Getting Back to Basics

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Getting Back to Basics</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="21"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Process of Making Disciples"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Article</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U>Ministry Studies</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U><B>Sermon Notes</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Doing Church 1: Getting Back to Basics -- What the Church is Supposed to be Doing</B></div> <bR> <div> We need to know what the church is about, what it is supposed to be doing, and then evaluate how we as a church are doing.</div> <bR> <div> Three questions to consider.</div> <div> I. What is the church supposed to do? Mt 28.18-20. </div> <div> A. To “make disciples” is the key to the command.</div> <div>      1. Involves both evangelism (“baptizing”) </div> <div>      2. and discipleship (“teaching them to observe”).</div> <div> Lead people to faith in Christ and help them grow as his active, involved, devoted followers.</div> <div> B. It is to be done in his <I>authority</I> and with his <I>involvement/presence</I>. Don’t doubt (vs. 17), go and do it (vs. 19)! (His authority, his presence.)</div> <div> Progression: his disciples made other disciples (led others to Christ and helped them grow in him) who made other disciples who made other disciples, etc., etc., all the way down to us.</div> <bR> <div> II. What did the early church do? Acts 2.41-47. How did it fulfill the mission.</div> <div> <I>Note</I>: Just because the Bible tells us what the early church did not necessarily mean we have to do the very same things the very same way (for example, greeting with a holy kiss, having all things in common (sharing homes, cars?)). Seek the theological principle behind the activity stated.</div> <div> A. Teaching God’s truth, vs. 42, </div> <div> B. God-ward focus (prayer, worship, praise (“breaking of bread,” Communion)), vss. 42, 46, 47.</div> <div> C. Fellowship, vss. 42, 46</div> <div> D. Service to other believers, vss. 44-45.</div> <div> E. Evangelism, vss. 41, 47.</div> <div> -All probably done in an environment of <I>prayer</I> (vs. 42).</div> <div> -<I>Miracles</I> (vs. 43) may be a way of indicating that God’s presence was obvious to all.</div> <div> Explain how these activities support disciple-making.</div> <bR> <div> III. What are we supposed to do? <I>Evaluate</I> activities that we do.</div> <div> Is numerical growth important to the task of making disciples?</div> <div> To what extent do our programs help our church <I>make disciples</I>?</div> <div> If a program helps us make disciples, how effective is it at making disciples?</div> <div> How could we do things better, when it comes to making disciples? — <B>What we are supposed to do (make disciples) is constant, unchanging; how we do it (various programs) can and should change!</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>**</B><B><U>Are </U></B><I><B><U>you</U></B></I><B><U> helping in some way to contribute to the main mission of the church — making disciples?</U></B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 1999, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>