Put on … the full armor of God

• Ephesians 6:10-17 – This is spiritual warfare. Our strength for the fight comes from God!

Having girded your loins with truth

• Ephesians 4:20-24
• John 8:31-32, 44-45

Having put on the breastplate of righteousness

• I John 3:12
• Romans 6:12-13 – We may not think of good deeds as armor, but they work that way. If we occupy our minds and bodies with righteous acts, we’ll find little time to fall into the devil’s traps.

Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace

• The idea is standing on solid ground and having a strong foundation.

Taking up the shield of faith

• With faith, we are “able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

• Examples of some flaming arrows others may hurl at us:

  • “The Bible is just a book of fairy tales.”

  • “Christianity has been used to justify more evil than just about anything else.”

  • “The best science points toward evolution. Creation is a myth.”

    • Hebrews 11:3

Take the helmet of salvation

• The crowning glory of a Christian is that he or she looks forward to Heaven. A Christian can look death squarely in the face because he wears the armor of God.
• I Corinthians 15:54-57

And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

• Revelation 2:16
• II Timothy 2:15

Introduction

• The Lord’s church does not continue by succession. (A local church does not trace it’s history back to other local churches in the past.)
• The church in the universal sense is a direct relationship between God and Christians. There is no other structure involved.
• In a local church, saints depend on each other to work and worship together.

Three basic forms of church government

Universal concept

• Universal church is made up of local churches, each made up of Christians.

• The prime example of this concept is the Roman Catholic church, where the pope acts as the universal overseer.

• Structure:

  • Universal oversight

  • Universal treasury

  • Universal work

Brotherhood concept

• Local churches operate under the oversight of a conference. The conference only has oversight over churches in that conference.

• A good example of this concept is the Southern Methodist Conference.

• Structure:

  • Brotherhood oversight

  • Brotherhood treasury

  • Brotherhood work

• The conference has power to move and replace preachers, as well as pass teaching material down to local churches.

Local concept

• Members belong to local churches, with no organization above. Local churches have full autonomy.

• Structure:

  • Local oversight – Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:5

  • Local treasury – I Corinthians 16:1

  • Local work – Philippians 4:15-16; II Corinthians 11:8; I Corinthians 9:14

• Churches of Christ are an example of this concept, where Jesus is the head.

• This is the only organization approved in the Bible.

Brotherhood + local concept

• Local churches join a convention. The convention maintains a very loose control over member churches.

• A good example would be the Southern Baptist Convention.

  • They claim:

    • Local oversight

    • Local treasury

    • Local work

  • They also have:

    • Brotherhood oversight

    • Brotherhood treasury

    • Brotherhood work

      • Buckner Children’s Home

      • Baptist Hour radio program

• Another example would be “Churches of Christ” (those that subscribe to institutionalism)

  • They claim:

    • Local oversight

    • Local treasury

    • Local work

  • They also have:

    • Brotherhood oversight

    • Brotherhood treasury

    • Brotherhood work

      • Herald of Truth

      • Bole’s Children’s Home

• Review of last week

  • Points of law – murder

  • Adultery

  • Divorce

  • Taking of oaths

• On your honor (Matthew 5:33-37)

  • Be known for telling the truth.

    • Ephesians 4:25 – speak truth with your neighbor

    • Precludes the need to swear

    • Oaths proliferated – Matthew 23:16-22

      • These oaths were both unnecessary and nonsensical. Avoid these!

    • Prescribed oaths – Exodus 22:10-11

      • If required, we can certainly take an oath, but we should not do it lightly. God expects us to pay our vows, so make them sparingly. Jesus was not forbidding all oaths but was trying to prevent needless swearing. Always tell the truth, regardless of whether an oath is involved.

    • Ecclesiastes 5:2-5

• Getting even (Matthew 5:38-42)

  • Exodus 21:23-25

  • Deuteronomy 19:18-21 – The judge decides on the punishment – not the offended party!

  • Leviticus 19:18

  • Romans 12:19

  • Romans 2:1-2

  • Avenge insults? John 18:22-23

  • Compliance to a fault

    • As much as possible, comply with the ruling authorities.

  • I Thessalonians 5:15; Proverbs 20:22

• Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-48)

  • Romans 12:14-21

What is gossip?

• Romans 1:29-30; II Corinthians 12:20; I timothy 3:11; 5:13; II Timothy 3:3; Titus 2:3

• “whispering; secret detraction” – Strong

• “secret slanders” – Vincent

• Consider:

  • II Timothy 4:14-15; I Corinthians 1:10-11; Galatians 2:11-14; III John 1:9-10

  • Not all bad reports of others are necessarily gossip.

• The sharing of personal or negative information about someone else, either true or false, without righteous intent.

• Be careful about adding phrases to a report to try to pretend it is not gossip.

What’s so dangerous about gossip?

• It severs our relationship with God.

  • James 1:26

  • Matthew 12:36

• It is an attractive sin.

  • Proverbs 18:8

• It hurts relationships.

  • Jeremiah 9:4; Proverbs 16:28; 17:9; 25:9-10; 26:20

• It becomes something that you can’t fix.

  • James 3:5

How do we stop gossiping?

• Apply the muzzle.
  • Psalms 39:1; Proverbs 11:13; 21:23; James 1:19
• Stop listening to gossip.
  • Proverbs 21:19
• Change your thinking about others.
  • Matthew 12:34

Why are fathers specified?

• Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4

What about women?

• I Timothy 3:11; 5:11, 13; Titus 2:3

• Put on … good speech (continued)

  • Keep your goal in mind: positive change

    • Colossians 4:5-6

    • Ephesians 4:29

    • Our goal is to edify others.

    • II Corinthians 2:4; 7:8-9 – Helpful words sometimes hurt at first.

    • Proverbs 25:12; Ecclesiastes 12:11 – A wise person should present themselves in a wise way that the listener will be likely to respond well to. The listener should be patient and look for good wisdom in what the other is saying. Compare the message to the Bible!

• Put on … kindness

  • Introduction

    • Ephesians 4:31-32; Colossians 3:8, 12-13

  • Kindness is a decision, not just a reaction.

    • Luke 6:31 – Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

    • Luke 6:32-35 – We should be kind because that’s how we decide to be. God is kind to us because that’s how He decides to be. God is not reacting with kindness because we were kind to Him first!

    • II Timothy 2:24-25

  • Kindness identifies me as a child of God.

    • Kindness originates with God.

      • I John 4:8

      • I Corinthians 13:4

      • Ephesians 2:4-7; Psalm 136

    • Luke 6:35

    • II Corinthians 6:3-6 – “commending ourselves as servants of God”

    • Galatians 3:22-23 – Kindness is one part of the fruit of the spirit.

  • Kindness brings people closer to God.

    • Romans 2:4 – The kindness of God leads us to repentance.

    • Proverbs 31:26 – This kind of woman gives her family a spiritual boost.

    • II Chronicles 10:7

    • Acts 9:36-42 – Tabitha’s kindness made a profound impact on others! Would her words not have had a great impact on people because of her kindness? (Proverbs 3:3-4)

    • God loves us! Our job is to reflect that love to the world. Part of how we do that is kindness.