Welcome! www.SunsetChurchofChrist.net Bibles and copies of sermons are available Please silence your cell phones Sunday Bible Classes 9:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM 5:30 PM Wednesday Bible Classes 7:00 PM www.SunsetChurchofChrist.net

Acts 15 Means of reaching a conclusion Letter to the church in Antioch

Acts 15 Means of reaching a conclusion The three rules to the Gentiles Letter to the church in Antioch

Welcome! www.SunsetChurchofChrist.net Bibles and copies of sermons are available Please silence your cell phones Sunday Bible Classes 9:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM 5:30 PM Wednesday Bible Classes 7:00 PM www.SunsetChurchofChrist.net

Hymns - Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord Ephesians 5:18b-19 Hymns Invitation Red Songbook - Supplemental

The Design of the Church Many churches choose to have themes, plans or focuses for a year. Is this a problem? Ephesians 4:11-16

God’s Eternal Purpose Design of the church: - Spiritual foreshadows through Israel (1 Cor. 10:11) - Repeatable design in a local setting (Titus 1:5) - Totally equipped to its purposes 1Co 10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Tit 1:5 ¶ For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,

God’s Eternal Purpose Intent and Purpose of the Church - Equipping Saints for service (Ephesians 4) - In evangelism (and edification) - In good works This list goes from the least mentioned to the most mentioned. It does not necessarily mean most important, but there is significance to the amount of times these things are mentioned

God’s Eternal Purpose Intent and Purpose of the Church - Equipping Saints for service (Ephesians 4) - Offer a corporate worship (Acts 2:42) - Gathering of the assembly (Heb. 10:25) - Actions of communal worship Ac 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

God’s Eternal Purpose Intent and Purpose of the Church - Equipping Saints for service (Ephesians 4) - Offer a corporate worship (Acts 2:42) - Organizing itself in the pattern (1 Tim. 3:15) - Elders, deacons, teachers, preachers - Worship leaders, etc Ac 2:42 ¶ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 1Ti 3:15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,

God’s Eternal Purpose Intent and Purpose of the Church - Equipping Saints for service (Ephesians 4) - Offer a corporate worship (Acts 2:42) - Organizing itself in the pattern (1 Tim. 3:15) - Doctrinal purity - 12 NT books address this concern Acts 2:40, Gal 1:21, Eph 4:14, Tit 2:1, 1 Tim 1;3, 6:3, 2 Tim 4:3, 1 Pet 2:2, 1 John 2:19, 2 John 9, 3 John3, Jude 17, Rev 2 Matthew 18, Acts 20, Rom 16:16, 1 Cor. 5, 2 Cor 2, Gal 6:2, Phil 4:2, 2 Thes 3, 1 Tim 6:4-5, 2 Tim 3:5, Titus 3:9-10, 2 Peter 2, 1 John 2:18, 2 John 9, Jude

God’s Eternal Purpose Intent and Purpose of the Church - Equipping Saints for service (Ephesians 4) - Offer a corporate worship (Acts 2:42) - Organizing itself in the pattern (1 Tim. 3:15) - Doctrinal purity - Membership discipline - 15 New Testament books address this Matthew 18, Acts 20, Rom 16:16, 1 Cor. 5, 2 Cor 2, Gal 6:2, Phil 4:2, 2 Thes 3, 1 Tim 6:4-5, 2 Tim 3:5, Titus 3:9-10, 2 Peter 2, 1 John 2:18, 2 John 9, Jude

God’s Eternal Purpose Intent and Purpose of the Church - Equipping Saints for service (Ephesians 4) - Offer a corporate worship (Acts 2:42) - Organizing itself in the pattern (1 Tim. 3:15) - Doctrinal purity - Membership discipline - Familial affection (56 “one another” verses) Acts 2:40, Gal 1:21, Eph 4:14, Tit 2:1, 1 Tim 1;3, 6:3, 2 Tim 4:3, 1 Pet 2:2, 1 John 2:19, 2 John 9, 3 John3, Jude 17, Rev 2:14

Setting Goals as a Church The goal is Effective Saints The church is the means to the goal The church is entirely equipped for the goal

Missing the Purpose of the Church The church’s (main) purpose is not the church: - It is NOT to grow itself - It is NOT to accomplish works itself When we see the church as its own purpose: - We make the church an independent body - We fail to be a body of members CAUTION: This is a nuanced claim; while the church is authorized to do works of benevolence, edification and evangelism, the church’s intent and purpose is to equip Christians to accomplish this task. We convert people to Christ, and they are subsequently and in the same manner added to the church

Missing the Purpose of the Church 1 Corinthians 12:12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. The church’s purpose is not the church: - To grow itself - To accomplish Christian works itself When we see the church as its own purpose: - We make the church an independent body CAUTION: This is a nuanced claim; while the church is authorized to do works of benevolence, edification and evangelism, the church’s intent and purpose is to equip Christians to accomplish this task. We convert people to Christ, and they are subsequently and in the same manner added to the church

Our Congregational Goal: 2017 Members esteem the purpose of the church: - Equipping Saints for service - Offer pleasing worship - Organizing according to the pattern - Membership discipline - Doctrinal purity - Familial affection