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The Work Of Elders/Shepherds

The Work of Elders/Shepherds

Acts 20:17-31

Introduction

  1. The Boise Church Needs Strong Leadership to Navigate us Through the Days to Come.
  2. Our Shepherds have Designated the First Quarter of Every Year as a time of Confirmation/Reconfirmation of Elders and Deacons in the Church.
  3. During the Next Four Weeks, I will Share Messages on the Work and Qualifications of these Church Leaders.

I. There are Three Primary Designations for Elders that are Used Interchangeably (Acts 20:17, 28).

  1. Presbuteros Elder (Older, Wiser Man; Judgments)
  2. Poimen Shepherd/Pastor (Metaphorical Usage. One who cares for, provides for, and protects sheep).
  3. Episcopos Overseer/Bishop/Superintendent (One who watches over)

II. Church Ecclesiology/Polity in the New Testament

  1. There was No Ecclesiastical Manual Given at Pentecost.
  2. Apostolic Authority (Acts 2:42; Acts 6:2, “ministry of the word”; Acts 15:1-31, Apostles & Elders now at Jerusalem).
  3. Elders were Appointed to Serve in the Place of Apostles/Missionaries/Evangelists (Acts 14:14, 23; 1 Timothy 2; Titus 1; Ephesians 4:11).
  4. Elders filled the Apostolic Void in Leadership and Teaching.

III. Biblical Responsibilities of Elders/Shepherds

  1. General Oversight of the Local Congregation:
  2. They have the Authority to do Whatever is Necessary to Perform their Function (Hebrews 13:17; cf., 1 Peter 5:3).
    • 1. Set and Enforce Policy.
    • 2. Arbitrate Disputes/Discipline Members.
    • 3. Request Assistance from Members.
    • 4. They May Employ any Outside Help Required.
    • 5. They can Select Definite Helpers, such as Deacons, or other Individuals.
    • 6. They Supervise the Work of the Local Ministers.

Conclusion

  1. We Need Strong Leadership to Take us into a Glorious Future.
  2. Please Prayerfully Consider and Participate in this Process of Confirmation and Reconfirmation our Leaders.

— Here is a memo from our shepherds outlining the current confirmation process:  Memo

By | 2024-01-14T00:54:10-07:00 January 13th, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

The Gospel Of From Now On

The Gospel of From Now On

Luke 5:1-11

Introduction

A. Luke 5:1-11 From now on, you will catch men.

B. What should we resolve in 2024?

I.  To Give / Rededicate Our Lives to Christ

Faith     Commitment     Baptism     Repentance

II.  To Renew Our Commitment to the Boise Church

Membership     Attendance     Involvement

III. To Take the Next Step in Your Walk of Faith

Teaching     Leading     Serving     Giving

IV. To Spend More Time in Private Worship

Daily Prayer     Bible Study     Spiritual Disciplines

V. To be a Better Steward of my Resources

Time     Money     Body

VI. To Get to Know My Neighbors

Introduce Yourself     Invite Over     Serve

VII. To Lead One Person to Jesus

Family     School     Work

Conclusion

A. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

B. This is a New Year; make the most of it.

By | 2024-01-07T00:05:31-07:00 January 7th, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Advent: Love

Advent Love

Advent is a time of preparation and expectant waiting for the promised Savior. Each Sunday of Advent focuses on a particular theme.

On the last Sunday of Advent, churches will light a fourth candle as a symbol of Advent love. Believers will reflect on scriptures from the Old and New Testaments about God’s love for us. God’s love undergirds the whole story of the Bible: creation, fall, redemption, and the ongoing process of restoration.

God’s Love from the Beginning

It might seem a little odd to begin our reflection on Advent love all the way back in Genesis 1, but we need to remember that God’s loving plan for us started with his very first act of creation. Out of nothing, God called forth light. He separated land from the sea, created the sun, moon, and stars, and all the creatures of earth, but the the pinnacle of his creation was humanity.  He created us in his own image and made us to love and be loved (Genesis 1:26-30). However, the first humans doubted the truth of God’s love for them and rebelled. But even in humanity’s fall into sin, we find God’s loving mercy. God did not destroy Eve and Adam, and even as they began to experience the serious consequences of their sin, God made his first promise of future redemption: that Eve’s own offspring would one day crush the head of the serpent once and for all time (Genesis 3:15).

