Breaking the Mold - 5

And with the singing of the Congregational hymn, we open our Wednesday night service welcoming you to this lifestream gathering of the beacon congregation. Another friends, some who are scattered in many other places. We thank you for tuning in tonight we are looking forward to our time together and pray that the Lord will bless it, even though were not physical proximity one to another.

Nevertheless, through technology we are able to gather together around a common common expression common.

A common time of worship where we are all listening to the same thing under all entering into worship together and so were grateful for that opportunity.

During these strange days of covert which all of us had hoped and probably thought would be either over or greatly diminishing.

By now, but that is not the case is still going on and in some places the number of cases are increasing as they seem to be doing right now in Alamance County. According to the newspaper this morning and also according to another report that I received recently about a number of cases in several of the senior centers of rest home ministries of various kinds throughout the county. And so we continue to pray.

We continue to to trust the Lord with all of these needs will work very much aware that this virus though it is not particularly dangerous for most people it has the potential of being seriously dangerous for some people, and even deadly for a small number of people and particularly those who are weak and vulnerable. We are grateful that as far as we know it.

Nobody in the beacon congregation at this time is positive for covert several who were positive two or three weeks ago have worked through it. There they are, well, they have returned to work, they are no longer contagious. They are no longer testing positive for the experienced relatively mild symptoms for which we praise the Lord well. My wife and I Marty have just come back from a wonderful time in the state of Maine and if you think got covert restrictions are somewhat difficult here in North Carolina.

I can assure you that there nothing like those in the state of Maine or in Massachusetts. We flew to Boston and then picked up a rental car and drove up to Maine so we had a little bit of interaction in the state of Massachusetts before we drove to Maine I will going into all the details but just to say the Lord was with us wonderfully. We were able to make all of our connections and travel smoothly and everything worked out well the difficulties that we had prior to the trip and wondering if we delete be able to make the trip were all worked out by our gracious Lord, and we were able to travel, but it was different and we found a place where where there are tighter restrictions and and you have to just be extra careful in those situations, but we thank the Lord for a wonderful time.

A able to visit our daughter Bethany and her husband Warren and their three boys, and it has been a refreshing time for us.

Indeed, we are glad to be back. We were glad for the good reports that we received of the activities reduced activities here. Beacon while we were away.

Thankful for the good service on the Lord's day. Thankful for the good offerings that we received this last Lord's day, and I do not have some numbers that I don't have them in front of me but I'll try to email those to you tomorrow and I thank you for your faithfulness in giving the Lord continues to supply our needs.

Titus chapter 2 verse 11 through 13 Telus for the grace of God to bring salvation has appeared to all men teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

We will Lord willing, continue our people present service this coming Sunday morning at 930 this coming Sunday.

Two things to keep in mind number one, it's the end of daylight savings time and so you turn your clock back fall back in the fall. You turn your clock back an extra hour sleep come rested on time on Sunday morning and you will be we will be together on Eastern standard Time, instead of Eastern daylight Time number two, November begins our annual missions month we have conducted a missions month in November for nearly all of the years of our church's existence.

I don't think we started that the very first two or three years but we started at shortly's goes back to the 1970s and we have followed that pattern. All of these years were going to be doing that again but again because of covert it's going to have to be a little bit different and were not meeting on Sunday night and that's the time we normally have missionary presentations from missionaries who are in the states, home on furlough able to pay us a visit. Primarily missionaries that we are already supporting financially but from time to time. New missionaries that we made reconsidering going into partnership with their ministry but we can't do that because of what's going on so we have lined up some video presentations from missionaries that we will be showing to you in the evening service as its lifestream as part of the lifestream procedure. We will incorporate some reports from missionaries this coming Sunday night. It will be Tom and Connie Chapman who have served in the land of Chile for several decades. I remember when they first started deputation and we were one of the first churches to partner with them in the work of missions before they ever went to the field the first time and we have supported them and pray for them and showed interest in their ministry over these many many years and will be hearing on 11 minute report by video through the lifestream service on Sunday night at 6 o'clock.

