Introduction

• Luke 7:28-30 – The Pharisees rejected God’s purpose.
• II Timothy 3:10 – Timothy had seen Paul living with purpose.
• Matthew 6:33 – Seek God first.
• Matthew 16:26; 22:37-39
• Acts 17:26
• I Corinthians 10:31

Purpose gives me the correct way to view the world and make decisions

• Joshua 24:14-15 – Joshua’s purpose was serving the Lord.
• I Peter 3:8-9
• I Thessalonians 4:3
• Many decisions are already decided for us if we have the right purpose.

Purpose allows me to fulfill my greatest potential

• Matthew 1:21
• John 12:27 – Jesus knew His purpose and was prepared to fulfill His greatest potential.
• Philippians 1:21-24
• What’s the best way for me to live my life? What is my greatest potential?
• Acts 20:27 – Paul fulfilled His purpose with them.
• II Timothy 4:6-8
• I Corinthians 15:58
• I Peter 4:1

Purpose brings true joy to my life

• Hebrews 12:2
• Philippians 3:5, 19-20; 4:4

Elijah

Major events in Elijah’s life

• First mentioned in I Kings 17:1. Last mentioned in II Kings 10:17.
• Prophesied against Ahab and Ahaziah.
• I Kings 17:1 – famine
• I Kings 17:2-7 – fed by the ravens
• I Kings 17:8-24 – fed the widow and raised her son
• I Kings 18:19-19:3 – defeated the prophets of Baal and fled Jezebel
• I Kings 19:16-21 – chose Elisha to succeed him
• II Kings 2:1-12 – taken up to heaven. Elijah was one of only two people in the Bible to not experience physical death (Hebrews 11:5).
• Malachi 4:1-5 – At the very end of the Old Testament, Elijah’s name is mentioned again. John the Baptist was a parallel to John the Baptist.

Elijah’s impact

• Elijah is mentioned during a relatively small part of the Old Testament, but he had a great impact, even in the New Testament.
• Luke 1:17 – See I Kings 18:39.
• Luke 4:25-26 – Reference to Elijah being sent to the widow in Sidon. God preserved her.
• James 5:17 – Elijah mentioned in reference to the power of prayer.
• Romans 11:4-5 – A remnant of faithful people remains. Compare I Kings 19:14-18.
• Matthew 11:7-14 – When Jesus talks about John the Baptist, we learn more about the determination of Elijah as well.
  • Elijah was strong-willed in his determination to God. He demanded repentance and a return to God. He knew who should be punished for evil.
• What kind of lasting impact do we have on people? Is it for the better or worse?

Elijah encounters God

• I Kings 19:9-13 – Elijah’s encounter with the Lord.

Introduction

• Matthew 3:4-5
• Matthew 11:8-9 – John the Baptist was more than a prophet. What would we have thought of him if we saw him?

… in Jesus?

• John 6:13-15, 35, 45-51, 66-68 – “I am the bread of life.” Jesus said they had to receive Him.
• John 8:31-34
• Jesus was often misunderstood when He was on earth. Are we still misunderstanding Jesus?
• I Corinthians 6:9-11 – Do we realize we need Jesus for salvation?
• Revelation 5:12 – Jesus is the king!

… in a local church?

• I Thessalonians 2:13, 14 – They knew the difference between the word of God and everything else.
• Am I looking for the word of God?
• I Thessalonians 5:11
• I Thessalonians 2:19

… in a career?

• Ephesians 5:28-29 – Properly maintaining a marriage requires time.
• Ephesians 6:4 – Raising children takes time.
• Titus 2:4-5
• Proverbs 15:16-17
• Ecclesiastes 5:10
• Philippians 3:7-8

Conclusion

• Colossians 3:1-2

What is a local church?

There is a difference between an individual and a local church.

• Matthew 18:15-17 – Three different parties are involved here. One person, a few members, and the entirety of the local church (or a representative thereof).
• I Timothy 5:16
• Some say that whatever an individual has authority to do, a local church has authority to do, but …
• A letter being addressed to a church does not mean that everything in that letter pertains to collective church work.
  • I Thessalonians 1; 4:11
  • I Corinthians 1:2; 7:1-2
  • I Timothy 1:2; 3:1-13; 5:16
  • Titus 1:4-5

The Bible uses “church” as a collective noun.

• Acts 8:1-3
• Acts 11:26 – “Church” talking about a plurality of disciples.
• Acts 14:26
• I Corinthians 1:2
• Philippians 1:1
• Hebrews 12:23
• Acts 2:41

Never does the Bible use the word “church” to collect congregations.

• There is a difference between collecting congregations and collecting individuals.
• If the universal church is composed of congregations, that would mean you must be a member of a local church to be a member of the universal church.

When do you have a local church action?

When a plurality of Christians act together?

• Not necessarily.
• Acts 13:1-3
• I Corinthians 11:22, 34, 18
• Philippians 4:15

[Sorry, due to technical issues, the audio is not available for this lesson. -MRW]

Introduction

• II Timothy 3:14-17
• John 14:16, 26
• John 15:26; 16:13

Precise

• I Corinthians 2:10-13
• I Peter 1:10-12 – The prophets themselves were wondering about the full picture behind their message.
• The prophets’ job was to carry God’s message, even if they did not fully understand it.
• II Peter 1:20-21 – Men wrote the words provided by the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 2:39 (Ephesians 2:13) – The “far off” people were Gentiles. Peter did not understand this when he said it in Acts 2!
• John 11:49-52 – Caiaphas was an unwitting prophet of Jesus.
• Matthew 10:17-22

Personal

• I Corinthians 1:4
• The Holy Spirit made it personal by sending His message through anyone.
• Psalm 6
• Ecclesiastes 1:1-4; 12:12-14 – Solomon’s story resonates with us.
• By using stories, God made His message much more powerful for us.
• II Samuel 12:1-7 – The Holy Spirit telling a story through Nathan the prophet broke through to David’s conscience.
• I Corinthians 10:6-11 – These stories were written for us!

Perceptive

• Hebrews 4:12 – God’s word goes straight to our innermost being.
• Acts 2:37 – God’s word pierced their hearts.
• John 12:42-43
• God knows everything. We’re not hiding anything from Him!
• Luke 22:33
• I Samuel 13:12