God’s Loving Promise

As we trace the story of God’s people through the Old Testament, we see God’s loving plan unfold. God promised Abraham that he would make his descendants a people who would bless all  people. God foretold of the One, born of a virgin, who would free the captives, bear our transgressions, suffer in our place, redeem God’s people, and usher in a peace unlike anything ever known. Isaiah prophesied the words of the Lord, “‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’” (Isaiah 54:10).

Love with Us

Revisiting the big picture of God’s love for his people during Advent helps us understand the significance of that very first advent, the coming of a Savior. For this precise reason, Matthew starts his gospel with Jesus’ genealogy, tracing his lineage back through King David to Abraham. Matthew wants us to understand that this major event is connected to God’s bigger story of love and  redemption. Love, incarnated in the form of a tiny baby, came to fulfill a promise God made centuries before. Paul explains, “he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7).  And he did it because “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This is Advent love, “not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). (Article attributed to author Robin Basselin)

By | 2023-12-23T12:37:28-07:00 December 23rd, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Advent: Prince Of Peace?

Advent: Prince of Peace?

Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Luke 2:13-14 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Jesus is heralded as the “Prince of Peace,” but since his coming the events of the world have seemed, at least, to prove otherwise. A Lutheran church nativity scene in modern Bethlehem has the  baby Jesus lying amidst rubble, presumably as a commentary against the Israeli war with Hamas. However, modern events are not all that dissimilar from the actual time of Jesus’ birth.

Most scholars put the birth of Jesus around the year 4 BC. This was one of the most violent years and led to one of the most violent times in Jewish history.* With the death of King Herod the  Great the same year, Judea entered a period of violence and unrest. For the previous 150 years, Judea had been deeply divided by warring factions. This was largely kept in check during Herod’s reign of terror. We know what he did in the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18). He was equally brutal with any rival to his throne.

With Herod gone, Jewish nationalism again reached a fevered pitch and there was hope that the Jews could win their independence from their Roman overlords. Skirmishes, insurrections,  uprisings ensued literally foreshadowing and contributing to the Jewish War in AD 66 . During these early years, Josephus states there were over 10,000 “disorders” in Judea.

This was the world into which the “Prince of Peace” was born.  Some of these horrors occurred near Nazareth, the hometown of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. They were, no doubt, terrorized at times by the unrest around them. Many of Jesus’ followers were Zealots some of which tried to make him a King (insurrectionist) by force (John 6:15).

Since that time humanity has continued its pursuit of war and oppression. Just think of all the wars our country has participated in over the last 250 years. Modern times are no different with war and unrest everywhere. Jesus himself told his disciples in the context of persecution that his followers would experience familial, social, political, and national unrest.

Matthew 10:34-36 Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

So what do the angels mean when they herald “peace on earth?”  How can Jesus be the “Prince of Peace” when there has be no peace “on earth” in the 2,027 years since his birth?

This is the question my lesson Sunday will seek to address. Does the Prince of Peace have a message for us in the midst of our unrest? Can the baby Jesus amidst the rubble save us from the rubble  surrounding us?

Joey

 Follow the link below or type/paste it into your browser for devotions on the four themes of Advent. It is hot linked if you’re working from a digital version of this article.

https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/22462

*For more information on the unrest at the time of Jesus, see

https://www.abc.net.au/religion/a-most-violent-year-the-worldinto-which-jesus-was-born/10097496

By | 2023-12-16T23:40:41-07:00 December 16th, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Advent: Good Tidings Of Great Joy

Guest Speaker Today: Jared Turbyfill

Jared Turbyfill is a graduate of Oklahoma Christian College. He was an Interdepartmental Studies Major with an emphasis on Youth Ministry. He went to OCU on a varsity soccer scholarship.

Jared has served churches as Youth Minister in Frisco, Texas (2012-2018) and is currently serving in Chatham Township, New Jersey.  Jared’s focus is on youth, teaching, and counseling.

