# Church on PB



## etexas (Apr 15, 2007)

Ok! People Spiritually feed me today! I am not feeling well ( I get upper resp. stuff this time of year) so I am going to read my Bible and have Christian fellowship on the PB. Serious! Would you people rather I turn on Benny Hinn?


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## larryjf (Apr 15, 2007)

*Servants of Christ*​
[KJV]1 Cor 4[/KJV]

This text gives us great insight into the characteristics of a servant of Christ. Anyone can claim to serve Christ, but to know who a true servant of Christ is we must measure them against what the bible clearly defines as characteristics of His servants.

*A servant of Christ is to be a steward of the mysteries of God (v1)*
A steward is someone who takes care of the affairs of his masters house. The steward himself owns nothing, but manages the estate of his master. As a steward we are to manage the message and the resources that God has entrusted to us.

*A servant of Christ must be found faithful (v2)*
Right after Paul tells us that faithfulness is a requirement, he makes sure we understand that this can only be judged by God and not by man (vv3-5). It is not the judgment/praise of others or even ourselves that we should be seeking – but the judgment of God. A good steward understands that what his master thinks is the important thing.

*A servant of Christ learns by good examples (vv6-7)*
Paul tells us to use him as an example so that we will not go beyond what is written. When we start going beyond the message that we have been entrusted with we stop being a good steward.

A good steward would not pour a cup of wine for his master from the masters choice wine and add his own cheap wine to it. That would cheapen the entire glass of wine! So we should not add our teachings to God’s.

Paul tells us that doing so puffs us up against each other. It is a sure sign of pride to think that we can add to what God has said. And this pride sets brother against brother.

He goes on to tell us the foolishness of pride. Paul reminds us that God has given us all that we have. We have received, not earned our salvation. And because we received it, we cannot boast of it. All glory goes to God.

As we see humble Christians serving the Lord, we should learn from their example and be prompted to follow in the footsteps of those who follow Christ.

*A servant of Christ is poor in this world. (vv8-13)*
Many people think that the Christian life is a life of material wealth. I have even heard some say that if someone is poor it is because they lack faith. This kind of thinking is in direct contradiction of God’s word.

God’s word tells us that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to Heaven.

In the story of the rich man and poor Lazarus, it was Lazarus who went on to Heaven while the rich man suffered in the fires of Hell.

The word of God clearly teaches throughout that we should *not *focus on material wealth which corrodes and decays, but on the riches that have eternal weight – those that are found in Christ alone and are of great spiritual value.

Paul points to the wealth and power the Corinthians had *without *him. Then Paul contrasts this state of the Corinthians before they had Christ to the state of a servant of God.

When Paul describes the Christian he uses such terms as - condemned, a spectacle, fools, weak, dishonored, hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, beaten, homeless, filth of the world. This is a description of their condition.

He then goes on to describe the Christian character in these conditions – they work, bless, endure, entreat.

This is because our focus and satisfaction are not found in our condition, but in our relationship with Jesus Christ. And this relationship is on a very intimate level.

So from a worldly perspective we are poor indeed. But from a spiritual perspective we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3).

*A servant of Christ has paternal care for his disciples. (vv14-21)*
Paul concludes by telling them why he is writing these things to them – he cares for them as a father cares for his children. As a servant of Christ, Paul is motivated out of a paternal love that he has for the Corinthians. Any other motivation outside of Godly love is illegitimate.

A true Christian will never condemn others for sin because it makes them feel superior, they will not treat others with contempt.

A true Christian will interact with people out of the overflowing love that comes from Christ within him. This love of Christ is so great that it compelled Him to go to the cross and die for our sins. And as the scripture says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”( Jn 15:13).

There is no greater love than the love of Christ. And a true Christian will be compelled by this love.

*Conclusion*:
Let us consider the hope that God has called us to. It is an eternal hope, not a hope focused on the temporal things of this fallen world. We are called to a living faith in Jesus Christ who is at the right hand of the Father. Let us focus on those things that make us good servants of God, and dismiss those things that are self-centered and have no eternal weight. Some of you have already been called to the salvation that God has given us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Perhaps the Lord is calling others today to that same salvation. He sent His Son as a sacrifice for your sins. As we put our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will be conformed into the image of a blessed servant of Christ.


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## crhoades (Apr 15, 2007)

Get feeling well brother.

May some of Joel Beeke's sermons bless you today.


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## etexas (Apr 15, 2007)

trevorjohnson said:


> I would suggest sticking to Scripture in a quiet place rather than listenining to my uninspired babblings. I will pray for you today brother.


Trevor, I thought my King Jimmy and your "babbling" along with my Herbal Tea would make a great combo. Don't make turn to Hinn brother.


