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Our Involvement in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God: Powerpoint Ppt

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Our Involvement in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God

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Our Involvement in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God: Powerpoint Ppt

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Each member of the body of Christ has a role to play in the preaching of the Gospel and helping one another in the journey to the Kingdom of God.

Sermon Notes

Our Involvement in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God
A Review of Our Online Presence and a Discussion of the Roles We Can Play in the Organization.

SLIDE 1

Mr. Martens has asked me to review for the local brethren our online presence for the purpose of outreach, whether as a venue for sharing the Gospel of the Kingdom of God or for participating in our journey toward that Kingdom. So, today, I will be re-introducing some information shared back in early 2014, sharing with you additional details on our own local outreach, and I will include some suggestions on ways each and every one of us can count ourselves as part of a functioning body of preaching and discipleship.

SLIDE 2

Let’s go back to the beginning and review man’s God-given role on the earth.

Genesis 1:26  And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth.
Genesis 1:27  And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.
Genesis 1:28  And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heavens, and all animals that move upon the earth.

So, God designed us and purposed us to have dominion over the earth. Our job was to maintain what God had created.

SLIDE 3

What actually happened, though, and as witnessed in Genesis 3 was that we relinquished our authority over to the god of this world. Even though we did not intend to, we almost immediately became slaves to what God defines as “evil works”; simply meaning any work we labor to produce is inherently based upon a mixture of the knowledge of good and evil.

SLIDE 4

Nevertheless, we were designed to labor to produce fruit as it were, labor to produce a work, or a product. Our design was to produce only good works not mixing with or being replaced by bad works.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.

SLIDE 5

In the Gospel of Mark, after Jesus was resurrected, triumphant over death, he gave to His disciples, and we are also His disciples, a great commission.

Mar 16:15  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mar 16:16  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

SLIDE 6

This commission was given and then we see how that was carried out in all the New Testament books after the books of the Gospel.

Act 28:30  Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him,
Act 28:31  preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

Col 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

2Ti 4:2  Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

The United Church of God, aIA has taken this commission very seriously and has made a special effort to put in writing our Mission and our Vision as a church.

SLIDE 7

Bain & Company provides a succinct definition and comparison of these two types of statements made by companies around the world.

“A Mission Statement defines the company’s business, its objectives and its approach to reach those objectives. A Vision Statement describes the desired future position of the company. Elements of Mission and Vision Statements are often combined to provide a statement of the company’s purposes, goals and values. However, sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably.”

In the case of the UCG, we distinguish the two with the following descriptions.

SLIDE 8

Our Mission
Our mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God in all the world, to make disciples in all nations and to care for those disciples.

Our Vision
A Church led by God's Holy Spirit, joined and knit together by what every member supplies, with all doing their share and growing in love to fulfill God's great purpose for humanity to bring many children to glory (Ephesians 4:16; Hebrews 2:10).

Let’s take a moment to review the context of Ephesians 4 and Hebrews 2…

SLIDE 9

Eph 4:11  And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
Eph 4:12  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
Eph 4:13  till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Eph 4:14  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
Eph 4:15  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
Eph 4:16  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Transitioning to Hebrews 2…

SLIDE 10

Heb 2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
Heb 2:10  For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Heb 2:11  For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Heb 2:12  saying: "I WILL DECLARE YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN; IN THE MIDST OF THE ASSEMBLY I WILL SING PRAISE TO YOU."
Heb 2:13  And again: "I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM." And again: "HERE AM I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME."

Fleshing out the verses of the UCG vision statement reveals a powerful theme of unity via godly means to a godly fulfillment of unity.

SLIDE 11

So, referring back to Ephesians 2:10, when we become converted, we take on the mantle of good works, and the opportunity for doing good works abounds for each of us. As Solomon concluded in Ecclesiastes, the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments.

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.
Ecc 12:14  For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

SLIDE 12

And, of course, we know by now that everything we think and do hangs on that law, which in all its details is summarized to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Mat 22:36  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
Mat 22:37  Jesus said to him, 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39  And the second is like it: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Sure, we have the opportunity every day and week to obey the Ten Commandments, and we can think of all the laws that hang from those laws which we can and must strive to obey. But, as the church vision statement includes the Helper, the Holy Spirit, we have the opportunity to do a good work by blessing the man who cuts us off in traffic or who works to destroy our reputation (Luke 6:28). We do a good work when we give to the needy (Mat 25:34-36). We do a good work when whatever our hand finds to do we do it with all our might (Ecc 9:10). The list goes on and on.
 

SLIDE 13

So, we know from the word of God that each of us has a role to play in preaching the Gospel and preparing a people.

However, as members of the body, we can struggle trying to figure out our place in the body. We know to do good works in our life. We work to love God and our neighbor, but we aren’t sure where our talents lie in service to the body of Christ, specifically. You see, the church is designed to be more than just a resource for instruction in the word. It has two other important functions.

SLIDE 14

It must, one, prepare its people to become good examples by the power of the Spirit of God. This means that the church must be a proving ground for the instruction provided. She gives opportunities within the body to practice doing good works toward one another. And, two, the church, the body of Christ, must preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world as a witness. These are…  functions of the entire body, not just the preachers found in the body. It’s not just the feet of evangelists that carry this precious gospel from place to place.

