Church,
but we will also search out our own individual lives as
well. These principals are essential to the individual
believer as well as the entire church body. Lets begin
with the first theme.
Theme 1 Glorifying God

If we are not existing for Gods glory then we are not a
Bible driven church.
The glory of God must be
preeminent. We must make God great in others eyes.

This is the first theme in our purpose statement for a
reason.
It is the biggest concept from which all the
others flow.
The remaining themes of our purpose
statement above are organized below this major

purpose.
The beginning of the Westminster Catechism teaches
children this all important foundational truth in the
form of a question. Believers have been teaching/using
this formula for centuries since it was first used in the
mid 1600s:
Question: What is the chief end of man?

Answer: To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Take a moment to read through several passages of
Scripture that teach this principle.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly
beyond all that we ask or think, according to the
power that works within us, to Him be the glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations
forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking
the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as
one who is serving by the strength which God
supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory
and dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter
4:11).
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be
the glory forever. Amen (Romans 16:27).
to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ
our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority,
before all time and now and forever. Amen (Jude
1:25)
Gods glory is indeed a weighty matter.
In fact,
weight is one way to define the word glory. The O.T.

term that is translated glory is also used to refer to
weight (as in a very plump priest - Eli I Sam. 4:18).
Gods
weightiness,
His
greatness,
is
above
the
greatness of anything else. This is His holiness. He is

great beyond our comprehension.
All the truths we
teach about God (His attributes) expound one aspect or

other of His glory how He is greater and bigger than
anything we can imagine. Each of these attributes are
like a ray of light from His glory staggering and
enlightening our simple minds. Our ultimate job as a
church and as an individual is to make more people
understand how big and how great (how weighty) God
is.
One of the greatest ways that the church can show that
God is weighty/great is by listening to Him.
If
someone says that the Lord is very weighty but they do

not listen to Him then they are mistaken.
The first
step in being a church that glorifies God is to examine

the Bible to see what God wants the church to do, to
find out how He wants the church to look, to worship,
to organize itself. That church must understand what
His priorities are. In fact, the degree to which we give
attention to His instructions demonstrates the degree
to which we truly see His instructions as being
weighty in our decisions. A church or individual that
says they live to the glory of God without seriously

considering Gods Words is deceived.
Below are some other principles in our study of the
church and church ministry that reflect how and why
the church exists to Gods glory.
1. God owns and dwells in the church (I Corinthians
3:9; His Family Ephesians 2:19; His Temple
Ephesians 2:20-21; His Flock I Peter 5:2).
2. God
chooses
the
church
(Romans
8:29-30;
Colossians 3:12) and loves the church (Colossians

3:16)
3. God the Son is the Head (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23;
Colossians 1:18), Redeemer/Savior (Acts 20:28;
Ephesians 5:23-26), and Pattern (Ephesians 4:15;
Colossians 3:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:12) of the
church which waits for His return (I Thessalonians
4:18; I Peter 1:13; Jude 21).
4. God and His Word (Acts 19:19-20) are the source of
the churchs strength (2 Timothy 2:1), growth (Acts
2:47; 14:26-27; 1 Corinthians 3:4-7, 10; Colossians
2:19), service (I Peter 4:11), and protection (Acts
20:32).
5. God the Spirit is the source of the churchs
ministry functions (spiritual gifts) and how they are
organized (Acts 1:8; 13:52; I Corinthians 12:4-6).
SIDE LIGHT: Living for Gods Glory
Johann S. Bach (1685-1703) is considered one of the

greatest composers of all time.
His complex pieces
involved a beauty that typifies the Baroque period. As

Music Director of St. Thomas church in Leipizig,
Germany, Bach was challenged to compose a new piece
of music every week for the church. His tireless efforts
reflected his desire to work not just for men but for God.
In fact Bach is well known for writing SDG at the bottom
of many of the pages of music that he composed. These
initials stood for Soli Deo Gloria which was one of the
five Solis of the Protestant Reformation To God
alone be the glory.
Our lives should be like a piece of music - each note a
moment that brought together composes a day, a page
of time. At the end of each day we should be able to
write at the bottom SDG to God alone be the glory for
this day.
In fact, that would be a good prayer at the
beginning and end of each day.
May all our days be
book ended with these two notes Lord I pray that this
day and all that I do and say would be to your glory.
And as we close the sheet of music may we be able to
say with Bach, Lord, to you alone be the glory for all
that you have done through me today.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
1. There are two ways that we use the word

driven. Describe the two ways that this term
is used in our philosophy statement (see page
2).
2.
What are
some
practical ways a
demonstrates being Bible driven?
church
What are
some practical ways an individual demonstrates

being Bible driven?
3. How does Gods glory correspond to being Bible

driven as a church or individual?
10
Bible-Driven
Church LESSON 2
Proclaiming Christ

By Proclaiming Christ to those who believe and
those who do not believe.
The second theme in our church purpose statement is
proclaiming Christ. This is another major theme of
the New Testament (N.T.). It is closely related to the
next theme (Utilizing Scripture) as He is the Word of
John 1:1. But in a narrower sense, we are to proclaim
Christ Himself in the Gospel.
To get a good
understanding of what the Bible says about this theme

we will answer three different questions.
1. What is proclaiming Christ?
2. To whom do we proclaim Christ?
3. How should we proclaim Christ (in what
manner)?
11
1. What is proclaiming Christ?

To answer this question, we will examine the example
of the early church as recorded in the NT History book
(Acts).
Then we will look at what this practice is
equated with and lastly why God desires that we focus

on this as a Church.
The Early Church Example

It is clear that the disciples proclaimed Christ boldly
and unapologetically as the early church grew. Lets
follow the storyline of the early church. In Acts 1:8,
the Lord tells them that they will receive power once
the Holy Spirit comes on them and then they will be
His witnesses. They will testify to Him.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even
to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8).
This is exactly what they did as they went out. In fact
this word, testify or the related word witness is used
repeatedly throughout the rest of Acts to describe the
activity of the Apostles.
This is one of the first
activities that Peter engaged in at Pentecost once he

had received the power of the Holy Spirit:
12
"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the

Nazarene . . . this man, delivered over by the
predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you
nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and
put Him to death. But God raised Him up again . . .
This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all
witnesses (Acts 2:22).
That word witness means someone who testifies for
another.
Jesus left a life as a legacy and everyones
future destiny is based on Who they judge Him to be.

We are to proclaim Christ to testify what is true of
Him.
These words (testify/witness) both come from
the Greek word martureo this is the word from which

we get our word martyr.
This shows the common
result in the early church to their testimony about

Jesus. Their witness did bring persecution. However,
they did not stop. In fact, instead of asking the Lord to
stop the persecution, they prayed for boldness to
continue to proclaim the good news of Jesus.
As they proclaimed the truth about Jesus, local
churches sprung up like plants in spring.
God uses
faithful people proclaiming Christ to plant churches.

Examine below this vital pattern: 3
If you are not convinced, or if you just would like to enjoy a

fascinating subject study, look up the following passages as
well. These follow Pauls church planting journeys Acts
13:5, 6, 10, 12, 15-16, 43-44, 48-49; 14:1, 3, 6-7, 20-21, 24-25;
13
But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he

passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all
the cities until he came to Caesarea (Acts 8:40).
After they had preached the gospel to that city and
had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra
and to Iconium and to Antioch (Acts 14:21-22).
And according to Pauls custom, he went to them,
and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from
the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that
Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead,
and saying This Jesus Whom I am proclaiming to
you is the Christ (Acts 17:2-3).
Preaching Christ Equals Preaching the Word

As you look at the verses highlighting the early
churchs example for starting new churches you see
that the words proclaiming Christ and preaching the
Word are nearly synonymous.
We know from John 1:1 that Jesus is the Word in flesh.
The message about Him is the Word. The Gospel is the
words about the Word, Gods Son.
15:35, 36; 16:10, 13; 17:2-3, 10-11, 17; 18:4-5, 28; 19:8, 9-10,
19:20, 20:17-21.
14
So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken

the word of the Lord, they started back to
Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many
villages of the Samaritans (Acts 8:25).
God tells us to proclaim Christ/preach the Word
throughout the rest of the NT instruction to the
church. Paul set this as his example to the Corinthian
church above other possible facets of church ministry,
but we preach Christ crucified When writing to
Timothy and Titus to give instruction on how churches
should be organized, Pauls constant mantra is to
preach the Word, preach Christ. Preach the word; be
ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort, with great patience and instruction.
Bible-driven churches give careful attention to Bible
preaching. We must carefully examine Christ and His
glory through the systematic preaching of the Bible;
and as we do this the church grows. There are many
helpful as well as many silly ideas on how to promote
church growth.
But the primary church growth tool
clearly directed in Scripture is proclaiming Christ.

Lets look briefly at why this is the case. Why did God
choose to use preaching to build His church? You may
be shocked.
15
Why Did God choose Preaching?

At times we have a false view of the effectiveness of
preaching. It is not effective because it is intrinsically
the most effective way of communicating a message.
There are other ways to communicate messages
through drama, art, big productions great signs or
miracles, etc. Everyone sitting down and listening to
one person talk about the greatness of another
Persons death, burial and resurrection may sound a
little foolish. And that is exactly why God chooses to
use it.
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those
who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it
is the power of God For since in the wisdom of
God the world through its wisdom did not come to
know God, God was well-pleased through the
foolishness of the message preached to save those
who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and
Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ
crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles
foolishness, but to those who are the called, both
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the
wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is
wiser than men, and the weakness of God is
stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).
16
God chose preaching because it was foolish. For this

reason we should not try to change Gods method or
water down His message. Cultures change but at all
times what is done in the preaching of the Gospel will
appear to be a little foolish. However, God wants to
use that foolishness to save those who are lost.
SIDE LIGHT: Witnesses
When the exclusive Gospel of Jesus is proclaimed

openly and boldly there is often persecution. We
should not be surprised or intimidated by this.
The Greek word testify is our word martyr and
often the testimony is what causes martyrdom.
Take Stephen for example he was publicly
stoned for his testimony for Jesus. Stephen is the
first recorded martyr of the church (beginning in
Acts).
Throughout church history, others were martyred
for what we might consider minor issues of
doctrine.
Because Thomas Helwys believed he
should be able to worship openly as a Baptist in

England, he was imprisoned for years till death.
17
He wrote a pamphlet that stated people should be

able
to
worship
conscience.
openly
according
to
their
Not only did he try to hand his
pamphlet to King James but when he did not

succeed in this effort he sent a signed copy to the
King.
John
Stilman
publicly
spoke
against
worshiping and praying to images (icons) and was

burnt to death by the Roman Catholic Church. For
centuries men and women have boldly proclaimed
their faith and were ready to die because their
conscience was bound to the objective truths of the
Gospel.
This concept is foreign to the twenty first century
US church. In fact, our churches are comfortably
cushiony.
So much so, that some churches shy
away from teaching the faith because it might not

be what people want to hear.
What a difference
this attitude is from past generations.
Not just
different from past generations, however, believers

all over the world are persecuted for their faith.
Across this globe believers are persecuted every
day for their testimony for Jesus with a settled joy
that they are dying as witnesses to Jesus Who died
for them. And it is that testimony that spreads the
faith The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the
church.
18
2. To whom do we proclaim Christ?

According to the philosophy statement we are to
proclaim Christ to those who believe and to those
who do not believe.
Often when we think of
preaching the Gospel we focus our attention solely on

how the Gospel applies to unbelievers. How someone
initially has their sins forgiven. However, the Gospel is
just as needy for the believer as the unbeliever. We
must always believe in the Gospel.
washed away once and for all.
Our sins are
But if Satan or our
conscience accuses us we need to be believing in the

Gospel. We need to proclaim the Gospel to ourselves
to remember again that our sins are washed away and
we stand complete in Jesus Christ.
This is the way
Paul preached the forgiveness of sins in Acts.

Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that
through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to
you, and through Him everyone who believes is
freed from all things, from which you could not be
freed through the Law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).
The word believes is in the present tense means the
one who is believing is freed . . . There is never a time
when our faith should not be steadfastly fixed to the
good news of Jesus.
As the Hymn writer said Tis
19
grace that led me safe this far, and grace will lead me
home.
If you study the word Gospel in the NT, you will
notice that the Gospel is used in connection with
believers. It is the Gospel that continues to establish
us (Romans 16:25).
And the believer stands in the
Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1).
The word establish in
Romans 16:25 is used of the activity that Paul

endeavored to do when returning back to the churches
he had planted to disciple the believers.
And having spent some time there, he left and
passed successively through the Galatian region and
Phrygia,
strengthening
all the
disciples (Acts
18:23).
So the same Gospel that Paul used to bring people to
the faith is the Gospel that would establish them in
that Faith. It is the same for you, believer. The good
news of Jesus not only brings you to faith but builds
you in the faith. He is the milk of the Word and the
meat of the Word. The Gospel does not just include
justification (being declared to be like Jesus in heaven);
it also includes sanctification (progressively growing to
be more like Jesus on earth).
It is the Gospel that
motivates us to live a life that is pleasing to God. The

Bible teaches that we are not saved by our good works
but we are saved unto good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).
20
This is confirmed in I Corinthians 15:1. We stand in

the Gospel if we hold fast our believing it. As believers
we must always remember that our standing before
God is always based on Jesus.
If we ever slip into
thinking that our standing before God is based on how

I am performing for Him today we are destined to fail
every day.
Our standing is in Christ.
The Galatian
believers were fooled to believe that after they believed

in Jesus they had to do certain things to maintain that
relationship to God. Paul calls this a different Gospel
(Galatians 3:1-3).
3. How (in what manner) should we proclaim the

Gospel?
Much more will be said about our manner of speech in
later studies but it is important to outline some of the
themes
that
come
up
when
considering
the
proclamation of the Gospel.
Speak the Gospel Boldly.

"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and
grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your
word with all confidence (Acts 4:29).
But after we had already suffered and been
mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the
21
boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of

God amid much opposition (1 Thessalonians 2:2).
Speak the Gospel Clearly.

Praying at the same time for us as well, that God
will open up to us a door for the word, so that we
may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I
have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear
in the way I ought to speak (Colossians 4:3-4).
Speak the Gospel Lovingly.

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the
weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I
may by all means save some. I do all things for the
sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow
partaker of it (1 Corinthians 9:22-23).
22
QUESTION AND ANSWER
1.
How could you summarize early church planting

efforts in different cities (Acts 8: 40; 14:21; 20:24)?
2. What is Gods primary tool for church growth?
3.
Why is the manner in which we proclaim Christ

important?
23
Bible-Driven
Church LESSON 3
Utilizing Scripture

By Proclaiming Christ to those who believe and
those who do not believe.
Utilizing Scripture
We demonstrated in the last lesson how important it is
that a church Proclaims Christ.
that
proclaiming
Christ
is
In doing so we saw
synonymous
with
proclaiming the Word. Our third theme develops this a

little further showing how the Word is necessary to a
healthy church. God will use His Word. Lets take a
minute to examine how the early church made this a
priority. And then we will highlight eight reasons why
using Gods Word is essential to our church ministry at
Grace.
The Early Church Prioritized Utilizing Scripture

Lets look at the practice of the early church to see how
they utilized Scripture.
24
The common word in Greek
for word is logos. This is used more times in the book

of Acts than any other book in the New Testament (65
times). This shows how important utilizing the Word
of God was to the early church. They made the Word a
priority.
They were continually devoting themselves to the
apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).
Now
at
this
time
while
the
disciples
were
increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part

of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews,
because their widows were being overlooked in the
daily serving of food.
So the twelve summoned the
congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not

desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order
to serve tables.
"Therefore, brethren, select from
among you seven men of good reputation, full of

the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in
charge of this task.
"But we will devote ourselves
to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:14).

But when Silas and Timothy came down from
Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely
to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that
Jesus was the Christ (Acts 18:5).
Summarize what these verses teach in relation to the
early churchs example of making the Word not just an
25
activity among other activities, but made it their

priority:
SIDE LIGHT: Priority in

Ministry
There are many good ministries to be involved in. And
many churches are able to do extensive good and
profound help in their community by giving to those
with physical need. These ministries may be known for
one or another of these good moral activities.
compassionate
community
we
(the
church)
As a
are
naturally going to love others and that love will be

demonstrated by taking care of peoples physical
needs.
However, a problem can come when this
becomes the churchs main priority. Taking care of a

citys homeless, or a communities lepers are Christlike activities; and yet, if they are not means to a
greater end then they fall short of the churchs main
ministry.
Our priority must be the Word of Christ
sharing the truths of the Bible that will transform

people to love and worship the one true God. If we fall
short of this, then our ministry, no matter how helpful,
is not Christian ministry in the truest sense.
What if you were to develop a cure for an acute type of
blindness that took the site of 20 million people
worldwide? Someone close to you lost their site to this
26
disease so you were motivated to dedicate your life to

find
cure.
Years
of
painstaking
research
and
collaboration finally brought you to the point where you

were confident of a cure that was inexpensive and readily
treatable. Would you not be considered a fool if you then
decided to give the rest of your life to helping those with
this disease feel comfortable in their current condition?
Instead of giving them the solution, you hid it away and
thought that the compassionate thing to do was to care
for them in their blindness.
People would doubt your
compassion to care for the needy. You had a solution!

And if you did not prioritize your efforts to administer
the remedy to the blind you would be considered
heartless indeed.
We too have a remedy that opens the eyes of the
spiritually blind. And this is the ministry that the church
must see as their greatest priority. All our humanitarian
efforts must be to point humans to a gloriously loving
Savior Who will satisfy all of their longings with Himself.
Even taking care of humanities physical pain and
suffering must be a means to the end of opening their
spiritual eyes to the need of spiritual life. So let us not
forget to care for the needy, but only that our caring may
bring them to the One Who can truly take care of their
physical and spiritual needs for now and for eternity.
27
Reasons to Utilize Scripture

So it is very clear that the early church prioritized
using Scripture in their ministry. Why would that be
the case?
For the remainder of this lesson we are
going to answer that question by giving 8 reasons why

we should utilize Scripture at Grace Baptist Church.
Reasons 1-3
The first three reasons are taken from one passage of
Scripture that is extremely important to grasp. Read
the verses and explanation below.
Then fill in the
blank to complete the first three reasons to utilize

Scripture.
And that from childhood you have known the
sacred writings which are able to give you the
wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which
is in Christ Jesus.
and
profitable
16
All Scripture is inspired by God
for
teaching,
for
reproof,
correction, for training in righteousness;
17
for
so that
the man of God may be adequate, equipped for

every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
From a youth Timothy had been taught Scripture by
his mother and grandmother.
The word used for
Scripture here is not the common word logos as
28
considered earlier.
It is a special word that is only
used when referring to the specific texts of written

Scriptures that we know as the Word of God (For
further study compare John 19:24 with Psalm 22:18;
John 19:28 with Psalm 69:21; and John 19:37 with
Zechariah 12:10). Paul goes on to tell Timothy that the
Scripture he was taught (Tanach) was able to lead
Timothy to salvation. Notice that the salvation Paul is
referring to is not by works but through faith in Christ
Jesus.
In verse sixteen Paul makes a new Greek word that
fuses two separate words into one. They are the words
God (Theos) and wind or breath (Pneuo).
Combined
together they make the word Godbreathed.
Each
word found in your Bible is breathed out by God like a

musician would breathe out music through a trumpet.
The sound is the musicians completely but he uses a
musical instrument.
The words of Scripture are all
Gods words but He uses a human instrument to write

these words. That is a very important reason to utilize
Scripture. Reason 1 The Bible is the Word of God.
Paul goes on to tell four very practical uses for
Scripture (verse 16). Because it is God-breathed, it is
profitable to hearers in special ways.
It teaches,
reproves (tells us when we are on the wrong path),

corrects (tells us how to get back on the right path),
and trains in righteousness (it walks us carefully on
29
throughout life).
Lets summarize reason number
three this way - Reason 3: The Bible is profitable for

teaching, reproving, correcting, and training believers.
Paul finishes his instruction to Timothy on the value of
Scripture by saying the end result of someone who has
utilized Scripture to the four purposes mentioned in
verse 16. The end result is that the person becomes
complete and fully equipped. This word equipped is
used to refer to a room that is completely furnished
and ready for company.
We want to be completely
prepared for any work the Lord gives us. We want to

be complete and that is what Scripture will do. And
that is why Grace Baptist
Church
must
utilize
Scripture.
Lets summarize the first three reasons before we
move on to our next passage of Scripture and the final
five reasons we must utilize Scripture.
Reasons 1: The Bible is the Inspired Word of God.
Reason 2:
The Bible is profitable for teaching,
reproving, correcting, and training believers.

Reason 3:
The Bible will prepare me to be
adequately equipped for any good work.
30
SIDE LIGHT: Priority in

Ministry
John Newton (Author of Amazing Grace) loved and
pursued the same woman his entire life. He waited
years till he was able to marry her and lived devotedly
to her until her death. John expressed his love to his
wife Polly through love letters.
Polly expressed her
love by saving these letters and after both of them died

the letters were published in a widely celebrated
collection in the 1700s.
Consider another example. I found one of my friends
late one night burning some papers in a bonfire.
What are you doing? I asked. Its over. He said,
with a wry smile on his face. And with that he emptied
the contents of a little box of love letters into the fire.
This was his way of burning his bridges and getting
over a difficult ending to a long relationship.
There
was no chance to get them back and although he was

the one that was let go this was his chance of getting
back at her.
When was the last time you picked up the Godbreathed letter to you? If you never pick it up and read
it then you may as well be my buddy by the fire. That
really signifies the respect and love you have for Gods
love letter to you.
We should be like Polly Newton,
devotedly saving and pouring over every word. That is

the person that will benefit from the Word of God.
That is a person in love.
31
Reason 4
How do you know what is right and what is wrong?
How do you know what is true about God? How do
you know God? How do you know that you are right
with God? Your answers to these questions should be
tied in some way to the Word of God. However, it is
tempting to answer those questions with some life
experience outside of Scripture that relates to those
questions. This is a natural response because we see
God active and alive in our lives every day.
These
experiences are very real and help confirm to us what

we read in the Bible.
But we must use lifes experiences as an additional
confirmation to what we already believe to be true
from Scripture and not use our lifes experiences to
direct what is true from Gods Word.
Our lifes
experiences must always be subservient to what we

know to be true to Gods Word. Consider the following
differences between Gods Word and lifes experiences
below:
GODS WORD
LIFES EXPERIENCES
REMAINS FIXED
FLUCTUATE
ETERNAL
TEMPORAL
OBJECTIVE
SUBJECTIVE
HAS ONE CORRECT
CAN BE INTERPRETED
INTERPRETATION.
WRONGLY AND IN
MULTIPLE WAYS.
32
In 2 Peter 1:16-21, Peter states that Gods Word is more

reliable to him than the Transfiguration experience
where only three men (Peter, James, and John) saw
Jesus brilliantly glorified before then speaking with
Moses.
Even that mountaintop experience, was less
reliable to Peter than the Words of Scripture.

