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“ Summary, Part 5 (final) ” (g) Do you esteem your brethren above everyone else? What would a private detective report about our interaction with each other? Consider some infinitives describing the brethren’s interactions: to esteem, to admonish, to encourage, to clothe ourselves in humility, to serve, to be hospitable, to confess our sins, to pray for, to not complain against, to not lie to, to stimulate to love and good deeds, to seek after that which is good for, to live in peace with, to build up, to comfort, to bear with, to forgive, to highly regard, to be subject to, to care for, to be kind to, to accept, to be of the same mind with, to be devoted to, to give preference to, and especially to love. (h) Do we focus on our earthly interests instead of our brotherhood in Christ? (i) Do we welcome the loving admonishments of our brethren? 2. WE MUST ENCOURAGE OUR BRETHREN TO PERSEVERE IN HOPE DURING THIS DAY OF SMALL THINGS [40:37]. We must not think much of our church’s smallness. Small churches can do great things. Seeing the same faces each week is a source of encouragement, not discouragement. A correlation of size and love isn’t necessary, certainly not biblically. Remember Jesus’ admonition to Peter: never mind the fate of a betraying disciple; just follow Me (JOHN 21:20-23).
Ian Migala (2/24/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 4 ” THE DEADLIEST CANCERS TO A CHURCH ATTACKS ITS UNITY, AND FROM THERE ATTACKS ITS HOPE [26:30]. How do we avoid this? 1. WE MUST DEEPEN OUR BROTHERLY AFFECTION AND OUR ESTEEM FOR ONE ANOTHER [27:25]. Some questions for us to consider: (a) Do we love our brethren more than ourselves? (b) Does our love for each other advertise our genuine affection and esteem for each other? (c) Can we express our genuine love for each other without being self-conscious? (d) Do we pray for our brethren, and do we let them know? (e) Do we look forward to worshipping with them each Lord’s Day? Our joys on the Lord’s Day are foretastes of perfect, constant fellowship in Heaven. (f) Do we interact outside of church at all? The pagans noted this, even though they didn’t go into churches.
Ian Migala (2/24/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 3 ” WHAT DO THESE OBSERVATIONS ASSUME ABOUT OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ONE ANOTHER AS CHRISTIANS? 1. IT MEANS THAT EACH INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIAN—AS ONE WHO IS IN VITAL UNION WITH CHRIST—IS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT UNION BY FORMALLY UNITING WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS IN UNION WITH CHRIST [17:45]. Providence Reformed Baptist Church would disintegrate without this unity. The American spirit of crass individualism is a threat to this unity and is found nowhere in the New Testament. The book of ACTS consistently illustrates new Christians joining a local church. 2. THIS INDIVIDUALISTIC SPIRIT MAKES IT EASY FOR SINNING AND UNREPENTANT, PROFESSING CHRISTIANS TO EVADE CORPORATE CORRECTIVE CHURCH DISCIPLINE. [22:00]. 3. GOD DOES NOT SAVE US ONLY TO LEAVE US ALONE TO MAKE IT TO HEAVEN ON OUR OWN [22:30]. He recruits us to join the heavenly army on earth to one day march into the heavenly kingdom above. Churches usually die not for a want of provision, but for a want of biblical mission. Biblical love begets financial commitment. Christ died and shed His blood to remove our individual sin and the church’s corporate sins. The latter couldn’t happen if Christianity were an individualistic affair.
Ian Migala (2/24/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 2 ” 4. APOSTOLIC ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE CHURCH PRESUME THE CORPORATE UNITY AND VISIBLE COMMUNITY OF CHRISTIANS [9:52]. Members are members of a body, all in their roles to make the body function as a whole. The church is a temple: living stones cemented together. These image make it impossible to argue for isolationism. 5. THE BIBLE IS ADDRESSED NOT SO MUCH TO INDIVIDUALS AS IT IS TO GOD’S COVENANT COMMUNITY [11:13]. The epistles weren’t written to individuals. Even the pastoral epistles are relevant to every Christian. 6. THE LANGUAGE OF REDEMPTION IS LARGELY THE LANGUAGE OF A REDEEMED COMMUNITY [12:36]. EPHESIANS 5:25: Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself up for her. (cf. MATTHEW 20:28, ACTS 20:28, 1 TIMOTHY 2:6, REVELATIONS 5:9, 1 PETER 2:9). GALATIANS 2:20 doesn’t negate this. 7. MANY COMMANDS IN THE BIBLE SIMPLY CANNOT BE OBEYED IN ISOLATION FROM COMMUNION WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS [14:46]. Some examples: EPHESIANS 4:3: perseverance is preserving the unity of the body; COLOSSIANS 3:16: observance of corporate admonishment and worship; 1 CORINTHIANS 11:24: the Lord’s Table is a corporate ordinance; EXODUS 20:8-11: cessation from ordinary employments, and holy convocation.
Ian Migala (2/24/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 1 ” Last week, we opened the second point in this series: II. OUR EXPERIENCE OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS REMINDS US OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A CHURCH, beginning with A. WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO GOD. In this fourth message in this series, we consider how B. WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO ONE ANOTHER [starting at 2:15 of the audio]. One obvious sign of maturity is a growing awareness that we are not just individuals, but also members of a community. This includes our families, neighborhoods, schools, and culture. For the Christian, this also includes Christ and His body. This conviction comes from the teaching of the Bible. It’s on every page, explicitly or implicitly. ON BIBLICAL DOCTRINE ON THE FAMILY: 1. WE LEARN FROM THE VERY FIRST FAMILY THAT WE ARE OUR BROTHER’S KEEPER [6:35]. A lesson in Abel and Joseph’s stories is that we do have duties to others, at the very least a duty to respect them. 2. THE SECOND GREAT COMMANDMENT REQUIRES US TO LOVE OTHERS AS WE LOVE OURSELVES [8:08]. We cannot do this as isolationists. 3. GOD’S COVENANT PEOPLE WERE SAVED FIRST AS A FAMILY, AND THEN AS A NATION [8:43]. His people aren’t individual pilgrims, but a family on pilgrimage together. The church is called a holy nation (1 PETER 2:9).
