Christianity 101

This is a combo episode with All Out War Podcast. We will go through this series in 6 parts. Part one is the "Doctrine of God". Why it's important to cultivate a high view of God and how it effects nearly every aspect of a mature christian's life.  

ACTS 1:8 A. The word “power” comes from the Greek word “dunamis” which also means “dynamic.” Before we were Christians the Holy Spirit was with (para) us convicting us of sin and drawing us to Christ- Jn. 16:7-8. When we became Christians the Holy Spirit was in (en) us- Jn. 14:16- 17; 20:22; 1 Cor. 3:16. The third experience of the Holy Spirit is then He comes on or upon (epi) us and overflows out of our life- Jn. 7:37-39. Flow- Grk.- Literally to gush forth. Baptize- Grk.- baptize- overflowed. When we experience Jn. 7:37-39 we become a channel through which the Holy Spirit overflows to everyone around us. 1. Example- Glass empty, glass full, glass overflowing with water. IV. THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT- WHEN IT HAPPENS, WHAT HAPPENS? A. We receive power to witness for Jesus and to serve Him in whatever area He asks us to. We received increased power to overcome sin. The Scripture comes more alive to us. Our relationship with God is more alive and vital. We receive spiritual gifts. When we pray to God and ask for the will. baptism of the Holy Spirit we receive it by faith (Lk. 11:11-13; Gal. 3:2, 5,13-14) just as we received Jesus Christ into our life by faith. At this time we will receive one or more spiritual gifts from God. 1. 1 Cor. 12:11- The Holy Spirit gives to each one as He determines. 1 Cor. 12:28-31- We are to eagerly desire the greater gifts. Acts 9:17-19- The evidence of the gifts may or may not be apparent immediately.  It is important for us to come before the Lord to desire, to pray for, the best of whatever He has for us and to receive them by faith. Heb 2:1-4 - We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his 

There are 4 disciplines that the early church practiced. 1.Apostles teachings2. Fellowship3. Breaking of bread4. Prayer This episode we will cover the second two of the 4 disciplines found in Acts 2:42 #3 Breaking of Bread (communion)1.    The ordinance of communion (breaking of bread) Communion was first initiated at the last true Passover—Matthew 26:19, 26-29 What was the Passover?Answer: Exodus 12:12-14 - On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.  13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.3 main elements to the Passover: 1.   Lamb2.    Matzah (bread)3.    Wine Ask, When Jesus implemented Communion, He took bread. Was this bread Christ’s flesh? Answer: No, because Christ was with them. Ask, When Jesus implemented Communion, He took a cup of wine. Was this Christ’s blood? Answer: No, it was the fruit of the vine (verse 29) and again Christ was alive, with them. Bread is one element of the communion, but wine is the second: 4 cups come from promises of God found in Exodus 6:6-7 - “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.  7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 4 cups of Passover (Ex 6:6-7)1.    Cup of Sanctification – “I will bring you out”2.    Cup of Deliverance – “I will deliver you”3.    Cup of Redemption – “I will redeem you” (Matt 26:27-28 -Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.28This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.)4.    Cup of Restoration – “I will take you” (Rapture/ Matt 26:29 - I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”) Note: The celebration of the Passover was transformed into the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, to celebrate the sacrifice of the true Passover Lamb, namely Christ. Review: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 - For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. The warning in taking Communion Ask a student to give the warning stated in 1 Corinthians 11:27-31 - Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.  28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.  29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.  30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.  31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.  32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.  Q: Why is it important to do a self-examination every time one takes Communion? A: We want to take the representation of the meal with a sober and understanding spirit. We want to take it in a worthy manner. Deal with the issues of your sin as you prepare to take the communion.  There is a second ordinance of the church that we will discuss that is not mentioned in Acts 2:42 but because we are told to do this in Matt 28 and we see it being done in the church throughout the book of Acts, we will include it as part of the disciplines.  Baptism: Jesus commands us to be baptized: Matt 2819-20 - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” In short there are 2 baptisms described in the NT: Water baptism & Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Water: The believers confession that they belong to the Risen Lord! Holy Spirit: God’s witness that the believer belongs to the Risen Lord! Verses that deal with water Bapt: Romans 6:1-7 - What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?  3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.  6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.   2 Cor 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! Col 2:12 - having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.   #4 Prayer: We can use Matt 6 and what is commonly known as the Lords prayer as a model of prayer for a new believer. This is not the only way to pray but since Jesus uses this as an example of “how” ...