For when [Jesus] received honor and glory from
God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by
the Majestic Glory, This is my beloved Son, with
whom I am well pleased, we ourselves heard this
very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him
on the holy mountain. And we have something
more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do
well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark
place, until the day dawns and the morning star
rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:16-20, ESV, emphasis
mine).
So, a fourth reason why we must utilize Scripture in
our daily life is that the Bible is more reliable than
human experience.
Reason 4: The Bible is more reliable than human
experience.
33
SIDE LIGHT: Seeing
Experience in Light of the

Bible
What about when our human experiences seem to

conflict with Gods Truth revealed in the Bible?
At
times this can happen. Matthew Hoskinson knew the

words found in Romans 8 All things work together
for good. But when he was just over thirty years old
he was told that his shortness of breath and nagging
cough were actually due to a much more serious
disease.
He had Lymphoma.
Throughout 2008 and
2009 Matthew wrestled through chemotherapy and

radiation often being left with no strength at all. How
could God allow a young pastor and father of three
children go through such a debilitating and painful
experience?
In the darkest times of that experience
perhaps it was difficult to see Gods good hand in

cancer.
This is why our view of God must be directed by His
Word and not just our lifes experiences.
Because
Matthew had his view of God based on the Bible and

believed passages like Romans 8:28 to be true he was
able to go through the experience of cancer and see
Gods hand at work during the darkest hours.
The
Lord brought Matthew and his family safely through

that experience and he was able to share his testimony
in a message entitled, The Mercy of God in Cancer.
34
In this testimony Matthew shared, The Lord brought

cancer to me.
He did not just allow cancer, but He
brought it to me.
Among other ways that Matthew demonstrated how
God was good in giving him a difficult life
experience, was that God uses suffering to change us,
to shape us, to mold us, and to conform us into the
image of Christ and we can rejoice in it. As we live life
we must strive to interpret our experiences based on
the Word of God rather than interpreting the Word of
God based on our lifes experiences.
Reason 5
For you have been born again not of seed which is
perishable but imperishable, that is, through the
living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:23).
Being born again refers to having spiritual life by faith
in Jesus Christ. All those who have placed their trust
in Jesus are born again and will live forever.
Peter
states in this passage that there is an amazing

relationship between the Bible and the process of
becoming born again. Did you pick it up when reading
verse 23 above? How do we become born again? How
are we born spiritually? We are born spiritually by the
spiritual seed of the Word of God. Gods Word is the
35
seed that generates us. It is the spiritually germinating

seed in the soil of our hearts.
Another passage from the Bible that clearly teaches
this is Romans 10:9-17. Paul describes the necessity
for someone to share the Gospel (preach), in order for
someone to hear the Gospel, in order for someone to
come to faith in the Gospel. He concludes with this
statement:
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the
word of Christ (Romans 10:17).
Gods Word brings us to faith in the Gospel. This is
incentive to utilize the Word it is essential to any
spiritual life. You rely completely on Gods Word to
instil spiritual life in an unbeliever. Without this seed
being sown, you are wasting your time. The Word of
God is essential to the beginning of every persons
spiritual life.
Reasons 1: The Bible is the Inspired Word of God.
Reason 2:

Reason 3:

experience.
Reason 5: The Bible produces spiritual life.
36
Reason 6
Not only is the Bible life giving, it is also the God
ordained way that you will grow in your spiritual life.
These are words that sustain our spiritual growth as
believers. Notice this truth from the following three
passages of Scripture.
Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth
(John 17:17).
You are already clean because of the word which I
have spoken to you (John 15:3).
As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the
word, that you may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2, NKJ).
The way you can be clean, set apart, and grow is
through taking in this Word. What a primary reason to
utilize Scripture at Grace.
The third passage above
gives an effective picture of our need for Gods Word.

A full nursery of babies with empty tummies is not a
great place to be. In the same way, a church with many
baby believers who are not fed Gods Words is not a
great place to be.
The moment the Word generates
spiritual life in someone, they should begin feeding

Gods Words so that they can grow.
A church that
does not prioritize utilizing Scripture will not be

strong long-term.
37
Reason 7: The Bible enables Gods spiritual

blessing.
Our Christian culture is enamored with blessing, at

times perhaps even to an idolatrous position.
Some
blessing seekers long for Gods blessing more than

they long for God. That is sad. Believers should long
for Him more than His blessing knowing that having
Him is a greater blessing than any of His gifts. Anne
Cousins put this so well
The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear Bridegrooms face;
I will not gaze at glory
But on my King of grace.
Not at the crown He giveth
But on His pierced hand;
However, the Bible also states that Gods Word,
walking in His Word secures His blessing in life.
Although His blessings are not always the same
blessings we have in mind.
Looking back on a life
spent in Gods Word utilizing Scripture we will realize

that this is the best way to live.
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the
counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of
sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
38
But his
delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he

meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree
firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its

fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And
in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are
not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives
away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the
judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the

righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the
righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish

(Psalm 1:1-6).
"This book of the law shall not depart from your
mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do according to all
that is written in it; for then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have success (Joshua
1:8).
Reason 8: The Bible is our sole authority for faith

and practice.
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the

prophets in many portions and in many ways,
in
these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom

He appointed heir of all things, through whom also
He made the world.
And He is the radiance of His
glory and the exact representation of His nature,

and upholds all things by the word of His power.
39
When He had made purification of sins, He sat

down at the right hand of the Majesty on high . . .
For this reason we must pay much closer attention
to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away
from it.
For if the word spoken through angels
proved unalterable, and every transgression and

disobedience received a just penalty,
how will we
escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it

was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was
confirmed to us by those who heard,
God also
testifying with them, both by signs and wonders

and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy
Spirit according to His own will (Hebrews 1:1-3;
2:1-4).
Preach the word (2 Timothy 4:2).
Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for
all handed down to the saints (Jude 1:3).
Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those
who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to
the teaching which you learned, and turn away from
them.
18
For such men are slaves, not of our Lord
Christ but of their own appetites; and by their

smooth and flattering speech they deceive the
hearts of the unsuspecting Romans 16:17-18).
We must realize that we have one standard that will be
the measure of what we believe at Grace Baptist
Church, and will determine how we function as a body.
This measure is Scripture. Scripture is the faith once
40
for all handed down to the saints for which we must

contend. This Scripture was given to us accompanied
by signs and wonders through Jesus, Gods Son and
His Apostles.
Hebrews shares this revelation as the
climax, the zenith of Gods revelation of Himself. He

can get no more personal than His Son.
So Scripture stands as the only authority. As no other
authority can replace that which is the zenith, the
highest point, namely Himself.
We are not seeking
fresh revelation or a new word from the Lord. We have

His Words and His words are enough as they give us
the Living Word Who is sufficient for all.
CONCLUSION:
How does this change the way Grace Baptist Church
operates?
Since the early church made the Word of
God an essential part of their ministry and made the

Word of God their priority we should as well.
Also, highlighting these eight reasons why we should
utilize Scripture at Grace Baptist Church should
motivate us to keep the Word of God central to our
weekly functions as a body.
How are these truths
evidenced on a regular basis at Grace?
41
1. We highlight the public reading of Scripture.

2. We maintain the careful teaching and preaching of
Scripture.
3. We encourage church members to regularly digest
Scripture for themselves in private worship.
4. We instruct the youth at Grace in Scripture through
childrens and teen classes.
5.
We rely on the distribution of Scripture in our
neighborhood to win others to the Gospel.

Why be Bible driven?
Reason 1: The Bible is the Inspired Word of God.
Reason 2:

Reason 3:

experience.
Reason 5: The Bible produces spiritual life.
Reason 6: The Bible produces spiritual growth.
Reason 7:
The Bible enables Gods spiritual
blessing.
Reason 8: The Bible is our sole authority for faith
and practice.
42
QUESTION AND ANSWER
1. What were Peter and the disciples eyewitness to (2

Peter 1:16) and to what event are they referring
(Matthew 17:2)?
2. What does Peter say is more sure than that

experience (2 Peter 1:18)?
3. What activity of God is the author referring to in

Hebrews 1:1?
43
4. How has God done this in the past? And what do

you think this is referring to?
5. What is Gods final and perfect Revelation (1:2)?
6. How did God continue to reveal Himself through

His Son (2:4)?
7. According to 2:1, what must we be sure to do in

response to God speaking to us through His Son
(the New Testament)?
44
Bible-Driven
Church LESSON 4
Praying Always

In its message - Proclaiming Christ to those
who believe and to those who do not believe.
Scripture to build Mature Members who
have
been
equipped
by
shepherding
leadership to do the work of the ministry

building the body to . . .
. . . Love Others
. . Maintain Unity
The next essential to a Bible driven church is that we
are a church that is Always Praying. It has been said
that, prayer is the Christians vital breath.
This is
very true. A Christian that is not praying is dead or is

at least as good as dead. This truth is not limited to an
individual. A church body that is not praying is dead,
or at least as good as dead. The reason for this will be
clear from what we learn in this lesson.
We will
examine below the example of prayer, the nature of

prayer, and the importance of prayer.
45
The Example of Prayer

If you want to know what a church should prioritize,
you should examine the example of the early church in
Acts or instructions given to the early church in the
Epistles. We are going to begin our understanding of
the importance of prayer by examining the early
churchs practice of prayer.
Look first at Acts 2:42. This is a verse that we have
highlighted in our study already.
This is necessary
because of the how clearly it highlights the priorities of

the early church.
They were continually devoting themselves to the
apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).
Here Luke records the priorities of the early church
just hours after its beginning. In order to learn from a
church practicing its duties without any interference
from traditional additions we would have to start here.
Notice the fourth activity they prioritized prayer.
The following verses really demonstrate how this was
evident throughout the history of the early church:
46
1. The leadership of the early church saw the need to

give up other necessary duties in order to give
more time to prayer (Acts 6:1-4).
2. The early church prayed for grace to continue to
minister boldly during persecution (Acts 4:29).
3. The early church prayed during times of great
distress, bringing pressing requests to the Lord
(Acts 12:5-12; 9:40).
4. The early church prayed when beginning a large
endeavor or spiritual challenge (Acts 13:1-3; 14:23;
20:36; 21:1-5)
GROUP ACTIVITY: Match the above circumstances in
the lives of the early believers with situations that you
may
face.
Right
the
proper
number
above
corresponding to the situation below:
A father takes his son out on a special weekend

camping trip to spend some extra time together in
prayer before he goes off to college (principle #
from above
).
You are deliberating on whether or not to put a

Tract in your Christmas card to your Uncle who has
been openly against religion in general, so you
spend a morning in prayer asking for the boldness
to put the card in your Christmas card. (principle #
from above
).
47
You have to eat quickly at lunch to carve out 20

minutes to pray in your car (principle # from
above_
).
Your spouse has just been told that they have a life
changing illness so you ask your friends to take a
meal the next week to pray specifically for your
spouses condition (principle # from above
).
After moving to a new neighborhood a young lady

prays and ask the Lord for grace to be a good
example to her neighbors in her new apartment
building (principle # from above
).
The Nature of Prayer

We will look at the nature of prayer from two separate
teachings of Jesus.
Prayer and Abiding, and the
Pattern Prayer.
Prayer and Abiding

The last night that Jesus was with His disciples He
shared with them a very important principle when it
comes to prayer.
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides
in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart
from Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).
48
Abiding Positionally
Our access to the Father in prayer, is only valid as we
are connected to the Son. We must be in Christ to be
heard by God at all. You must have this attitude in
prayer.
You
recognize
your
position
in
Gods
household is only because of His perfect Son Jesus.

Without Him we are nothing and can do nothing.
Abide in Him through understanding our spiritual
position. All we have before God is only because of
Jesus work on our behalf. Our spiritual vitality is only
as real as it is in Jesus. Just like a withering branch,
detached from a vine, is useless, so a Christian left to
himself is useless outside of Christ.
Jesus is teaching here that if someone is not in Christ
then they will not have their prayers answered. And a
person who is not having prayers answered is a useless
Christian.
They are bearing no fruit.
You have to
realize that in order for you to come before the Lord in

prayer you must be in Christ. You must be relying on
Him for your acceptance before God. Those that are
in Christ through faith will be bearing the fruit of
answered prayer.
Abiding Continually
Outside of understanding this truth positionally, we
must recognize it as a daily reality. It is only as we are
49
daily, moment by moment feeding off our union with

Christ that we have the ability to stand be spiritually
alive. We must keep in front of us that our access to
the Father only comes through Jesus.
Consequently,
we must abide in Him through daily communion. We

spend time speaking to Him and remaining in His
presence through Bible reading. It should be clear to
others that we have been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
The Christians Pattern Prayer

Dr. John Dreisbach was a medical missionary in Africa
for over fifty years sacrificially giving his life to the
people he lovedunreached people groups.
He
hungered to share the Gospel in villages and huts

where the Name of Jesus had not been known. And
the Lord used his medial skills to bring many people to
Christ as Savior.
He tells the story of a man that he met while
ministering in a Muslim village who had never heard
the gospel. Dr. Dreisbach had to go out in the middle
of the night on an emergency medical call and was
returning in the early morning before the sun was up.
As he walked along the path in the chilly morning, he
could see his breath in the air. Suddenly he overheard
a man in a nearby hut passionately praying.
50
He went to see the man because he knew him and had

seen him praying often. When the man came out to
greet him he was perspiring with the intensity of
prayers in spite of the cold temperature of the
morning air.
Later, Dr. Dreisbach asked the Muslim
man what he had been praying.
He showed Dr.
Dreisbach the passage but told him that he did not

know how to translate the passage.
He had been
praying so fervently and yet did not know the Arabic

translation for what he was saying.
How sad it is for someone to be so involved in praying
what they do not even know. How thankful we are that
the One true God of heaven actually hears our prayers
and is interested in communication with Him, not
competition for His attention.
And
yet,
this Muslim
man
pictures
how
many
Christians treat the Lords Prayer. They recite Jesus

words as a scripted prayer over and over without
giving any thought to how to use this prayer on a daily
basis or even what the prayer actually means.
But
Jesus told us to Pray, then, in this way (Matthew 6:9).

