R881 The Soul Of the New Testament Church, PT.1 Continued

God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton as we complete this two-part series.

It's coming straight from the book of acts acts chapter 4 it's all about the soul of the New Testament church is wrap up today's message together will pick up where we left off yesterday and gain more insight on how the soul of the New Testament church was so effective in literally turning the world upside down, but how you and I can be a part of that same spirit see God work in this day and age covert is no restrictor to the power of God in the New Testament church.

Again, as we study together. Another were available for you. We love to pray with you and for you about whatever's going on in your life at 866899 word 866-899-9673 or online@twonline.org now Dr. will God's going to bring you back to the leadership distinctive because that's the way God has always done his work. God has always raised up people. God has always called upon people to stand up and be counted. And when we find ourselves in acts chapter 4 verse 23 contextually when we begin to understand this passage, you go back and you read at the beginning of acts chapter 4 how that that God came in God did an incredible thing through these leaders and made a pronouncement that, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk in the next chapter for the Bible says that people didn't like what they heard and saw these leaders nice and they will be proclaimed through Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, they focused everything that I had on the main thing which is Jesus Christ spoke about Jesus Christ people there and the community at large began to become uncomfortable and so in this context I even went and arrested Peter and John and they threw them in jail. We know the rest of the story how time without number. Peter and John, with long and they would beat up cost at cost and thrown out.

That was backed up on the day they became despising it with Allah from the spirit of God speaking with God base and they proclaim the power of the gospel to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the day the Bible say is often their release, they did three things.

While the somewhat interesting number one they went back you got it right went back to submit to you today, my beloved friends that when Jesus instituted the New Testament church.

He made a declaration concerning the suffering of Jesus Christ and he called upon men and women, boys and girls and young people on our campuses to stand up and proclaim the power of the resurrection in Jesus Christ, even if it means that you will be arrested costing the child and that when you are maligned and mistreated out cost that you go back to the people that you will go back to the people they notably went back. But they reported to the people folks leadership that's not willing to stand up, be willing to be arrested for the cause of Christ and then is not willing to go back to the people and not just simply went into the company of the people around about them, but to go back with a report.

These me and my friends did not resort to silence. They stood up and they spoke out they gave a report number three they joined in with the people. The leaders were in the company of the committed, they became one with the body of Christ. They stood up and proclaim Jesus Christ. They went back to the people. They made a report and as a result of that, the people rose up in the leaders became fused in one they gave praise and glory to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a picture of the leadership distinctive in the local New Testament church.

I've got good news from deacons Sunday school teachers to people who leave discipleship groups commission groups I see the leadership distinctive. I see it everywhere numbering in the hundreds where you where you there are not enough leadership. My friend is not leadership without a willingness to stand up and be counted. Leadership in the local church is not good enough in the eyes of God.

If it's not willing to take a report back to the people leadership. According to God's standard is the cornerstone of the local New Testament church is a leadership that's willing to testify. It cited leadership that's willing to join arms and do and be part of all that God is doing just by accident I got into a conversation with three of my brothers three main how this came up.

I don't know just kind of people talking you know we got on the subject of our young people I tell you what folks, I have a renewed sense of gratitude for all our people, but it very especially for our young people and I tell you yes I am proud of our young people, but folks let me tell you something what's happening to our young people. There is a battle for the soul of our young people in America today. You know that back in the 60s and 50s and 40s and 30s not going to make something very clear folks. There were some pretty bad people.

Back in those days don't let anybody come back and tell you well you know everything back there. My day was just perfect and everybody was wonderful and nobody ever did anything wrong that's not true young people. If you watching me right now, please. You need understand there were a lot of people that may stop just the same as they do today, but there are some differences there are some differences. Dr. Evans Whitaker, president of Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina, one of our fine fine universities write a statement the other day. He said that their research has led them to conclude that on Anderson University campus.

There are over 1 million hits on the Internet today. Just on the campus of Anderson University. That's just one campus with 2000 students.

I'm not talking about Clemson and Carolina and all these massive institutions.

Just imagine when these 2030 40,000 students just on one campus. There are over 1 million hits on the Internet per day on the campus of Anderson University is the bottom line with the availability of Internet pornography today. How many of those hits on pornographic websites say to me pasta done worry about returning what's happening in America back in the 60s and 50s, whenever your generation was prior to the arrival of the Internet.

