Ro'16:16

1
Ro.1616

• What is a good work?
• 2 T.316-17
• Rv.31
• I The Work Of The Church Is Not

2
1. Political

• Jn.1836
• Many churches host candidates, endorse favorites
  
• We are not anti-government when we oppose
  churches that pursue political agendas

3
2. Social

• Ro.1417
• Social gospel is result of Darwinianism
• Preachers who lost their faith turned to
  social causes

4
Shopping For God

• Outside Bill Hybels office hangs a poster
  What is our business? Who is our customer?
  What does the customer consider value?
• They emphasize felt-needs based programs, slick
  marketing, and the size of crowds
• Recently they confessed, We made a mistake

5
Learn from history

• Jn.626-27
• Ate only after hearing Him teach
• With Jesus successful ministry
• He rebuked them
• They left Him (60-66)
• Authority for church action?
• 1 Co.1122
• Anti-social activities?

6
3. Secular education

• 1 Tim.315
• G. C. Brewer speech (1938, ACC)
• We are not anti-education when we say the
  church has no authority to donate funds to
  schools

7
4. Recreational

• 1 Tim.47-8
• Function of family, not church
• Nashville COC Athletic Leagues offer softball,
  basketball, scouting etc.
• We are not anti-recreation when we say the
  work of the church is spiritual

8
5. Financial

• Ja.413
• Churches rent buildings / parking lots for
  weddings, parties, etc.
• Church received 30,000 grant from Presbyterian
  Church (USA)
• We are not anti-capitalism

9
Institutional

• Ep.310-11
• Gods wisdom is sufficient
• If the church can donate funds to an
  institution to do one of its works, it can
  donate more to let institutions do all its work
  
• The church is not a fund-raiser for
  institutions
• We are not anti-institutions

10
II If The Church Were Authorized To Do These Works

• Support political causes
• Build benevolent / social societies
• Build schools, colleges
• Build gyms, recreational areas
• Operate business enterprises
• Build and support Missionary Society

11
III What Is The Work Of The Church?

• 1. Preach the gospel
• Ph.15
• Ph.415-16
• Churches sent preachers (Ac.131-3)
• Churches sent support to preachers, (Ph.4 2
  Co.117-9)

12
2. Edify the saints, 1 Co.143-5, 12, 17, 26

• Since both achurch and individual Christians
  are likened to a building or temple in which God
  or the Holy Spirit dwells (1 Co.39, 16, etc.),
  the erection of which temple will not be
  completely finished till the return of Christ
  from heaven, those who, by action, instruc-tion,
  exhortation, comfort, promote the wisdom of
  others and help them to live a correspondent life
  are regarded as taking part in the erection of
  that build-ing, and hence are saidto edify

13
Edify

• to edify, i.e., (dropping the fig.) to
  promote growth in wisdom, affection, grace,
  virtue, holiness, blessedness (Th. 440)

14
3. Relieve destitute saints

• 1 Co.161-4
• Collection for the saints, v.1 2 Co.84
• Church did not support general welfare, 2
  Th.310
• 1 Tim.516
• Church may buy same services as an individual
• Issue is not methods