A holy covenant in a modern world. While the culture around us may no longer view marriage as sacred, God still views marriage as a holy covenant. It is a picture of His relationship with His own Bride: the church. He hates divorce, not only because it breaks the holy bond between husband and wife, but because it also destroys the glory of His covenant with the church. Divorce is painful, but where there is repentance, God is faithful to forgive and even restore. A question that sometimes arises is whether (and in which circumstances) a divorced person may remarry without it being sin. In this regard, it is important to consider the direction of the Scriptures on this issue and work the situation through with your elders. Please be aware that this message contains content aimed at an adult audience. Caution is advised to parents and facilitators regarding the presence of children.
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47:50
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47:50
08 Discipline
God disciplines those He loves. God’s intent is for all of us to grow in holiness and Christ-likeness. This does not happen overnight, but is an ongoing process of saying ‘no’ to sin and ‘yes’ to obeying God. Just as parents, out of love and because they only want what is best for them, discipline their children when they are disobedient, God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). His desire is for us to respond with soft hearts that will allow His image to be formed in us. Sometimes, however, a person’s heart becomes so calloused through habitual or unconfessed sin that they turn away from God and need to be challenged to return to Him. If the person remains unrepentant, the Bible is clear that they must be put out of the church – not to punish them, but in the hope that they will come to their senses and that their soul will be saved.
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59:33
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59:33
07 Finance
What does the Bible say about money and the church? Money is essential – without it, not much happens. But what does the Bible say about the attitude we are to have towards money and how money works in the church? God is not a spiritual slot machine whereby we give Him a certain amount of money in the hope that He will give us more back. The Bible does, however, lay down certain basic principles that, if applied, attract the blessing and favour of God. One of these principles is the giving of our money to advance the Kingdom. God expects us to give at least a tenth of our income (a tithe) to our local church as provision for the elders and workers in God’s house. Over and above the tithe, the Bible also refers to offerings, alms for the poor and needy, and other kinds of giving to further the Kingdom.
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1:05:38
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1:05:38
06 Worship
What should worship look like? When we think of what God did for us, there is no doubt that He deserves radical praise and worship. What does this look like? The Bible is quite clear on what God wants and what He enjoys. It is not about what we find comfortable or enjoyable but what pleases Him. Likewise, we must learn not to worry about what others think about how we express ourselves in worship but what God thinks. Worship is a key part of our relationship with God and an expression of our love for Him. As we learn to express our love for Him in a manner that pleases Him, we find He responds with great affection and rejoicing over us.
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36:27
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36:27
05 Accountability
Opening our lives to leaders and allowing them to speak the truth in love. God’s desire is for us to grow up to look more and more like Jesus. This is an ongoing process, from the day we get saved until the day we go to be with Jesus. Every part of our lives needs to come into maturity and perfection. All of us have brokenness and blind spots (areas we do not see). All of us get stuck along the way. God’s design is for us to have people around us to give us perspective, help us find freedom, and disciple us to become more like Him. Accountability means opening our lives to leaders and allowing them to speak the truth in love, and it is key to growing up in the fullness of Jesus. By bringing our brokenness into the light, we have true fellowship with each other and grow up to look like Jesus (1 John 1:7).
Exploring God’s blueprint for healthy church.
Paul the Apostle recognised that every church is on a journey to wholeness in Christ. Some churches are in a state of good health while others are battling.
It is our desire as Four12 to assist each one of God’s partnering churches to follow His blueprint for building healthy churches so that we can all be fruitful in reaching the lost and turning the world upside down, just like the early church in the New Testament did.
In “This is Church,” Andrew Selley expounds on the principle biblical values and beliefs that we hold to as Four12 partnering churches to help us continue to build according to God’s design and walk together in unity of heart, mind, and purpose.
South Africa