outreach

Live Life Unfiltered – Evangelism, Accountability, Discipleship

Posted on by chgruver

This week’s topic is one that is sort of a cross post from my other blog, Unfiltered Ministries. There I started with the question of what is “Unfiltered” and as I worked on those posts I realized that most of what I found can apply to men and being the spiritual heads of their homes. What we will look at this week has application no matter if you are married, single, divorced, widowed, with kids, or not; every man can learn from this to be a better spiritual leader in their home and in their relationships. Unfiltered came from the concept of preaching the whole word of God, which while not written exactly in the Bible the concept appears in both Old and New Testaments. The one passage that sticks out to me is part of Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:27 where he states, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” You see as men we are to be the spiritual leaders in our homes, no matter what, and that means to our wives and kids, if we have them, or in a dating relationship we should be able to boldly proclaim that we did not shrink from proclaiming the full counsel of God to those around us. So what does this look like? Well to me I then looked at what Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2-5, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” Today we will look at verse 2, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

Preach The Word

So the first thing we notice in Paul’s command to Timothy is that he is to preach the word. Now what many of you may be thinking is getting up on a stage and preaching a sermon; this is not fully what Paul is getting at. Rather what Paul is saying is that we need to proclaim God’s word. We are to be heralds spreading the message of the Gospel to any who would listen. This means sharing our faith with those we meet in daily situations. The thing is this will serve as an example to our families for them in turn to follow, as they see you sharing your faith it will help make them realize the importance and need for them to share their faith as well. You see as a spiritual leader in our homes we need to lead by example.

In Season And Out

Paul next mentions that we need to be prepared “in season and out of season.” What this means is that we need to be ready to at the drop of a hat be able to impart to someone the wisdom and knowledge that the Holy Spirit gives to us. Yes there are times when we may need to spend time and prepare what we are going to say, these are the times when it is in season. Then there are the times when “preaching the word” is more providing that simple word of encouragement when a friend is feeling down, those times were what is said is more spontaneous, this is preaching out of season.

Reprove, Rebuke, Exhort, Teach

Paul finishes off this thought by telling Timothy to “reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” What Paul is getting at is to correct false teachings, confront or point out sins that need to be confessed, and encourage others. What we see here points some to the concept of accountability as well as discipleship. As believers we need to be one be willing for other believers to help hold us accountable, as well as be willing to hold others accountable. One thing I will point out is that living a life unfiltered discipleship, evangelism, and accountability all go together hand in hand for helping us to mature spiritually as well as to be the spiritual leaders in our homes that God wants us to be.

Go Therefore – You Are Not Alone

Posted on by chgruver

In looking at the Great Commission as found in Matthew 28:18-20 we have looked at the appetizer of how Jesus is the one in control. Then last time we got the main course of the command and call to evangelism. Today we will look at the dessert of how Jesus finishes off the Great Commission, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” You see I call this the dessert of the Great Commission because what Jesus says is just like icing on the cake.

I Am With You

What Jesus is saying here to one degree reiterates how He started out by essentially telling the disciples not to fear. The placement of the fear though is different. He started out by telling the disciples not to fear those in authority, because He has all the authority. Now Jesus is basically telling them not to fear being alone, because He will be with them. He was reassuring His disciples that while they may not see Him, and they may be isolated from each other they will never be alone. This is a promise that even today we can lean on, we are never alone. If because of your faith your friends and family turn away from you, you are not alone. If while sharing the Gospel you are persecuted, you are not going through it alone. No matter the circumstances or what is going on Jesus is right there by our side and we can take comfort in that.

So What Are You Going To Do?

Unlike most of these posts I want to pose the question of what are you going to do? Remember first Christ is in control and has all authority and power so we have nothing to fear regarding those in authority, and Christ is with us so we can take comfort in that we will never be alone. So are you willing to go and share the Gospel? Are you willing to tell those you daily encounter about your faith? Are you willing to help those that you lead to faith grow in their faith? Remember this is the Great Commission not the Great Suggestion, these are our marching orders.

