Sermon Tone Analysis
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Today we are welcoming new members into our church family.
This is a joyous occasion!
What makes today special?
We have had these people with us for months or years.
We have enjoyed having them worship with us, and serve with us in different ways.
So, why is today special?
Today is special because they are making a commitment to truly join with us, and we are making a commitment to them.
What exactly is that commitment?
Well, I will get to that in a moment.
Before we talk about the commitment, who is the “us” they are joining?
And, what does it mean to join?
People join all kinds of groups: Civic Leagues, Gun Clubs, Gyms, Legions, Unions, PTA’s, Homeschool Groups, etc.
When joining a group, it is important to know what the group is, and what it is about.
What does the group do?
How do they function?
And if you join, or become a member, what does that mean?
What is expected?
What does a member do?
How does a member function?
You want to know those things before you join a group.
That is why we have a whole class about the church for people to take before they become a member.
The next class will begin in January.
These people today are joining Evangelical Free Bible Church.
What does a church do?
How does a church function?
What does a member do?
How does a member function?
So today, I thought it would be good to summarize what the church is, what it does, and how it functions.
Then, we are going to summarize what is expected of members.
What does a member do?
How are members to function.
I believe this will be a good review for us who have been members.
It will be a good kick-off for those who are becoming members.
And, hopefully it will be an incentive for some who are attending here, who have not yet decided to become members.
What is the church?
Church is one of those words that we throw around a lot.
It actually can be used in different ways.
Often, we refer to this building we are in as a church.
That is actually short for ‘church building’.
This is actually a building for the church.
So, what is the church?
The word church is the English word used for the Greek word ekklesia.
ἐκκλησία (ἐκ + καλέω | out of + call out)
The word used when the New Testament was originally written in Greek, was ‘ἐκκλησία’.
This word was a combination of the root meaning ‘to call’, and a modifier meaning ‘out of’.
Or, the final literal meaning of ‘to call out’.
You might think of it like a militia is “called out” to come together for the purpose of defending a place.
This word in the the Greek New Testament was used for any group of people who came together for some reason or purpose.
For example, it was used for the rioting crowd in Ephesus when they were supporting the artisans who made the idols of their god, Artemus, and opposing Paul who taught about the One True God, Jesus Christ.
This was a group of people who came together for a purpose.
An ἐκκλησία is a group that is called out, to come together for a common purpose.
In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit had the authors use this word for something that was new.
It was used for the church.
An ἐκκλησία, or church, is called out by God, and comes together for one common purpose.
First, notice that the church is called out by God.
A church is not something that someone just up and decides to join.
No, people need to be called out of the world and into God’s kingdom.
The church is called out by God.
The church comes together.
The church has a common purpose.
Pay attention to those three things as we look at the following verses, and the rest of the verses we will be looking at this morning.
These verses all point to the call of God.
God is the one who called out to us to receive Christ as our savior when we still sinners.
God calls, and those who respond in faith He saves from sin.
He forgives our disobedience to Him.
He justifies, or declares us to be righteous, giving us the righteousness of Jesus Christ!
He adopts us as His sons.
He places us by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ.
Colossians refers to the church—the called out ones—as being members of one body.
That is actually a good scriptural definition of the church.
The church is a group of people that are called out from among the rest of the world to come together for a common purpose.
Specifically, we are called out to belong to Christ—to be the body of Christ.
The church is the body of Christ.
The church is the body of Christ.
Christ is the head, telling his body how to function, and what to do.
How important is the head to the rest of the body?
The head is all important!
Without the head, the body does not live or function!
Jesus is the head.
He is the one who tells us what we are to do.
He is the one who tells us how we are to function.
And that finally brings us to the questions we started with.
What does a church do?
Or, what is a church to do? Jesus is the head, so what were His instructions?
Well, the last instructions he gave before returning to the Father in heaven after he died and rose again were these:
What does a church do?
Jesus, the head, has all authority.
So, as His body, the church should be listening to His directions.
His directions are pretty clear.
We are to be going into the world, and making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded.
We see that happening in Acts.
It started with the apostles in Acts 2. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, and proclaimed the good news that Jesus died for our sins and rose again, so that whoever believes in Him will never perish!
When they did that, many people believed.
In fact, that first day, 3000 people were saved.
So what did they do then?
Well, they continued to follow Jesus’ instructions.
They baptized those people, and then they began teaching them.
They taught them all that Jesus commanded and all that Jesus had taught them when He instructed them from the scriptures.
These people, the church, met daily for teaching!
They taught these believers to fellowship.
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