Cincinnati Church

E. If a minister wants his words and the form of them to be sound: he must go to Paul. 2TI 1:13. 1. sound: In full accordance with fact, reason, or good sense; founded on true or well-established grounds; free from error, fallacy, or logical defect; good, strong, valid. 2. If a minister wants his gospel to be the true gospel, he need only preach the gospel Paul preached because Paul got it directly from Christ. GAL 1:6-12. 3. Tha...

God’s Pattern For Faithfulness In Ministry faithful: 1. Of persons, their actions, etc. : Full of or characterized by faith; believing. 2. Firm in fidelity or allegiance to a person to whom one is bound by any tie; constant, loyal, true. faithfulness: The quality of being faithful; a. Fidelity, loyalty [to a superior or friend]; trustworthiness, conscientiousness. b. Strict adherence to one’s pledged word; honesty, sincerity. I. To what or whom are ministers to be f...

V. HAG 2:1-9. A. All the prophets gave witness of the Lord Jesus Christ and the days of the setting up of His spiritual kingdom. ACT 10:43; 3:24. B. Haggai here points the Jews to Messiah's coming and a superior glory for the house of God in order to console and animate them in their work. C. v. 2 c/w HAG 1:12. “The encouragements here are sent to the same persons to whom the reproofs in the foregoing chapter are directed; for those that are wounde...

K. With the bestowal of the office comes the right and responsibility to make specific requirements of a church. ROM 16:17; 1CO 5:11-13; 11:2; 14:40; 2CO 2:6-7; 1TI 1:3; 4:11; 5:7; 6:17; 2TI 2:14; 4:1-2. 1. A minister must command the keeping of apostolic order. 2TH 3:6-10. 2. An example of this is the command to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together (HEB 10:25). Thus, a minister has the authority and duty to regulate and enforce this issue...

IV. HAG 1:12-15. A. Haggai's rebuke was met with a proper response: church leaders and church members united against error because they believed the rebuke was from God. v. 12 c/w 1TH 2:13-14. 1. Rebukes from God should yield our rebuke of our lusts and sins. JOB 34:31-32; 42:6 c/w ROM 6:21. 2. As God promised the remnant who would repent that He would in turn “...rebuke the devourer for your sakes.....

Matthew 7:1-5 A. Jesus here gives instruction concerning judgment. 1. judge: To form an opinion about; to pronounce an opinion upon, to criticize; esp. to pronounce an adverse opinion upon, to condemn. See LUK 6:37. 2. This portion of Scripture is often wrested to mean that it is never proper to judge (criticize, condemn) another's doctrine, practice or conduct. 3. If the Lord Jesus is here teaching that cri...

G. The authority which God gives to rulers of churches is not to be used to destroy the churches, but build them up. 2CO 10:8; 13:10. 1. Ministerial authority may be abused by forbidding scrutiny or challenge. JOH 9:34; ACT 4:17-18 ct/w ACT 17:11; NUM 16:5. 2. Ministerial authority may be abused by taking away the key of knowledge by dereliction of duty, faulty hermeneutic, substituting traditions of men for the word of God, or casting doubt on...

3. When the heart by penitent conversion becomes an active temple unto God, it is a festive moment in earth and heaven. ACT 8:35-39; 16:34; LUK 15:10, 32. a. The body of a saint is God’s temple to be kept clean. 1CO 6:18-20. b. Conversion begins with belief in the heart. ACT 8:37; ROM 10:9-10. c. Obedience should be from the heart. ROM 6:17; EPH 6:6. d. Christ dwe...

Our God I. Consider some philosophical arguments for the existence of God. A. The argument from motion. 1. Anything that is moved is moved by some other thing. 2. To move is nothing else but drawing something from potentiality to actuality. 3. Nothing can be brought from potentiality into actuality except by something that is itself in actuality. 4. It is impossible that ...

Haggai I. Haggai is a small book of a minor prophet but “...who hath despised the day of small things?” (ZEC 4:10). c/w MIC 5:2; LUK 12:32. A. Even jots, tittles and least commandments are important. MAT 5:18-19. B. This small scripture is for our learning, patience, comfort and hope. ROM 15:4. C. Haggai did have a tag-team partner since sometimes two are better than one. EZR 5:1; EXO 4:14-15; ECC 4:9-11; MAR...

The Trinity trinity: The state of being threefold, threefoldness, threeness. Specifically in theological use: applied to the existence of one God in three persons. I. The doctrine of the Trinity affirms that there is only one Supreme Being or God, Who exists in three Persons in undivided essence. Each of the three Persons: the Father, the Word/Son, and the Holy Ghost/Spirit is equally and wholly the one and only God. II. Some believe...

Matthew 6:10 A. Jesus taught us to pray that the Father’s kingdom come. c/w v. 9. 1. kingdom: Kingly function, authority, or power; sovereignty, supreme rule; the position or rank of a king, kingship. trans. and fig. The spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ, or the sphere over which this extends, in heaven or on earth; the spiritual state of which God is the head. 2. This involves the concept of Go...