Christianity 101 episode #2 There are 4 disciplines that the early church practiced. 1.Apostles teachings2. Fellowship3. Breaking of bread4. Prayer This week we will cover 2 of the 4 disciplines found in Acts 2:42 The Disciplines Part 1: Apostles teachings, Fellowship.Acts 2:42 - They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  We can break down this verse into 4 specific points of distinction in which the early church devoted themselves to practice regularly:1.     Apostles teaching2.     Fellowship3.     Breaking of bread4.     Prayer  In context – Acts chapters 1 & 2: ·      Jesus has been resurrected, he has appeared to them for a period of about 40 days (eating with them, teaching them & preparing them for what was next).  ·      Jesus gives them the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).o   Passover Jesus gives His life > Pentecost He gives them the Holy Spirit (Pentecost in the GK: means 50th day) they were gathered together in an upper room (about 120 people). The Pentecost was a required feast that was in remembrance of the giving of the Law. The significance of this feast is that the HS would now become the means of a believer to follow and obey the Lord rather than a system of Law. The next required feast would be the feast of Trumpets (which coincides with the rapture) > The birth of the Church. ·      Peter preaches the first Evangelistic Sermon and we are told that about 3,000 new converts are added to their number (acts 2:40-41). Acts Chapter 2 takes us through about a 1½ -2 years after the resurrection. Acts chapter 3-7 conspire over about 4-5 years, in fact when you get to chapter 5:1-11 it could be as much as 6 or 7 years after Christ’s ascension.  I mention all of this because in just a short few years we get a glimpse into the lives of the new believers and make observations to draw from and apply to our own lives.  Acts 2:42 is a statement that we can use as a sort of blueprint for life inside the church! Remember that when you get to Acts 2:42 the church has grown to over 3,000 people which happened nearly instantly.     #1 Apostles Teaching/Doctrines: 2Tim. 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, Q: What are the Apostles teachings/Doctrines? A: The Apostles teachings are the message of Jesus, His redemptive work, and His call to selfless discipleship that is found in the books of the New & Old Testament. There are 3 ways that the scriptures are used to represent “Apostles Doctrines”1.     The Old Testament predicted Jesus’ coming2.     The gospels presented Jesus3.     The epistles practiced Jesus’ teaching and continued to proclaim the truth  The Old Testament use:The OT is pointing toward Jesus while the NT is the display of Jesus. 3 examples of use of the OT found in the NT1.     Found in the Gospels used by Jesus Himself: Luke 24:25-27 - He (Jesus) said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!26Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.  Jesus used the OT from beginning with Moses and all the prophets concerning himself! Jesus often used OT scriptures during His ministry when interacting with different groups like the Pharisees, Sadducees or the Scribes. (Incidentally the best part of Luke 24 is the response to Jesus after they receive all this great teaching from Him.  [Luke 24:31 - They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”] 2.     Used by Peter in the first ever public sermon (resulting in over 3,000 being saved). Acts 2:14-40 (to long to read) Peter sites 3 different OT verses to explain Jesus to the crowd. Joel 2:28-32,Psalm 16:8-11, Psalm 110:1 (all of these are prophetic and messianic in nature)  3.     Stephen (Acts 7 uses virtually all of the history of Israel, starting in Genesis at the call of Abraham.) He ends by quoting Isaiah 66:1 - This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?  The uses of Old Testament scriptures were to reveal Jesus and the promise that God would provide a messiah.   Letters used in the New Testament from the original Apostles:Criteria to be considered for acceptance into the NT Canon of scripture:  Acts 2:42 is a reference to the original eyewitness accounts of Jesus by the 12 apostles. This “doctrine” consisted of their first-hand reports of His life, teachings, death, and resurrection (4 Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). This was, at first, an oral message spread by the Twelve and those that heard them. It was later written down in what we know as the four gospels. Paul’s writings were later added to this original testimony (13 total letters) (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 &2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon), with the addition of James, Jude, Hebrews, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John , and Revelation these became into what we know as the New Testament canon. 2Tim. 1:13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.Psa. 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.Matt. 4:4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’’”Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.Heb. 2:1 We mu...

Christianity 101  Week #1 – The Decision: Opening notes:Each person who has found eternal life has a unique story of the route God used to help him or her come to that place. ·      It may have happened in a church service like on Easter Sunday, where they heard the Gospel preached and it moved them to walk forward and make that stand for Jesus. ·      They may have been raised by Christian parents in a Christian home, and it was presented to them by their own family·      They may have had a friend share the gospel with them after finding faith in Jesus themselves. ·      It is even possible that they were reading a bible and came to the passages we will be looking at today and were convicted by the living Word of God.  But no matter the route that they came to hear and believe the gospel, there is only one way to get there. We need to be clear that there is only one way to get to heaven. Jesus is the way that God has provided for us, and each person needs to make a decision to accept or reject Gods plan of salvation that is offered to him or her. That is why we have titled this week “The Decision” Read:  John 3:1-21 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.  2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’” 4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” The opening verses of John chapter 3 involve a conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee who was also a member of the Jewish ruling council. ·      The Ruling Council: The Jewish Ruling Council was a group of elders who were also called the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was a group of 70 respected Elders, Pharisees or Scribes who were in place to act as a ruling party to keep order and avoid interference from the Roman Govt.   ·      The Man Nicodemus: This mans name is Nicodemus.  He comes to Jesus under the cover of night, which would insinuate that he wanted to keep this a somewhat secret or at the very least a private meeting with Jesus. It is likely that there may be some initial skepticism in the mind of Nicodemus. ·      Timeline: This meeting happens early (likely in the 1st year of Jesus’ 3 year ministry). The purpose of his meeting with Jesus is circumvented right away as we see Jesus begin to dictate the direction of the conversation.     We will break these passages of scripture down into 3 basic sections:A.    Born of water and Spirit (vs:1-8). B.    Jesus is the only way of Spiritual birth (vs:9-18)C.     A Spiritual life in contrast (vs:19-21) We are Born of water and Spirit: John 3:3-8 - In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’” 4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” We gain 2 important truths about Gods kingdom from verses 3 & 5. 1.     Vs:3 – No one can SEE the kingdom unless he is born again2.     Vs:5 – No one can ENTER the kingdom unless he is born of water and SpiritWe learn that Gods kingdom is a spiritual one and that you must be born of the Spirit to enter it.  If you want to see Gods kingdom or if you want to enter it there is a specific requirement from God. You must be born again!  How it all began:Man was severed from the Spiritual relationship with God because of sin. Genesis 3 records the fall of man. ·      Vs:1 (Satan causes the Eve to question Gods Word to her and Adam)·      Vs:4-5 (Satan deceive...

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