You can look forward to that. And of course even though things are not normal. We still need to raise the money for missions budget which we have done over these many years, from two sources, primarily will the budget is made up from two sources completely not primarily but altogether missionary budget is made up from two sources.

Number one, 10% of our general fund at the end of the month is transferred from our general fund checking account into our mission checking account and that constitutes about $60,000 of our annual missions budget 10% of our general fund offerings which have been running around $600,000 annually for the last several years probably going to be a little bit less this year because of covert. That's the first element and the smallest element of the two because the second infusion of funds that comes into our missions account comes from the commitments of our people in the Faith promise program and so we need to measure that to you.

Remind you of it as could be praying about it or trusting of the Lord will enable us to not drop below last year's commitment.

We would hate to have to cut our budget for missions, though, we will bow to the sovereign will of God. Whatever is indicated by the cards that are returned. But I'm praying that the Lord will enable our congregation to continue and if possible even exceed the figures that we enjoyed last year. Last year our Faith promise missions total came in around $137,000 and are never exactly been over hundred and 30,000, coupled with the 60,000 maybe 60,500 of the 10% from the general fund gave us a working missions budget of a little bit over hundred $90,000. Let's say hundred $95,000 and that's what we had to work with last year, and with that we allotted support to the missionaries that the Lord is given to us tried to increase support for that is needed were even now gathering information from our missionaries and from there sending organizations to find out where the greatest financial needs lie and that helps us to establish our missions budget and to know where to allocate funds and so this is a very very important time for church and the Lord has blessed us in this over the years and we are a missions minded church and every year somewhere around 30, 30 to 35% of our total disbursements goes to missions and benevolence.

When we left those two things together and benevolence giving is only a very small part of that most of it is missionary support, but nevertheless we put those two things together and approximately one third of all of our disbursements go to missions and we are thankful to be able to do that and then are local church ministry is supported on the other. Approximately two thirds of the funds. The God supplies, so we are a missions minded church. I'm sure there are churches occasionally somewhere that may give a higher percentage of their income to missions than the Lord has enabled us to do, but they would be very many and it's it's a tribute to the goodness of God and to the working of God's grace in the lives of our people that we are able to do that well I will move on to the request side of our prayer sheet praising the Lord that Ken Elliott is recovered completely from covert and as far as I know everybody else who had it. We had several people positive about three weeks ago. As far as I know, everybody has completely recovered praising the Lord the Drew Guthrie got a good report she's battling cancer for good word to hear and we are thrilled that Art Pope, who had a couple of biopsies and there were some current concerns about cancer. There in those tests came back negative and so art is not battling cancer not facing cancer though he continues, of course, to struggle with his CO PD in regard to two government leaders are government official.

The week is Burlington councilmember Harold Owens Harold 01 has been in in Burlington government for a long time. He is now a member of the city Council under members Scott pays lip be having hernia surgery tomorrow. Pray for him. Nelly Hunter continues to recover from surgery on her elbow. Lettie Norris continues to heal from her cracked left wrist.

Mary Shaw continues to recover from shoulder surgery. That's going to be a long, slow recovery.

Shirley Watkins is recovering at home and doing quite well is really gaining strength. We rejoice in that Dale Blosser befriended Pastor Carnes in Pennsylvania is in declining health. Leslie Caldwell, a friend of Darrell Michael Hannon is recovering from heart surgery.

I believe that's in South Carolina, Amanda Dubois is in need of a kidney transplant that is the wife of Sheri Kane's grandson Geraldine Pendergraft is scheduled for hip surgery, friend of Drew Guthrie, Shirley Rocky has a former member beacon many years ago.

Decades ago, had a small stroke in a pinched nerve and we are praying for Shirley Bill Trousdale is having serious surgery and this request was forwarded to us by Darla Hayes looked in the area of sympathy. We have two families who are dealing with with the deaths of friends, loved ones or friends. I never wanted Dr. John Johnson, a brother to join the tour guide of covert was traveling became sick in Arizona went to California where he was admitted to the hospital and was diagnosed with covert and he did not recover. The funeral will be on Saturday. It's up in the top of the mountains of North Carolina, beyond Boone and please pray for that service.

