How to Study the Bible - Week 7 Session 1

A good one! I hope you guys are doing well, and thankfully, you are here. In spite of the last time that we were together, I dumped a whole bunch of stuff upon you about Bible arcing. I don't know if you've thought any more about that or had nightmares since then.

I had a great trip over the last week. I got back late Saturday night from the Philippines. Pastor Lance Ralston, who spoke here over the summer, and one of the other pastors on their staff joined me. We went and spoke at a church leaders conference in the Philippines. It was awesome to see that our church was instrumental in planting or helping launch a number of Calvary Chapel churches in the Philippines in the 1980s and 1990s. That was really when Calvary Chapel started doing a lot of work in the Philippines, and now there are about 80 Calvary Chapels there.

There were about 200 people at that conference, so it was a real blessing to be a part of that. We went through the book of Philippians in the Philippines. This was actually the second time that I've taught the book of Philippians there. I went to the Philippines in early 2008 and taught through the book of Philippians at the Calvary Chapel Bible College extension campus in Dumaguete.

Thank you for your prayers as we were traveling, because it is quite a trip to get there. If you've ever traveled to Asia, you know we had an 11-hour flight from LAX to Japan, followed by a brief layover, and then a four-hour flight to the Philippines. After that, we had about a five-hour drive to our destination. A few days later, we took another six-hour bus ride up into the mountains of the Philippines to do the conference.

It was a great time, although you may have heard in the news that there was a typhoon going on there at the time. Fortunately, that was a bit south of us. However, this does not look like rain in comparison to the rain we saw while we were there. This is like a light drizzle compared to the buckets that were coming down.

Thank you again for your prayers. Why don't we begin tonight in prayer? Let's pray together. Father God, I thank you for the opportunity and the privilege to gather together again to consider this topic of studying the Scriptures. Lord, you have called us to study to show ourselves approved unto you as workmen and workwomen who are not ashamed, rightly dividing...

Your Word of Truth, and I pray that over the last couple of months, as we've been going through the Scriptures together and considering different methodologies for studying the Scriptures, you have ignited a flame, a desire in the hearts of those that are here to study Your Word and get to know You—who You are, how You have revealed Yourself, and what not only is Your nature but Your will.

Lord, I pray that by Your Spirit, You would help us to walk out the things that we learn as we read through the Scriptures devotionally or read through them with a purpose. However we get into the Scriptures, whether it's in a group or by ourselves, God, I pray that You would do a work in us, transforming us by the renewing of our minds so that we would be able to show in our lives on a daily basis what is Your good and perfect will.

So God, work out Your will in us as we work out our salvation. I pray that You would cause the fruit of the Spirit to be abundant in our lives, that it would be evident to us and everyone we come into contact with that we have Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness—all those things that we read of in Galatians 5. So God, continue Your work in us, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen."

As I've started every single time, you knew this slide was coming: Why this class? Our whole goal in this is that we might access the Scriptures ourselves and, in order that we might make them accessible to others. Over the last couple of months, we've looked at a number of different ways to do this—to access the Scriptures ourselves through devotional Bible study using that acronym TIPS.

We look for the truths to believe and the truths to do—the things to believe, the things to do, the commands, and the doctrines in the Scripture. The "I" in TIPS is to examine myself in light of those truths. Then "P" is to pray and plan to obey, and the "S" is with the Spirit's help. So we're always seeking to try to apply the Scriptures to our lives.

I may not have mentioned this, but the temptation is for us to read the Scriptures and try to apply them to everybody else other than ourselves. We need to make sure that we begin first by examining ourselves because it's really easy for us to read the Scriptures and say, "Gosh, you know, my spouse needs to hear this," or "My brother really needs to know this truth." But God wants to speak to us, and He wants us to be transformed. So that's devotional.

Bible study is purposeful. It involves reading the scriptures through a specific lens of a question or a series of questions. This is generally what you do when you're trying to learn about a topic in the passage or a doctrine. For example, you might ask, "What does the Bible teach about salvation? What does it teach about glorification? What does it teach about the Holy Spirit?" You are looking for specific things, approaching the scriptures with a purpose.

In addition to this, word studies can be beneficial. You can examine two different passages of scripture to see how a word is used in one passage compared to another. Using free tools like Blue Letter Bible allows you to delve deeper into the text and understand what is being conveyed.

Inductive Bible study involves breaking a passage of scripture apart and looking for various elements. First, you focus on observation, asking the who, what, when, and where. Next is interpretation, which addresses the why of the passage. Finally, application asks what we are to put into practice in our lives. This process can be summarized as observation, interpretation, and application: what does the text say, what does it mean, and what does it mean for me or for us?

A couple of weeks ago, I discussed Bible arcing, sharing that primarily to show you how to break apart a passage of scripture. The goal is that the points you share with someone else logically stem from the passage. If we are going to share a passage of scripture, we want the application, exhortation, or challenge we present to come directly from the text.

This leads us into tonight's discussion. Why this class? It is so that we might learn to access the scriptures in order to make them accessible to others. In my class at the Bible College, this is where I would transition from what we call hermeneutics, which we have been studying for the last couple of months. Hermeneutics involves how to study and interpret the text, which includes exegesis. If you have read through the book, you may have encountered these concepts.

