"... that which was lost" presupposes an Owner

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost.

Let's consider this great text. Let me state a few self-evident facts.

Luk 19:10
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

1. "that which was lost" presupposes an owner.
- the lost sheep, the lost silver coin, and the lost son, each of them belongs to an owner.
- Jesus came to seek and to save that which belongs to Him, the lost are His. They are His possession.
- that which was lost consists of all those whom God had chosen unto eternal salvation. They are  His. He has given them to Christ to redeem.
- John 17:10 "And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them."

2. "that which was lost" became separated from its owner.
- The lost sheep, the lost silver, coin and the lost son have all become separated from their respective owners.
- all those whom God had elected and given to Jesus had become separated from God because of sin.
- Sin has alienated the elect from God. Christ came to seek and to save them, to reconcile and restore them to God who had chosen them.

3. "that which was lost" is impotent to deliver themselves from their lost estate. 
- The Owner must actively seek for them and to save them. There is no other hope.
- of the lost, "none seekest after God."
- the lost is in enmity against the Owner
- the lost is dead in trespasses and sins
- the lost is under helpless captivity.

The lost are as lost as could be. Their only hope lies in the Son of Man coming to seek for them and to save them.

4. The Son of Man did seek and did save all that belonged to Him. 
- He declared triumphantly, "It is finished." The grand mission of seeking and saving the lost is fully accomplished.
- He rendered complete and perfect obedience to all the laws of God on behalf of His own, thus securing the righteousness needed for their acceptance with the thrice Holy God.
- He suffered and endured the curse of death when He bore the sins of all His people; He paid the wages of the sins of His people.
- He was separated and forsaken by God on their behalf; He secured the full pardon for all the sins of all His people.- He roses triumphantly from the dead, conquering death for His people.

5. Based solely on His righteousness and blood, the Spirit of God regenerates each one of Christ's redeemed, thus perfectly fitting them for eternal glory.
The glorified Son of God ordained the gospel ministry to declare the glorious news of what God has done in and through Him to save all those whom God the Father has chosen and given to Him, calling them to believe the truth of their salvation by the free and sovereign grace of God.

 What the Father had purposed, the Son executed and accomplished; what the Son accomplished, the Spirit of God applies to each of Christ's redeemed at God's appointed time, turning the lost into the children of God.

That's the gospel.

The Ministry of Congregational Singing

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

 

The Ministry of Congregational Singing

Eph 5: 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

1. The Prerequisites for this Spiritual Work

a.  “… but be filled with the Spirit”:
- this will enable us to perform this spiritual work well

b.  “…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom”:
- this will enable us to sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord with understanding

2. The Nature of this Spiritual Work
a. “… of making melody in our heart to the Lord”

b. “… singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”

c. Singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is chiefly making melody in our hearts to the Lord and singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord
- It’s a service unto the Lord, a spiritual service to the Lord… so, sing spiritually, not just formally, mechanically, outward… without the mind and heart engaged in singing!
- The Lord seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.

3. Congregational singing is ministering to one another

a. We are not only making melody in our heart to the Lord but also speaking to ourselves…
- it is ALSO prophesying/preaching/proclaiming the truth being sung…
- it is ALSO teaching one another… through the truths being sung…
- it is ALSO admonishing one another… through the truths being sung…
- when we sing in this manner, we are ministering to one another.
- You want a ministry in the church? Sing the truth of God well, preach from the pews

b. The appointed means of speaking to one another, and teaching and admonishing one another:
- psalms, hymns and spiritual songs… all these are means of conveying God’s truth through songs.
- Hymns properly sung is like preaching on the subject being sung. They are designed for the edification and instruction of saints.

4. Sing with understanding:
a. We must sing with the spirit and understanding
- Psa 47:7 “ For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.”
- 1Co 14:15 “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”

Let us consider carefully our congregational singing in the worship service.

The Popular Idea of Unattached, Nomadic Churchless Christians

Unattached Nomadic Churchless Christians

 

sing
What is meant by "unattached"?
What does it mean to be attached?

Dansa
sing - I can see that there might be some uncertainty about what is intended by "unattached." At a minimum, I would say that NT Christians were "attached" to a church through baptism. I believe this makes them a member of that church, though I recognize that this statement breeds some measure of controversy. Simply put, I believe that those who received the NT ordinance of baptism, received it from those who were members of the original church at Jerusalem and as such became members of that assembly. So I would say they were attached by both baptism and membership to the church.

I'll don my flame retardant suit in anticipation of those who support the doctrine of Nomadic Christianity (i.e., that baptism is one thing and church membership is another and the former does not of necessity imply the latter).

sing
Thanks.
Would it be right to say the following:
"The idea of a Christian who is not baptized is non-existent in the New Testament."
"The idea of a Christian who is baptized but is not a member of a church is non-existent in the New Testament."

Thanks.

Dansa
sing: Would it be right to say the following: "The idea of a Christian who is not baptized is non-existent in the New Testament."

Dansa: Yes. I believe that is correct.

sing: "The idea of a Christian who is baptized but is not a member of a church is non-existent in the New Testament."

Dansa: I recognize that this is not explicitly stated in scripture. It is an inference. It is what I currently believe on the matter.

