Change Agents in the Church

1
Change Agents in the Church

• Agent Causative substance, something that
  causes an effect

2

• Preach Christ, not baptism or the church is the
  cry and feeling of those who are self-designated
  as change agents in the church, and their
  sympathizers. This comes from those who dont
  want the church or gospel preachers to be
  militant and have grown soft and apologetic for
  the truth. It sounds noble Preach The Man,
  Not The Plan.

3

• How does any man who claims to be a preacher of
  the gospel go about preaching baptism or the
  church without preaching Christ?
• Dick Blackford
  Preach
  Christ, Not Baptism or the Church,
  Guardian of Truth, XXXVIII21, Nov. 3, 1994,
  p. 1

4
1 Corinthians 151-4

• 1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the
  gospel which I preached to you, which also you
  received and in which you stand, 2 by which also
  you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I
  preached to youunless you believed in vain. 3
  For I delivered to you first of all that which I
  also received that Christ died for our sins
  according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was
  buried, and that He rose again the third day
  according to the Scriptures,

5
False Implications of Preach the Man, not the
Plan

• That we can preach Christ without preaching
  baptism, Acts 835-36 Rom. 63
• That we can preach Christ without preaching His
  church, Matt. 1616-18 Eph. 120-23 Acts 84-5,
  12

6
How can we preach the blood of
Jesus

• But not what it purchased?
• The church, Acts 2028
• But not how to be washed by it?
• Baptism, Rom. 63 Acts 2216

7
How can we preach the Savior (Acts
412)

• But not who he saves?
• The church, Eph. 523
• But not what saves?
• Baptism, Acts 412 1 Pet. 321

8
How can we preach the Bridegroom

• But not his bride?
• The church, Eph. 531-32
• But not how to enter relation?
• Baptism, Gal. 327

9
How can we preach the Captain of
our salvation

• But not those he leads? Heb. 210
• The Church, Eph. 122-23

10
How can we preach forgiveness of
sins

• But not how sins are removed?
• Acts 238 Rom. 63 Col. 212-13

Baptism
11
How can we preach the Head

• But not the body?
• The Church, Col. 118

12
How can we preach the Head

• But not how to enter the body?
• 1 Cor. 1213

Baptism
13
How can we preach the Father Son

• But not the family?
• The Church, 1 Tim. 315
• But not how to be born into the family?
• Baptism, John 35

14

• BAPTISM
• Blood
• Saves
• Into Christ
• Remission of sins
• Into one body
• Born again

• THE CHURCH
• Purchased
• The Saved
• Bride of Christ
• Follow Christ
• Body of Christ
• Family of God

CHRIST
15
Minimize Christ When

• Minimize His church, Gal. 113 Acts 94
• Minimize water baptism, Acts 84-5, 12 1047-48

16
The Call for Change

• The Spirit of God is still moving and acting
  in the church today and we must be more open to
  it. The result will be exhilarating changes in
  the worship and mission of the church. It has
  been a mistake to emphasize the old paths
  because we need to be open to change.

17
The Call for Change

• The church has got to change. If it doesnt
  change, my kids are not going to stay with it.
  Im probably not going to stay with it Mine was
  the last generation that would tolerate
  indoctrination.
• -Rubel Shelly
  
  The Church In The 90s The
  Challenge Of Change Behold
  The Pattern, Goebel Music, 284-322

18
Bible Answer

• It has been a mistake to emphasize the old
  paths because we need to be open to change.
  The church has got to change.
• Old paths established by God, Jer.
  616-17
• Forsake them is to forsake God, Jer.
  1815-17

19
Bible Answer

• What will you change? (Gal. 16-10)
• Entrance? (Acts 247)
• Behavior? (1 Tim. 315)
• Worship? (Jno. 423-24)
• Work/organization? (Acts 1422-23)

20
The Call for Change

• It is a mistaken assumption that we should
  restore the church of the 1st century. The
  model we are to pattern after is Christ, not the
  New Testament church. Those are two different
  models.
• -Rubel Shelly
  
  The Church In The 90s The
  Challenge Of Change Behold
  The Pattern, Goebel Music, 284-322

21

• Which church do you want to restore? Jerusalem,
  with its lack of evangelistic zeal? Or restore
  Corinth with its open fornication and, and
  drunkenness in church services around communion
  time? What about Colossae with its heresy? What
  about Ephesus? What about Laodicea, that church
  that says, Weve go it? And he said youre
  dead as a hammer and dont know it. They said,
  We dont need anything and He said, You need
  everything. (Ibid., 296)

22
Bible Answer

• Restoration is a Bible concept
• To set in order according to the divine pattern
• Restore return, refresh, repair to set in
  order
• God restored Israel Judah, Jer. 3017 (1-3), 9
• Messiahs work of restoration, Isa. 49 5-6
  Acts 321 Heb. 910

23
Bible Answer

• Restore keep the pattern of sound words as
  our abiding standard, 2 Tim. 113 (2 Ths. 215 2
  Tim. 314)
• Set in order what is lacking based upon the
  design of truth, Titus 15
• Cf. Jerusalem, Corinth, Colossae, Ephesus,
  Laodicea today

24
The Call for Change

• The pictures of the church recorded in the New
  Testament are only flawed attempts to follow
  Christ.
• -Rubel Shelly
  
  The Church In The 90s The
  Challenge Of Change Behold
  The Pattern, Goebel Music, 284-322

25
Bible Answer

• Accept demand the adequacy of the unflawed
  pattern, 2 Tim. 316-17
• Learn apply the pattern what does the NT
  pattern bind require of us what do its
  statements, examples implications actually
  teach? (2 Tim. 215)

26
Bible Answer

• Flawed attempts or worthy examples?
• Both are in NT Sardis, Rev. 31-3
  Philadelphia, 37-11
• Follow worthy examples, 1 Cor. 416-17
• None of the failures of NT churches lessen the
  authority of the divine standard of truth they
  were following, Jno. 831-32 2 Jno. 9

27
Message of the Cross1 Cor. 118-25

• Preaching Christ must not change Jude 3
• How to be saved, Mk. 1615-16
• How to live in his kingdom, Acts 247
  1 Ths. 19-10
• Form of doctrine that frees us, Rom. 617-18
• Love Jesus by obeying Him, Jno. 1415