Pray for his wife, Becky, and his children, and other members of that family, our own past about the tour will be having a part in the service along with pastor Eric Johnson of our partnering church are our brother brother church in Asheboro, North Carolina, so please pray that the Lord will bless that time on Saturday and then pastor Michael Carnes has a friend in Pennsylvania who took his own life and that's a real difficult time.

His name is Ken Miller and his wife is left behind in children and grandchildren and so please pray for that family under the category of cancer.

Praying for Russ Elliott was a tumor on the lung and is recovering from surgery. That's Ken Elliott's brother Sharon King Lynch has Hodgkin's love lymphoma. That's a friend of Darrell Michael Hannon. I think that is also in South Carolina, a Gaylord rebel has lung cancer. That's Leanne Michael Hannon's father and he lives in Wisconsin and then Ben Vestal. Lori Craig's brother and Sue Vestal, brother-in-law is under hospice care in Lynchburg, Virginia and only has a limited time to live in a course. We are praying for our pastor brother Gary Hendrix who has pancreatic cancer and is declining so please pray for his wife, Sherry, and for the members of that family as well. Going to read the words of the hymn will be singing this coming Sunday when we gather together with the assembly of the saints alive people present service on Sunday morning at 930 and entering into our missions month were going to sing this missions him by Chris Anderson that we have signed often and have grown to love and he says go to the world for the sake of his name to every nation, his glory proclaim. Pray that the spirit wise will open darkened eyes granting new life to display Jesus fame in Jesus power preach Christ to the lost. For Jesus glory count all else, but loss gather from every place trophies of sovereign grace, less like be wasted. Exalt Jesus cross love the unloved for the sake of his name like Christ.

We friend those whose heads hang in shame.

Jesus did not condemn, but was condemned for them. Trust gospel power, for we once were the same rescue the lost. For the sake of his name is Christ command snatch them out of the flame tell that when Jesus died, God's wrath was satisfied urge them to flee to the Lamb who was slain look to the throne for the sake of his name.

Think of the throng who will share in his reign, some for whose souls. We pray will share our joy that day joining our song for the sake of his name in Jesus power preach Christ to the lost. For Jesus glory count all else, but loss gather from every place trophies of sovereign grace, less like be wasted. Exalt Jesus cross bow in prayer will father how we want to be channels of your grace to others. Help us father to be faithful in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and father by the work of your spirit. Use it to change hearts and to gather from every race. Trophies of sovereign prayer Lord, that you will focus our minds upon those things which are eternal. Even as we gather by means of lifestream tonight as we ask it in Jesus name, amen. Turning to missionary communications by start first with a thank you note from Wendy Lynch in the family of Linda Gruner, her sister passed away last week pastors a beacon family. I cannot express how much your prayers. Submit to me over the last few weeks. Thank you for your prayers, cards and food during the passing of my sister. It is hard but God has truly showed us grace and comfort in Christ signed Wendy.

I next want to read the latest prayer letter from missionary Steward wall. Stuart and his wife Laverne's labored in Zimbabwe for many years.

At times they have also labored in South Africa where he is at the moment and the laws are members of beacon Baptist Church. They haven't been able to be here for a long time now because of Stewart's health situation and his inability to travel. I think the letter is self-explanatory. So I will just go ahead and read the account of what's been going on over the last few months. We want to thank you for your continued faithful to to us in your prayers, your love and your financial support for the work in Zimbabwe. We greatly appreciate the sacrifices you make. Knowing that you are going through tough times with covert, 19, and the resultant effect on the economy. Pray for the Lord's grace and strength to uphold you last prayer letter you received gave some explanation as to the health crisis. Stuart has been facing this year. Last March, cancerous nodules were found in the liver. Since that time. Much has transpired during the past six months. Stewart's health deteriorated significantly with the discovery of cancer was essential to have irradiated spheres planted into into his liver to stop the spread these needed to be imported from Singapore and with a very strict lockdown in South Africa. No planes were flying. It was a race against time in the Lord provided the way miraculously the spheres were inserted in the cancer slowed down and shrank God gave us the time to wait for the new liver at that point while Stuart was undergoing workup procedures and thrombosis was discovered in the portal vein. The doctors tried to dissolve it, but eventually had to result to resort. Rather, to another surgery which was a liver bypass. These were great times of testing in the further test was you and further test was yet to come. During the workup. It was discovered that one of the patients in his ward had tested positive for covert.