Joeho
Acts 8:4, “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”

This verse documents the dispersion of much of Jerusalem Church because of persecution. The apostles who ministered in the church remained. These people were members of the Jerusalem Church, not necessarily preachers.

Oh, so true, primary preaching of the gospel occurs with the “Feet.” Only speak it as necessary.

sing
Joeho: Did the scattering cause them to become "unattached" with their church?

Joeho
Brother Sing, from what you’ve recently posted, you and I are on the “Same page” on this question. I firmly believe that baptism in the New Testament joins a person to a local church. I fully reject the contemporary notion that baptism has no relationship to church membership. The people who believed and were baptized in Acts 2, were “Added” to the 120, the beginning of Jerusalem Church. In the case of the people in Acts 8:4, their being scattered away from Jerusalem Church didn’t sever their relationship or membership with that church. We read nothing more about them. However, if I allowed my thoughts to follow this, I believe, Biblical principle, it would be my view that, had they eventually influenced the formation of a new church where they were scattered, they would have been charter members of that church.

Dansa
Joeho - I agree. I have encountered the suggestion that "they that gladly received his word were baptized" and "there were added unto them about three thousand souls" are NOT, of necessity, numerically the same. In other words, since the text does not EXPLICITLY state that 3000 were baptized, there might have been 4000 baptized and only 3000 joined the church. I must admit that I had never given that idea any consideration, since it seems implicit that there is no disjunction between the two. How would you respond to the assertion that more were baptized than joined the church in Acts 2:41?

Joeho
Dansa, I’ve never heard that explanation. It strikes me as a classic example of eisegesis, taking your personal opinion to Scripture and trying to force (The Bible word is “Wrest”) Scripture to agree.

Joeho
In my “Journey,” I’ve encountered a number of quite sincere people who thought they could submit to baptism but then refused to submit to and serve their church. Every single person who chose the “I can do it alone” path ended up in one of two train wrecks. 1) They became prey to a smooth-talking false teacher. 2) They became prey to their own imaginations. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 addresses this problem. It is the gospel warfare to confront and cast down imaginations, not idolize them. Warfare is never about one isolated soldier fighting a whole war by himself. It is about a well-trained army following the directions of its commander against the adversary. Only one war was ever fought by one lone “Soldier.” That war was fought by Jesus and won. The lone soldier who chooses his own strategy and tries to fight alone always becomes a quick and easy casualty to the adversary. Always.

Shaneh
Joeho: Samson fought alone. 

Dansa
Shaneh - Did Samson end up "prey to [his] own imaginations"?

Sunnybon
Acts 11:26 “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” by this we know a Christian is a disciple of Christ the head of His Church. There are those who claim to be Christians but are not willing to be disciples ie follow Christ commandments.

Own what you say!

So, don't put your words into my mouth!

 

I am responsible for what I have said or written,
I'm not responsible for what you understand what I have said or written; words do have precise meanings in their context.
Let there be no misunderstanding.

Thank you.

A wise thing to do is, FIRST understand what a man has said before you express your disagreement.

A fair, wise, and apt counsel:

"People who make statements which they have not thought through themselves would be better keeping their mouths shut until light dawns."
~~ Dr George Ella.

I learned this basic truth when I first started on my journey of self-learning many years ago.

Let me give you a hilarious example:

It's so easy to hear someone wrongly. I'll give you two examples.

I have said something to this effect, "Being baptized and remaining unchurched (not a member of a local church of Jesus Christ) is a monstrosity not known in the NT."

Some kind souls think I am calling such believers in Jesus Christ monsters! 😢😢😢

I have said, "Zoom becomes a curse if people use it as a substitute for assembling with the saints for worship." Sincere folks thought I said Zoom itself is a curse thing and is evil, etc. 😢😢😢

Righteousness Imputed, Applied, and Experienced

Justification is A Multifaceted Gem

#Imputed_Legally
#Applied_Personally
#Experienced_Practically

Legal imputation is the basis of personal application; personal application enables practical experience through faith in Christ; faith in Christ EVIDENCES the justified state by God's free grace based upon the righteousness of Christ imputed legally, and applied personally.

A biblical distinction is the essence of sound theology.

"... All the elect of God, everyone that believes in Christ, as all do who are ordained to eternal life; Christ’s righteousness is imputed and applied to all these, and therefore they shall never enter into condemnation, but shall be acquitted and discharged from all things." ~~ Dr John Gill

Classic Gill.

Gill, an old-school Baptist, used two distinct words concerning justification:
righteousness 'IMPUTED' and righteousness 'APPLIED' to distinguish TWO DISTINCT aspects of justification.

How many new school baptists know the distinction between the two words in the context of justification?

When was Christ's righteousness IMPUTED to the elect?

When was Christ's righteousness APPLIED to an elect?

It seems the sum total of their understanding of justification is the experiential justification by their faith, spawned by the popular slogan 'sola fide'.

How subtle is the father of lies?

======

Christ's righteousness was legally imputed to all the elect at the cross;
Christ's righteousness is applied to each individual elect personally at effectual calling out of the native state of sin and condemnation to grace and salvation (This is vital justification, regeneration, adoption and the giving of the gift of the Spirit).

Even so, Adam's sin was imputed to all at the fall, the same sin was applied when we were brought into being by our parents.