LAUGH 'N LEARN

An Encouragement Ministry of Verde Valley Christian Church Of Cottonwood Arizona
http://www.vvchristianchurch.net/

Issue # 357,    December 28,  2009

LAUGH

LEARN

Jim's OUTLINE

December 27, 2009

"Christmas 2, The Sequel"

An Old Preacher STORY:  "But I need someone with skin on"

Focus:  God still wears skin, but now it is ours.

God knows that we need to experience his love tangibly!  That is why he put skin on.  He put skin on when he came in Jesus.  He still puts skin on today.  THE THEOLOGICAL term for this is "INCARNATION".  Christmas 1 is about the first incarnation, and Christmas 2, the second.   As Jesus was God incarnate, so now, we together are the House of God and the Body of Christ! 

SEE HOUSES OF GOD SLIDES

I.        The Church Is Not A Building

 Acts 17:24 (NIV) "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.

II.       The Church Is People Who Believe 

Ephesians 2:21 (TLB) ²¹ We who believe are carefully joined together with Christ as parts of a beautiful, constantly growing temple for God.

III.       The Church Is A Living Building

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV) ¹⁶ Don't you know that you yourselves [plural] are God's temple [singular] and that God's Spirit lives in you [plural]? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

IV.      The Church Is A Living Body (The 2^nd Incarnation)

o      Jesus Christ Was The First Incarnation Of God

Colossians 1:19 (NIV) For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
Colossians 2:9 (NIV) For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
John 1:1 (NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 (NIV) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling [TENTED, Tabernacled] among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This was a MYSTERY 

o      Jesus Christ Was The First LIVING Temple of God

3 Temple Systems of the Bible

1.         OT Temple / Tabernacle 

                              The Old Testament Temple is Metaphor, Picture, Type

2.         Jesus' Body was the Living Temple System        

Christ's Body is the Reality, or fulfillment of the OT Type

John 2:19-22 (NIV) ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." ²⁰ The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

3.         Christ's Church / Body of Christ / Temple of the Holy Spirit

The Church of God (Body of Christ) is no metaphor.

We house God, when we have been washed clean by the atoning work of Christ, and ask God into our lives!

John 16:7 (NIV) But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor [helper, advocate, paraclete] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

- John 14:17 (NLT) He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

A.       Together, WE Are His House  (Eph 2:20-22)

Ephesians 2:20-22 (NLT) ²⁰ Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. ²¹ We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²² Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

The context of 1 Corinthians 3 is the a Warning against being divisive!  Q:  Are you careful to built up the "temple" rather than tearing it down?  I've seen churches damaged severely by what is said about it, and about its leaders, and quarrels among the parts and structures of the church?  God does not take lightly someone who treats the church with contempt, and is destroying his house...whether it be leaders or followers.

B.       Together, WE Are His Body

Romans 12:4-5 (NIV) ⁴ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Membership is a Biblical Concept not a Club or Institutional Concept

ReMEMBER BodyMEMBER you're a  TeamMEMBER

The Body of Christ Is A Team With A Purpose For Living.  AND T.E.A.M. Together Everybody Achieves More

TeamMember =Teamwork, Teamwork = Peacework

Colossians 3:15 (NIV) Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

ReMEMBER

The Communion Loaf has been declared as the Body of the Lord, and by extension, so is the church which partakes of it.

1 Corinthians 10:17  Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

1 Corinthians 11:24 (NIV) "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."

When do this in remembrance, we are renewing our covenant connection, we re-MEMBER.  emPHAsis  on the right syLAble  remember=remember

God's Eternal Intent

Ephesians 3:10-11 (NLT) ¹⁰ God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Church on display is God's Purpose!  His Exhibit "A"  SEE!!  Grace DOES work.  I don't have to COERCE.  The church proves LOVE works!

Let's make sure the display is authentic life change.

CHURCH MODELS  (Hotel, Asylum, Hospital, or Salvation Army)

It's Not About the Huddle...but the play...the game.

                              Making Disciples

                                             We are his hands, and feet, and mouth and...

                                             We are a hospital and An Army

The Church GATHERED, and SCATTERED.  We Huddle THEN run the play!

We have prayer support.  We have a team behind us.  Don't go into dark places alone.  Have prayer cover.  Do you have prayer cover for what YOU do?

Think about this as it relates to Worship Styles and Music Selection...

All across the nation, MUSIC is a generational issue that is causing tension and division.  We must guard against such division.

A consumer attitude toward worship IS AN Oxymoron--Worship isn't marketed to us as consumers, it is for GOD, and offered TO GOD.   

Which Slice of Time is right?  Jewish Psalter? Medieval Gregorian chant? Reformation Hymns? Fanny Crosby?  Bill Gaither?  Chris Thomlin?  David Crowder?

We Are Victorious         

Matthew 16:18 (NIV) ^... ...I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

VISUAL:  The Church is Like God's Work Gloves

2010

The Life Of VVCC--CONNECTING THE UNCONNECTED!

How connected are you?  Being connected and plugged in, is where you feel all the power of God flowing through you!

HUDDLE! Yes...

 Care Groups... [doing life and ministry together] try one

personal growth plan

               Bible Reading plan    (The Memorization Group)

Then RUN THE PLAY!

Mentor someone (run the play)... (An 8 week buddy for new 101 people)

SIGN UP FOR SERVICE SOMEHERE

               DDB set up relief worker, or rotation (PICTURE)

A conversation I overheard "Where's Bruce Almighty?"  ... "I don't know, he's usually the first one here.  We ought to check on him....then later, where are we going to breakfast next Saturday?  That's making connections.

Another Example of making connections...WED, Men's group.

The Amphitheatre...Eagle Scout support.  hours and hours.  Fellowship of the Few...

               Computer operators (we'll train)

               Video Camera Operators (we'll train)

               Shut In Support (see Dick Milligan or me)

               Recruit Your CG as Prayer Support for Your Life Mission

               Communion Prep Rotation (a little over an hour a week)

(C) Jim Hammond

This message is (or soon will be) available in Audio and Video (free!)
Laugh 'N Learn Archives