We have explored various tools for exegesis and hermeneutics—two significant terms for digging into and studying the text to understand what it says, what it means, and what it means for us. At this point in my class at the Bible College, we move into homiletics. Hermeneutics is about how to study.

The Scriptures provide the foundation for interpreting passages, and homiletics is the art of taking that interpretation and sharing it in a message. It involves proclaiming and preaching the Word, making it accessible to others. At the Bible College, I would spend about five weeks going through various steps on how to craft a Bible study. Perhaps in the future, we will offer a class on developing a Bible study, but that is not the focus of this class. Our primary aim has been to study the Bible itself.

I want to emphasize that even if you do not feel called to the role of teaching or preaching, every single one of you, as Christians, is called to proclaim the Scriptures to others. This task is not limited to pastors, leaders, or clergy. It is not just the responsibility of missionaries and evangelists to share the gospel; it is the call of every Christian who has put their trust in Christ and become a follower of Him. If you are going to be an obedient follower of Jesus, which is what a disciple is, then you must proclaim the Scriptures to others.

We know this because Jesus commanded us in Mark 16:15, which we looked at several weeks ago: "Go into all the world and preach." The Greek word "kērusso" means to proclaim, announce, preach, herald, and tell. We are to go into all the world and proclaim, tell, preach, and share the gospel—the good news—to every creature. This is not a suggestion; it is a commission. As has been said many times before, this is not the Great Suggestion; it is the Great Commission.

Another passage that illustrates this is Matthew 28, which I shared with you in the first week of our class. We examined the different commissions found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the book of Acts, where Jesus sends His disciples. He said, "As the Father has sent Me, so I send you. 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 things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always."

Even to the end of the age, that last clause where Jesus says, "And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age," is one of the things that we should all take great hope and joy in. When I say that every one of you is called to share, proclaim, tell, or teach the good news of the Gospel, some of you may feel a little trepidation or fear. Yet, Jesus assures us, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

We have the Spirit of God abiding with us, and in various places in Scripture, we are told that He will give us the words to say. He will quicken us in that right moment. In fact, when Jesus says that the Spirit will give us the words in that very hour, the context is pretty amazing. The context is when you are being persecuted and put in a position of having to potentially deny the faith to live or face death as a martyr. How will you speak in that moment? Maybe you've had that thought before; I certainly have. I often wonder if I would be able to stand firm in such a situation.

Jesus says, "Listen, I will give you the words to speak in that moment." If He will do that in the face of martyrdom, then you can be guaranteed that He will quicken you to give you the words to speak when your neighbor is talking with you, perhaps when you bump into them while going out to the mailbox and start up a conversation.

Interestingly, the word translated "witness" in the New Testament is the Greek word "marturus," from which we get our word "martyr." So, a martyr is a witness. God has given us His Holy Spirit. Jesus said in Acts 1:8, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my martyrs, witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth."

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. It is interesting; I teach another class at the Bible College on church planting, and we start that class with this text, along with Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, and Acts 1:8, where we have these commissions from Jesus.

Jesus gives His disciples a commission to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature and make disciples. How did they work that out? What did they do? The fascinating thing that happens is that as you follow the disciples, you can see how they carried out what Jesus commissioned them to do in the New Testament.

Interpreted, "Go into all the world and make disciples," was that ultimately they established and planted churches everywhere they went. This brings up the question: what is a church? We will look at that here in just a moment.

The word that is translated as "church" in the New Testament is first used by Jesus in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 16. In this chapter, He has a conversation with His disciples in the northern part of the nation of Israel, right before a very pagan worship center. He asks them, "Who do men say that I am?" They respond, "Well, some say you are a prophet, some say you're Elijah, some say you're this, some say that." Then He asks, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter, always the spokesman, speaks up and says, "You're the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

Jesus replies, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And listen, upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it." There is a lot in that whole statement because right where they were was a place called the Gates of Hell, a very interesting location in the northern part of Israel.

There have been many discussions in the church for 2,000 years about exactly what the rock is. The Roman Catholic Church says the rock is Peter. If you go to Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome today, you will be told that the necropolis, the City of the Dead underneath, contains the tomb of Peter, and Saint Peter's Basilica is built on that rock. This is a very literal interpretation. I tend to say that the rock is that statement: "You're the Christ, the Son of the Living God." We see that come up in a number of places in the Gospels and in the New Testament, where it is very important.

Notice that Jesus says, "I will build my church." The Greek word "Ecclesia" means a community, a gathering, an assembly, or a congregation. It is not a building; it is not a 501(c)(3) organization. It is an entity; it is the body of believers. The church, therefore, is the gathering together, the assembly, the congregation, the community.

But what is it that makes a church a church in the New Testament sense? The word that Jesus used for church is a common Greek word in other Greek literature outside of the Bible from that period of time, used to speak of an assembly or gathering of people. So, what makes a church in the New Testament?

