Vision and Commitment, One Church Ministries One Church Ministries

As we have seen in previous sessions, God has graciously given us new life and has, by His Holy Spirit, equipped and empowered us with everything we need to live it to the full for His glory. However, just as a child starts off doing nothing for itself, but gradually plays an increasing role in its own development, so God intends that we should be active participants in our growth as Christians. In this session, we will explore what it means to grow in our relationship with God through spiritual disciplines, such as bible study, worship, prayer, and fasting.The Vision and Commitment Course (V&C) is a 20-week class that explores biblical truths that for thousands of years have transformed the lives of countless believers to the glory of God. Though particularly for those who are thinking of joining one of our local churches, the course is open to anyone. Whether you are a new believer in Christ, have known the Lord for many years, or are simply searching for truth, we know that what’s presented in this course has all the potential to transform your life radically to the glory of God.

So far in this course, we have focused primarily on our individual Christian experience and our personal foundations as believers. In this and the remaining sessions, we will concentrate on the bigger picture of God’s corporate purpose for His people—the Church. We will define what, or rather who the church is, what scripture has to say about its role and purpose, and the ultimate goal of unity in the Church. The Vision and Commitment Course (V&C) is a 20-week class that explores biblical truths that for thousands of years have transformed the lives of countless believers to the glory of God. Though particularly for those who are thinking of joining one of our local churches, the course is open to anyone. Whether you are a new believer in Christ, have known the Lord for many years, or are simply searching for truth, we know that what’s presented in this course has all the potential to transform your life radically to the glory of God.

When considering those who lead and serve in the Church, people may be familiar with titles such as priest, vicar, reverend, bishop, minister, and pastor. However, many of the titles used cannot be found in the Bible, or have been used in a way that is inconsistent with their original meaning. At the same time, certain biblical ministries seem absent or are ignored. In this and the next three sessions, we are going to look at specific roles of leadership and service that God has ordained for His Church. We will begin with those listed in Ephesians 4:11-13, focusing in this session on apostles. The Vision and Commitment Course (V&C) is a 20-week class that explores biblical truths that for thousands of years have transformed the lives of countless believers to the glory of God. Though particularly for those who are thinking of joining one of our local churches, the course is open to anyone. Whether you are a new believer in Christ, have known the Lord for many years, or are simply searching for truth, we know that what’s presented in this course has all the potential to transform your life radically to the glory of God.

In the last session, we looked at apostles as the first and most foundational ministry to the Church according to Ephesians 4:11-13. In this session, we will continue by looking at prophets, the next ministry listed in Ephesians 4. We will consider the invaluable role they, and the gift of prophecy, have in God’s great plan for His people, not only in the days of the Bible, but also in modern day. We will explore prophetic characteristics, the role of the prophet, how we should respond to the prophetic, and how to grow in this gifting.The Vision and Commitment Course (V&C) is a 20-week class that explores biblical truths that for thousands of years have transformed the lives of countless believers to the glory of God. Though particularly for those who are thinking of joining one of our local churches, the course is open to anyone. Whether you are a new believer in Christ, have known the Lord for many years, or are simply searching for truth, we know that what’s presented in this course has all the potential to transform your life radically to the glory of God.

People have varying ideas come to mind when picturing an evangelist. Often these ideas are based on stereotypes and can be unhelpful for producing an accurate biblical understanding of the vital ministry of Evangelism. Our passion is to see the evangelist restored to effective functioning in the local church as they fulfill their role of preaching the gospel and equipping the church to do the same. In this session, we will look at the role of an Ephesians 4 evangelist, particularly the example of Philip, and what that means for evangelists today.The Vision and Commitment Course (V&C) is a 20-week class that explores biblical truths that for thousands of years have transformed the lives of countless believers to the glory of God. Though particularly for those who are thinking of joining one of our local churches, the course is open to anyone. Whether you are a new believer in Christ, have known the Lord for many years, or are simply searching for truth, we know that what’s presented in this course has all the potential to transform your life radically to the glory of God.

We might think we are on more familiar ground here than in previous sessions since, of all the Ephesians 4 ministries, shepherds (frequently referred to as “pastors”) and teachers are the most common and accepted in the Church at large. However, as we examine what the Word of God says about them, we can expect to be challenged in our preconceptions and expanded in our understanding of these gifts to the Church. The Vision and Commitment Course (V&C) is a 20-week class that explores biblical truths that for thousands of years have transformed the lives of countless believers to the glory of God. Though particularly for those who are thinking of joining one of our local churches, the course is open to anyone. Whether you are a new believer in Christ, have known the Lord for many years, or are simply searching for truth, we know that what’s presented in this course has all the potential to transform your life radically to the glory of God.