Teaching 2 of 2: What is the Church’s Mission?

Abandoned Devotion Event: April 13, 2012

THE FIRST HUMAN LIFE

• Gen. 2:7 – the life of Adam = human body + human spirit
• Gen. 2:18 – that life could not remain alone.  It had to spread.
  • Gen. 2:20 – the life would only spread through one of Adam’s likeness
  • Gen. 2:22 – the life of Adam was used to create this 2nd life (of his bride)
  • Gen. 1:28 – Now 1 became 2.
• Gen. 1:28 – that life could still not remain 2, but had to increase and multiply.  There needed to be an increase of that original life to blanket and subdue creation, to the glory of God.
• Gen. 3 – when sin entered, the increase and spread of that life was fatally flawed.
  • Gen. 6:5-6,11-12 – The spread of that life brought shame, disgrace, and sin to God, and not glory.

ADAM AS A TYPE AND CONTRAST TO CHRIST

• Luke 3:22 cf. 3:38; Romans 5:12-19; 1 Cor. 15:44-49 – The life of Adam is set as a type and contrast to Christ
  • Type: gives pattern and picture that point to Christ
  • Contrast: set against each other
  • See chart below

Adam	Christ	Type	Contrast
Luke 3:38 – Adam is son of God	Luke 3:22 – Jesus is Beloved Son of God	Both are “sons” of God	Christ alone is beloved.
Romans 5:12-19 – Adam brought sin and death to all people (since all are born of him) through one act of disobedience	Romans 5:15-19 – God’s grace spread to all born of Him (born again) through Christ for justification through his act of obedience	Both had an act of obedience to follow (Adam = not eating fruit; Christ = death and resurrection), and what they did in that act of obedience determined the spread of life or death in all who would follow them.	Adam disobeyed and brought death to all born with his seed. Christ obeyed and brings life to all born of His Seed!
1 Corinthians 15:44-49 natural bodyfirst manliving beingof the earthmade of dustoffspring made of dustoffspring bear image	1 Corinthians 15:44-49 spiritual bodylast Adamlife-giving spiritfrom heavenoffspring made heavenlyoffspring bear image	Both were considered the beginning of their “race”. The lives of both dictate the lives of those who would come from them (see vv. 48-49)	Adam had natural body, made of dust, from the earth; Christ had spiritual, heavenly body. Adam lived; Christ gives life. Christ is last Adam (end of life of Adam). Adam came first; Christ’s incarnation came second. Christ is 2nd Man (begins new “race” of people separate from Adam)

THE PICTURE OF ADAM AND EVE APPLIED TO CHRIST AND CHURCH (Ephesians 5:22-33)

• Life of Christ = holy/sinless body + Holy (Divine) Spirit (1 Pet. 1:19, cf. Gen. 2:7)
• John 12:24 – that life could not remain alone
• Gen. 2:21-22 – Christ put to “sleep”, side pierced, His life creates a bride (Eph. 5 – we are his body and bride)
• The 1 becomes 2 (in one sense, not that we become Divine, but we do share His life)
• Gen. 1:28 – that life still needs to multiply and spread, subduing the earth, putting to death the corruptible life of Adam, and spreading the holy life of Christ.
• Gen. 2:22 – we are brought to Christ to unite and spread the life still
• As Adam and Eve were told to be fruitful and multiply (and had a natural desire/passion to do this), so believers are commissioned to do the same with the life and light we have.

Luke 8:4-15

• The soil = heart
• The seed = word
• The sower = the messenger of the word, Christ Himself

The life of Christ (i.e. the Holy Spirit) comes through the word being sown and received in our heart.  

We are given a new life – the very life of Christ – when we repent and believe the gospel (see above).  This came from Jesus’ slain side while He “slept” (i.e. died on the cross).  This is the life of the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 1:13) that we receive when we receive the word of God (Luke 8:11; Romans 10:17; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23).

This Life that is received through the soil of the heart is spread through tongue (as the Sower preaches the word to other hearts) – see Acts 6:7; Acts 19:20, etc.

• Matthew 12:34 – “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”
  • Ex. Matthew 9:30-31 – even when commanded not to tell, blind men who now see could not resist.
• Acts 1:8 compared with Acts 2:3-4 – the birthing of the Church came through the Holy Spirit EXPRESSED AS INDIVIDUAL TONGUES.  
• Acts 10:3-6,9-16,19,34-48 – angel spoke, Peter saw vision and heard voice, the Spirit later spoke to him again…all so that Peter could share the gospel with Cornelius.  Consider that God has many ways to speak here, but one preferred way to communicate the gospel: human vessels!
• Psalm 8:2 (cf. 1 Cor. 2:1-5) – God displays Himself most clearly through untrained mouths, so that it is evident that this is of God and not of men!
• James 3:2 – when tongue is tamed and yielded to God, the rest of our walk follows suit

Every time you receive God’s word, new life enters you (2 Pet. 1:3-4; 1 Thes. 2:13)

The nature of life and light is to spread:

• Gen. 1:20-28
• Acts 6:7; 19:20 – the seed of the Word multiplied and spread
• Matthew 5:14-15 – light “cannot be hidden,” and by nature does not go under a basket
• Mark 7:24 – Jesus “wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden”
• Exodus 1:11-12 – Israel grew as they were beaten
• Mark 4:26-29 – the kingdom of God is like a seed that grew without effort
• Galatians 5:22-23 – the fruit of the Spirit grows in all true Christians

Consider this:

“Something happened in England a few months ago.  The government had decided to make a new motor road.  They spent many months in cutting a way for this new road, and then the workmen got to work and put the concrete on this road, to make it very strong to carry all the motor traffic.  The road was finished and it was opened, and the traffic started on it.  Not very long afterward something happened.  The road began to rise up in bumps, and there were cracks in the road.  All the work seemed to be in vain.  There was something breaking up this strong concrete road.  So they had an investigation.  And you know what they found?  They found a bed of mushrooms underneath.  Now you would say, “Mushrooms lifting a concrete road?”  Perhaps you think I am telling you a funny story.  All that work, all that concrete, and mushrooms spoiling it all.

  “But you see, it was just the power of life in a very weak thing.  You could take a mushroom in your fingers and just break it into pieces.  You say, there is no strength in this.  Put it in the ground, and if there is life in it, in cooperation with its other friends of the same kind, it will lift anything.  The power of life is a wonderful thing.  I have seen great rocks broken open by a tree growing up from just a seed.  This Life which is in Christ Jesus destroyed the power of death, and tore open the grave.  DEATH AND THE GRAVE COULD NOT HOLD HIM, BECAUSE HE HAD ETERNAL LIFE.  So we have something very wonderful when we have this Life. It is a power which can carry us through any kind of opposition.  It is a new power.” (Sparks, from Manila 1964 meetings).

How do we cultivate and spread this life?

• Luke 17:7 – plow and tend life
• Acts 2:42-47 – the way to tend and spread the life: (1) Bible study, (2) Fellowship and breaking bread, (3) Prayer
  • Results: miracles, fear of God, unity, charity, praise, the life spreads to others (Acts 2:47)