This meant that he and I had to corn team for two weeks with the real possibility that we would contract covert by God's grace, he spared us a possible disaster for the next month.

Stuart was called for transplant three times and sent home each time because the livers were not suitable. On the fourth call by the grace of God. The transplant took place on 1 September. Surgery went very well but it was a huge shock to Stewart's body and for three weeks the doctors didn't think he would survive. It then the Lord turn things around and he began to improve remarkably even unbelieving hardened surgeons described it as a miracle. We thank the Lord for his goodness to us in providing a good liver at the right time. Stuart is now home Johannesburg a little apartment that he has there. Stuart is now home and recovering from the transplant he came home after four weeks in the hospital and is making steady progress daily. The new liver is functioning well in the anti-rejection medications are keeping it safe. He can walk for around 15 minutes and is able to work on the courses he wants to teach when he returns to Zimbabwe at the moment he is having regular bloodwork to monitor the liver functions they should decrease after three months, and up until February. He has more spaced testing and after that he should be able to return full-time to the work in Zimbabwe. I will return there in December to hold the fort.

We are deeply thankful to all God's wonderful people who prayed us through his years of deteriorating health. The pastors in Zambia keep in close touch in the works are growing.

There are eight young men who feel that the Lord has called them to preach. Stuart is eager to get back to Zimbabwe and start their training.

There are also three new areas where people are asking us to come in to plant churches.

We are very eager to get back and get going.

The Lord continues to provide for our current churches and pastors and then she includes a letter from some of the pastors about some of the things are going on down and skip that part and it closes out by saying God is been extremely gracious and kind to us and is granted us this opportunity to continue with the work among our beloved people in Zimbabwe.

We ask for your continued prayers for healing for safety from rampant crime in home invasion and for great grace to direct and empower our service for our Lord Jesus Christ, you are our helpers. Most went on the knees before the throne of grace. We love and appreciate you deeply. Stuart and the great letter.

Thank you for that update will have a letter here than I can read it is from a government official elected official in the state of Virginia by the name of Christopher ahead was a member of the House of delegates and he is calling attention to the prayer walk which is sponsored every year before election every every election year, every year that has an election before the board election by a missionary David Anderson we partner with in the ministry there capital commission is the name of the organization that he works with, which is an organization that places men in each state capital for the purpose of reaching out to the representatives and workers and in the government offices and so forth, holding Bible studies and ministering to them and this particular prayer walk capital commissions 2020 cookout in prayer walk is sponsored by a large list of Senators and delegates are all listed on the back of this paper.

I didn't count them, but I looks like for Senators. There's so more than 20 and for delegates there is more than twice that number and Chris head is going to be speaking at the meeting, which will be this Monday, November 2, from five to 7:45 PM prayer walk on the day before the election, which is a good opportunity for me to remind you, I'm sure you're not unmindful of it. It's been in the news constantly, but there is a national election on Tuesday. Many of you no doubt have already voted early, but if you have not let me encourage you not to neglect this civic duty as well as a wonderful opportunity for the people of God to influence our government through the voting process well hi don't have time probably to read any more letters. I did have one.

I have one here from the Webster's and France that tell about the situation there. The lockdown requirements and so forth. I also have one from Larry and Carol Bunyan of Montana that I brought to the pulpit.

The last time I was here Wednesday night and didn't have time to read it and I still don't and I had one as well.