The concept of a church is deeply rooted in the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus. I appreciate the work of a ministry out of Washington, D.C., called Nine Marks. This organization is led by Mark Dever, the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church. He is a great Bible teacher and has written some excellent books. The work that Mark Dever has done for the Kingdom of God is truly commendable, and he is making a significant impact in Washington, D.C.

Nine Marks focuses on the nine marks of a healthy church, exploring what a biblical church looks like. They emphasize that these nine marks are essential, although one could certainly discuss more aspects of a church. The first and foremost marker of a church in the New Testament is preaching. Preaching is central and key to the church throughout the New Testament. In fact, every church mentioned in the New Testament began with people who went out and proclaimed the gospel, fulfilling Jesus's commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and then to make disciples of every nation.

Preaching has always been central to the church. We see this from the very beginning, as illustrated in Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit came upon the earliest disciples, and Peter preached in Jerusalem. Notice that preaching was central to the establishment of the church. After Peter's sermon, Acts 2:42 tells us that the believers continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine or teaching, the breaking of bread, and fellowship.

The breaking of bread involves both fellowship with one another and sharing meals together, which includes hospitality. It is also partaking in the Eucharist, or communion. The apostles' doctrine, breaking of bread, and fellowship—known as Koinonia—are not merely about socializing; they involve sharing, caring for one another, and fulfilling the "one another" commands of the New Testament. These commands include praying for one another, loving one another, and exhorting one another, which is a significant teaching in itself.

Another aspect, especially in the New Testament, is that we are to fulfill Koinonia Fellowship. The early church continued in the apostles' doctrine, teaching, breaking bread, fellowship, and prayers. They continued daily with one another from house to house and in the temple, sharing meals together. Acts chapter 2 illustrates this well.

Preaching is always central to the church as we see it presented in the New Testament. This is one of the things that sets it apart from other assemblies. The word "church," or "Ecclesia" in Greek, was used to refer to guilds, such as those of coppersmiths and silversmiths. They were a gathering, but what made the Church of Jesus Christ unique or distinct? One of the key elements is preaching.

What did they preach? This leads us to the next mark that we see within churches: Biblical theology. We ground what we believe about who God is and what God has called us to in the text of Scripture, the Bible, which we believe is given by inspiration of God. It is useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, so that the man or woman of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Thus, preaching is central and distinctive of a New Testament church, or a healthy church. What is it that they preach? They preach Biblical theology, and we will discuss this further. Additionally, they teach and preach the gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ. This will be elaborated on as we continue tonight. The church heralds this message as a core focus of its mission because Jesus commissioned us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

A New Testament church is distinct in its preaching of Biblical theology and the gospel, and it preaches the gospel for a purpose. The purpose is conversion. The New Testament church believes in the transformation that occurs in the individual who receives the gospel, hears the gospel, and then believes or trusts in Jesus Christ. In that process, there is a conversion—a turning, a repentance. Therefore, a New Testament church is distinct in its preaching of Biblical theology.

They preach the Gospel for conversion, and therefore, since we believe that through the preaching of the Gospel there is conversion, a Biblical church is unique and distinct. Through evangelism, the church goes forth to share the good news. That's what evangelism is: Evangelion, to declare the good news to all people, every creature. All nations is the call and commission the church has been given.

Evangelism is a part of a church, and if you are preaching a Biblical theology and the Gospel for conversion, and you are evangelizing, then when people turn in repentance and faith to Christ to trust in Him, they become members of the body of Christ. Membership is core to the church.

Now, when I say membership, some of you came to Cross-Connection Church from a church that had a more formal membership process or more formal membership roles. They had all kinds of different steps to become a member of that church. Calvary Chapel churches have a pretty casual membership. We kind of see it like this: if you join with the body of Christ and you are committed to this local church through prayer, being a part of the gatherings of the body, and service, contributing to the body, you're a member. You become a member by engaging with the body of Christ. We do not have a formal membership process.

Now, because we don't have a formal membership process, this next step, which is a reality even in our church, can sometimes be a little bit more of a challenge. One of the things you see in New Testament churches, and churches ever since the church started, is that because there is membership, there is also discipline. Churches in the New Testament exercise what's called church discipline. This means that those who do not follow the Biblical theology that the church is teaching and preaching, and that theology should be based directly in the Scriptures and not just in the opinions of the eldership or the structure of the church, will face discipline.

We believe that it comes straight from the Scriptures. If you're not living in line with the Scriptures and it is known and public, there will be discipline. Even at our church, we exercise church discipline, and I'm very grateful it's not something we have to do frequently. However, there are times when there is a public display of disobedience in a person's life, and it is perpetual and continual.

An area where we would call to them, just like Jesus instructed us to do privately and then maybe with another person if they did not turn back to the Lord. However, if it comes to a point that they refuse to return to walk in obedience to Christ, then there will be church discipline, and we will ask someone to no longer fellowship at this church.

