Welcome to today's exciting guide to apostolic church patterns. Please keep your arms and theological objections inside the vehicle at all times. Plural elders, somebody asked why you've got 17 assistant pastors and a CEO. The book of Titus just quietly stares at you from across the room. Weekly communion! Try serving it in tiny plastic cups while the worship team launches into their 18th consecutive key change. The apostles are slightly confused. Consensus! Everybody gets to speak. Everybody gets heard. Nobody gets voted off the island. What a bizarre first century concept. Participatory meetings, everybody brings a hymn, a teaching, a testimony, except Larry. Larry brought another fog machine. That's your church pattern today. That's your church pattern today. That's your church pattern today. That's your church pattern today. That's your church pattern today. That's your church pattern today. Church size. If you need binoculars to identify your pastor, Paul might have needed GPS to find Timothy. The Lord's Supper. Somebody says it's symbolic. Somebody else says it's spiritual. Meanwhile, Paul's wondering why supper stopped looking like, well, supper. Plural elders. One pastor is easier to idolize. Five pastors keep each other humble. Imagine that. Traditions. Everybody says, we don't follow traditions. Then everybody sits in rows, faces one stage, starts at 10, ends at noon, and argues about carpet color. Congratulations, you have successfully invented new traditions. That's your church pattern today. That's your church pattern today. Somebody quotes Corinthians. Somebody quotes Calvin. Somebody quotes YouTube. Guess which one gets shared the most.

What are the teachings of the prosperity gospel? It teaches that financial success is a direct reward for unwavering faith, positive speech, and religious donations. Today's version of this ancient heresy surfaced in the 1950s. One of their preachers, Reverend Ike, stated, "I don't want pie in the sky when I die; I want cash in the stash here and now!" It interprets scripture as a divine guarantee of earthly wealth, putting the believer's material desires at the center of faith. Some have characterized their teaching as "name it and claim it, give to get, blab it and grab it, profess it and possess it". Also known as the "Word of Faith" movement, it key figures today are Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, John Hagee, Creflo ("Cashflow") Dollar, Paula White, and Joyce Meyer. Past figures included Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, E.W. Kenyon and Kenneth Hagin.

How was Roman slavery different from American slavery in the 1800s? Both were "chattel" slavery. In real estate lingo, chattels are moveable items a seller takes with him—such as livestock. The word "chattel" comes from the French word for cows (you can hear it in the related word, "cattle"). All enslaved people in the Roman Empire were considered "chattel," meaning they were legally categorized as absolute property with few legal rights, could not refuse labor, and were treated as commodities that could be bought, sold, traded, or inherited (just like cattle). The differences are that: 1) American slavery was race-based, whereas Roman slavery usually came as the result of conquest, debt, or being born into it. 2) Roman slavery had a much more accessible legal pathway to freedom (Roman slaves were generally permitted to do outside work for pay, and were often able to save enough to buy their freedom). 3) Roman slaves were often much better educated than their masters, and were commonly entrusted with huge responsibilities. In contrast, it was illegal to educate American slaves. Thomas Sowel: "Although slavery was a worldwide institution for thousands of years, nowhere in the world was slavery a controversial issue prior to the 18th century. People of every race and color were enslaved—and enslaved others. White people were still being bought and sold as slaves in the Ottoman Empire, decades after American blacks were freed." Modern Application: For all practical purposes, slavery has been illegal in the United States since 1865. Unless a Christian is in prison, the closest application we can make today for this text is to the employee/employer relationship (or per

Today, we'll look at considerations for both the appointment and the discipline of leaders (the sad fact is that sometimes elders go bad).

First London Baptist Confession (1644): "… every Church has power.... to choose … Pastors … the due maintenance of the officers … should be the free and voluntary communication of the Church, that according to Christ's ordinance, they that preach the Gospel, should live on the Gospel …"

Paul dealt with four types of widows: older widows without children, older widows with children, younger widows, and wanton widows.

Our Christian maturity—that is, our growth in Christlikeness—is cultivated as we come to know the heart of Christ, and it is revealed in the way we relate to others, especially in how we view and respond to their sins, failures, and offenses. This sermon unfolds how Christ deals with us in our weakness and failure, and how, in turn, we are called to deal with one another in love, patience, mercy, and truth.

When two rams butt heads, little lambs get trampled. Doctrinal controversies within a church are always taxing. Such are times that try men's souls. Those with a weak conscience are often offended and discouraged. Those caught in the cross fire say things like, "What does it really matter, anyway? Can't we all just get along? Doctrine divides, but Christ unites. I don't ask them about their, beliefs, and they don't ask me about mine." Today, we'll continue to see why the price paid to safe guard orthodoxy is, in the long run, worth the high cost.

This paragraph has application primarily for church leaders. What is that application? Church leaders must: • Warn the brothers about deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons • Have nothing to do with myths • Must themselves be trained in the words of faith and good doctrine. • Toil and strive for the gospel, as God is potentially the Savior of all people. What is the application here for Christian in general? • All believers must beware of irreverent, silly, religious myths (they're all around us!). • Listen to your leaders when they warn of bad doctrine/practice. • Remember that bodily training is of some benefit, but training in godliness is far more valuable. You will not succeed spiritually if you do not adopt spiritual disciplines. Where are your priorities? • Live life in light of eternity. George Whitefield spoke of seeing criminals riding in a cart on their way to the gallows, arguing like a bunch of kids about who should sit on the right hand of the cart. Here were men condemned to die that very day, but their focus was on who got the best seat on the way to the execution! The Bible is clear that as members of the fallen human race, we're all in that cart, on the way to the gallows. We'd better be preparing for what lies beyond. • Toil and strive to effectively introduce the gospel to your children (the next generation). If you drop the ball, it will be a curse to them.

Some of the deepest wounds believers carry were not inflicted by the world; they were inflicted by the church. This happens because we are more judgmental and critical of one another's failures, rather than empathetic and helpful. I have been both a victim and a culprit of these wounds. This sermon examines how Jesus deals with His own people in their weakness, failure, and sin — and calls us to do the same for one another.