I didn't bring it to the pulpit one from Tony and Kathy Payne in South Africa. They the labor little bit north of Cape Town, but in the Cape Town area and they report they've actually came came to the states to be able to visit Tony's mother 85 years old who had some health needs and they felt the need to come home to spend a little time with her and while they were here.

Someone broke into their home and South Africa and stole the list of things that were stolen is quite enormous. A lot of money a lot of materials for the ministry. I actually wrote the letter, but I don't have time to read but it's it's it's actually a wonderful testimony of the grace of God and Tony's attitude is just marvelous and he said what those things didn't know is I dedicated all that to the Lord long ago so they can steal it for me. They stole it from him when you hold material things lightly and give them all to the Lord. It sure frees you up. Not nearly as anxious about things.

The material things of life as you would be otherwise. All right, open your Bibles. Please accept 11 we continue in this portion, which I started on in in September. The first message was Wednesday night, September 9. I did that number one because Wednesday night every Wednesday night has a missionary focus. I thought it was very suitable because it's a passage really about the beginning of the development of missions in the early church. What we call missions number two with an eye toward missions month were heading in the missions month. I thought this would help prepare us for that and so we been working our way through this and I'm going to pick up where I left off last time, which would have been October 14 and what you have is a strategy of missions. You might call it a a recipe for missions. What is the that we are trying to accomplish with missions, what was that they were guided to accomplish. Even though this was all new to them but God the Holy Spirit was guiding them these early days into the work of missions and it boils down really to three areas number one evangelism number two church planting number three ministry that is the newly planted church getting involved in ministry. The already planted church in Jerusalem got involved in ministry by evangelizing and eventually planting a church in Antioch of Syria and so now there is a second significant church and we see its development. I read the Scriptures and we will continue on where we left off, acts 1119 now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over. Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia Cypress and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only some of them were men from Cyprus and Sirena who, when they had come to Antioch spoke to the Hellenist preaching the Lord Jesus and the hand of the Lord was with them in a great number believed and turned to the Lord, then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch when he came in had seen the grace of God. He was glad and encourage them all that with purpose of heart.

They should continue with the Lord.

They should cleave unto the Lord the King James version set for he that is, Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith in a great many people were added to the Lord that Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch so it was for a whole church. They assembled for holy year. Rather, they assembled with the church and taught a great many people and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch and in those days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch that one of them named Agatha stood up and showed by the spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea this they also did and send it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul evangelism faithful evangelists scattered out from Jerusalem because of persecution, preaching the gospel wherever they went, but always to the Jewish people going to the synagogues going to the places were Jewish people gathered in preaching the gospel to them basically proclaiming to them that their long promised Messiah has actually already come, his name is Jesus of Nazareth, he lived.

He died on the cross he rose from the dead he went back to heaven and he is the way of salvation believe in him, but some of these men who were from. They were Jews from the dispersion when they got to Antioch Syria, 300 miles north of Jerusalem.

They didn't they didn't read receipt restrict themselves to preaching the gospel to Jews, but they began to preach to Greeks to Gentiles, and God bless that Gentiles believe the gospel by the work of God's Holy Spirit in a great many were saved. That's evangelism now. Secondly, we see church planting and church planting.