The challenge in our day is that a lot of times, when that happens, they just drive down the street and go to a different church and plug right in. It is very rare that we find out about that. I will say, and our pastors have been a part of this, there have been times when we hear that someone whom we have exercised church discipline against and disfellowshipped from the church has gone to another church. We have had to call that church and say, "Hey, just to let you know who this person is." I have good relationships with a lot of pastors in our area, and I have had those conversations before. They say, "I appreciate that. Thank you for the call, and we will deal with that accordingly."

So, church discipline is part of a healthy biblical church. Of course, Jesus commissioned us to engage in discipleship. Discipleship is the process through the preaching and teaching of biblical theology, where a person's life begins to be transformed through the Word of God by the Spirit of God. They become an obedient follower of Jesus. That's a very long statement on it, but that's basically what discipleship is. It is a process; it doesn't happen instantly or overnight. We are all being discipled together through the Word of God by the Spirit of God so that we might grow more and more into the image of God, the likeness of Christ.

That's what we want. We want to be discipled in such a way that our lives begin to look more like His life through His teaching. A New Testament church has preaching; they preach biblical theology, the gospel for conversion. Therefore, evangelism is core. Those who receive the gospel trust in Christ, repent, and turn to Him in faith. In conversion, they become a part of the body of Christ, which means there may be discipline, and they are discipled. One of the goals is to lead people in discipleship unto leadership. A New Testament church, and this is one of the core focal points of the Reformation, is the priesthood of all believers.

I want to take a moment to boast a little about the upbringing I had within the Calvary Chapel movement. I am very grateful for the fact that Calvary Chapel manifested, in a very beautiful way, the priesthood of all believers. Pastor Jason, Pastor Mark, Pastor Garrett, Pastor Nick, and all the pastors at this church are products of that. It is a beautiful thing that the leadership of our church, and most Calvary Chapel churches, is raised up from within the church. There is no expectation that you need to obtain a theological degree at a seminary to be a servant within the body of Christ, or even to be an elder or a pastor. This is quite distinct for Calvary Chapel within Protestant Christian circles.

Many Protestant Christian churches, whether non-denominational or even denominational, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, expect some level of education at a Bible college or seminary to be in the ministry. We believe that God calls the people within the church to do the work of the ministry, as stated in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 11 and onward. Jesus gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry. It is not solely the responsibility of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to do the work of the ministry; they equip the saints—that's you, if you're a follower of Jesus—to do the work of the ministry.

There was a question very early on in our class about the roles of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher in Ephesians chapter 4. We could spend a lot of time discussing those roles, but they are less important than their task. All of them share the same task: to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. So, what is the test of their ministry? It is not the impressive prophecies they make or the number of converts they win through their evangelism. The true measure is whether they are equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry.

These nine marks are key to a healthy New Testament church. They are distinctive of a church. While there could be more said, and I have heard others discuss the New Testament church, one of the key points worth highlighting is that it is somewhat common for you to...

I interact with people in Protestant Christian circles today who say, "I hung out with some other Christians at Starbucks, and we had church." No, not exactly. You fellowshipped with other Christians; you had Koinonia, but that's not a church necessarily, not in a New Testament sense.

There is a way in which, over the last 10 to 15 years, I have watched churches morph in America. There is this sense that anytime you get Christians together anywhere for pizza or something, they say, "We had church." Or someone claims, "I have church by myself." No, that's not possible because the very word "church" means the gathering or assembly. Unless you have multiple personality disorder, you are not the church individually. If you do, we probably need to get you some help.

So, recognize that there are marks of a church, and it is our aim to be a biblically healthy church and to walk out these things. I want you to notice that of these nine marks, six of them are very much connected to the whole idea of proclamation. Two-thirds of those nine things are connected to this idea of proclamation or heralding. I think it is biblically accurate to say you cannot have a biblical church without preaching, proclamation, and the public witness of the saints.

As I already said and will dig more into this, every single one of us is called by God, as followers of Jesus and disciples, to preach, proclaim, herald, teach, and share the good news of the Gospel within whatever sphere of influence God entrusts to us. I say that very purposefully because I have had conversations with newer converts who say, "God has called me to be on the platform and preach and teach." I respond, "Well, when you are faithful in the small things that God has given to you, He will expand your influence."

If you start in Jerusalem, the very nearest thing to you, He will move you out to Judea, Samaria, and the innermost parts of your life. But if you're not faithful in the little things, in sharing with those interactions, you will not see that expansion.

With your neighbor, co-worker, or family member, do not anticipate or expect that God will give you more. He just won't. He is looking for us to be faithful in the little things. However, He has called every single one of you to be involved in sharing the good news of the Gospel and the biblical theology that you glean as you study the Scriptures.

All of what I've done for the last two months is to prepare you for this mindset. God has called every single one of you to be involved in this work—to share the good news through evangelism with whoever God gives you the opportunity or privilege to share that good news with. You are also called to share the teaching of the Scriptures. What you learn when you sit under teaching here, what you learn when you study the Scriptures on your own, or when someone asks you a question about your faith, should motivate you to work diligently to find the right answer to that question. Always be ready to give a defense, an apologia, for the hope that you have within you. You can share with someone why you believe what you believe, and that understanding comes as you study the Scriptures, as we've been looking at for a while.