Go Therefore – Share The Gospel

Posted on by chgruver

Last time we started out by looking at the Great Commission as found in Matthew 28:18-20 and how Jesus starts out by basically telling the disciples not to fear because He is in control. Today we will look at what Jesus says next, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This is the main part of this version of the Great Commission, if it were a meal this would be the steak and potatoes of what Jesus has to say, where what we saw last time was the appetizer and next time we will look at the dessert.

Make Disciples

The first part of what Jesus tells his disciples here is to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” This is the first part of evangelism and really what many of us think about when we evangelize; the sharing of the Gospel. You see Jesus presents this command to evangelize as a progression, first we are to go and share the Gospel. I could go into a big debate on how some look at “go” as being active or passive, as either intentionally going out to share our faith or just sharing our faith in the day to day; but regardless of how you look at it the outcome is still the same we are to share our faith, that never changes. There are some people that may be more comfortable going out and doing street evangelism, where they approach complete strangers and share the Gospel, these people actively go and make disciples. Other people have a more relational approach and share their faith through their day to day relationships with others, this is more of the passive approach of going; they share as they go about with their normal daily routines. Is one way better than the other, no, if you go with the method of sharing the Gospel that suits your personality you are working towards fulfilling the Great Commission, you just have to remember to above all else share the Gospel.

Baptize

The next thing Jesus commands is that after sharing the Gospel we are to, baptize them. Let me say right now there is nothing magical about baptism and you do not need to be baptized in order to be saved, just look at the thief on the cross. The thing however is with baptism we are making an outward profession of an inward change. In other words through being baptized one is telling the world that they have come to faith in Christ, that they have put their trust in Him as the forgiveness for their sins. You see in the progression once we share the Gospel, if they decide to give their heart to Christ the next step is for them to publicly show their faith. He wants people to be ambassadors out there promoting the Gospel not secret agents hiding in the shadows.

Teach

Jesus finishes off his command with “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” In other words discipleship is the next logical step after evangelism. Once we have shared the Gospel and they have come to faith we need to help teach them and help them grow spiritually. I know this is one area I am somewhat passionate about because after I came to faith in Christ it was years before I was really taught what that meant. To neglect teaching would be like telling a child 2 + 2 = 4 and then expect them to perform advanced Calculus; it just is not going to happen, they need to be taught. Our faith is the same way we need to be taught by those more experienced as well as teach those less experienced.

Go Therefore – Who Is In Control?

Posted on by chgruver

Last week we looked at the concept of discipleship this week we will look at the start of the process, evangelism. As believers we are given the command to go and make disciples, to go and spread the Gospel to others. There are a number of passages that have taken on the title we often give to the call of the believer to evangelize, this title is the Great Commission. Each of the Gospels and the book of Acts have a different phrasing of the Great Commission but each of them have the same basic concept of how we are to go out and spread the Gospel to the world. The two most well known Great Commission passages are probably Acts 1:8 and the one we will look at this week, Matthew 28:18-20. “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

Jesus Came

The first thing I want to point out is how it starts, “Jesus came and said to them.” At this point the disciples had been with Christ for over 3 years, and saw him arrested and killed on a cross. This Jesus that came to them was the resurrected Lord and they knew what he was going to say would be important. But it wasn’t just that Jesus had a command for them, but He came to them, He approached them where they were to give them this message.

Fearful Disciples

The reason behind Jesus coming to them was up to this point the disciples were hiding out. They were scared of what the Jewish leaders and the Roman government would do to them for following Jesus. They had just seen their leader arrested, put on trial, and executed in a time frame of less that 24 hours; they were afraid they would be next. It is because of this fear that makes the first thing Jesus tells them make sense, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” You see Jesus starts by telling them don’t worry about the Jewish leaders or even what the Romans will do, I am the one in control. With Jesus having the authority nothing will happen that is not in God’s plan, and if we are working in God’s will we have nothing to fear. You see when I think of evangelism the first thing that comes to my mind is fear, I am scared of how people will react to the message and I am scared for my safety; but Jesus basically tells us there is nothing to fear. He understood that fear would be a major obstacle regarding evangelism so before giving the disciples the command to go out and spread the Gospel, he addressed their fear. You see one thing we need to remember when we share the Gospel is that no matter what happens or how people react, God is in control.

