Something Greater

1 Timothy 3: Serving Well as Deacons 1 Timothy 3:8-13 What has gone before... Paul warned Timothy to avoid appointing an inexperienced Christian to a position of leadership. The warning focused on comparing a newly sprouted plant to a newly converted believer, emphasizing their need for a deep, healthy foundation upon which to lead others. Moving on... 1 Timothy 3:8-13 (ESV) "Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Ch...

Acts 8: Christian or Churchian? Acts 8:18-19 What has gone before... Simon believed, and was baptized, and must have been among the crowd that received the Holy Spirit. He understood that Peter and John had a special relationship with God that gave them the authority, or the power, to confer the Holy Spirit upon others. Simon wanted the same authority, the same power, as Peter and John. Moving on... Acts 8:18-19 (ESV) "Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, - Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." POWER: exousia (privilege, force, capacity, competency, freedom, master, superhuman, potentate, token of control or influence); from exesti (it is right, as if being out in public); from ek (origin) and eimi (I exist) This is the same word used to describe the authority and power of Christ (Matthew 7:29; 9:6). This is the powe...

Serving Tables: Leadership Qualities Conflict divided the early church in Jerusalem. On one side, the Hellenists, preferring an intellectual emphasis in worship. On the other, the Hebrews, preferring a cultural, genealogical emphasis in worship. The apostles, as leaders of the church, directed the assembly to create a committee: "Brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty." Acts 6:3 (ESV) The apostles required the "Table Serving Ministry" leaders to excel in three qualities: Good repute Full of the Spirit Full of wisdom First we will examine "good repute". GOOD REPORT: martyreo (to be a witness, to testify, give evidence, bear record, be well reported of, testify); from martys (a witness, or a "martyr") "Good report" is translated from a single Greek word that means "witness", whether of one telling what he has seen and ...

Hellenist versus Hebrew: Conflict in the Church "Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, - It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables." Acts 6:1-2 (ESV) Who were the disciples? DISCIPLES: mathetes (a learner or pupil); from manthano or matheo (to learn, in any way) Mathetes (disciples or brothers) appears in the Book of Acts only once before this (Acts 1:15), yet it ends up being one of the most frequently used descriptions of Christians in the Book of Acts, with 30 occurrences. It can be found 268 times in all of the New Testament. The word translated as disciple or brother, with four other words found in the Book of Acts, appears to be the most frequent descriptors of "Christian": MATHETES (a learne...

One Heart and Soul "Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet." Acts 4:32-37 ONE HEART: kardia (the heart; figuratively, the thoughts or feelings or the mind; by analogy, the middle); from kar (heart) Kardia literally is the organ that pumps blood through every part of our...

Praising God And Having Favor "And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." Acts 2:43-47 AWE: "Phobos", alarm or fright; from "phebomai" (to be put in fear) PRAISING: "Aineo", to praise God; from "ainos" (a story) and "epainos" (laudation, a commendable thing) FAVOR: "Charis", graciousness; from "chairo" (to be cheerful, calmly happy or well-off) The first, immediate, tangible result of experiencing complete an...

Filled With New Wine "But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine. But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy." Acts 2:13-18 All of these words mean plainly what they describe. "Prophesy" means to foretell events and declare truth; "visions" and "dreams" mean things seen, whether awake or asleep. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Few ...

Five Philosophies "How to Bring Back Young Adults Who Have Left the Faith", an article by Whitney Hopler, Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer, posted by www.crosswalk.com , Tuesday, May 17, 2011. Interesting article that classifies people into five philosophies , depending upon how they incorporate faith and ethics: Postmoderns Recoilers Moderns Neopagans Rebels I'm not completely sure this list is comprehensive, but it is definitely thought-provoking . I reject manipulative tactics that attempt to sell Christianity to different markets, or put a spin on the Gospel in order to proselytize to different mindsets. This article does not try to do that . Instead, this article is aimed at trying to help us understand other people, with compassion and humility. I can easily put myself into at least one of these categories, and the descriptions help me see a bit more of life from perspectives that I've not experienced . Christianity, genuine love and tru...

Anne Jackson’s Permission to Speak Freely What is one thing you feel you can't say in church? Anne Jackson asked that question on her blog and received hundreds of responses . Out of that question she's written Permission to Speak Freely – Essays and Art on Fear, Confession and Grace . She's shared seven essays from her book on seven different blogs . Each essay ends with a link to the next essay. Her seven essays form an emotional, convicting, heart-breaking yet encouraging story of faith lost and gained...relationships betrayed and restored . To read all the essays, you can follow the route below: Donald Miller (Essay #1 – The First Brick) Jon Acuff (Essay #2 – The Final Brick) Carlos Whittaker (Essay #3 – Losing Faith) Pete Wilson (Essay #4 – Finding Love in All the Wrong Places) XXXChurch.com (Essay #5 – Shattered Pixels) Catalyst Conference (Essay #6 – Ghosts of Churches Past) FlowerDust.net (Essay #7 – Listen...