Proclamation is essential. Proclamation is central to the church. We see that six of the nine things I listed have some connection to this idea of proclamation and preaching. Every single one of us has been called to this and exhorted to proclaim and preach. As I said a moment ago, this is not the Great Suggestion; it is the Great Commission. It is for all Christians, not just the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, ministers, or clergymen—those who are ordained or those who have a Master of Theology or a Master of Divinity. No, it is for every single one of you to share what you know of the Gospel with those you interact with.

Again, that might give you a sense in which you feel a little flush and your heart rate increases a little bit. But I love the passage in the Gospel of John, chapter 9, when Jesus heals the man who was born blind. As he is being questioned about how he was healed and who healed him, and all the theology surrounding this by the religious leaders of the day, he said, "I don't know any of those answers. All I know is I was blind, and now I see." That is a sufficient message to share.

All I know is this: if you take the step of faith, trusting that God will enable you to do so by His Spirit, and share the gospel with a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, what you know will increase. You will be driven to study the Scriptures more because you will want to be able to share with people. That's exactly what has happened in my life, and I think I could speak for the other pastors here on staff and the other people who are teaching within our church. Their desire to dig deeper into the Word really came as they started to exercise faith by sharing the gospel or sharing the Word with someone else. It compelled them to say, "I don't know the answers to these things, and I better dig into the Word."

That's what happened in my life; that's how I ended up doing what I have done for the last 23 years. Proclamation is essential, and it is what Jesus did. He is our chief example. In Matthew 4:17, it says, "From that time Jesus began to proclaim, preaching, saying, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'" The word "preach" is used there, but it is this Greek word "kerusso," which has a wide spectrum of meaning: to proclaim, to tell, to announce, to herald, to preach, to declare.

It may be sharing one-on-one, like Jesus did with the woman at the well or Nicodemus when he came to Him by night. Or it may be sharing with an entire multitude of people, like Jesus did in the Sermon on the Mount, and all the different things in between. There are ways in which the Spirit of God desires that we share the message of biblical theology, the gospel, for the purpose of seeing people turn to Christ in conversion. That's why we evangelize.

I love this passage in Mark's Gospel, chapter 1, verse 38. Mark's Gospel moves really quickly, and in chapter 1, Jesus is already healing people, and multitudes are starting to follow Him. His disciples go looking for Him early in the morning, and they finally find Him praying. They are excited because they think this is going to take off, and their shares are going to go through the roof. They are employees number one and two, and they are going to benefit from this whole thing. But Jesus says, "Hey, we're going to leave this town, and we're going to go to other places."

Jesus said, "Let us go to the next towns" (Mark 1:38), "that I may preach, herald, teach, announce, proclaim—whatever word you want to use—that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I came forth." I love this. I've shared this a number of times here at the church. On my notes app on my phone, pinned to the top of all the thousands of notes that I have, is a section called the purpose statements of Jesus. This is one of them from Mark 1:38, where Jesus plainly states, "This is why I came."

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. I've come to give my life a ransom for many. I have come that you may have life and that more abundantly. There are about a dozen times in the Gospels where Jesus explicitly states, "This is my purpose." Every organization, every business has a purpose statement; every church has a purpose statement. One of Jesus' purpose statements, earliest in the Gospel of Mark, is, "I have come to preach. I have come to proclaim."

This is not only what Jesus did; it is also what Jesus instructed His followers to do. Jesus proclaimed and preached, and He told His disciples that they were to do the same. In Mark 10, we have the story of where Jesus first sends His disciples two by two out to share the good news with the lost sheep of the House of Israel. This is His first commission of His disciples.

Mark 10:5 says, "These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying, 'Do not go by the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter the city of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, preach.'" What are they going to preach? "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

If you read Matthew 3, one of the first New Testament preachers was a crazy-looking guy named John the Baptist. What did he preach? "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." What did Jesus preach in Matthew 4? "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." What did He commission His earliest disciples to do? "Go and preach, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

He instructed His followers to preach. In Mark 3:14, it says, "He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach." They were going to spend time with the Lord, and they were going to go out and preach. One of the beautiful things that is said about the early church...

Religious leaders were interrogating the early followers and apostles of Jesus. They said they could tell that these individuals had been with Jesus; they had spent a lot of time with Him and knew His teachings. He was their Rabbi, who taught them and then sent them out to preach.

In Mark chapter 16, verse 15, it is written, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." In Acts chapter 10, verse 42, one of the disciples, Peter, states that Jesus commanded them to preach to the people and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to judge the living and the dead. Peter emphasizes that they are doing this because their Rabbi instructed them to go and preach.

Proclamation and preaching are essential because it is what Jesus did, what He instructed His followers to do, and what the apostles did. The term "Apostle" means one sent with a message. Generally, apostles would be involved in pioneering works; they are like the first in, akin to the Marine Corps, bringing the gospel and heralding the message.

If you want to see a modern-day Apostle, one of the best pictures of this is a pioneer missionary—someone sent with a message to a group of people who have not yet received it. There are other ways to discuss the word "Apostle," but this is one of the major aspects.

