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The Church’s Role In Making Lifelong Learners
When Jesus gave the Great Commission, he didn’t tell his disciples to go into all the world to induce authentic worship experiences with the proper use of stage lighting, fog machines, and powerful sound systems. He also didn’t encourage his followers merely to make one-time converts, but rather He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19).
On this program, as we’re concluding our series on “Creed or Chaos,” the hosts will be looking at the church’s role in making lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. Join us for this edition concluding this series. Join us for this edition of the White Horse Inn.
Host Quote:
“How gracious a God we have, who’s worked through the church to make Himself so easily found! You don’t have to go hike the Himalayas and squat in the lotus position and chant your mantra to try to find where God is. He’s right here in these words that emerged from Scripture, preserved by the church responsibly and then recited for us each and every week. This is how God draws even children to Himself who commit this simple creed to memory.” – John Bombaro
Term to Learn:
“The Keys of the Kingdom”
83 Q. What are the keys of the kingdom?
- The preaching of the holy gospel and Christian discipline toward repentance. Both preaching and discipline open the kingdom of heaven to believers and close it to unbelievers.
84 Q. How does preaching the gospel open and close the kingdom of heaven?
- According to the command of Christ: The kingdom of heaven is opened by proclaiming and publicly declaring to each and every believer that, as often as he accepts the gospel promise in true faith, God, because of what Christ has done, truly forgives all his sins. The kingdom of heaven is closed, however, by proclaiming and publicly declaring to unbelievers and hypocrites that, as long as they do not repent, the anger of God and eternal condemnation rest on them. God’s judgment, both in this life and in the life to come, is based on this gospel testimony.
85 Q. How is the kingdom of heaven closed and opened by Christian discipline?
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According to the command of Christ: If anyone, though called a Christian, professes unchristian teachings or lives an unchristian life, if after repeated brotherly counsel, he refuses to abandon his errors and wickedness, and, if after being reported to the church, that is, to its officers, he fails to respond also to their admonition—such a one the officers exclude from the Christian fellowship by withholding the sacraments from him, and God himself excludes him from the kingdom of Christ. Such a person, when he promises and demonstrates genuine reform, is received again as a member of Christ and of his church. (The Heidelberg Catechism, Questions 83–85)
(This podcast is by White Horse Inn. Discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central, and audio is streamed directly from their servers.)