Christianity has been redefinded from what Jesus originally intended. In this presentation we are seeking to practically understand what role evangelism plays in the Christian life.

<p>Christianity has been redefinded from what Jesus originally intended. In this presentation we are seeking to practically understand what role evangelism plays in the Christian life.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Vassar SDA Church

What Is a Christian?

Taylor Hinkle

What Is a Christian?- Part 1

What Is a Christian?- Part 2

What Is a Christian?- Part 3

What Is a Christian?- Part 4

What Is a Christian?- Part 5

Well, why don't we go ahead and study our Bibles?

I believe that's what we came here to do.

If you haven't met Denny yet, please meet him at the end of the service.

And I'm thankful that you came to join us today and it's a blessing to be able to worship together.

So why don't we stand for prayer if you're able.

If you realize after sitting a while it's easy to fall asleep and it's biblical to stand while we pray.

So why don't we pray and ask the Lord's blessing.

Father in heaven we stand here this morning seeking your blessing not standing because we think we have it but Lord kneeling in heart realizing we need your spirit.

Father I pray that you would please send your same spirit that inspired the truths of Scripture to inspire our hearts with understanding and to enlighten our minds.

Father, you have a message for us today that could easily be messed up by the messenger, and we pray that you would keep that from happening.

We pray that Your will would be accomplished, that Your Word would not return into void as promised.

Well, we're going to continue our series on what is a Christian.

If you remember, we looked at the first part last week.

Looking in Mark chapter 3, as the scripture reading was read, Mark chapter 3, we saw Jesus called his disciples for 2 very specific purposes.

We also recognize the fact that Christianity today has changed drastically from what God ever intended it to be in the beginning.

We saw Christians who believe a whole gamut of things that scripture never taught.

We see that It's without doubt that Christianity has changed face over the last 2, 000 years.

So we're trying to get back to the understanding of what was Jesus' intent in calling a Christian or calling a disciple.

Now we saw last week that Jesus calls us And the first thing that He calls us to do is to what?

It's to spend time with Him or to be with Him.

And we're gonna read Mark chapter 3, verse 14 to remind you of that this morning for those of you who weren't here and then move on into the second part of our series this morning.

Mark chapter 3 beginning in verse 14 it says, and he appointed 12, and these are the 12 disciples which we realize is the same as Christians today, that they might be what?

Now last week we looked at a little slide and we made a math equation out of this and we realized that time with God or being with God plus witnessing for God is what Jesus says equals a Disciple or a Christian Is that correct?

I had different challenges with math and some of it was good and some not so good.

If you take 1 of these 2 things away, do you still come up with the same result?

If 1 plus 1 equals 2, if I take away 1, what do I have?

Now this is very simple logic, but let me ask you a question.

If I call myself a Christian and I'm not spending time with God, am I meeting what Jesus was really calling me to become?

No, He wants us to be with him and to experience the blessing of fellowship in his presence, which we need.

And we looked at that last week and we see how spending time with God encourages our faith, causes us to be born again, and changes us into God's image, if you remember that.

If I take away witnessing for God, am I still in the biblical sense considered a Christian according to Jesus?

Am I meeting Jesus's original intent for calling the 12 disciples?

Now let me just get something really clear here from the beginning.

How many of you realize there's areas of growth in your own life that are necessary in your Christian walk?

And so as we analyze scripture and we look at Christ's ideals for our lives, we shouldn't take it as Jesus is trying to give us a spanking or step on our toes and just irritate us, but we realize that Jesus is trying to refine us because Jesus' perfect plan is what brings us happiness.

How many of you have lived long enough to realize that your own plan doesn't make you happy but God's does?

So if Jesus is calling Christians to spend time with him and to witness for him, how many of you think it's important that in our own Christian experience that God helps us by his grace to experience those 2 things?

Now let me ask you a question, in studying scripture do you think it's a good idea to build a whole theology or framework of understanding from 1 text.

Now we've spent a lot of time looking at Mark chapter 3 verse 13 and 14 and we can see that from the words of Jesus to the best of our understanding that being with God and then going for God or witnessing for God are the 2 elements that comprise the Christian life.

But do you think it might be good to look at a couple other passages to see if we're on the right path or if we have something incorrect?

I want to look at a couple things very quickly because I don't ever want to build an understanding of something that isn't biblical into my Christian life.

Now if you have your Bibles you can turn to Isaiah chapter 6.

We're not going to reread through this passage.

2 weeks ago we shared this as the first message here in this church, Isaiah chapter 6.

And Isaiah chapter 6 is a powerful passage for many reasons and we won't take time to read through it for sake of time.

But I would encourage you to take some time to look at it this afternoon or whenever you have a moment.

In Isaiah chapter 6 we see it's God's call to the prophet Isaiah and God is calling Isaiah for the first time into the prophetic ministry or into the ministry of being a prophet.

Now how many of you think you might be a little bit intimidated if God was calling you to be a prophet?

Notice the sequence of events that we find in Isaiah chapter 6.

We're not going to read through it all, but in Isaiah chapter 6 verses 1-8, the first few verses we see that Isaiah was given a vision, and what was he given a vision of?

That's what the center of the temple is all about.

And as Isaiah sees the throne of God and the temple of heaven, he hears the angels who are singing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, and Isaiah says this scene is so incredible that the very doors of the temple are shaken.

Do you think that would equal an experience with God?

Do you think having a clear vision, literally, of who God is in His holy place would be similar to what Jesus is talking about spending time with God.

Now as Isaiah spends this time with the Lord, he recognizes his own sinfulness and we see he cries out, Woe is me, I'm undone, I'm a man of unclean lips, dwelling in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen who?

And at that time an angel comes over with tongs from off the altar and brings a coal symbolically cleansing the sin of Isaiah, and Isaiah experiences the freedom and regenerating power of God's grace.

Now right after that happens notice what verse 8 says this is a conversation that Isaiah hears.

He says, also I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who will go for us?

Now do we find this to be a similar pattern to what we see Jesus talking about in Mark chapter 3?

He has a close encounter with God where he experiences the grace of God, and no 1 twists Isaiah's arm and says, Isaiah, you'd better witness now.

But it's a natural result flowing out of a heart that's converted that Isaiah says, here am I, send me.

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Series

What Is a Christian?

What Is a Christian?- Part 2

Transcript

Description

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Plenary

It’s Time to Eat Grandpa

1h 11m

Leading Souls into the Truth

1h 5m

2. Live

45m

Cleansing the Temple ( Remnant Rally 2009 #5 )

1h

Acts: First Generation Lessons for Last Generation Believers

2. Discipline

1h

Revival of True Discipleship

1h

Plenary

Who Fed the 5,000?

1h 45m

Ministry of Angels

1h 7m

ECYC 2011 Plenary Meetings

The Joy of Full Surrender

42m

Our Soul-Winning Bottleneck

1h

Acts: First Generation Lessons for Last Generation Believers

4. Antioch

59m

3. The Last Bride

49m

Sound Doctrine