IX. The local church is basically part of a monarchy, but no man on earth is its king. The Head or King of the church is Jesus Christ, who rules from a throne in heaven. A. Christ is the head of the church which is His kingdom. Head = king. EPH 1:22 c/w 1SAM 15:17. 1. His royal sceptre is righteousness. HEB 1:8. 2. His crown is glory and honor. HEB 2:9. 3. His throne is of grace. HEB 4:16. 4. His author...

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled (John 14:1) I. Christ’s words to His disciples (JOH 14:1) were not a suggestion but an order. A. He had told them of some uncomfortable issues upcoming and that He would not be there personally for them. So sorrow had filled their hearts. JOH 16:1-6. B. They might not find much peace in their environment but they could find it in Him. JOH 16:33...

Scripture, Tradition, Final Authority I. tradition: The action of handing over (something material) to another; delivery, transfer. (Chiefly in Law.). Delivery, esp. oral delivery, of information or instruction. An ordinance or institution orally delivered. II. An important distinctive of Roman Catholicism is its position on final authority. A. It does not hold that the truth of Scripture is the final authority but rather that the Church is ...

E. It should be noted here that once a child of God has been properly baptized into a local church, he need not be re-baptized if he should seek membership in another legitimate N.T. church. 1. His baptism has shown he has a part in the redemptive and regenerative work of the Lord Jesus Christ. a. Baptism requires faith in Christ and repentance. b. Penitent believers have a regenerated nature, everlasting lif...

Redemption I. Definitions. A. redemption: Deliverance from sin and its consequences by the atonement of Jesus Christ. B. redeem: To buy back (a thing formerly possessed); to make payment for (a thing held or claimed by another); to ransom, liberate, free (a person) from bondage, captivity, or punishment; to save (one's life) by paying a ransom. II. The gospel is the good news of what Christ HA...

Concerning The Last Days I. We have been in the last days since Christ’s first advent. HEB 1:1-2; 1JO 2:18. A. There was a fulness of time pegged to John and Christ’s ministries. GAL 4:4-5; MAR 1:15. B. The last days/time will conclude with the last day and the last trumpet when Christ comes to raise the dead and finish the mystery. JOH 6:39-40, 44, 54; 1TH 4:14-17; 1CO 15:51-52. II. The general tren...

The Unity of the Church I. The members of the church are declared to be one in Christ. 1CO 10:17; GAL 3:27-28. A. The Corinthians were declared to be one in Christ even though in practice they were quite divided. 1CO 3:3; 1CO 11:18. B. The Spirit of God joins baptized believers into one body. 1CO 12:12-13. C. The members of the church have the things listed in EPH 4:4-6 in common. These things unite them. ...

Knowing God I. In the midst of Athens’ idolatry was “...an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD...” (ACT 17:23). A. It is not that God is unknowable, but unknown to those in ignorance. Paul then declared the true God unto them in succinct fashion. ACT 17:24-31. B. God can be known. JER 9:24. C. The ability to know Him is life eternal. JOH 17:3 ct/w 2TH 1:7-8. II. The knowledge of Go...

VII. Consider the nature and structure of the N.T. gospel church. A. The local church is the house of God. 1TI 3:15. B. It is a spiritual house. 1PE 2:5. 1. This house of Peter's first epistle is the church. 2. Instruction is given for the management of church gifts. 1PE 4:10-11 c/w 1CO 12:28. 3. Warning is given concerning the primary focus of the judgments of God, the realizati...

4. reformation: Restoration (of peace). 2. Improvement in form or quality; alteration to a better form; correction or removal of defects or errors; †reparation, rebuilding. a. Christ put us back into peaceful relations with God. COL 1:20. b. His sacrifice took away the enmity that separated both Jew and Gentile from God, making a new form of church possible. EPH 2:15-16. c. The event of Calvary made way for the process of improvement. Without ...

VI. The concept of a church/congregation in this world for the glory and service of God did not start in the book of Acts. God has had a visible church/congregation in this world ever since the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (EXO 16:1-2 c/w ACT 7:38). That church under the Sinaitic Covenant would also be His nation and kingdom on earth. EXO 19:5-6. A. Remember that the word “church” is “the naturalized equivalent of Latin ecclesia.” 1. ecclesia:...

VII. Young Christian ladies, in looking for love, dare not forget their first love: God. REV 2:4; MAT 22:36-37. A. Remember Paul’s warning about the tendency of younger widows who displace Christ from His place in their hearts. 1TI 5:11-12. B. If we covet anything more than God we have made that an idol. COL 3:5. 1. Do you covet a relationship more than God? 2. Do you covet a particular person more than God? ...

K. The local church is the body of Christ into which one is baptized by the Spirit. 1CO 12:13, 27. 1. Each local church is the body and there are many churches, thus, many bodies. 2. This is not contradicted by EPH 4:4 which refers to one in kind, not in number. a. Paul is emphasizing that there are not diverse camps for Jew and Gentile. EPH 4:4-6; 2:14-16 c/w 1CO 12:13. b. ...