Jesus pattern prayer is not something to repeat
aimlessly, but to use as a pattern for individual private
prayer.
51
The Background to the Pattern Prayer

Jesus instruction regarding prayer was probably given
several times. The one recorded by the Gospel writer,
Matthew, is the one we will examine was given during
His famous Sermon on the Mount.
This occurred
fairly early in Jesus public teaching ministry.

Jesus gave this particular sermon on the hillside rising
up from the Sea of Galilee. You can picture a pleasant
day, perhaps in the Spring. The people are gathering
from every village and as the sermon gets longer, the
crowd gets larger and larger.
You have to keep as
silent as possible to hear every word to the Rabbi from

Nazareth.
And everyone in the crowd of several
hundred is straining in the same way. He teaches with

such authority! As One Who is the Word of God.
The Motivation of the Pattern Prayer
No doubt you have heard of the Sermon on the Mount.
It has some of Jesus most familiar teachings like The
Beatitudes, The Wise Man and the Foolish Man, and
The Golden Rule. However, you may not be familiar
with the section where Jesus teaches us how to pray.
One theme Jesus taught throughout the Sermon is that
our righteousness must be internal not merely external
(in contrast to the practice of the Pharisees). He warns
52
in chapter 6 of Matthew that our religious duties (like

praying, giving, and fasting) should not be done to be
seen by others.
This internal righteousness would
only be attainable by Him. Through faith it would be

available to those who in the future would accept His
forgiveness through His death on the cross.
So our
prayer at Grace are not to brag about our attainments,

but to praise Gods ability.
Three Principles from the Pattern Prayer
Lets turn now to three principles from the Lords
Pattern Prayer to help us as a body incorporate Jesus
Pattern Prayer in our individual and corporate prayer
life.
Our Father Who is in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:9-13).
53
1. Prioritize Praise in Prayer.

The first few words of the Lords Prayer help us focus
in on two aspects of Gods Nature.
We should
remember that our communion with God is not just

petition. Much of our worship service is the prayer of
praise to God for Who He is.
In the same way, the Lords Pattern Prayer reminds us
of Gods nature. God is good (Our Father). God is
great (Who is in Heaven). If you would like to learn
more about patterning your daily prayer life according
to the Lords Pattern Prayer, use our study Praying the
Lords Prayer. The following is a summary.
Our Father" - God is immanent and approachable to
those who seek Him through Jesus Christ.
Praise Him for He is compassionate (Meditate on
Psalm 103:13; Psalm 78:38).
Praise Him for He is merciful (Meditate on Psalm
86:15; Psalm 145:9)
Praise Him for He is loving (Meditate on Psalm
145:8; 1 John 4:16; Romans 8:37-39).
Praise Him for He is gracious (Meditate on 2
Chronicles 30:9; Romans 5:20).
Praise the Lord for He is forgiving (Exodus 34:6-7).
54
"Who is in heaven..." God is transcendent.
He is
above His creation and infinite in His being not limited

by time or space.
Praise God for He is holy (Isaiah 6:2-3; Habakkuk
1:13).
Praise God for He is powerful (Jeremiah 51:15;
Matthew 19:26).
Praise God for He is sovereign (Daniel 4:35; Psalm
47:8).
Praise God for He is incomprehensible (Romans
11:33-36; Colossians 2:2).
Praise God for He is just (Deuteronomy 32:4; John
5:22-23).
2. Prioritize Gods Priorities in Prayer
Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
The petition of our prayers too, individually and
corporately, should be focused on the Lord. We must
seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
Our
church requests should prioritize the spiritual needs of

community and Gods work in the spiritual lives of
believers at Grace and unbelievers who are acquainted
with our ministry.
55
Ask things in His Name your requests will be

subservient to His will and the values of His kingdom
(His Name).
This is an important principle because
prayer is only as powerful as the Person to Whom or

through Whom we are praying. Some people speak of
prayer as something that changes things.
Only the
true God of creation changes things and He uses our

prayers. Dont consider for a moment that the positive
thinking involved in prayer changes things. Even folks
that have no relationship with Jesus would say that
they pray. However, if that prayer is not offered to the
God of the Bible through Jesus it is not effectual.
Positive
nothing.
thinking
apart
from
Jesus
accomplishes
Prayer in Jesus name can accomplish all
things.
3. Pray for Necessities
Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil
The second half of Christs pattern prayer turns the
attention to where our prayers often naturally fall
our own needs. But notice that the personal petitions
are focused on necessities.
56
As we pray we pray for
daily
provision,
daily
forgiveness,
and
daily
deliverance.
Let us remember to pray for financial stability of the
church to further reach the world for Christ. Pray for
the spiritual purity of the church, that people will not
fall into temptation. And pray for the deliverance of
the church from Satans plots to impede our progress.
Lets claim Christs bold promise:
I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
The Importance of Prayer

There are things that will not be accomplished on earth
if they are not done in prayer. That is a sobering truth.
Think about this carefully. When it is all said and done
and we are in glory there will have been things that
could have been accomplished if only Gods people had
prayed about them.
This is an extremely effective
motivator.
This truth is illustrated in one of the miracles that
Jesus performed:
And when they had come to the multitude, a man
came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,
15
57
"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic

and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire
and often into the water.
16
"So I brought him to
Your disciples, but they could not cure him."
17
Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and

perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?
How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to
Me."
18
And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came
out of him; and the child was cured from that very
hour.
19
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately
and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
20
So Jesus
said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for

assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a
mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move
from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing
will be impossible for you.
21
"However, this kind
does not go out except by prayer and fasting

(Matthew 17:14-21).
1. Why were the disciples not able to cast the demon
out?
2. Are there things in life that are impossible if not

done through God answering prayer?
58
Applications:
1.
Church times of prayer are more important than

times of work.
2.
People that may not be able to be active in the

visible aspects of church ministry or even be
bedridden yet they can play a more important role
than
3.
A Bible driven church must make prayer a priority

in ministry endeavors.
4.
The pastors of the church should give priority to

praying for each person in the church on a regular
basis.
59
SIDE LIGHT: Working with

God in Prayer
Hiebert in his book Working with God through
Intercessory Prayer gives a great illustration of this
point.
In 1872 D. L. Moody made a short trip to
England for rest, having no intention of preaching

while there.
While he was in London, however, a
Congregationalist minister asked him to preach in his

church.
Moody consented.
The Sunday morning
service was marked by smug, stolid drowsiness,

making Moody rue his acceptance of the invitation.
Following his message in the evening service when
Moody asked all those who would decide for Christ to
rise, hundreds did so. He was surprised, and thinking
that they had misunderstood him, asked them to be
seated.
He repeated his invitation more clearly and
again hundreds stood.
As a result of the meetings
which followed, that church received four hundred

new people into its membership.
Moody began to make inquiries as to the secret.
Finally he learned of a bedridden girl, a member of
that church, named Marianne Adlard, who had prayed
that God would send Moody to her church for revival.
She had read of his work in Chicago and, putting that
report under her pillow, began to pray that God would
send him to their church in London. When her older
sister returned from the morning service and told her
60
that a man named Moody from Chicago had preached

that morning, the girl knew that her prayers were
being answered.
Moody visited her, and she asked
him to write his name in her birthday book, promising

that she would pray for him every day.
More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Of course, even if we did not understand the reasons

outlined above in our study of prayer we should still
make it a priority at Grace because it is commanded in
the Lords instructions throughout the N.T.
As we
close this lesson, read through the clear commands in

Scripture that compel us to work with God through
prayer.
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at
all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
(Luke 18:1).
61
Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Be kindly affectionate to one anotherpatient in
tribulation,
continuing
steadfastly
in
prayer
(Romans 12:10-12).
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the
Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all
perseverance and petition for all the saints
(Ephesians 6:18).
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and
supplication
with
thanksgiving
let
your
requests be made known to God. And the peace of

7
God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard

your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:6-7).
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it
with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2 ESV).
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and
pray for one another so that you may be healed. The
effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish
much (James 5:16).
The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound
judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of
prayer (1 Peter 4:7).
62
Bible-Driven
Church LESSON 5
Maturing
Members

have
been
equipped
by
shepherding

. . . Love Others
. . Maintain Unity
In this lesson, we will examine the primary function of

the church. Of course, we exist ultimately to glorify
God; that is our primary purpose. But Jesus provides
for us a mission that helps quantify what glorifying
God is for a church our function.
The can be
summarized in this way - to make mature followers of

Jesus. Lets highlight this mission together by looking
63
at two different passages. The great commission and

the great blueprint for the great commission.
The Great Commission Make

Disciples
How will Grace Baptist Church glorify God on earth? by making disciples. The passage where Jesus really
highlights this command is usually entitled the Great
Commission because it is the final command Jesus
gave His followers when he left his earthly ministry.
The General gives us His marching orders.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew
28:18-20).
There is one major command here.
It is the second
sentence Go therefore and make disciples.
The
phrase preceding the command gives us the authority

for accomplishing the command. That which follows
gives the steps to take to obey the command. And the
64
final sentence gives comfort in obeying the command.

Lets take a moment with each of these sections below.
The Authority to Make Disciples

How does the church have the authority to tell people
to follow Jesus?
Well that is explained when Jesus
states, All authority has been given to Me in heaven

and on earth.
Since Jesus has all authority to tell
anyone what to do, and He has told us to make

disciples of all nations, then we know that we have the
same authority.
authority.
It is His command carrying His
You have a message from the King of
heaven telling earth to follow Him. When asked how

you can tell people to follow Him we can simply tell
them that Jesus commands them to.
What comfort this brings when considering all the
things that a believer may face when stating the truth
about Jesus. Persecution and loss are not a hindrance
for us. His authority trumps every other authority. As
long as we are obeying His command we can go
forward with confidence.
65
The Command to Make Disciples

The command is simple enough.
Make disciples of
the nations. What is a disciple? A disciple is simply a

learner. Now, this was a specific type of learner in the
first century.
Its closest reference is the ancient
rabbinical tradition of the Rabi and his Talmudim. The

local rabbi would accept only those who were serious
about studying Tanach (OT Scriptures) with him to be a
part of his followers (His Talmudim). These followers
were committed disciples. What Jesus wants us to do
is make others follow Him.
Look at the authority
illustrated in Jesus commanding others to follow Him.

Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He
saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and
Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for
they were fishermen. And He said to them, Follow
Me,
and
will
make
you
fishers
of
men.
Immediately they left their nets and followed Him

(Matthew 4:18-20).
As we approach others with the Good news of Jesus,
we ask them to leave all and follow Him. With all the
authority of Jesus Himself, we tell others to leave all
and follow Him.
Notice that we are to command all nations to be
66
followers of Jesus. This was a different tune. To this

point Jesus reached out only to Jewish people. It was
uncommon to have Gentile followers. Now Jesus states
a revolutionary idea. I want you to reach all the world.
I want to have a Talmudim filled with all the people of
the world.
The Steps in the Command

Accompanying the command, Jesus gives the two steps
involved in obeying His command to make disciples.
These are wonderful.
They are the two ing words
that follow the command to make disciples. You can

circle them in the verses above.
Baptizing
The first is baptizing. We are not able to go through
everything involved in baptism (see the booklet on the
ordinances of the local church). This was essentially a
practice that signified that a person was becoming a
follower.
cleansing.
In the Jewish culture it had reference to

When someone is baptized, they are
declaring to all that Jesus has forgiven them of their

sins and is their Lord and Savior.
67
In the first century this was the way people professed

faith in Jesus. It was their proclamation of their faith.
It was extremely unlikely for anyone who was not a
true believer to be baptized. They would not threaten
to
lose
everything
(which
often
happened
identifying with the early Christian Church).
after
When
they were baptized they were committing themselves

to a new life. These are people who are committing
themselves to Christ new believers.
Teaching
The second step includes much, much more!
Those
who become believers in Jesus are not to be left on

their own. As we encourage people to follow Christ we
are then to actually bring them along in that faith
through teaching everything that Jesus has said. This
is a huge goal. We find the summary of Jesus teaching
in the New Testament. This is the churchs mission.
As we seek to complete this mission we will find below
the blueprint for how this works best. But lets make
one point clear from this passage.
Giving a huge
section of our morning worship service to teaching

carefully through a specific passage of New Testament
Scripture is purposeful. It is not just that we enjoy it.
Or not just because of the benefits of it outlined in the
previous lesson. It is also commanded by Jesus in the
Great Commission.
68
The Comfort Included in the Commission.

We can do anything with the Lord.
If He is with us
aiding us than we are confident as we go forward.

Jesus gives us this assurance at the end of the passage.
I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
You are not alone. The church can take comfort in the
fact that Jesus is with us and will enable us to
accomplish His will to make disciples of all the
nations.
The Blueprint for the Great

Commission
With such a huge commission, we surely need help in

carrying it out. The blueprint is given in Pauls letter
to the Ephesian believers. In this passage Paul uses the
illustration of a body. This is the illustration that we
pick up in our philosophy statement. We must make
mature members of Christs spiritual body.
As the
body grows in maturity it will better function for Gods

glory.
And He gave some as apostles, and some as
prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as
pastors and teachers,
12
for the equipping of the
saints for the work of service, to the building up of
69
the body of Christ;
13
until we all attain to the unity
of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of

God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature
which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
14
As a
result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here

and there by waves and carried about by every wind
of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in
deceitful scheming;
15
but speaking the truth in
love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who

is the head, even Christ,
16
from whom the whole
body, being fitted and held together by what every

joint supplies, according to the proper working of
each individual part, causes the growth of the body
for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:1116).
The Equippers in the Blueprint

Verse 11 tells us who God has given to equip the
church to do the work of ministry. Jesus gives church
leadership
(Apostles,
Pastor/Teachers).
Prophets,
Evangelists,
and
These individuals are given to the
body of the church to equip them to do the work of

ministering one to another.
Of course, all Christian
work is ministry, but the Christian leaders primary

role is that of equipping others.
This is the primary role of the LIFE Groups courses at
Grace. The Pastoral Team at Grace Baptist church is
70
responsible to equip others in the body. This whole

series is designed to do just that. We want everyone at
Grace to grow to the place where they are not just
growing in Christ but also growing others in Christ.
The Ministers in the Blueprint

So who are the ministers/builders? If you continue to
read verse 12 in Ephesians 4, the ones who serve in
building up the body are those equipped by church
leadership.
Thats you!
You should be involved in
helping others become more like Christ. One very easy

way to do this is to connect with another person and
begin to go through our series of discipleship booklets.
Begin with the booklet What is the Message of the
Bible? Then, move on to the next study in the series.
You dont need to know everything to begin building.
But you have to begin building.
Believers must be building (edifying). Believers must
be making disciples of other believers. 4
needed.
You are
Perhaps you are feeling a lack of deeper
purpose in life today. Well, connect yourself with this

greatest mission of all time. Your life is about bringing
glory to God by making others more like Jesus through
intentional Christian discipleship.
Yes, it takes
planning, purpose, and effort. And yes it is part of the

4
Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without

Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Christian Discipleship.
71
cosmic plan of Christ for His church.

blueprint that is your purpose.
It is His
That gives greater
purpose to your life than just pushing a pencil or

digging ditches.
The End Goal of the Blueprint

Ephesians gives us the end goal as well to our
Discipleship. Open up the blueprint and spread it out
in front of you so you can see the concept building
pictured for us in Ephesians 4:15.
Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man,
to the measure of the stature which belongs to the
fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:15).
What a goal! And the Lord will enable us through His
Spirit using His Word to equip and to disciple with that
goal in mind.
In short, we are to continue to
evangelize and disciple till everyone is as mature as

Jesus. That is the measure of the standard, Christ
Himself.
You may have had a doorpost growing up where the
children marked out their progress in growth.
You
stood as straight and tall as possible as a sibling

marked your progress on the doorpost.
stepped
72
away
you
were
either
As you
surprised
or
disappointed at your progress. In the Christian family,

we are all comparing ourselves with Christ in every
area of our life. We are desiring to become like Christ,
meeting His stature in every way (hence the word
Christian). We strive to grow as tall as Christ in our
patience, in our meekness, in our stand for truth, in
our love for others. Of course we all fall far short, but
He is the full grown (mature) image that we are trying
to represent.
This is quite a goal for us as a church, so we better get
to work!
So each one must get to work properly,
laboring for others in love, until we all look like Jesus.

The blueprint of Ephesians 4 shares one primary way
that our maturity is evidenced-we are people who are
unaffected by false teaching. As we are built up in the
faith and the knowledge of Christ we are not fazed by
those who turn away from the faith.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed
here and there by waves and carried about by every
wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by
craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the
truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into
Him who is the head, even Christ (Ephesians 4:1415).
73
False Teachers
Scripture continually warns against false teachers.

Jude describes them as clouds without water,
carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit,
doubly dead, uprooted;
wild waves of the sea,
casting up their own shame like foam; wandering

stars, for whom the black darkness has been
reserved forever (Jude 12-13). Often false teachers
are described as using their teaching for personal
gain. They often have great speech abilities to sway
crowds. But the end result of their life (their fruit)
will demonstrate that they do not preach the truth.
The false teacher comes within a church like a wolf
in sheeps clothing. In 1817 William Adam came to
Bengal as a missionary to help William Carey in
India.
While in Calcutta, Adam came under the
influence of Rammohan Roy a Hindu Scholar to

whom Carey and his colleagues had been preaching
the Gospel.
Carey and Roy had a common aim to
overthrow the practice of sati (where a widow is

burnt with her husband) and infanticide. However,
he had serious questions about the Deity of Christ,
the Trinity, the Authority of the Bible, and the
74
atonement.
William Adam became influenced by
this Hindu guru and began teaching against what he

had come to proclaim.
He soon organized a
Unitarian Church where Roy attended with him and

founded a Unitarian Press to foil the evangelical
publications that Carey and his crew had been using.
Agonizing over this loss, Carey said, the heathen
Rammohun Roy converting a missionary! How are
we fallen! Oh Lord, help, or we perish!
We must all be vigilant to teach the Gospel and
uphold the Scriptures to each other whether we be
new attendees at Grace or people that have been
here for years. We all need to be continually built up
in the Scriptures.
75
QUESTION AND ANSWER
1. Making disciples is the primary
of the
church.
a. Function
b. Purpose
c.
Feeling
2. What are the two primary activities spelled out in

the Great commission?
3. Who are the ministers in the church?

a. Pastors
b. Deacons
c.
Believers
d. All of the Above
76
4. What is one indication that we are becoming

mature as believers according to Ephesians 4?
5. What activity of God is the author referring to in

Hebrews 1:1?
77
Bible-Driven
Church LESSON 6
Shepherding
Leadership

have
been
equipped
by
shepherding

. . . Love Others
. . Maintain Unity
The Biblical Directives for the Local

Church: Shepherding Leadership
Mark is a kind believer who has a passion for knowing

what the Bible says, so he regularly listens to some of
the deeper Bible teachers on the radio. He has two
daughters and was often involved in local churches.
However, when I asked Mark about where he was going
to church, he said he wasnt going anywhere. I
78
confronted him about the need to
keep
going
to
support a faithful local church and to keep his teenage

daughters
in
church.
He
got
offended
at
my
suggestion and told me why he would never go back.

Two years earlier he was involved in a church where
the pastor was immoral and left the church, taking
with him a huge sum of money. The pastor was a very
capable speaker and leader and Mark and his family
were caught up with his abilities. When the truth
came out that their beloved leader was actually a fake,
he felt betrayed by the local church. He has never
returned.
Someone elses failure is not a valid excuse for Mark,
but this does illustrate the importance that church
leadership plays in a local congregation. The wrong
leader can severely affect the body in devastating
ways. Below we will try to get
Gods
view of
leadership as we examine His directions for church

leadership. We will cover the following points:
Who should lead the church?
What role should leadership fill in the church?
79
1. Who should lead the Church?

We will answer that question with the phrase qualified
pastors lead the church. As we do we will look at
each of the three words in that phrase.
Qualified Pastors Lead

Lets first look at this role through the different titles
given to this person in the NT. There are two main
offices in the church, deacon and pastor. The pastoral
office is the office of church leadership. So what does
pastor mean? Lets look at a biblical definition of the
term pastor and the two synonyms for this office.
Pastor This is the term for the Middle Eastern
shepherd. These men would usually be hired to watch
and care for other peoples livestock. They were not
wealthy enough to own their own sheep but would
watch over either an entire villages sheep or the sheep
of a wealthy family.
Elder This is taken from the synagogue leadership of
Jesus day. The leaders of the synagogue were called
elders. They would be the respected leaders in the
synagogue who would lead that congregation.
Overseer (Translated Bishop in the KJV) This is a
term that refers to someone hired to oversee someone
80
elses finances or properties, whether that be a wealthy

family or a city.
It is important to note that each of these titles are
used interchangeably in the New Testament church.
So each one is referring to the same office. Examine
the following passage:
From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him
the elders of the church. . .
28
"Be on guard for
yourselves and for all the flock, among which the

Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd
the church of God which He purchased with His
own blood (Acts 20:17-28).
These men were called elders in the church of
Ephesus but they were also called as overseers and
shepherds as well. The most common reference to
this office in the early church is elder.
Qualified Pastors Lead

The
office
of
leadership in
the
church
is
the
pastor/elder but who can be pastor? After Abimilech

was chosen to be King of Israel, Jotham criticized Israel
by telling this allegory. He said that the trees of Israel
ran to find a king. First, they asked the olive tree to
rule over them the olive tree was too busy making
rich olive oil to be king. So, they asked the fig tree who
81
also was too set on continuing to make sweet fruit to

rule over them. They then went to the vine, but to no
avail. Finally, the trees had to send a commission to
ask the bramble (a thorn bush) to rule over them. The
bramble consented appealing to them to rest under his
shade.
This can be a sad commentary applied to the church.

