mgpcpastor's blog

When these go online go and have a listen.

Ferguson’s mother encouraged voracious reading, including the Book of Norwegian myths and the People’s Friend.
Continued stories in ‘The People’s Friend’ had a little italicised section, the story so far.
Luke did not have italicised sections. But in the Acts of the Apostles he makes use of a story-telling technique that gives us a glimpse into how the gospel has spread, how difficulties have been dealt with and how persecution has been endured.
At the end of chapter 2 we get a pause that reveals a Spirit filled Gospel church. This is a picture of the doctrine of the church in 3D form.
When Christ is exalted, when the Holy Spirit is poured out, when the nations are gathered in, this is how it looks. A fulfilment of Matthew 16:18, the church that Jesus builds.
Jack Nichlaus would fly down to his first coach before the start of each season. Over and again the coach would again take him through the fundamental basics of golf.
This passage takes us back to the basics: teach us how to be the church.
A most glorious and wonderful Gospel addiction. They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer.

Notice three things. ((I lost track of precisely where the three are, but they were Apostles’ teaching, fellowship and the breaking of bread, and prayer.))
Grounded in Apostolic teaching. Devoted to the Apostles’ teaching. The tendency may be to focus on the ‘Apostles’ teaching’; the real emphasis should be on ‘devoted’. On a mass scale, on a small scale and from home to home. 3000 plus ministered to by twelve plus more. An intensive emphasis on the Word. Sermonettes produce Christianettes; here is a community that is devoted to all the Bible teaching it can receive.
We must use Scripture in an apostolic way to fulfil apostolic functions.
All elders are called to teach. Elders are not distinguished from deacons by spirituality, family or other features, but by whether they are apt to teach. This may not be congregational, but recognises that in whatever sphere the Word can be taught.
If we stand in continuity with apostolic ministry we must find ways to carry out this ministry. We only stand in the apostolic tradition if we do the apostolic work in the apostolic way.
We are called to be experts in one book.
We must expose every weakness in our hearts by which we exchange other things for the central calling of proclaiming the Word.
It is not an antiquarian concern. It is a burden to hear a trumpet call that we not divert from, or substitute anything for, that which is the people’s great need: the Word of God.
Preach, pray, go to bed, get up preach pray go to bed, let God do His work.
Never merely interested in being a teacher, but in that which is the substance being taught.
Calvin and the reformers grasped it, Whitefield grasped it, Baxter grasped it.
The Amtrak view of church. The teacher in the front and the passengers laid out before him. The New Testament Church is a communal activity.
A biblical church? A church were the Bible is faithfully taught from the pulpit. Wouldn’t that be a biblical pulpit? Wouldn’t a biblical church be a place where the Bible jumped out of the pulpit and ran around the congregation changing lives.
What is the central image of the church in the New Testament? Not the body of Christ. Only one writer uses that image. On the basis of the Gospel the foundational perspective is not the glorious body of Christ, it is the glorious family of God.
The body builds itself up in love. God does this sovereignly, to be sure, but through the ministry of the word.
The disciples go to share in the prayers. Outside of the temple they meet for prayer. This is the melody line of the life of the church. In corporate prayer the church is most the church. The church becomes the church in prayer.
Spurgeon’s ‘engine room’.
We believe this is the place where the wheels of fellowship were oiled.

What was the program?
The title of the early church’s outreach program: favour evangelism. They were shown the favour of all. The community of Jerusalem saw how the Christians loved one another.
In world of individualism conversion is not identified with an objective reality: it is evaluated as that which works for you. A culture of narcissism will evaluate these claims on what the Gospel promises them.
When the church of Jesus Christ becomes the church of Jesus Christ it is an undeniable witness that is winsome and attractive to broken and needy people.
The church is not propositional truth, it is a lived out relationship of people saved by God. The worship of the New Testament church, its live and community.
This community got favour in the eyes of the people. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and grew in favour with God and man. There was a recognition of Him, there was a recognition of them. A recognition of their joy. The order: not wonders and signs but awe about this community, the presence of God in their worship. Ignatius; what will destroy the temples of the idols is our worship. They crumble before the presence of Christ in the church.