Jared is a personal friend of Chris Stevens and is staying with him for a few days. They know each other from their work together at the Shawnee Trail Church of Christ in Frisco, Texas.

He will be speaking this morning on Joy. Please welcome Him.


Advent: Good Tidings of Great Joy

Advent means “arrival” or “coming.” It is the Latin translation of the Greek word parousia (1 Timothy 6:14) and signifies the start of an event or the arrival of a person. In Christian communities around the world, Advent refers to a four-week season of remembering and celebrating the arrival of Jesus on Earth and the anticipation of his second coming. It’s a time to reflect on the  unexpected nature of Jesus’ humble birth and join in the anticipation of when he will come again to reunite Heaven and Earth once and for all.

It is common to reflect upon four themes in devotions and lessons during this time: hope, peace, joy, and love. It has been my intent to focus on each of the four of these themes in my lessons leading up to Christmas.

I failed to account for our guest speaker in my planning. How serendipitous that his lesson is on Joy! I don’t have an article from Jared to prepare your minds for his presentation so I will share some of the thoughts I have and would have shared in my presentation. I pray this will complement his lesson.

Luke 2:8-15 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 1 & 2 have been called two of the happiest chapters in the Bible. Not only do they tell the story of the birth of Jesus. They do so in song! Everybody is singing!

In Luke 1:41 in the presence of Mary, now carrying Jesus, Elizabeth breaks out in prophetic song. In verse 46, when Elizabeth finishes, Mary breaks out in prophetic song (We even sing part of this in our worship chorus, “The Magnificat.”). Beginning in verse 67, after the birth of John and the return of his speech, Zachariah breaks out in prophetic song. Then in Luke 2:8 we find the angelic  chorus singing their “good tidings of great joy! Finally, in Luke 2:28-38 we find Simeon and Ana praising God at the the news of his birth.

The birth of Jesus brought such great joy and song, because of what the 1st and 2nd coming of Jesus would bring to the world!

Joey

Follow the link below or type/paste it into your browser for devotions on these four themes. It is hot linked if you’re working from a digital version of this article.

https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/2246

By | 2023-12-09T22:30:24-07:00 December 9th, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Advent: The Hope Of His Arrival

Advent: The Hope of His Arrival

What Is Advent?

Advent is a four-week season in the Church calendar dedicated to anticipating the arrival, or “advent,” of Jesus of Nazareth, the long awaited Messiah and King. Christians from many backgrounds celebrate this time with reflections on hope, peace, love, and joy. And while their practices may look different, all focus on the hope-filled arrival of Jesus.

What Does Advent Mean?

Advent means “arrival” and signifies the start of an event or the arrival of a person. In Christian communities around the world, Advent refers to a four-week season of remembering and celebrating the arrival of Jesus on Earth. It’s a time to reflect on the unexpected nature of Jesus’ humble birth and join in the anticipation of when he will come again to reunite Heaven and Earth once and for all.

Why Is Advent Important?

Advent can be a simple and fun tradition of counting down to Christmas. But for others—particularly those who believe Jesus to be the incarnation of God and the long-awaited Messiah—Advent is a shared experience of meditation and prayer that celebrates the arrival of Jesus.

How Is Advent Typically Celebrated?

In some traditions, followers of Jesus devote the first two weeks of Advent to remembering Jesus’ promise to return and renew Heaven and Earth. Then, during the last two weeks of Advent, these communities focus on the birth of Jesus.

In other traditions, people reflect on the concepts of hope, peace, love, and joy—one for each week leading up to Christmas. People may light Advent candles, prepare unique wreaths, hold special
church services, or read specific Scriptures each day to reflect on the arrival of Jesus on Earth.

What Parts of the Bible Inform Our Understanding of Advent?

From the first story to the last, the Bible is full of narratives, poetry, prophecy, biographies, and personal letters that inform our understanding of Advent. When the Bible talks about humans waiting for the promised anointed King who would deliver them, it can help us connect with their anticipation (Amos 9:11-13). When we read about people choosing joy and hope in God’s promises despite their circumstances, the meaning of Advent can take on a deeper meaning (Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-5; Luke 1:26-2:20). And when the New Testament talks about a second advent, the return of Jesus, we can join in that time of waiting, shared by Christians throughout history.