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## Semper Fidelis (Apr 15, 2007)

You can listen to my latest teaching on Romans 4 here:

http://www.baptistchurch.jp/teaching/Romans4-20070414.mp3


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## etexas (Apr 15, 2007)

SemperFideles said:


> You can listen to my latest teaching on Romans 4 here:
> 
> http://www.baptistchurch.jp/teaching/Romans4-20070414.mp3


Thank you Rich! My Sunday "services" might spill over into Thursday! But no complaints! If I can just get my wife to let the dog in and out I might learn a lot today!


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## etexas (Apr 15, 2007)

I miss Holy Communion but in a pinch this is not a bad way to get "Churchin" in a way! I am having good herbal tea! Great when you are sick, blueberry tea with honey. For those of you who want more vitamins and antioxidants blueberry is off the chart! So if you do no like carrots but want to feel less guilty........blueberry!


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## LadyFlynt (Apr 15, 2007)

It's flooding in VA right now...including a portion of the highway we use to travel down...and we aren't fighting city traffic on the alternate route. For some reason all those city ppl like to come out during a storm.

Good spiritual reading, listen to some of pastor's sermons later, and family time.


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## eternallifeinchrist (Apr 15, 2007)

*Snakes on a plain*

First I have to say that reading this fun! I love some of the phrases in Indonesian. 

I was reading this Scripture today. I found it so interesting that the people were bitten and then looked at the snake. I had read this before but thought it was more like everyone was running around to avoid the snakes and only the people who didn't get bitten were the ones staring at the bronze serpent. But like you say, the ones who got bitten were the ones who needed to look at the serpent. I liked your application about how we must believe in Jesus and look to him to be saved from our sin. I think it could be cool to act this out for the children's sermon or by the church drama group.

Kita tidak perlu wudlu, kita tidak perlu melakukan syolat, kita tidak perlu bekerja keras untuk menerima pahala. Kita tidak perlu naik haji. Hanya melihat dan percaya Yesus!
We don’t need wudlu (ritual washing), we don’t need to do syolat (ritual prayers), we don’t need to work hard to receive rewards. We don’t need to go on haj (pilgrimage). Only look and believe Jesus!

Juga, perhatikan! Orang lain tidak bisa melihat dan percaya untuk Anda. Ini kegiatan yang harus dilakukan sendiri. Anda tidak otomatis diselamatkan karena orang tua Anda sudah melihat dan percaya Yesus. 
Too, pay attention! Another person cannot look and believe for you. This activity must be done by yourself. You are not automatically saved because your parents looked and believed Jesus.

Keselamatan tidak diturunkan dari orang tua kepada anak-anaknya. Anda harus melihat dan percaya Yesus secara pribadi. Jangan memakai KTP yang mencantumkan “Agama Kristen” sebagai bukti keselamatan. Kita semua hanya punya satu harapan untuk keselamatan – melihat patung ular tembaga itu dan percaya secara pribadi.
Salvation isn’t passed down from parents to children. You must look and believe Jesus personally. Don’t use your Identity Card which attaches “Religion: Christian” as proof of salvation. We all only have 1 hope for salvation – look at the status of that serpent of bronze and believe personally.

*(5) Hal yang kelima – hal yang terakhir: (5) The 5th thing – the final thing:*

Akhirnya, karena kita sudah diselamatkan, mari kita meninggikan, mari kita menunjukkan, mari kita memperlihatkan Yesus kepada semua orang. 
Finally, because we are already saved, let us lift up, let us point, let us show Jesus to all people.

Sama seperti Musa telah meninggikan ular tembaga di tiang, dan sama seperti Anak Manusia telah ditinggikan di tiang salib, mari kita meninggikan nama Yesus di seluruh dunia. 
*Just like Moses already lifted up the snake of bronze on the pole, and just like the Son of Man already was lifted up on the pole/cross, let us lift up the name of Jesus in all the world.*
Mari kita menyebarkan Kabar Baik tentang Yesus kepada semua orang dan semua tempat. Pada zaman kuno, Nabi Musa meninggikan ular tembaga di gurun pasir. Di zaman ini, mari kita mengangkat nama Yesus di padang gurun dunia ini!
Let us spread the Good News about Jesus to all people and all places. In that ancient age, Prophet Moses lifted up the snake of bronze in the desert wilderness. In this age, let us lift the name of Jesus in the desert of this world.



Seperti tertulis dalam Yesaya 45:33
Like was written in Isaiah 45:22
Berpalinglah kepada-Ku dan biarkanlah dirimu diselamatkan, hai ujung-ujung bumi! Sebab Akulah Allah dan tidak ada yang lain.
*“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”​*
TAMAT​[/QUOTE]


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## BlackCalvinist (Apr 16, 2007)

Option #1 - http://www.gchurch.org/media.html

Option #2 - http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/

Option #3 - http://theologicallycorrect.com/index.php/?p=67


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