The section on that could break down to these three thoughts we have number one investigation number two supervision number three instruction investigation report came to the church in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to investigate the got there to Antioch Syria and find out if these reports were true and he could send back word to the mother church which no doubt he did Barnabas a mature man, a godly man carefully chosen for this task, and he went to investigate on behalf of the church in Jerusalem which is now going to become the mother church of the church that will form in Antioch number one investigation number two supervision. Barnabas got there, he realized that there was indeed a great work of God going up the spirit of God greatly blessed the evangelism of these what we would call Lehman who were scattered from Jerusalem. Many were saved but they were just what should I say a loose knit collection of saved people, but they were not organized into a church, they were not being systematically instructed in the word of God. These men who had preached the gospel were not pastors and teachers. They were Lehman and so there was a great need for someone, someone who is qualified to come and to provide some supervision to provide some leadership to provide some organization to what was going on in Antioch Syria that someone was Barnabas who'd been set up, there for that purpose, and he taught the word of God and encourage these people to continue on with the Lord, but he recognized that there was a need for more systematic instruction. I assume Barnabas was doing what he could in that regard and it soon became too much for him. So there was an obvious evening needed someone to help them with this church group. It was really a church quite yet. It was a fellowship of individual believers that needed to be organized into a church needed to be instructed as a church and he saw the need for help because this was a large group of people and he wasn't able to do it himself and a likely solution in his mind was to locate Saul of Tarsus, a former Pharisee, who been saved on the Damascus Road had ministered powerfully in the city of Damascus and Syria farther east from where Antioch is had so effectively ministered there that the Jews in Damascus who did not believe endeavored to take his life and he escaped and came to Jerusalem and he preached the gospel effectively. There in the same thing happened all over again. The Jews in Jerusalem who did not believe in Jesus determined that they were going to put Paul to death, and so the disciples hurried him out of town and he went all the way up to Tarsus which was his hometown up in modern-day Turkey been the area of of Asia minor of the Galatian area. Generally speaking, it's a little bit east actually of of Galatia, but he went home and presumably was preaching the gospel. There we we don't have any report really what was going on there, but I can imagine Paul being there just sitting at home in reading the Wall Street Journal. I think what's he was so busy preaching the word of God and evangelizing that we don't have any any report of large numbers of people being saved and of a church being planted the you would surprise me at all if we find out someday that that is what happened, but at any rate, Barnabas knew that he was a capable man the kind of man he needed to help them in what was going on in Antioch so he went off to Tarsus. He left the people in Antioch for a while they had they had managed before he came without him.

So he assumed that they can manage for couple weeks without it now that he went off to Tarsus located Saul persuaded Saul to join him.

This makes me think that Saul didn't have a group of people that were large enough to organize into a church because he was free to come didn't have a demanding ministry that died him down and anchored him to Tarsus. He didn't say I'm sorry I can't come but the Lord is doing a great work here and somebody's needed here and I have to stay and to to strengthen this work and organize this work, but no, he was available. He saw this invitation as the leading of God.

He came with Barnabas back to Antioch and together the two of them began a systematic program to teach the word of God to these people.

We read about that verse 26 verse 25 and Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch.

So was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people in the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

They organized a systematic program of Bible instruction.

They are taking this group of new believers.

These newly saved men and women. These born-again Gentiles, with perhaps a handful of Jews as well. There were some Jews among them.

We know that the book of Galatians later on and they started it says assembled with them for a year. The details are not given.

We can't say that they met any more than on the Lord's day, but I'm certain that they were leased assembling on the Lord's day in may have had other times as well, as we see the pattern of Paul in his missionary labors in the places where the book of acts does give us details we realize that in some places. He instructed more often than on the Lord's day, but there was this emphasis upon the assembly and so was it for a whole year. They assembled that's the Greek word for church Iglesia noun form means an assembly. The church is an assembly of saints, the church requires assembling to be a church for talking about a local church, you can't be a local church if you don't assemble you can be part of a local church if you don't assemble with the church and so they assembled regularly for a whole year. Certainly Lord's day by Lord's day, and as I say maybe other times as well. Midweek service as we don't know. But during this time they Paul and Barnabas solvency was still called this point had started calling up all yet. Saul and Barnabas were teaching the church for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people faithful, teaching, what are they teaching the word of God. What are they teaching. Teaching what is called the next chapter to the apostles doctrine. What are they teaching their teaching people the foundation of the Christian faith from the word of God. They are teaching them the Scriptures they are teaching them truths that have not even been in Scripture rated yet but will be as the New Testament is written, they are teaching them the word of God and they are doing that regularly we buy. We buy we buy.

We buy we buy week what is Astellas tells us how important the word of God is to the to the formation of churches and for the continuation of churches for the health of churches for the health of Christian people.

This is necessary in the work of missions, evangelism is not the end it's the beginning. Obviously you can't have a church until you have born-again people to constitute the church, but you don't have the work of evangelism very far along until you have gathered those believers together into a congregation and assembly of people that assembles on a regular basis and is taught the word of God. What else is Astellas. This tells us that the essence of preaching is teaching, and we generally think about coming together on the Lord's day, and we think about hearing the sermon we think about about a pastor preaching. That's what we call it preaching, generally, and we more often say that we say that the pastor is preaching will say that more often than we will say he is teaching there is good reason for that. There's there's Scripture that talks in exactly that language, however, we need to understand that the essence of preaching is teaching now.

I in some ways I take it for granted that beacon folks understand this and most of you who are tuned in, are probably members of our congregation, but probably others as well, but we need to be reminded of this. Even those who have taught before. As we got members of our congregation who are relatively new to our church and maybe have never heard this before, but we need to understand that the essence of preaching is teaching and that teaching that is effective is going to have the element of preaching incorporated into it and that brings us to the question what is preaching what is teaching what is the difference how do they relate one to another. How do they interact together and this of course I'm not drawing directly from the text.

It's not there, but the text causes me to consider this and to explain this to you. They assembled together with the church for a year and taught taught a great many people. They were teaching, line upon line, precept upon precept, this is what the word of God says but what makes teaching, preaching is the application of the teaching to the lives of the people who were there. If you have teaching without application you just have information it's not bad. That's good. Good to have information, it's good to have an understanding of the contents of the Bible. But what you need is teaching that applies that truth to the lives of the people who are there teaching with application and what we generally think of as preaching is the application of the word of God is teaching that is applied. You say where you get that you didn't get that out of this passage in front of you next chapter 11 will I get that from several places in Scripture but II can tell you that if you will examine the sermons in the book of acts will find that they fit this description that I've given to you.

They always nearly always have some Scripture that provides a basis for teaching the text if you will, sometimes several generally almost always from the Old Testament because in the book of acts. The New Testament had been written yet, so the preachers, the apostles were redoing the preaching would take some statements from the Old Testament and explained them, but if you will examine what they are doing your seat you will see that they are applying them to the lives of the people who are before them right now. Not just saying this is what Jeremiah told the people of his day. Here's the information.

Here's what it says. Amen. Let's go home. They didn't do it that way.

Look at the sermons you'll find out they applied what was said.

There were plenty of personal pronouns. This is for you.

This is what you are to do this is how you are to respond now sometimes preaching is all application without any explanation. And when that's the case, it becomes little more than the preacher's opinion. That opinion may be based upon his understanding of Scripture. We hope it is, which would make it important opinion, it would make it solid opinion, it would make it helpful opinion, but if all it is is opinion. All it is is application.

This is what you must do this is what you must not do. This is what you must do this is what you must not do and it's not drawn out of and anchored to the word of God, then it's preaching but it's not good preaching. It's not Bible preaching the applications.

What we think of what we think of the term preaching. We know that without even explaining sometimes people say I don't like you preaching to me what they mean. I don't like you telling me what to do.

That's the application. If all you did was just like this is what the Bible says and never say now this is what he requires of you, then nobody would feel like they been preached to say I don't like you preaching to me because you want me preaching to them just been laying out information they can they can accept or reject. And don't feel any particular weight particular pressure particular compelling reason why they must obey it. But when the preacher starts taking that truth and screwing it down into the lives of the people who are there screwing it as a word to the consciences of the people who are there saying this is what God requires of you on the basis of what this says that's the preaching part.

So all I'm saying is this is may be in some respects more for preachers than anybody else, but I think it's important for everybody understand this. What I'm saying to you is this good preaching is primarily teaching. That's where it starts. If it's preaching without teaching. It's not very powerful because it's not anchored in the word of God. It's human opinion. But likewise if it's simply teaching without any application, it's helpful information useful information. I I think actually between the two extremes that one might be the most helpful.