Community Wellness & Resource Expo

Posted on by chgruver

8th Annual Community Wellness & Resource Expo

Saturday, April 16, 2016

10:00 am – 1:00 pm

New Covenant Baptist Church

2611 Fifth Avenue South

St. Petersburg, FL  337121

Bring your family! Tell your friends!

Join us for a day of FREE health screenings, information about healthy living, refreshments and community resources

FREE Lunch

FREE Health Screenings

FREE Bags of Grocery*

FREE Prize Drawings

FREE Healthy Eating Demonstrations

For additional information contact Cynthia Glynn at (904) 554-4017

*You MUST Pre-Register for Grocery Giveaway. Call (904) 554-4017

Table Talk – Episode 38 – Being the Body

Posted on by chgruver

March 18, 2016: This week around the table we talked about various topics which boils down to how we are the body of Christ.

Table Talk is a Prayer Breakfast held every Friday morning from 6:30 – 8:00 at the Egg Platter located on US 19 in Pinellas Park, FL. If you are in the area, whether you live locally or are just visiting, we invite you to come join us.

Back to the Basics – A Changed Focus

Posted on by chgruver

Last time we looked at how we are saved by grace. Today we will look at another aspect of what makes a Christian, a change in focus. Let’s start this discussion by looking at what a Christian is, looking at society some people may think that because they regularly attend church services, do good deeds, their parents were and their parents’ parents were Christians, or maybe they have actually been baptized that they are Christians. These are all good things but they are not what makes a Christian; Jesus stated in John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” What this means is that faith in Christ is what defines a Christian. So what does faith in Christ look like? Well there are a number of ways to describe a Christian faith.

I Am Second

The first way to describe a Christian faith would be that I take the view that I am second and God should come first in my life. On paper, or the screen, it sounds easy but in application it can be rather difficult. You see we have had an issue of seeking our own personal interest as long as man has been on the earth. Don’t believe me look at Genesis 3:6, Eve saw that the fruit was good to eat, desirable, and able to make one “wise.” You see Satan used the hook that the fruit would make them like God to get them to eat, He played to their self interest over reliance on God.

You see putting God first is not just a catchy phrase or the clever name of a movement, but a daily struggle we must face. Paul puts it this way, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” In other words we lay down our desires, wants, interests and give them to God. He will then give us what we need, His desires, and His interests. Our focus needs to change from putting ourselves first (which society tells us we should look out for only ourselves) to looking to what God wants from us.

All In

The thing is we cannot leave the description of the Christian faith at just putting God first in our lives, rather we need to make Him and His will our sole focus. Let me put it this way in a number of sports they have what is called a leader board and as long as you are on the leader board you are still in contention to take first place. What this means is that if there is anything that can take your focus it is on your spiritual leader board, God wants it so that second place does not even come close to ranking on your leader board. Now I am not saying we need to become monks and live a life of 24/7 church services but as Paul told the Colossian church in everything we do we should do it for God and give Him thanks. When working at your job, work in such a way to bring glory to God, even if it is stocking shelves at the grocery store or cleaning bathrooms. When hanging out with your friends act in such a way to bring glory to God, even if the others are treating the servers at the restaurant in a terrible manner look at them and treat them as a child of God.

Now one thing I do think needs mentioning is that this is not easy, in fact Jesus said it was hard (Matthew 7:13-14), but it is a goal we should aim towards. The secret is that the more we focus towards God the easier it becomes. Now we will never be perfect and we are all bound to slip at times but that is where God’s grace and forgiveness comes in, which we will talk about next time.