SLIDE 15

Let’s transition, now, to how our church reaches the world with the Gospel and instruction for its own people, and how this little congregation makes an effort to do what we can to help.

Great advancements in communication have been made since the establishment of the New Covenant Church, of which Jesus is the Head.

  1. Finding a place where sound carries, writing letters, and making personal visits
  2. The publication of the Bible for the masses with other written works to aid in the study of the Bible
  3. The invention of electronic amplification technologies, telephony, radio, and television
  4. Finally, the internet

We can find examples in the New Testament where instruction was given from a boat on calm waters, directed to the shore, or on the top of a hill, or by making use of an amphitheater. Letters were written to brethren. Carriers of the Gospel would travel from town to town and house to house to share the truth with others or to encourage each other in the faith.

With the invention of the printing press, this allowed for the word of God to reach many, many more people, and various other works of literature were published to aid in Bible Study.

Electricity opened up a vast new world for communication, both in being able to carry (1876) and amplify sound (1912), to carrying sound and images to far flung places via radio (1920) and television (1928).

But now we have the internet, the official birthday of which was January 1, 1983! The first web “browser” was released in 1993, and the internet had become firmly established by 1995 with Netscape Navigator being the most popular web browser at the time, having over 10M users globally.

All of these avenues of communication remain in effect in our modern day, but the amount of people reached in any given year finds its apex via the internet.

SLIDE 18

World Internet Usage and Population Statistics

SLIDE 17

Our emphasis as a church on using the internet as a communication system to help us in our commission ramped up in 2013, when the Home Office redesigned their home page, and, thusly, our local home pages.

SLIDES 18-32

REFER TO SLIDES OF OFFICIAL UCG LOCAL PAGE, THEN OUR INDEPENDENTLY MANAGED SITES.

SLIDE 33

Things we can DO!

In relation to our web presence…

These are recommendations based on interest and ability, offered to explain the value.

  1. Simply Interact on social networks with a godly disposition.
  2. Participate in church posts with various acknowledgments.
    1. Likes
    2. Comments
    3. Sharing
  3. Use skills you have that adapt well to the internet
    1. Verbal instruction
    2. Written instruction
    3. Technical maintenance

In relation to other avenues of influence…

SLIDE 34

  1. Be PRESENT and ACCOUNTED FOR!

In Exodus 12 & 20, Deuteronomy 5, and Leviticus 23, the LORD commanded that we rest on the Sabbath Day and that it is a Holy Assembly. He also clearly takes ownership of the Sabbath Day as HIS day of rest.

And we are reminded of this precious gift in Hebrews…

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
Heb 10:25  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

SLIDE 35

  1. SERVE if you are physically able! (food prep, setup, takedown)

SLIDE 36

  1. Provide words of encouragement to members and ministry.

1Th 5:9  For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10  who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
1Th 5:11  Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
1Th 5:12  And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
1Th 5:13  and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves.

SLIDE 37

  1. Pray for God’s will in providing avenues for sharing God’s word and the proclaiming of the coming Kingdom of God as well as protection of those who are engaged in such work.

2Th 3:1  Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
2Th 3:2  And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

SLIDE 38

  1. Give generously of your time and resources for the building up of the brethren and for the preaching of the Gospel.

Mar 12:42  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.
Mar 12:43  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;
Mar 12:44  for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

When I speak of generosity, I speak of generosity of the heart, even as this widow gave.

SLIDE 39

Good works are in progress throughout the churches of God all around the world. These works are accomplished by the way we treat each other and even by what we keep in our minds to ponder. These works are accomplished by our godly behavior with brethren and toward family, friends, and strangers.

Today’s presentation is intended to introduce and reintroduce ways you and I can participate in the mission and vision of the church, and it’s a reminder that we can do much to help in the sharing of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Our prayers matter to God, not that He needs you or me to pray for others, or else God won’t pay them any attention, but that it shows God where our heart is. It is the responsibility of the ones who are doing those works to make sure they let God know they are submitted to Him and want His protection, but it is up to you and me to show God we care about what they are doing and how they are doing it, and that we desire our God to watch over them. For, certainly, what God’s servants and messengers are doing is an extension of us, all fitly joined together as one body, whether they preside over the body, present on BeyondTV, or produce Jelly episodes for our youth.

Let’s turn to Romans for a final scripture…

Romans 12:5 so we the many are one body in Christ, and each one members of one another.
Romans 12:6 Then having gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, if prophecy, according to the proportion of faith;
Romans 12:7 or ministry, in the ministry; or he who teaches, in the teaching;
Romans 12:8 or he who exhorts, in the encouragement; or he who shares, in simplicity; or he who takes the lead, in diligence; or he who shows mercy, in cheerfulness.

Please continue to prayerfully consider and evaluate your role in the body; the body at large and also locally. All of us have to face feelings of inadequacy, fears of failure, the risk of pride, to one degree or another and maybe based on the specialization we endeavor to pursue, but if we will seriously contemplate our role in the body, I believe each and every one of us can do more to participate in the mission and vision of the Church of God.

Harkening back to the role God gave to mankind back in the beginning…

He designed and created us to be in the image of God.

God worked and still works to…

prepare mankind to enter His family.

By design, God created us for good works. And as His saints, He has equipped us with His Spirit to achieve those works resulting in everlasting and priceless value.

To the Kingdom!