When young people got together they did bad things I got in trouble they did all kinds of stuff done kidney, but there was a romantic aura.

The romanticism is going out the back door when young people gather they do what they do and I have fun but will the kind of stuff is gradually disappearing.

I'm making generalizations you know why folks because they've seen it all.

There's no ministry left anymore. There's no need for the hunt. There's no need for the pursuit, there's no magic anymore in the eyes of our young people they got nothing to look at.

There's no reason to hope and only bunch of people walking down the same senseless Parkway controls going from one of entertainment to the next missing from one song to the next and I say to you charts of the living God. The only thing we can do in the name of Jesus Christ is to rise up and to lead people and say young people will you follow me is the way there is a church in America today is going to stand up and say as me and my house is God's way and you can still dream and be mystified and enjoy life because Jesus Christ is life itself. Folks we go to move pasta programs and the pizzas we living in a generation a day when you go to the awards day at any high school junior high school middle school elementary school and you can come with me and I'll guarantee you one thing will happen every single child will get an award you want me to tell you why it's important for every child to get a reward because we no longer believe in the prize.

We no longer believe in hard work, we no longer believe in rewards.

We got a drawer straight line unless we are family somebody we don't want anybody to have incentive anymore. We don't believe in leadership.

We anybody to stand up and it's even proclaim Jesus Christ and we all so let's just give it to everybody because we might offend somebody doesn't work that way folks doesn't work that way school awards evenings are nothing but a succession of applauding everybody. Should we applaud everybody.

Of course we should. So where does that leave the church. The leadership distinctive means that God instituted the church and he rises up a group of men and women who, because of Jesus Christ are willing to stand up and say I'll say. Although there, I'll drive the bus also pizza all cleanup all sing. I'll be that Sunday school teacher because I believe in the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Forgive the interruption.

We will be back with the completion of Dr. Wilton's message, the soul of the New Testament church in just a moment to know if Dr. Don was talking about that challenge. Are we willing to stand up and say I'll do it, I'll say I'll go there. Perhaps it could be the Lord is stirring your heart and you need to in a minute.

Contact your local church and say can you even though were separated even though were distant. I perhaps could do this. Maybe it's something as simple as making a phone call to some friends in your church to encourage them to pray with them and forth. Maybe you find yourself in need of that encouragement and we would love to call went springtime with you. Will let you make the call are numbers 866-899-WORD I pray you jotted that number down and stored in your cell phone because it will always connect to listen to pray happily connect with great 866-899-9673 back to today's message with Dr. Don Wilton leadership distinctive.

We've got some work to God's given us that responsibility and we cannot do it without you, and all of us cannot do it without him number two the people distinctive. He never thought I'd get the point number two digit point number two the people distinctive verse 24 was remarkable folks, you know, any time you talk about the leadership distinctive.

There is a sense in which you look in your site will you know he's the president, he should. She's the leader mattered.

Many are coaching many a bowl game has looked to the team and said listen guys, we got some leaders, but takes a team to win the game. All of us. Some of you might say to me, the day will pasta.

How does the church work.

If this is about people, the church, by the way, work sinful ways.

Let me give it to you very quickly number one you want to know how the church works.

It is pasta laid pasta laid all of you look straight at me and I know what you're thinking. I buck stops on his desk, but not according to spiritual leadership. Spiritual leadership is servant leadership, which means that in the church leadership comes from the top, not from the top down, but from the bottom up. This is not BMW folks as much as I love BMWs. This is not a corporation. This is not a secular institution and for generations people have tried so hard to bring secular institutionalism to bear on the local New Testament church. It always results in chaos. It cannot work, no matter how badly we feel about the church works because number one it is pasta laid.

I've never been more convinced today than ever before.

Then God called me to be you pasta but folks, that means that God scold me to be the lowest rung of the church to be the servant of all service. That's the model Jesus gave us that's a tough thing to do is I don't like being down there so I'm in a continual state of Lord help me, help me to adjust. Help me to get down where I need to be help lead us to love my people more to do more to give more real. So the human spirit. To do that and just above me the ministry team did deacons see that's the second way the church works as the church is deacon served deacons are not a board of directors. They servants of the living God. Go back and study the Scriptures and the deacons for watch this the grade of the servant are you ready for this, the greater the servant, the greater the what the leader you cannot be a leader unless you are servant and the more of a servant. You, the greater leader you in the church so no wonder deacons are the leaders of the church so we as leaders whether we Sunday school teachers or discipleship leaders of deacons will ministers what ever we might be. We continually be signed. Lord, let me get down there because we didn't realize I must decrease so that he might increase the world is crying out for servant leadership, number three, the church is team organized. You know how the work is done by you by me.