In Colossians chapter 1, verse 28, it states, "Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." Paul speaks here about preaching Christ and teaching. We will explore the difference between teaching and preaching shortly, but here he joins them together.

He emphasizes that they are preaching Christ, warning every individual, which involves exhortation and bringing conviction. Teaching every man in all wisdom aims for conversion and transformation, so they might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. This is what Jesus did, what He instructed His followers to do, and what the apostles did.

In 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 2, Paul said to Timothy, "Preach the word."

It's a command: preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, and exhort with all long-suffering and teaching. This is what Jesus did; it is what Jesus instructed His followers to do. It's what the apostles did, and it's what the apostles instructed others to do. We take it a step further: it is what the apostles commissioned their followers to train others to do.

I love this passage of Scripture in Second Timothy, chapter 2, verse 2. I may have shared it before, but it's such a great passage. Paul is writing to Timothy, so we have the first generation. Paul says in Second Timothy 2:2, "And the things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful individuals who will be able to teach others also." There's a lot going on there. You could spend a while just thinking through what Paul is saying in that passage.

The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. This is how the church has grown organically for two thousand years, to the point that today Christianity is the largest religion on the face of the planet. More than 2.3 billion people identify themselves as Christians of every kind of flavor, color, and denomination. When it comes down to it, they name themselves by the name of Christ; they identify themselves as followers of Christ.

So, why are we doing this class? To fulfill the commission of Jesus and to fulfill what Timothy was told by Paul in that passage. As long as Jesus remains in heaven and has not called us home or established His kingdom here on Earth, what will the church be doing? Heralding, proclaiming, teaching, preaching, and telling the good news of the gospel for the conversion of individuals to turn to Christ through their evangelistic endeavors. Every single one of you is called to that. It's not just my task; in fact, my task is simply to equip you to do that in your neighborhood, in your home, at the workplace you work at, on the school campus you're at, or wherever you may be. I aim to equip you so that you can more effectively do that because you interact with others.

With far more people than I could ever reach alone, we see the multiplication of the church continuing to spread further and further. You are called to this work, and the whole purpose of what I've been doing for the past two months is to bring you to this point. I want to emphasize that we need you to be engaged. Some of you already are, but some of you are not, and it's time to get into the game.

He has called you to do this. Since it is what Jesus did, what He instructed His followers to do, and what the apostles did, it is also what the apostles instructed others to do. The apostles commissioned their followers to train others. Therefore, Paul says in First Corinthians, "For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me!" I shared what "woe" means a couple of weeks ago: destruction is certain. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. Paul took this very seriously—the work that God had called him to do and the work that He has called us to do.

So, why do we preach and proclaim? We have been commissioned to do it. It's what Jesus did, what He instructed His disciples to do, and what the apostles did. Here are some reasons why we do this. First, we proclaim and preach for conviction. We share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is not only the good news but also the good news in contrast to the bad news. The good news is only good news when you also have the bad news.

As we preach evangelistically, a Biblical theology telling the good news of Christ, we must also convey the bad news, which is the reality of the fallenness and sinfulness of humanity. In Acts chapter 2, that's what Peter did on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church. As he proclaimed and preached the gospel, it says that all the people listening were cut to the heart. That's conviction—the arrow of truth goes right through the armor that you might put up. They were cut to the heart and they said to...

The disciples asked, "What should we do?" At that point, he called them to salvation, to repent, believe, and be baptized. In Acts chapter 7, we have a very similar situation occurring with one of the early disciples, a man named Stephen. He is sharing a long message, and as he does, it says that those who are hearing him were cut to the heart. However, it also states that they stopped their ears and gnashed at him with their teeth.

Recognize that you do not always receive the best response or reaction when you share the good news of the Gospel. There will be people who receive it; they will be cut to the heart, and their response will be repentance and faith. Conversely, there will be others who revile, persecute, and become angry. They killed Stephen; they stoned him to death because they were cut to the heart. That conviction hurts. You probably remember some points in your life before you put your faith in Christ when there was painful conviction of sin that brought you to faith.

In 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 2, Paul says to Timothy, "Preach the word." He instructs him to be ready at all times, to convince, rebuke, and exhort with all long-suffering. The word "convince" means to share the message in such a way that it brings conviction and rebukes wrong behavior. This is the reality: we proclaim and preach for conviction.

In Titus chapter 1, verse 9, Paul writes about holding fast to the faithful word as he has been taught, so that he may be able, by sound doctrine, to exhort and convict those who contradict. This is Paul's message to Titus regarding raising up leaders within the church. He emphasizes that those leaders need to be skilled at convicting those who contradict.

We proclaim and preach for conviction, and we also proclaim and preach for conversion. We want to see people convicted so that they would turn to Christ. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 contains a wonderful summation of the Gospel, where Paul clearly and distinctly states, "This is the simple message of the Gospel: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, he was buried, and he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

Seen by witnesses, that's the most basic formulation of what we're talking about when we discuss the gospel. Just before he says that, he states, "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel, the good news which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved." It is by the gospel that we are saved if you hold fast to the word which I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain. Again, that is two verses right there that you could spend a month meditating upon. If you have questions, text them to me. It's First Corinthians 15:1-2. Text any questions to the phone number on the screen, and we'll get to them a little bit later.