But that's still not what the Bible shows us by the examples that we find in Scripture it's when the word of God is taught and applied taught and applied. Now there's no way that anyone can see dogmatically from Scripture that you must have X number of applications per sermon got have so much of this percentage of teaching in this percentage of applications. Let's that's the sort of thing that will vary with the preacher, Emily would vary from one sermon to another but both are necessary. Both are required for to be effective, but we see therefore that the foundation of good preaching is teaching. They for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people, and it set a cumulative teaching yes preaching with application. But that's a cumulative teaching week after week, month after month. Even year after year that has the life-changing effect in the hearts and minds of people over time it takes time here. They assembled for a whole year and taught a great many people and at the end of the year were told the disciples were called Christians in Antioch at the end of the year. Of this kind of preaching and teaching the people of Antioch began to notice that these people if I could put it this way were becoming a great deal like little Christ's. So they called Christians, was not the whole point is not what the Spirit of God is doing in the lives of his people isn't God in the business of conforming us into the image of his son, making us more like Christ. Shaping is like Christ. That's exactly what he's doing and somebody took note of it. It doesn't say the disciples called themselves Christians in Antioch.

They were called Christians were was those outside the church started saying these people are Christians.

These people are Christ's ones. These are people who are followers of Christ and who are reflecting Christ. How did that happen. It didn't happen's simply because they were saved. It didn't happen with the evangelism.

It happened with the teaching.

Teaching those who were say that had life-changing results of that they were called Christians and now the church is beginning to form.

Now you have some organized structure. Now you have some regular now you have some spiritual leadership. Barnabas and Saul. Now you have people who are growing in in Grayson who is fellowship thing together sharpening one another. Now you have a functioning assembly of believers of church not just so many born-again believers, independent believers, so it's moving along and for that at that point were going to have to call it to a close and will take it up again. Lord willing.

Next time now are going to close in prayer father how grateful we are that the work of your spirit showed us our need that the work of your spirit took the word of God and made a line and convicting and and powerful and life-changing for each of us who are born-again believer. How grateful we are that your word gives us the pattern for the work of the ministry and for the work of missions and what it is that we are to be doing as we preach the gospel across the world.

Father, help us to be faithful and fervent in this work want to praise you that Ken Elliott and others have recovered so nicely from coven. We want to praise you Lord the Drew Guthrie got a good report want to praise you Lord that Bartolo also got a good report and got a negative report of negative in regard to his biopsy. We pray today for Burlington Councilman Harold Allwood with frail old Lord for all of those who have governing responsibilities in our community and in our nation we pray Lord for the elections on Tuesday we pray the Lord that you will mercifully guide us and help us in the Lord that you will bring righteousness to our land.

We pray for Scott Hayes let the children give him a good result with his hernia surgery tomorrow. We pray for Nelly Hunter letting Noris as their recovering from their recent surgeries and for Mary Shaw. Likewise, for Shirley Watkins as she is gaining strength. We pray for Dale Blosser and for Leslie Caldwell and for Amanda Dubois who needs a kidney transplant for Geraldine Pendergraft was having was recovering from hip surgery. We pray for Shirley Rocky as she deals with this stroke and we pray Lord that you will give the doctors wisdom to know why she is had this and how to address it. We pray for Bill Trousdale as he's facing serious surgery on the on the fifth I think of November. Pray for the family of John Johnson as they gather for a a funeral service on Saturday we pray the Lord will minister much grace to them and also for the family of Ken Miller for his wife or his children for his grandchildren for the members of his kind nation, Lord, minister grace, we pray.

We pray for Russ Elliott to has a tumor on his long and for Sharon Lynch. She was dealing with Hodgkin's lymphoma for Gaylord rebel who is dealing with lung cancer and for Ben Vestal who was also dealing with cancer and is under hospice care now. Father cause your truth to not only shine into our lives, but to fill our minds fill our hearts with light and truth to dispel the darkness to dispel sinfulness and to make us more like Christ. We ask these things in Jesus name