Advent Reflections Reading Plan on the Bible App

BibleProject designed Advent Reflections to inspire individuals, small groups, and families to celebrate the arrival of Jesus. This four-week plan incorporates animated videos, short summaries,
and reflective questions to help you explore the biblical meaning of hope, peace, love, and joy. Follow the link below or type/paste it into your browser. It is hot linked if you’re working from a digital version of this article.

https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/22462

Source: The Bible Project (https://bibleproject.com/guides/advent/#what-is-advent)

Sunday, December 3rd is the first week of Advent. For the next four weeks we will discuss the two “arrivals” of Jesus—his first coming, when he was born, and his second coming . We will reflect on the four themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. This week we will discuss the hopeful expectation of those who welcomed him at his first appearing and the hopeful expectation we have of when he comes again.

I’ll say more in my lesson.

Joey

By | 2023-12-02T20:59:34-07:00 December 2nd, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Prayer & Discipleship

Prayer & Discipleship

“Prayer is the most important weapon we have in our arsenal as we seek to expand the Kingdom of God.”  This is one of the most important ideas that has come out of the long term church  planning sessions the Elders and Ministers have participated in over the past few weeks.

We have spent some dedicated time outside our normal Sunday AM meetings discussing the future of this church and how we can meet the challenges that are ahead of us. We have identified many of these challenges and discussed a variety of possible solutions.

In such discussions, it is easy to get caught up in the fads and superficial (even cosmetic) suggestions of the church growth movement.  These amount to little more than “tweaks” in current practice and appeal to more of a consumer based view of Christianity (“if you build it they will come”).

Of course, this does not mean we abandon striving for excellence in every area of our ministry. We want to do our best and present our best in everything we do. The “attractional” model is still, at the moment anyway, our primary means of introducing new people to the church. The flaw behind the attractional model is that it caters more to “transfer growth” (sheep stealing) and there will always be someone who does it better than us (or at least in the consumer driven minds of many). 

Equally flawed is the idea of borrowing programs from other “successful” churches. This was a very common practice during the height of the church growth movement within churches of Christ
(late 1980s, early 1990s). Large, “successful” churches would invite smaller churches to workshops to showcase their cutting edge programming. Often elders and ministers would rush back to their home congregations to implement these new ideas only to have them fail miserably. The flaw? No congregation is alike. What works in
Dallas, probably won’t in Podunk, Arkansas. Further, smaller churches do not have the same resources of larger congregations— financial or human. Another real issue was the definition of “success.” If you define success only as bigger, richer, more programming, etc., you open the door to blatant consumerism, church competition, and sheep stealing (including membership loss when someone can do it better than you). Do greater numbers really equal greater success, when we just steal members away from somewhere else? Would not Kingdom Growth—new disciples, maturing disciples, faithful disciples, evangelistic disciples—be a better definition of success?

I’m not saying nothing good came from this movement; many good ideas, including Life Groups, are easily transferrable to other settings. The simple fact is, though, programs don’t work. They never have. God works.

That is the reason our discussions keep going back to the fundamentals of the faith—prayer and discipleship. It is our mission to “be and make disciples for Christ” following and cooperating with Jesus in the Great Commission.

In recent lessons, we have learned that a great spiritual warfare is being waged between the powers of good and evil. We, Christians, are a part of that struggle. Jesus has given us the victory over the powers of darkness and we are now enlisted in his army to take back the nations one person at a time. We are a part of his Kingdom and we are marching through this world to conquer in his name until his “will is done on earth as it is in heaven.”

In this fight, prayer is our most important weapon. This is a battle that only can be won with his power, not our own cleverness.

This is true success, true growth, Kingdom growth! I’ll say more in my lesson.