In Acts chapter 16, there is a great passage of Scripture where Paul and Silas go to the city of Philippi. They are there trying to share the gospel, and after a while, Paul gets upset, frustrated, and ticked off. I love that passage because it reveals that even apostles like Paul get angry. There is a servant girl who has a demon and keeps following them around, causing problems. The girl followed Paul and cried out, "These men are servants of the Most High who proclaim to us the way of salvation."

Now, why would Paul rebuke her if she is speaking truth? They proclaim to us the way of salvation, but she is not exactly the kind of witness that you want. She was known by the people there to have some major issues and problems. Ultimately, she was delivered and became a great witness after being freed from demonic influence. However, what she was saying was still true: they proclaimed to us the way of salvation.

So, we proclaim and preach for conversion, that people might know how they can be saved. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13 states, "In Him, in Christ, you also trusted after you heard the word of the truth of the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." The gospel is called the good news of your salvation; it's the message of salvation.

We preach and proclaim for conviction, but we also preach and proclaim for comfort. Romans 15, verse 4 says, "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience..."

The comfort of the Scriptures provides hope when you are convicted because of your sin. When you turn to Christ in trust, you are saved and converted. For all intents and purposes, in the physical realm, nothing happened to you. How do you know anything happened? Through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures, we have hope that we who have trusted in Christ, based on His proclamation, are declared righteous and made righteous.

Some of you, when you first trusted in Christ, had an emotional experience and felt a significant weight lifted. However, for many people, including myself, there was none of that. I don’t remember when I prayed to receive Christ; I was told that I did so by myself when I was about three or four years old. That’s kind of weird. Apparently, it happened after Bible class. I don’t remember anything before the age of five, which has been a great comfort to me in parenting. I figured that if I don’t remember much, then my children won’t remember anything before five.

I don’t recall having any sort of emotional experience or feeling a weight lifted, but I know some people who did. I know some individuals who, when they prayed to receive Christ, experienced a major weight being lifted. Yet, our ultimate comfort and hope come from the Scriptures. That is why Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 4:18, says, "Therefore comfort one another with these words." It is such an important message that he reiterates it two more times in chapter 5, verse 11: "Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing." He mentions it again a few verses later in verse 17. He keeps emphasizing the need to comfort one another with these words.

This is also one of the "one another" passages of the Bible. The Scriptures are given so that we might have comfort and share comfort with one another. We proclaim and preach for conviction, conversion, and comfort. We share for edification, the building up of the body of Christ. As it says in 1 Corinthians 14:3, "The person who proclaims the word speaks edification."

They also speak of exhortation, so I'm not putting this on my list. Exhortation, along with edification, is also not on my list, but equipping is one of the reasons we proclaim and preach in heralding. I'm just giving you some of the probably twenty different things that we could find in the Scriptures where the Scriptures are preached and proclaimed for conviction, conversion, comfort, edification, and transformation.

It is through the Word of God that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. The Word of God transforms us; the washing of the water of the Word sanctifies us. Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them by Your truth" (John 17:17). "Your Word is truth." We are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) so that we might show or display in our lives what is God's good and perfect will. We are transformed by the Scriptures, washed by the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:25), and sanctified by the Word of Christ (John 17:17).

For conviction, conversion, comfort, edification, transformation, equipping, and exhortation, you can go down the list. There are a whole bunch of different passages, but here are five different things that we preach and proclaim. What is it that we are proclaiming? What is it that we are heralding and telling people?

First, we proclaim the Kingdom of God and Heaven. Jesus said to His disciples, "You are going to go and declare, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'" Now, there are discussions among people about whether there is a difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. They are used synonymously in the Scriptures, and I don't think you can make a great case for there being a significant difference between the two.

However, we are to go and herald and proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. I already noted Matthew 10:7: "As you go, preach, proclaim, herald, teach, saying, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'" In Luke 9:60, He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Notice that the Kingdom of Heaven is mentioned in Matthew, while the Kingdom of God is mentioned in Luke. There is a reason for this distinction between Matthew and Luke; I believe Matthew was writing to a predominantly Hebrew audience.

A Jewish audience is being addressed, but Luke is redirecting his message to a predominantly Greek audience. He refers to the kingdom of Theos, or God, because they shared a common understanding of chaos, or God. However, they did not have a common understanding of the Jewish idea of heaven or Paradise. This is why he uses a different word, even though they are used synonymously.

So, what does it mean to preach the kingdom? What does it mean to preach heaven? One of the key aspects is to preach the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Ascension of Jesus Christ, and the return of Jesus Christ to establish His eternal and righteous reign. Let me say that again: to preach the kingdom of God is to preach the resurrection of Jesus. He died on the cross, was placed in a tomb, and three days later, He rose from the dead. He was seen by witnesses.

We preach the resurrection of Jesus. We preach the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, where He is now alive and seated at the right hand of glory. He will one day return again to establish His rule and reign. Implicit in this idea of resurrection, Ascension, and return is the coming future judgment. If you read through the book of Acts, you will see that the speakers, teachers, or preachers are constantly discussing the future judgment that is to come. They often talk about the resurrection, and when they do, people frequently shut their minds off. Sound familiar? This is not new.

For example, when Paul began to talk about the resurrection, he encountered resistance. A good example of this is found in Acts chapter 17, where Paul is in the city of Athens, speaking with the intelligentsia. He delivers a beautiful sermon, pointing these heathen, pagan Athenians to Christ and God. Then he discusses the future judgment of the one who rose from the dead. He is talking about resurrection, Ascension, return, and judgment. At that point, they balked at him, dismissed him, and said, "Ah, whatever."

In fact, I even noted this in my notes. In Acts chapter 17, verse 30, this is part of Paul's message, the climax of his homily, if you will.

Truly, these times of ignorance got overlooked, but now He commands all men everywhere to repent. Why? Because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained, and has given us assurance by raising Him from the dead.

To preach the kingdom is to preach the resurrection, ascension, and return of Christ. We must recognize that when we do so, there will be many people who do not listen to us, especially in the 21st-century Western world. When we talk about a resurrected Christ, it sounds absurd to many, and it is foolishness to those who are perishing. However, it is the power of God to those who are being saved.

We proclaim the kingdom of God in heaven; we proclaim the gospel very simply and very clearly. Jesus commissioned His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, as stated in Mark 16:15. We are to go into all the world and preach the good news. What is the good news? Christ died for your sins, He was buried in the tomb, dead, and He raised from the dead. He was seen by witnesses, He ascended into heaven, and He will one day return to judge the living and the dead. That is the simple gospel.

I would say that a lot of times when we think we are sharing the gospel, we are not doing that. If we don't get to that core message, we are not heralding the gospel of Christ's death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and return for judgment. These are central features to preaching and proclaiming the kingdom of God and the gospel.

In Romans 15:20, Paul says, "I have made it my aim, this is my goal, to preach the gospel not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another's foundation." He wanted to go to new people who hadn't heard before. In 1 Corinthians 1:17, he states, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect."

So, we preach the kingdom of God in heaven, we preach the gospel, we preach Christ crucified. The Jews require a sign (1 Corinthians 1:22), and the Greeks seek after wisdom. Do you know anybody in your life today who fits this description?

Many people would like to see a miraculous sign. They say, "I'll believe if you show me a miracle." Others may argue, expressing their interest in wisdom, knowledge, and ideas. The Jews seek a sign, while the Greeks seek after wisdom. There is a very clear binary here; humanity tends to divide into these two sectors. However, we preach Christ crucified.

To the Jews, He is a stumbling block, and to the Greeks, He is foolishness. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Therefore, we preach the kingdom of God in heaven. We preach the gospel, we preach Christ crucified, and we preach the Word.

Timothy was told by Paul in 1 Timothy 4:1, "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom." This introduces the concept of the return of Christ and the judgment of sinners. He will judge the living and the dead at His appearing.

We are instructed to preach the Word, to be ready at all times, in season and out of season, to convince, rebuke, and exhort with all patience and teaching. We proclaim and preach the kingdom of God, the gospel, Christ crucified, and the Word. We preach Jesus because there is no other name given among men whereby they must be saved.

In 2 Corinthians 4:5, Paul states, "We do not preach ourselves." This is a key point because many, shall we say, YouTube preachers—once referred to as televangelists—seem to preach more about themselves than about Jesus. Paul emphasizes that we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves as His servants for Christ's sake.

I previously read to you from Colossians 1:28, where Paul begins by saying, "Him we preach." We are preaching Jesus. We preach the kingdom of God in heaven, the gospel, Christ crucified, and the Word. These five things are core to our mission. If we are to fulfill what Jesus commissioned us to do, we will give an account to Him for our actions.

Our fulfilling of that task at His appearing requires us to preach the Kingdom of God in heaven, the gospel of crucified Christ, the Word in Jesus. Whether it's a one-on-one interaction, that is kerusso; it is proclaiming, telling, heralding, and preaching. You're sharing the good news.

It has been attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi that we should preach the gospel at all times and, when necessary, use words. This idea has been common, especially among Evangelical Christians, for the last 35 years. Many believe that if they live their lives as good people, others will recognize them as Christians. While it is important for people to see that you are different and to recognize the fruit of the Spirit, which is love in your life, there comes a point when we must tell them.

This proclamation may involve conviction, which could be upsetting to them. They may reject it, as Stephen was rejected, or they may be cut to the heart and repent, like those on the day of Pentecost. Ultimately, that is in the hands of the Lord. We are to plant the seed of the Word of God and water it, but it is God who gives the increase.

Right now, He is watering. These are the things we are doing. What is it that we do when we are preaching or proclaiming? These are the five things we are going to look at.

We will take a break and then come back to discuss how we proclaim and preach. Let's take about a 10-minute break. If you have any questions, text them to me at the phone number on the screen. We will start with those questions when we begin after 10 minutes.