Welcome to BASICS

1
Welcome to BASICS

• EFCA Statement 8
• Sanctification and Mission

2
Gods gospel compels us to Christ-like living and
witness to the world

• We believe that Gods justifying grace in the
  gospel must not be separated from its sanctifying
  power and purpose.

3
We believe

• God commands us to love Him with all our heart,
  soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as
  ourselves, acting with compassion toward the poor
  and needy, seeking justice for the oppressed.

4
We believe

• In all that we do, we are to bear witness to the
  gospel in word and deed, making disciples among
  all people.

5
Where we have been so far

• What is the gospel?
• The good news that Jesus died on the cross and
  rose again that we might have eternal life.
• Who is this Jesus who died for us?
• He is the Son of God, God incarnate.

6
Where we have been so far

• Who is this God who can have a Son?
• He is the one God who has revealed himself in
  three persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• How do we know about this gospel?
• God has announced it to us authoritatively in the
  Scriptures.
• Why does Jesus need to die for us?
• Because we are sinners under Gods wrath

7
Where we have been so far

• How does Jesus death overcome our sins?
• As our representative and substitute, he is the
  perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice.
• How is that death applied to us?
• By the work of the Holy Spirit.

8
Where we have been so far

• What does this gospel require of us?
• It requires a response of repentance and faith.
• What does this gospel do for us?
• It causes us to be born again into a new family
  the new community of the church
• What does this gospel do in us?
• It restores us into the image of Gods Son Jesus
  Christ through the process of sanctification.

9
Sanctification

• Our gracious God not only saves us FROM our sin,
• He also saves us FOR his glory!

10
J. C. Ryle

• He who supposes that Jesus Christ only lived and
  died and rose again in order to provide
  justification and forgiveness of sinshas much to
  learn.

11
J. C. Ryle

• Whether he knows it or not, he is dishonoring our
  blessed Lord, and making him only half Savior.
• The Lord Jesus has undertaken everything that His
  peoples souls require not only to deliver them
  from the guilt of their sins by His atoning
  death, but from the dominion of their sin, by
  placing in their hearts the Holy Spirit not only
  to justify them, but also to sanctify them.

12
God restores us to His image in three ways

• Justification
• The once-for-all beginning of our salvation by
  which we were declared righteous with an imputed
  righteousness.
• Sanctification
• The on-going process of our salvation by which we
  are becoming righteous with an imparted
  righteousness
• Glorification
• The final completion of our salvation by which we
  will be made righteous with a perfected
  righteousness.

13
Justification and Sanctification

• As to TIME
• Refers to the PAST
• Where the Christian life begins
• We HAVE BEEN saved declared righteous by God.

• As to TIME
• Refers to the PRESENT
• Where the Christian life is lived
• We ARE BEING saved

14
With regard to our Christian journey

• Justification refers to our STANDING before God,
  as we start out as believers

• Sanctification refers to our Christian WALK, how
  we live before God.

15
With regard to SIN

• Justification deals with the PENALTY of sin
• It is taken away, borne by Jesus himself on the
  Cross.

• Sanctification deals with the POWER of sin.
• Gods Spirit within us empowers us to live a new
  life.

16
With regard to righteousness

• In justification we are given the righteousness
  of Christ
• It is IMPUTED to us, it is credited to our
  account.
• It comes to us by faith
• It affects our STATUS before God

• In sanctification the righteousness of Christ
• Is IMPARTED to us
• Begins to work its way inside us.
• It is lived out, affecting our CHARACTER, how we
  actually live

17
Relationship to heaven

• Justification QUALIFIES us for heaven
• It cleanses us from our sin so that we can enter
  into Gods holy presence

• Sanctification PREPARES us for heaven
• It changes our heart and increases our desire to
  be with Christ and to enjoy him forever

18
Regarding our own feelings

• Justification is
• A once-for-all event
• When we come to Christ in faith we are forgiven,
  declared righteous, no degrees or levels you
  are or you are not!
• A great source of assurance and joy

• Sanctification is
• An ongoing process
• When we trust in Christ we are given the Spirit
  and we are called to work with the Spirit in
  living out this new life
• We are to become in ourselves what we already are
  in Christ
• A serious struggle

19
Glorification

• Future will be saved
• Arrival in Gods glory
• Presence of sin any trace of sin is removed
• Perfected entire nature infused
• Fully fit to live in Gods presence
• Assured hope

20
We believe that Gods justifying grace in
the gospel must not be separated from its
sanctifying power and purpose.
21
A little mistake that makes a big difference

• Our relationship with God is not a matter of how
  we live.
• TRUE We are justified by grace through faith
  therefore our salvation is not a matter of how we
  live.
• ORTHODOXY

• How we live doesnt matter
• FALSE Since we are justified by grace through
  faith our salvation means that how we live
  doesnt matter.
• HERESY

22
SoWhen we are Born Again

• We are compelled by the Spirit to live a new life
• Compelled by the gospel to
• Christ-like living
• Witness to the world
• The Great Command and the Great Commission are to
  grip us
• Freely we have received (his love, grace,
  forgiveness)
• Freely we are to give (to every tribe, people and
  language) so that all may know this glorious
  gospel.

23
We believe

• God commands us to love Him with all our heart,
  soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as
  ourselves, acting with compassion toward the poor
  and needy, seeking justice for the oppressed.

24
The Great Commandment

• Just as Jesus went around doing good (Acts
  1038), so should we (Jn. 2021), loving not just
  our friends (Gal. 69-10), but our enemies as
  well (Mt. 543-48)

25
Acting with compassion

• Toward the poor and needy
• Seeking justice for the oppressed
• Strong Biblical themes
• Deut. 1511
• Ps. 823,4
• Prov. 1431 297
• Isa. 117
• Mic. 68
• Luke 1619-31
• Js. 122
• that have too often received little emphasis in
  evangelical circles.

26
Compassion/Social Justice

• Emphasis does not supplant or replace the gospel,
  but rather is an outworking of the true biblical
  gospel.
• Statement implies no particular political agenda.
• How this biblical mandate is fulfilled must be
  worked out in fellowship with one another.

27
Examples from Jesus life in Marks Gospel (group
activity)

• Jesus Our Model in Ministry 
• Survey specified chapters of Marks Gospel
  account to discover what kinds of needs Jesus was
  ministering to each time He met the needs of
  others
• Example
• Reference Mark 1 21,22
• Incident Teaching in the Synagogue
• Need(s) met Spiritual and educational needs

28
In fellowship with one another

• Our engagement in the world has a corporate as
  well as an individual dimension.
• The church is to act as well as the members in
  it.
• Our fellowship with one another in the body of
  Christ is one of our essential resources in the
  the spiritual battle in which we are engaged.

29
Holistic Gospel

• When John Perkins speaks of the gospel being
  holistic he is saying that it speaks to all a
  persons needs not just the spiritual needs,
  not just the social needs.
• A gospel which addresses social needs but
  neglects spiritual needs is not the gospel of
  Jesus Christ at all. A gospel which addresses
  spiritual needs but not other needs is not the
  gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore our ministries
  both as individuals and churches must express the
  holistic nature of Christs mission.

30
Holistic Gospel (group activity)

•     If our church took seriously the holistic
  nature of Christs mission, we would.

31
Combat the spiritual forces of evilwith the Word
of God and prayer

• Acknowledgement of the Christians battle against
  the forces of evil, both within and without.
• This statement captures the struggle of the
  Christian life, as well as the powerful resources
  at our disposal.

32
Acts 81-4

• Sinister Plot (81-3)
• Satan has always opposed the church and has
  sought to destroy and derail the redemptive work
  of God.

33
Acts 81-4

• Strategic Plan (81, 4)
• For every evil intention of Satan, the Savior has
  a plan for good.
• The persecution that fell on the early church
  served to propel the early Christians to obey the
  Great Commission.
• The term scattered is an agricultural term. The
  winds of persecution scattered the believers, and
  the seed of the gospel was spread across the
  known world.

34
Acts 81-4

• Steadfast People (84)
• WHO? All of the early Christians. This was the
  secret to the rapid growth off the faith.
• WHAT? They preached the Word of God (without
  seminary degrees, ordination, official sanction)
  and the gospel was spread around the world!
• WHEN? At the time of acute persecution
• WHERE? They were faithful to share the good news
  wherever they went.

35
Communist China

• In 1949 foreign missionaries were expelled
• Bibles and Christian books confiscated
• National pastors were jailed
• Church buildings were desecrated and turned into
  museums, factories and warehouses.

36
Communist China

• NEVERTHELESS
• The church grew from an estimated 1 million
  Christians to 50 million
• The persecution did not stunt the Christian
  church in China it purified, strengthened and
  expanded it!

37
The Missionary Mandate

• In all we do, we are to bear witness to the
  gospel,
• In word and deed,
• Making disciples among all people

38
The Missionary Mandate

• A Priority and an integral part of the gospel
• Gods gospel is for the world, and we have been
  given a commission to take it to everyone (Mt.
  2819).
• The proper concern of all Christians is to seek
  to reach all people.

39
The Missionary Mandate

• Our witness to the gospel is to be verbal and
  non-verbal, for
• Who we are and what we do is to reflect the
  message we bring.
• Includes the process of discipleship as well as
  evangelism.

40
Gods gospel compels us to Christ-like living and
witness to the world

• Gods justifying grace must not be separated from
  its sanctifying power and purpose.
• God commands us to love Himand our neighbor
• Acting with compassion toward the poor and needy
  -
• Seeking justice for the oppressed -

• In fellowship with one another we are-
• To combat the spiritual forces of evil
• Especially with the Word of God and prayer
• In all that we do, we are to bear witness to the
  gospel in word and deed
• Making disciples among all people.

41
Memory verse for statement 91 John 228

• And now, dear children, continue in him, so that
  when he appears we may be confident and unashamed
  before him at his coming