Instead of finding those who meet the qualifications
set aside in Scripture a church may be tempted to
throw the first person that shows any interest at all
into a position of leadership.
This is repeatedly warned against in Scripture: Do not
lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share
responsibility for the sins of others (1 Timothy 5:22;
see also 1 Timothy 3:10, 6). Lets examine some of the
qualifications of a pastor:
Led by Godly Pastors:
There are two lists of qualifications in the New
Testament for the office of an elder. Both of these lists
begin with the summary term blameless. Church
leadership should be blameless. This does not mean
that they are sinless. Other translations render the
word above reproach. There should not be any
obvious glaring errors that would keep someone from
82
following their spiritual leadership. He goes on to list

these
qualifications.
The
lists
should
not
be
considered exhaustive but suggestive of the character

of someone in church leadership:
Group Activity: Read the following passages and
complete the questions below.
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the
husband
of
one
wife,
temperate,
respectable, hospitable, able to

addicted
to
wine
or
prudent,
teach,
pugnacious,
but
peaceable, free from the love of money.
not
gentle,
He must
be one who manages his own household well,

keeping his children under control with all dignity
(but if a man does not know how to manage his own

household, how will he take care of the church of
God?),
and not a new convert, so that he will not
become conceited and fall into the condemnation

incurred by the devil.
And he must have a good
reputation with those outside the church, so that he

will not fall into reproach and the snare of the
devil (1 Timothy 3:2-7).
Appoint elders in every city as I directed you,
namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband

of one wife, having children who believe, not
accused of dissipation or rebellion.
For the
overseer must be above reproach as God's steward,
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not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to

wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, 8 but
hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just,
devout, self-controlled,
holding fast the faithful
word which is in accordance with the teaching, so

that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine
and to refute those who contradict (Titus 1:5-9).
1. If a person is known for flying off the handle and
speaking before they think are they qualified to be
an elder according to the qualifications above?
Which phrases address this situation?
2. How many of the qualifications above refer to

formal education and how many refer to an
individuals character?
3. If an elder has children that are rebellious is he

qualified to be an elder?
4. If an elder is found staggering down the street

drunk and is charged for being drunk and
disorderly should he step down from the ministry?
84
SIDE LIGHT: Who really

takes the lead?
Churches may have Pastoral leadership spelled out in
their constitution or founding documents but as you get
to know a church you will realize that it may not be the
pastor/elders of the church who make decisions. I
learned this in quite a memorable way as a young
teenager. My dad became the pastor of a small church
in rural (extremely rural) Virginia. The church was doing
very well under his leadership. It was a very exciting
thing
for
me
to
experience
as
young
man,
considering the same calling

However, after about a year my dad had to ask one of
the deacons of the church to step down temporarily
because his wife had left him. My dad said that if she
returned and their family returned to being a strong
example he could return to serving as a deacon. My dad
did not realize that this man actually owned the church
building and had quite a bit of sway in the church.
Within just two weeks they asked my dad to leave
Of course the Lord is the true Head of the church and
He has given the task of oversight to the pastor/elders.
And
there
are
numerous
examples
of
pastors
overstepping their role as well. The best situation is

when a church has a number of qualified men who are
85
humbly submitting to the Lords headship and seeking

His desires in the churchs decisions. These men will
conscientiously seek to represent the congregations
desires.
Led by Godly Men

One may ask can anyone that meets these
qualifications sign up as an elder? There is another
specification given in Scripture - the Lord designed the
role of the church elder to be given to men. This does
not mean that men are more prominent or better than
women. In fact, often the opposite is true that there
are many activities and ministries that women in the
church accomplish better than men. However, it is
clear from several principles and direct statements of
Scripture that the Lord wants the role of pastor to be
reserved for men. Take the following verse that is in
the context of church leadership: But I do not allow a
woman to teach or exercise authority over a man (I
Timothy 2:12).
If you continue to read this passage, three verses later
you will read the qualifications for a church Pastor.
When Paul begins that discussion he says If any man
aspires to the office of overseer. He then goes on to
describe the moral qualifications of a man that desires
to be in church leadership. The language is similar in
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the
other
Scripture
passage
where
leadership
qualifications are detailed. In fact, in both lists he is

required to be a husband of only one wife. It is clear
that God is referring to the leadership role in the
church.
It is instructive to realize that the reason Paul is
writing Timothy is to tell him how the local church
should be run. I write so that you will know how one
ought to conduct himself in the household of God,
which is the church . . . (1 Timothy 3:15)
What is their role?

As we examine this role we will look at the overarching
function of the pastor and then, briefly, the specific
tasks given to the role of the Pastor:
Overarching Function:
Equip the saints to build.
As we saw in a previous lesson, Ephesians 4 teaches

that the leadership of the church (Pastor/Teacher) is
given to equip the saints to do the work of the
ministry: And He gave some as apostles, and some as
prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as
pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints
for the work of service, to the building up of the body
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of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12). Some look at the pastor

as the one who does all the building in the church.
However, he is to be equipping others to build the
body of the church. Look at how this is reflected in
our church purpose statement:
Members
who
have
been
equipped
by
shepherding leadership to do the work of the

ministry building the body
Specific Tasks:
Two primary tasks are illustrated by the picture of the
shepherd. The shepherd feeds and leads the flock. A
Pastor must feed and lead a local church safely. Three
books of the New Testament are written specifically to
Pastors (1, 2, Timothy, Titus). These are packed with
commands to teach, preach, and exhort. This is a
primary function. We have highlighted this theme
repeatedly in our study. At Grace we highlight
systematic teaching and preaching through Bible
passages so that the primary diet of Gods people is
Gods Word. This is how the church grows steady and
strong.
As a Pastor teaches and preaches Gods Word, that
body will be equipped to stray from error. The
Shepherd feeds and leads the flock but also keeps the
sheep from danger. There will be those who come into
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a flock to hurt others. They will strive to teach error.

The Pastoral Epistles repeatedly encourage the Pastor
to protect the flock from these false teachers (See
Acts20:29;
Romans
16:17-18;
Galatians
1:6-8;
Timothy 4:2-3; Titus 1:10-13; 3:10-12; Revelation 2:2023).

A third primary function is prayer. The early church
leadership devoted themselves to prayer and the
ministry of the Word. In fact, they had to leave other
good activities undone in order to give more time to
these two actions (Acts 6:1-6).
Below are a list of tasks given to church leadership by
Scripture:
Teach the Word (Acts 20:20; 1 Thessalonians 2:13;
5:12; 1 Timothy 3:2; 4:13; 5:17-18; 2 Timothy 2:1516; Titus 1:9; 2:1)
Preach the Word (Acts 14:23; 18:5; 20:24; 1
Thessalonians 2:2; 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:1 2)
Strengthen, Encourage (Acts 14:20-22; 15:41; 16:40;
20:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:12)
Exhort (1 Timothy 4:13; 5:17; 2 Timothy 4:2; Titus
1:12-13; 2:15; 2 Timothy 4:1-2)
Coordinate and Oversee Church Ministry Functions
and Finances (Functions Acts 4:35, 6:1-6; Finances
- Acts 11:29-30; 1 Timothy 5:17-18).
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Watch over the Flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Thessalonians

5:12; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:3)
Develop Future Leadership (2 Timothy 2:2)
Point out False Teachers (Acts 20:29; 2 Timothy
4:2-3)
Pray (Acts 14:23; James 5:15)
Evangelize (2 Timothy 4:5)
SIDE LIGHT: Me, A Pastor?
Is it wrong to desire to be in church leadership? No, in

fact this aspiration is commended: It is a trustworthy
statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer,
it is a fine work he desires to do (1 Timothy 3:1). Of
course God does not call everyone to fill this role. But
the first step is a desire in your heart. If the Lord places
in you a care for others and desire to teach His Word
then this may be the first signs of the Lords calling in
It is sad that some people think that the only way they
can serve in this way in a church is to get an advanced
degree in Theology and seek The Ministry as their
profession. The problem with that thinking is that there
were no seminaries in the early church and many of the
men who served as Pastor/Elders actually worked full
We dont have space in this study to develop Gods call

to the office of Pastor/Elder but the following will be
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included in His calling:
A strong (unselfish) desire to aspire to church

leadership
The ability to teach
A life that is above reproach (as is developed in the

qualifications listed above)
A local church recognizing these gifts in you
A confident sense of Gods leading
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Bible-Driven
Church LESSON 7
Loving Others

have
been
equipped
by
shepherding

. . . Love Others
. . Maintain Unity
Maturity Loving Others

A mature congregation will evident in two major ways
love and unity.
The primary one of these is love. As
we examine this topic for our church we will look at

the following three aspects of love:
Preferring Love The Priority of Love
Defining Love The Activity of Love
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Applying Love The Activity of Love in Church
Preferring Love The Priority of Love

Love must be a primary priority for us at Grace. Jesus
taught this clearly during His ministry.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another, even as I have loved you, that you also
love one another.
35
"By this all men will know that
you are My disciples, if you have love for one

another."
Love-A Distinctive of a Disciple

There are distinctive features of types of snakes.
There are two poisonous snakes that are indigenous to
the wooded areas of the Pocono Mountains in PA.
These are the timber rattle snake and the copperhead.
Both species are pit vipers, a family of snakes
characterized by a triangular head with a pit located
between the eye and the nostril . . . the vertical-slit
pupil
is
also
characteristic
of
these
nocturnal
hunters. 5 This will be true of each one of them. To
The Poconos: An illustrated natural history guide, Carl S. Oplinger,

Robert Halma, Pg. 145.
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distinguish a poisonous snake you will look for these

distinctive.
If we were to write a book of distinctive characteristics
of a disciple of Jesus, one of the major one would be
their
love
Distinctive.
for
6
others.
Love
is
the
Disciples
If you do not show love toward others
than you cannot claim to be a true disciples of Jesus.

This leads us to a valid question what is love? Or,
better yet how is love demonstrated?
Defining Love The Activity of Love

Our
culture
often
understanding of love.
demonstrates
an
improper
A popular misconception of
love is infatuation, or even worse, lust.
Biblical love
must not be confused with an infatuation!
So lets
define our term up front and then look at a biblical

description. Love is action and love is unselfish. We
can define love as selflessly giving toward anothers
wellbeing.
In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul devotes an entire chapter to
develop exactly what love is. A study of Christian love
is incomplete without devoting attention to this
chapter.
6
From a series of sermons on love by Dr. Mark Minnick, Mount Calvary

Baptist Church, Greenville, SC.
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In verses 1-3, Paul demonstrates the priority of love.

We should desire to demonstrate true unselfish giving
for others more than any other Christian character
trait.
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or
a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy,
and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I

have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do
not have love, I am nothing.
And if I give all my
possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my

body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits
me nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
After stating loves priority, Paul defines love in 13
different activities. If you were to ask Paul what love is
he defines it with telling you what it does and what it
does not do. Love is acting in a certain way. Love is
always active and these are the ways it acts.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love
does not brag and is not arrogant,
does not act
unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not

provoked, does not take into account a wrong
suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but
rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes
all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
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Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy,

they will be done away; if there are tongues, they
will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done
away.
part;
9
10
For we know in part and we prophesy in
but when the perfect comes, the partial will
be done away (1 Corinthians 13:4-10).

Verses 4-8 give the activities that love demonstrates.
You can tell someone you love them talk is cheap.
But you need to compare what you say with what you
do. If you are not acting in these ways then you are
not loving.
Take some time to write out the specific activities on
the chart below and then write an example of what that
type of action would look like.
Notice the first two
activities (patient, kind), are the catch all these are

the all-encompassing activities that really highlight
each of the other eleven. Verses 5 and 6 categorize the
non-activities of love. This is what love does not do.
The final four activities of love (verse 7) demonstrates
what love always does. The all-inclusive or consistent
nature of loves actions. If you have time, it may be
helpful to look up each activity in three different
translations.
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Description/Action:
Example:
Love is . . .
v. 4
Love is . . .
v. 4
Love is not . . .
v. 4
Love does not . . .
v. 4
Love is not . . .
v. 4
Love does not . . .
v. 5
Love does not . . .
v. 5
Love is not . . .
v. 5
Love does not . . .
v. 5
Love does not . . .
v. 6
Love . . .
v. 7
Love . . .
v. 7
Love . . .
v. 7
Love . . .
v. 7
Love . . .
v. 8
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What is clear here is that all these are selfless acts.

The essence of Christian love is unselfishly acting
toward others well-being.
unselfish.
It is action and it is
D.L. Moody said God sends no one away
empty except those who are full of themselves. The

opposite of love is selfishness. This is seen clearly in
the greatest example of love Gods gift of eternal life
through Jesus Christ. For God so loved he world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John
3:16).
We are not naturally prone to love because we are not
naturally prone to unselfishness.
The truth is, since
the fall, people are born with the tendency toward

selfishness. Children, even less than a year old fight
over toys in the nursery. They cry out for their rights
and what is coming to them.
The character change
that Christianity brings about is taking naturally

selfish people and making them like Jesus selfless.
This is why Jesus could some up all of the character
requirements of all of Scripture in that one command
love. Love God and love others:
"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the
Law?"
37
And He said to him, You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind. 38This is the great and
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foremost commandment.
39
The second is like it,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On
40
these two commandments depend the whole Law

and the Prophets" (Matthew 22;36-40).
Love Applied Love and the ministry of the

church:
This type of selfless love is the essence of church
ministry. When Paul outlined the blueprint for church
ministry in Ephesians 4:16 he taught that the whole
activity and ministry of edification (building up) is
done in the atmosphere of love.
If the church is a
place where people are like plants growing, then love is

the
best
Christian
greenhouse.
Love
is
the
greenhouse where the conditions are perfect for

Christian growth.
A community of unselfish, God-
oriented, others-serving people is the blueprint for

church and the ideal for Christian growth.
This goes against the me-first mentality of many
church goers today. This attitude is demonstrated in
this type of conversation:
What did you get out of
church today? Or, I wanted to go to that church but

they didnt have anything special for my age group.
We have built self-centered church centers and yet the
church
should
be
the
environment in the world.
most
others-centered
This is the place in the
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world where true love is displayed and actually

generated. A better question would be what did you
give at church today? Or, how did you serve others
today at church today?
This is not natural for the
natural man but it is natural for the spiritual nature.