— Joey

By | 2023-11-25T22:31:16-07:00 November 25th, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Gripesgiving Day

Why I Don’t Celebrate Thanksgiving

Do you still celebrate Thanksgiving? What an outmoded and hypocritical practice! We gripe, moan, criticize and complain every day of our lives about family, church, politics, the economy, sports, work, our health, our healthcare system, the president, congress, the right, the left, the preacher, the elders, our house, our apartment, our rent, our mortgage, our husbands, wives, children, in-laws, our circumstances, and it goes on and on.

Then, we dedicate one day a year for Thanksgiving and we say all piously, “Oooo, let’s give thanks for all our blessings.” We gather as much family together as we can stand and suggest such hypocritical practices as, “Let’s all hold hands and one by one share what we are thankful for.” Or, we ask uncle Bob to offer thanks for the meal and we say, “Now, be sure to include gratitude for us all being together another year.” — when none of us can really stand uncle Bob because of his ignorant political leanings and the fact that he always pulls for the opposite team during the football game and he consistently takes more than his share of the mashed potatoes.

Afterward, we all go back to our corners of the house, the city or the world (because we actually travel to give expression to this hypocrisy) and we then complain about the experience. “The turkey was too dry, wasn’t it? When will Charlotte just break down and buy a Butterball. You know, it tells you when it’s ready. I think it’s Bill’s fault; he is just so cheap. Did you notice they skimped on the desserts again this year? Aunt Silvia used to bake all of those award winning pies. Did you see what she brought this year? — Edward’s. She didn’t even bother to thaw it out! I hate watching football with Joan — you know she talked through the whole game. I never get to see the kids; they sit down for fifteen minutes to eat and then go back to their rooms for their video games. Did you notice, they couldn’t even put their phones down to eat? Why did Sadie bring up Trump and Biden at the dinner table? She knows it always leads to arguing. I think she does it on purpose.”

Nope, I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving any more. I suggest a new holiday—Gripesgiving Day. Let’s just be honest about it. Let’s set aside a holiday for complaining. We can give vent to all of our
complaints. We can argue and bicker from sunrise to sunset. Just imagine! 24 straight hours of permission to vent all our frustrations, problems and gripes. It would be glorious!

But here’s the catch, if we choose one day of gripesgiving, we have to spend the next 364 days of the year being thankful for everything in our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV). No griping or complaining allowed. Doesn’t that make more sense? If we “flip the script” on Thanksgiving, I think we would be a healthier and happier people. What do you think?

Author’s Note: I shared this with Tina and she asked me, “Do you think people will understand that this is satire? You know we tend to be black and white thinkers.” I said I would give a little
disclaimer at the end clearly identifying it as satire and in case people still misunderstood, I would explain more in my lesson.

She retorted, “This isn’t going to be another long lesson is it? It’s all I can do to sit through a regular….” I interrupted her, “Save it for Gripesgiving Day!”

— Joey

By | 2023-11-18T11:26:25-07:00 November 18th, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Spiritual Warfare: Storming The Gates Of Hell

Spiritual Warfare:
Storming the Gates of Hell

Introduction & Review:

  • We are Skeptical of the Supernatural.
  • The Spiritual Realm Consists of Good Guys & Bad Guys…
  • Good Guys include the One True God & Other Created Spiritual Beings .
  • These Other Spiritual Beings have Free Will and Can Sin.
  • Bad Guys: There have been at Least Three Rebellions, but Jesus Has Prevailed Against Each one of these
    • # 1– Genesis 3—Serpent/Satan (Postponed God’s Plan, Marred God’s Image in Man through Sin; Claimed Humans in Death).
    • # 2– Genesis 6 —Sons of God/Nephilim/ Unclean Spirits (Tried to Create Imagers of Their own to Rival God; Though Punished, Unclean Spirits Remain to Torment Humans and Further Marr God’s Imagers)
    • # 3– Genesis 11 —Powers of This Dark World (Originally tasked with Ruling the Nations by the Will of God, they Put Themselves in the Place of God to be Worshiped and Further Lead Humanity Astray).
  • Jesus Has Prevailed Against Each One

Storming the Gates of Hell

Conclusion: Fighting the Good Fight

By | 2023-11-11T20:13:18-07:00 November 11th, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments