1. Promoting Healthy Ecclesias Workshop December 2011
The Ecclesia
for Growth
and
Preparation
Study 3 - The Ecclesia for Growth and Preparation

2. Promoting Healthy Ecclesias Workshop December 2011
The Ecclesia for Growth
and Preparation
Outline
Spiritual Growth and Development – Essential for all
The Ecclesia provides opportunities for spiritual development
The Ecclesia provides opportunities for preparation for our calling
Collective Spiritual Growth
Study 3 - The Ecclesia for Growth and Preparation

3. God saved Israel out of Egypt and brought them through the Red Sea
He brought them through the wilderness to make the worth saving. This required Israel’s cooperation and faithful submission to His will
Only the faithful entered the Promised Land
Calling and Baptism
The Kingdom
Probation

4. Spiritual Growth – essential for all
1Peter 1:3 God has begotten us again to a living hope
1Peter 1:23 Born again through the incorruptible seed of the Word of God
1Peter 1: To be obedient children to live up to God’s holy standards
1Peter 2:2 As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby

5. Spiritual Growth – essential for all
love
2Peter 1:5-11
brotherly kindness
godliness
perseverance
self control
knowledge
virtue
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Add to your faith

6. Development of spiritual
maturity
Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
“good” “evil”
καλος & κακος
kalos kakos

7. Opportunities for development
The Ecclesia provides many opportunities for development and exercise of moral qualities:
Individuals
forgiveness, patience, longsuffering, integrity, discernment, compassion, love.
Shepherds
Care and responsibility of others, dealing with problems (in this imperfect state)
Sometimes our biggest spiritual development takes
place under the most trying circumstances

8. Whoever believed (the) Gospel, and yielded obedience in baptism, was, by that belief and obedience, called to the kingdom and glory of God. But all the called are not to be chosen. The choice is to be made at the Lord’s return. The reason of the choice will be faithfulness in the chosen, exhibited during life, subsequent to the taking of the name of Christ in baptism. … To help in the development, and give scope for the exercise of this faithfulness, obedient believers were required to form themselves into communities, which in Greek, were called ECCLESIAS.

9. Our Calling
1Thessalonians 2:12 … walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
1Peter 2:9 You are a … a royal priesthood
Revelation 1:5-6; 5:9-10; 20:4-6 Christ has … made us unto our God, kings and priests – to live and reign with Christ 1000 years.
Revelation 2: … he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations
Matt 25:21,23 Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things

10. Kings and Priests King Priest
Must be just and fear God (2Sam 23:3); plead the cause of the poor and needy (Prov 31:9); execute judgement and righteousness (Jer 22:3)
Priest
Bring people to God; have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way (Heb 5:2)

11. Dealing with problems Rush in with haste a sought the matter out
Or seek God’s guidance and carefully consider the principles involved first
Decide ourselves what to do and try to solve it by our self
Or consult with other brethren and carefully seek the best way to deal with it
Do nothing because it’s too hard
Rush to conclusions and make a swift judgment
Or find out all of the relevant facts first and make a balanced judgment

12. Ephesians 4: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For
the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
 unto a perfect man,
 unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children …
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly framed together and compacted by that which every ligament contributes, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes growth of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

13. 1Cor 14:26 (v3,4,5,12,17) Let all things to be done unto edifying
“edify” ‘oikodomeo’
 to be a house builder, to construct
(Vines) ‘oikos’ a home + ‘demo’ build