In other words, those with the new birth are given the
innate ability to serve others through Christ living His
life in them. This is part of the new birth.
Questions for personal application:

How does singing in the church relate to love?
How does cooking a meal for someone relate to
love?
How can you demonstrate love in church by what
you say?
How can preaching be loving?
How can your service in church be unloving?
Is telling someone that they are in sin loving or
unloving?
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Born to be Wild
Does the Bible really teach that people are born

selfish? After all, dont those little babies look
so cute? How can we say they are born sinful?
David said that he was actually a sinner from
birth: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me (Psalm
51:5). In another verse he said, The wicked
are estranged from the womb; these who speak
lies go astray from birth (Psalm 58:3).
This is a distinct worldview. It affects how you
view people in relation to their need for
forgiveness.
If people are naturally good
people then there is a possibility for humanity

to save themselves. On the contrary, Jeremiah
taught
that
our
hearts
are
desperately
(incurably) sick (Jeremiah 17:9). This paints the

picture of someone on the deathbed needing
more than just a good night of rest.
We are
born needing a Savior we need the great

Physician to heal our incurably sinful heart.
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QUESTION AND ANSWER
1. In Jesus teaching, why is love the most prominent

command?
2. Which of the following is demonstrating Biblical

love?
a. Jimmy fell in love with Sally it was love at
first sight.
b. Jimmy was angry with Joe for taking his normal
seat at worship service because it kept him
from sitting near Sally.
c.
Joe gladly shared his worship guide with Sally

when he realized she did not have one and the
church ran out.
d. Jimmy was very distraught when the person

sitting next to him in the worship service had a
distinct and very strong perfume.
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3. Take the two all-encompassing activities of love in

1 Corinthians 13:4 and write a specific way you can
demonstrate love in action at church on Sunday.
4. Pick two of the non-activities of love in 1

Corinthians 13:5-6 and write specific ways you can
demonstrate love in action at church on Sunday.
5. Pick one of the all-inclusive/consistent activities

of love in 1 Corinthians 13:7 and write a specific
way you can demonstrate love in action at church
on Sunday.
6. If you say you love someone and are continually

unkind to them you are lying (True/False).
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Bible-Driven
Church LESSON 8
Maintaining Unity
have
been
equipped
by
shepherding

. . . Love Others
. . Maintain Unity
Maturity Maintaining Unity
Another major theme in Scripture related to the local

church is unity. Love summarizes the duty that each
believer has to the other individually and unity
summarizes the duty that each of us has to the church
corporately and to the body of Truth in Scripture.
104
Just as the other themes, unity shows up prominently

in the blueprint of church ministry given by Paul in
Ephesians 4.
unique
nature
The same passage that develops the

of
each
individual
believer
(our
diversity) also develops the necessity for each believer

to be unified a unity in diversity. Below we will walk
through Ephesians 4:1-8 to help us understand biblical
unity. We will highlight the following points:
The Attitudes that Promote Unity
The Originator of Unity
The Components of Unity
The Standard of Unity
The Attitudes that Promote Unity:

The first two verses of Ephesians 4 teach us much of
the attitudes that promote a unified church body.
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you
to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with
which you have been called,
with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one

another in love (Ephesians 4:1-2).
In the chart below, list the four attitudes we are to
display to help keep unity in the church and list four
ways these attitudes can be demonstrated:
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Attitude
Example of how to display this

attitude:
1.
2.
3.
4.
These are the attitudes of heart that promote a unified

church.
When people are thinking more highly of
others than themselves (humility), then they will not

engage in fleshly disunity over minor irritations. The
color of the carpet, the type of coffee, the way a church
takes up an offering.
These things will not become
larger than they need to be. Each person in the church

has their own set of preferences on minor issues. We
should expect to disagree on some of these items.
Each one of these are opportunities to display an
attitude that promotes unity.
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Augustine is often
quoted as saying: In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.
The Originator of Unity: Who originated church

unity?
being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
As we continue with our survey of Ephesians 4, we find
that there is a unity that the Spirit provides that we are
supposed to keep to preserve. The unity is already in
the body of the church through God the Holy Spirit.
He is in all of us upon believing on Jesus as Lord and
Savior. Every believer has the Holy Spirit and so He is
the unifier of all in the body of Christ.
What then is our responsibility according to verse 3?
We must be diligent to preserve the unity which the
Holy Spirit provides.
The words being diligent have
the idea of rushing in to preserve this unity.
The
Greek word is used by Paul to encourage Timothy to

hurry up and get there with Pauls coat before winter.
We must rush in as quickly as we can when we sense
there is disunity and maintain a unified attitude.
think of the picture of a super hero with a big U on his

or her uniform rushing in to save the unity of the
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church.
A church with these type of super heroes
will be a unified church.

The
following
are
helpful
principles
to
use
in
maintaining unity in a volatile situation:

Use soft words Disagreements often occur. But
disagreements go away when we communicate
about them in a soft and controlled tone. A gentle
answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up
anger (Proverbs 15:1).
Focus your thoughts and attention on the problem,
not
the
people.
disagreement,
the
Often
when
personalities
there
involved
is
will
become the prominent consideration instead of the

ideas being presented. If we can focus our efforts
on solving the problem instead of attacking people,
we will be able to solve the problem.
The Components of Unity: What components are

involved in church unity?
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you
were called in one hope of your calling;
one faith, one baptism,
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one Lord,
one God and Father of all
who is over all and through all and in all

(Ephesians 4:4-6).
Our unity is composed of the ones that we share
together.
We have one Lord, one faith (v. 4), one
baptism. We all worship one God in three Persons. We

are all submissive to one Lord and Savior (He is our
Head). We all believe one body of doctrine the faith.
And we are all baptized into Jesus Christ into His
body as the church (spiritual placement into His body
at regeneration). Our unity is organic. It is something
that is there by nature of our profession of the same
faith.
Scripture says, A threefold cord is not quickly broken
(Ecclesiastes 4:12 ESV).
A three-strand rope is still
one of the most popular and widely used ropes

available today. 7
One strand would break under the
pressure. However if three strands are wound closely

together they form a bond that is able to carry much
more weight than one. Satan knows this and strives to
drive wedges between members of the body to make
us more vulnerable to his attack.
The churchs
strength is found in its unity together. No man is an

island to himself. Each of us needs the other. As we
see this happening we should identify the problem and
then rally around our common oneness found in
7
Handbook of Fibre Rope Technology by Henry A McKenna, J. W. S.
109
Ephesians 4:4-6 (One body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith,

baptism, God, and Father).
The Standard of our Unity: Unity in the Truth.

You may ask then, Why should we debate any portion
of doctrine?
If unity is this essential, then there
should be no differences of opinion we should all

strive
to
get
along
and
overlook
all
doctrinal
differences. That is a dangerous conclusion to come

to. We have to read further in Ephesians 4 and learn
that our unity is to be found only in the truth. Until
we all attain to the unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:13).
There are essential doctrines of the Faith that unify us
together.
Those who do not adhere to these
fundamental truths are against the very faith that we

hold. There can be no unity with error. As Paul stated:
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for
what
partnership
have
righteousness
and
lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with

darkness?
15
Or what harmony has Christ with
Belial, or what has a believer in common with an

unbeliever?
16
Or what agreement has the temple of
God with idols? For we are the temple of the living

God; just as God said, I will dwell in them and walk
among them; and I will be their God, and they shall
be my people.
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17
"Therefore, come out from among
their midst and be separate. (2 Corinthians 6:1417).

The ecumenical movement in the world today is very
strong. Often this is an inter-faith movement that tries
to instill cooperation of different religions. However,
this movement fosters a doctrine that is divisive
because it is contrary to Scripture. They would like us
to think that all religions are equally valid. And some
would even say that what you believe is not important
(doctrine) as long as you believe it sincerely.
This is a popular but seriously mistaken conclusion.
Scripture teaches that there is one truth that is the
truth of the Gospel outlined in Scripture. Jesus said I
am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes
to the Father but through Me (John 14:6).
Jesus
claimed absolute truth. We cannot equivocate or back

down on this point. Our unity comes from that truth.
As in a battle a companys flag (standard) is raised and
its troops rally to that flag and press on toward the
goal, so Gods truth is a standard a flag to which all
true believers run. These essential doctrines are not
what divide us they are what unify us. We are called
as a church to be a pillar for the truth to be a flag
pole of sorts. We raise and hold high the flag of Gods
truth. All those who will be called by its message are
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our brothers and sisters and we embrace them with

unbreakable unity.
The Scripture: The 66 books of the Bible are the
Infallible, and Inspired Word of God and are used
as the sole authority for faith and practice.
The Trinity: God the Father and God the Son and
God the Holy Spirit are three Persons in one
Essence.
The Securer of Salvation: Jesus, the son of God and
son of man, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect
life, died a sacrificial death, and rose again the
third day securing salvation to all who will believe.
Salvation
by
faith:
Salvation,
the
eternal
forgiveness of sin, is by grace alone through faith

alone merited through the sacrificial death burial
and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone.
These doctrines are not exhaustive, but the start of
what we would consider foundational or fundamentals
to the Faith. Those who do not hold to these disagree
with
the
fundamental
doctrines
of
Scripture.
Therefore we can have no true unity with them. They

do not rally to the same flag which we do. They have
separated from the truth so we must turn away from
them:
Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those
who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to
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the teaching which you learned, and turn away from

them (Romans 16:17).
We are to defend and even contend earnestly (Jude 1:2)
for these doctrines because they have been handed to
us to protect.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who fought the
doctrinal errors of the German church during World

War II and was eventually martyred for it said that
joining a church that denied fundamental tenants of
Scripture was like boarding a train in the wrong
direction: If you board the wrong train, it is no use
running along the corridor in the opposite direction. 8
Maintaining Unity Committed to Koinonia

One word that comes up repeatedly in Scripture with
reference to the local church is the Greek word
koinonia. In fact, it is one of the four activities that the
church was committed to on their birthday (Acts 2:42
fellowship). In the 38 times that this root word is used
in the New Testament it is translated fellowship,
contribution, communion, sharing, communication and
to communicate. This shows that there are no direct
parallels to this concept in English but you get the idea
it is the idea of having in common, of giving to one
another.
8
Bonhoeffer Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas; Thomas