All of us together.

Here's what I'm praying for what we are praying for that goal and more about people are going to do fewer and fewer things rather than fewer and fewer about people doing more and more things you want to do things the way God wants it done in the church with such power and effectiveness. Every one of us needs to do our part. I know I'm getting out on a limb. Would it be possible, I know this is stupid. Would it be possible that one day we actually have it written down that nobody is allowed to serve in more than one capacity in a years time you you doing this squandering thing else your Sunday school teacher that said, oh, help me somewhat here on the finance team that's it folks with God's people in God's church. We tighten no matter how big that thing is that active service working without babies or children, I mean let's go. That's what we do is what we do, we do so well.

We just joining God all the time but folks yes what happens in many a church. There's a whole group of people who just understand that they get it, I'll do it. And then there's another whole equally precious group of people who say I can do it and when you study the New Testament you come to a fresh understanding of what it means what God had in mind.

He constructed the church in such intricate detail. Folks rarely in the right kind away. We got people going morning noon and not I'm in the pasta gets up in the competencies give time to your families.

Let's all just make sure we spend time with our children and you know let's prioritize and here we are. Some people getting beaten to death. How does the church work. This is the people distinctive pasta led deacon served team organized, full body approve phenomena close with this you ready for this body approve are use an American classic to we the people, but not in an American constitutional. The Bible tells us my friends that the power of godliness among the people is going to come from among the people. They all going to stand up together. So I'm asking church to do something new boss Sam Davis our associate Boston to make certain that all of us have at least four Wednesday nights a year for Windsor knots once 1/4. Now we do this anyway.

We have a courtly church gathering you notice I don't use the word business because I don't think you do business in the church. I'm not going to call God and his work business. Its worship will call it business on the because that's the word we used but we have courtly meetings where we consider the business of the church.

The deacons, having received reports from teams all over the church and they consider all of that and then they bring a recommendation to the body to the people, but folks, there is one, but in what I'm saying. I am trying that we as God's people.

I'm about to close with this by God's grace we are school that they will seldom be an ever a time that we will present a budget or anything that we know that we can do folks there is a sense in which we should walk out on every occasion saying wow God is so good.

This is what he showed us and we believe we should do this.

We have no idea how we got a its way beyond us. How could we ever get that. How could we ever raise that amount of money we have, a move that moving how can we ever take our young people over there will provide this. We can't do it God can. God can folks that's New Testament church. God can. I believe with all of my heart, the Lord Jesus Christ is calling this group of people to rise to something that we cannot conceive and as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. I guess the bottom line is I'm just asking if there's anybody who's willing to get arrested with me and I don't think that'll happen we live in America. What a blessing by standing in Pakistan right now will see what we be made of.

I guess I'm just asking if there's anybody who's willing to serve a cup of juice to a kid. One of his anybody's willing to drive a bus.

One of his anybody's willing to make a visit pick up the phone serve on the team serve as an usher one of his anybody's willing to join the choir, Sunday school local New Testament church, the soul of the church. My brothers and my sisters place you name together. We've only got one thing that we missed. That is place because he's everything in the is everything using everything, including this broadcast to let you know he loves you and if you know him and Yorty belong to him, maybe longer church. It's time to stand up and say I want to be.

Allow me to be an instrument of your maybe others of you that are going I'm happy to serve soup line is not so sure. Given my life to Jesus Christ. Most life changing. You could ever do to change my life change Dr. Don's life and what God has done for us and for you. I pray you open your heart these next few from our pastor and chief Dr. are you ready you pray this prayer with me right now. Dear God, I know that Jesus loves that he died on the day I and I can give him a if you pray that from you giving your life. Welcome mitigating games together because we are connected together as believers in Christ to the next steps 899-9967 Dr. 866-899-9673 or me this online@teonline.org that's TE W online.org place to discover a great deal of insight on this book about Daniel this month at The Encouraging Word spotlight new ministry. The book of Daniel. The four venture miracle. His readers will encouraging your call at 99 dollars and began understanding on this tomorrow same time