Nelson, Pg. 178.
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We know about koinonia in NYC.
We all share a
common sidewalk, common transportation, common

water source, food services, and even common trash
and sewer.
We have to get along!
Although the 8+
million individuals in NYC come from a more diverse

background than any other place in the world, we have
to get along.
The same is true in this glorious organism called the
church. We have so much in common! Not only must
we have things in common, but we should rejoice in all
that we already do have in common.
shared community-our koinonia.
These are our
We must relish the
togetherness of Christianity.
Our society is so fractured into groups political,
cultural, style, racial, socio-economic. At times, these
labels get forced onto our churches. Its a shame that
people can classify a church by a societal label Oh,
thats a hipster church. It is a shame that people can
classify a church by an age group Oh that church is
filled with young singles or that church is primarily a
family church.
It is sad that a church would be
classified by a racial category.
I personally cringe
when I hear a church defined by a style of music. Have

we become so petty that our church preference is
decided on a music style?
How superficial we have
become in American Christianity!
114
Gods church transcends all of societys labels. This is

the beauty of the church. We are one in Christ from
every background. The unity we have must not be in
the
commonness
pigeonholes.
of
external
labels
or
societal
The unity we have is provided by our
One Holy Spirit; it is based in our common confession

of Christ as Lord and Savior, and our commitment to
the Faith once for all handed down to the saints.
Let us once again commit to maintaining koinonia. Let
us be for one another, to help one another - no matter
what our background or preferred style of music. This
is an essential aspect to our church unity. We must be
committed to koinonia!
Take a moment to survey the uses of the word:
Believers Helping One Another: Koinonia is sharing

to provide for other believers.
o
Sharing to meet the general needs of

believers (Romans 12:13; Hebrews
13:16)
Sharing to meet the financial needs of

believers (Romans 15:26-27; II
Corinthians 8:4)
Sharing to provide general good things

for teachers (Galatians 6:6; Philippians
4:15)
115
Believers Unified in One Spiritual Family: Koinonia

is sharing together in spiritual blessings.
o
Of the Spirit (II Corinthians 13:14; 2:1)
Of Jesus (I Corinthians 1:9; His body and

blood in the Lords Table I Corinthians
10:16).
Of the Father (I John 1:3)
Of the Gospel (Philippians 1:5)
Of Christs Sufferings (Philippians 3:10;

I Peter 4:13; and common sufferings as
believers II Corinthians 1:7)
Of sharing your faith (Philemon v. 6)
Of sharing future glory (I Peter 5:1)
Of sharing with the Divine Nature in us

(II Peter 1:4).
Believers Joining One Team: Koinonia is sharing

together for a common cause.
o
Common business (Luke 5:10 or crime

Matthew 23:30)
Common goal the working together of

the body of the church (II Corinthians
8:23; Gal 2:9; Acts 2:42; II Corinthians
6:14; I John 1:7; Philemon 1:17)
Believers Going One Direction: Koinonia is sharing

together in the truth and against evil.
o
Against sins of others (I Timothy 5:22; I

John 1:7)
116
Against false teachers (II John 1:11)
Against demons (I Corinthians 10:20)
Koinonia, then is all of us joining one team and going

one direction. It is not just A bunch of fellows on a
ship (fellowship) it is all of us on one team moving the
ship in one direction toward the glory of God and the
growth of His Kingdom through the furtherance of the
Gospel. This is what we are committed to at Grace
Baptist Church we need to all get on the same boat
and work at the oars to push us in the right direction.
117
QUESTION AND ANSWER
1. What are some of the strategies that Satan uses to

drive wedges between people in a church?
2. What are the four attitudes that promote unity?
3. Define koinonia and describe how it relates to

church unity.
118
Bible-Driven
Church LESSON 9
Joining Grace
Baptist Church
Now that you have walked through a series of lessons
that explain the DNA of Grace Baptist Church, we
should ask and answer a pertinent question. Why join
a local church? If you agree with our churchs ministry
philosophy and doctrinal statement. If you are born
again and have publicly proclaimed that new birth,
then we encourage you to seriously consider joining
our voting membership.
You can continue to attend Grace as you are now and
enjoy the building up that comes from the fellowship
of
believers,
the
worship
of
God,
and
the
teaching/preaching of His Word, however, we would

encourage you to think through the following three
reasons for joining the voting membership at Grace
Baptist Church.
119
1. Follow a Biblical Model:

Church membership is not commanded in the New
Testament. But the organization involved in a local
body
was
similar
to
our
practice
of
church
membership. Consider the following examples:
New Testament Numbers
First, in the early church those who became believers

were added to the group of Christians (Acts 2:41-42,
5:14, 11:24). This is mentioned three times in Acts but
this first time is very instructive because it is at the
beginning of the church. So then, those who had
received his word were baptized; and that day there
were added about three thousand souls. They were
continually devoting themselves to
the
apostles'
teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread

and to prayer. This passage shows four consecutive
steps that we still see today as a normal procedure
at the beginning of someones spiritual walk. 1.
Receive the word believe in the Gospel message. 2.
Publicly show this profession through water baptism.
3.
Add
yourself
(demonstrated
to
through
the
number
church
of
believers
membership).
4.
Devote yourself to the spiritual priorities of that local
120
church, namely: the apostles teaching, koinonia (a

sharing together), communion and prayer.
Church Discipline
Second, when Paul considered the purity of the local

church in Corinth he asked them to take someone
from
their
number
because
unrepentant disobedience.
of
the
open
and
It is actually reported
that there is immorality among you, and immorality

of such a kind as does not exist even among the
Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife. You
have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would
be removed from your midst (1 Corinthians 5:1-2).
Removing someone from the midst of a local church
is only possible with a defined church membership.
This deals with the purity of the church which is
essential to maintain.
New Testament Lists
Third, the early church used formal lists of its widows

to determine which ladies were to receive the financial
help of the church. This indicates that a listing of
membership
has
biblical
precedent.
Paul
gives
Timothy several prerequisites that needed to be met
121
before a widow was put on the list (I Timothy 5:9,

11). Similarly, prerequisites need to be met before a
believer is put on the list of church membership.
2. Fulfill Your Role:

The most prominent biblical picture of the church
is the body. Each person should try to be plugged in
to their role in the local church body. In fact, the
only way that a church is going to grow into Christlikeness is if each individual is doing their part. Read
the following verse carefully:
But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up
in all aspects into Him who is the head, even
Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted
and held together by what every joint supplies,
according
to
the
proper
working
of
each
individual part, causes the growth of the body for

the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:1516).
Only as each person is properly working will the
whole body be built up spiritually.
understand two conclusions from this:
122
You need to
You need the Church
First, you need the church. Only as you are interacting

and fellowshipping with other believers will you be
built up in every aspect of Christ-likeness. You must
regularly receive biblical instruction, encouragement,
and reproof in order to
continue your spiritual
growth. You do not have to be an official member of

a
local
church
membership
is a
to
do
this.
good step in
However,
church
displaying your
commitment toward growing in Christ-likeness.

Not too many eyeballs roll around New York City from
body to body just dipping in and out when they want.
No. There is a certain amount of commitment to a
physical body that an eyeball has. Yet many spiritual
members of the body of Christ wonder around from
church body to church body exhibiting no level of
commitment. It is obvious that a formal membership
is a type of commitment encouraged by the metaphor
of the body.
You may think, But I have been burnt before by

trusting a local church. It is sad how believers have
been treated in local churches in the past by other
carnal believers or how people have just gotten
burnt out by getting too involved. But that is no
123
reason not to continue to fulfill your spiritual role in a

local body. To quote an American President Its
better to trust and be disappointed once in a while
than it is to distrust and be miserable all the time
(Lincoln).
The church needs you.
Second, the church needs you. Just because you think

you can fly solo through the rest of your Christian
life does not mean that the Lord does not want to use
you in others lives. There is a great need for believers
to get involved in local churches exercising their gifts
for the glory of God.
One man once proudly claimed that he did not need
a local church anymore. He just listened to the radio
and witnessed to others on his own. When asked why
he responded, I just see myself as so much more
mature then the others in these local churches. They
just dont have the background that I have. Our hearts
should hurt for him. Not only is this a proud thing to
say. But if he believes himself to be mature, then a
love for other believers gives him an even greater
reason to commit himself to serving in a local church.
124
3. Submit to Accountability:
There is a great benefit of submitting yourself to the
accountability that is involved in becoming a part of
the membership of a local church.
First, there is benefit gleaned from the oversight and

accountability of the spiritual leader of the church
through his prayer and admonishment.
In this
relationship the Lord commands people to obey

your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch
over your souls as those who will give an account. Let
them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would
be unprofitable for you (Hebrews 13:17; See also I
Thessalonians 5:12-13).
The way for the church
leadership to know those whom they should pray for

and keep accountable are those who have joined
themselves to that local assembly.
Second,
there
is
benefit
gleaned
from
the
accountability of the other brothers and sisters in the

family of the local church. We could list many verses
but listen to these two passages: Let us hold fast the
confession of our hope without wavering, for He who
promised is faithful; and let us consider how to
stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not
forsaking our own assembling together, as
is the
125
habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the

more as you see the day drawing near (Hebrews
10:22-25). Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any
trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in
a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so
that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another's
burdens,
and thereby
fulfill
the law
of Christ
(Galatians 6:1-2). A significant duty of love toward

one another is keeping each other accountable so
that none of us will fall into the deceitfulness of
sin. Committing to a local body through church
membership helps us stay intact with the other
members of that body in mutual love.
We pray that this local body of believers will be used

of the Lord in your life to build you up spiritually and
to give you an opportunity to exercise your gifts and
abilities
as
well.
May
God
bless
you
in
your
relationship with the Lord and fellowship with His

saints.
If you can agree to support Grace in this way we

would love to have you as a member. In fact, we need
you because you are an essential part of this body
being built to the glory of God!
126
What are L.I.F.E. Groups?

In the blueprint for church ministry found in Ephesians 4,
God explains that He gives
church leaders who will equip
each individual in the church to

do the work of building others
up. Look at three primary
principles from this passage:
LovingIn the Ephesians 4 blueprint, all building that is
done is done through people who are speaking the truth in

love. Love is the great greenhouse of the church. Our
motivation in these groups should not be selfish. We must

strive for another person's spiritual maturity.
IndividualsIn the blueprint found in Ephesians 4, the
spiritually maturing church is one where each joint in the
body is functioning properly. We are like a clock filled with

cogs, gears, and other intricate moving parts. Each part in
that clock must be working properly for the goal to be
reached. You are needed in this clockworkyou are needed

in God's blueprint for church ministry!
Furthering EdificationIn
the blueprint in Ephesians
4, God shares His goal for

church ministrythat we
are all building each other

up to be more like Christ.
We are to think, act and live like Jesus. So the end goal is
that each person will be more like Jesus through meeting
together around God's Word.
127

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A Bible Driven Church

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All quotations are taken from the New American Standard

Version unless otherwise indicated.

2014For republication please contact

For more booklets in this series go to

LESSON 2 Proclaiming Christ

LESSON 3 Utilizing Scripture

LESSON 4 Praying Always

LESSON 5 Maturing Members

LESSON 6 Shepherding Leadership

LESSON 7 Loving Others

LESSON 8 Maintaining Unity

LESSON 9 Joining Grace Baptist Church

What drives you?

The Harvard Business School is

writing a series of books entitled The Results Driven

They are a motivated

person. They are quick to get up and get going. So

other secular motivations in life? Education systems

improper setting, the test scores can become the

Making Smart Decisions: The Results-Driven Manager Series (2006);

According to Hall of Famer, Joe Montana, desire is

success, results, fear, or desire we are all driven by

Sadly, many churches follow

the business pattern and are quick to incorporate

Results often meaning bigger numbers

more bodies, bucks and buildings.

church might be driven by the fear of appearing

So how does the love of God and our desire to Glorify

It shows the way we drive,

where we are to drive, as well as what should drive

Bible Driven Church Living

They are each included in our

church purpose statement:

The purpose of Grace Baptist Church will be to glorify

prominent when it came to the Bibles instruction on

As we walk through each of these essential principles

Theme 1 Glorifying God

The glory of God must be

preeminent. We must make God great in others eyes.

It is the biggest concept from which all the

The remaining themes of our purpose

statement above are organized below this major

Question: What is the chief end of man?

Gods glory is indeed a weighty matter.

weight is one way to define the word glory. The O.T.

greatness of anything else. This is His holiness. He is

All the truths we

teach about God (His attributes) expound one aspect or

someone says that the Lord is very weighty but they do

step in being a church that glorifies God is to examine

says they live to the glory of God without seriously

Colossians 3:12) and loves the church (Colossians

SIDE LIGHT: Living for Gods Glory

Johann S. Bach (1685-1703) is considered one of the

His complex pieces

involved a beauty that typifies the Baroque period. As

In fact, that would be a good prayer at the

beginning and end of each day.

May all our days be

QUESTION AND ANSWER

1. There are two ways that we use the word

demonstrates being Bible driven?

some practical ways an individual demonstrates

3. How does Gods glory correspond to being Bible