We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

1. It’s biblical. Jesus established the local church and all the apostles did their ministry through it. The Christian life in the New Testament is church life. Christians today should expect and desire the same. 2. The church is its members. To be “a church” in the New Testament is to be one of its members (read through Acts). And you want to be part of the church because that’s who Jesus came to rescue and reconcile to himself. 3. It’s a pre-requisite for the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a meal for the gathered church, that is, for members (see 1 Cor. 11:20, 33). And you want to take the Lord’s Supper. It’s the team “jersey” which makes the church team visible to the nations. 4. It’s how to officially represent Jesus. Membership is the church’s affirmation that you are a citizen of Christ’s kingdom and therefore a card-carrying Jesus Representative before the nations. And you want to be an official Jesus Representative. Closely related to this. 5. It’s how to declare one’s highest allegiance. Your membership on the team, which becomes visible when you wear the “jersey,” is a public testimony that your highest allegiance belongs to Jesus. Trials and persecution may come, but your only words are, “I am with Jesus.” 6. It’s how to embody and experience biblical images. It’s within the accountability structures of the local church that Christians live out or embody what it means to be the “body of Christ,” the “temple of the Spirit,” the “family of God,” and so on for all the biblical metaphors (see 1 Cor. 12). And you want to experience the interconnectivity of his body, the spiritual fullness of his temple, and the safety and intimacy and shared identity of his family. 7. It’s how to serve other Christians. Membership helps you to know which Christians on planet Earth you are specifically responsible to love, serve, warn, and encourage. It enables you to fulfill your biblical responsibilities to Christ’s body (for example, see Eph. 4:11-16; 25-32). 8. It’s how to follow Christian leaders. Membership helps you to know which Christian leaders on planet Earth you are called to obey and follow. Again, it allows you to fulfill your biblical responsibility to them (see Heb. 13:7; 17). 9. It helps Christian leaders lead. Membership lets Christian leaders know which Christians on Planet Earth they will “give an account” for (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2). 10. It enables church discipline. It gives you the biblically prescribed place to participate in the work of church discipline responsibly, wisely, and lovingly (1 Cor. 5). 11. It gives structure to the Christian life. It places an individual Christian’s claim to “obey” and “follow” Jesus into a real-life setting where authority is actually exercised over us (see John 14:15; 1 John 2:19; 4:20-21). 12. It builds a witness and invites the nations. Membership puts the alternative rule of Christ on display for the watching universe (see Matt. 5:13; John 13:34-35; Eph. 3:10; 1 Peter 2:9-12). The very boundaries which are drawn around the membership of a church yields a society of people which invites the nations to something better.
Jonathan Leeman

Bible – Greek OT (Septuagint/LXX) UTF8 Job Chapter 34:1-37.

Index: Greek OT (Septuagint/LXX) UTF8

 

Job 34

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34:1 υπολαβων δε ελιους λεγει

34:2 ακουσατε μου σοφοι επισταμενοι ενωτιζεσθε το καλον

34:3 οτι ους λογους δοκιμαζει και λαρυγξ γευεται βρωσιν

34:4 κρισιν ελωμεθα εαυτοις γνωμεν ανα μεσον εαυτων ο τι καλον

34:5 οτι ειρηκεν ιωβ δικαιος ειμι ο κυριος απηλλαξεν μου το κριμα

34:6 εψευσατο δε τω κριματι μου βιαιον το βελος μου ανευ αδικιας

34:7 τις ανηρ ωσπερ ιωβ πινων μυκτηρισμον ωσπερ υδωρ

34:8 ουχ αμαρτων ουδε ασεβησας η οδου κοινωνησας μετα ποιουντων τα ανομα του πορευθηναι μετα ασεβων

34:9 μη γαρ ειπης οτι ουκ εσται επισκοπη ανδρος και επισκοπη αυτω παρα κυριου

34:10 διο συνετοι καρδιας ακουσατε μου μη μοι ειη εναντι κυριου ασεβησαι και εναντι παντοκρατορος ταραξαι το δικαιον

34:11 αλλα αποδιδοι ανθρωπω καθα ποιει εκαστος αυτων και εν τριβω ανδρος ευρησει αυτον

34:12 οιη δε τον κυριον ατοπα ποιησειν η ο παντοκρατωρ ταραξει κρισιν

34:13 ος εποιησεν την γην τις δε εστιν ο ποιων την υπ’ ουρανον και τα ενοντα παντα

34:14 ει γαρ βουλοιτο συνεχειν και το πνευμα παρ’ αυτω κατασχειν

34:15 τελευτησει πασα σαρξ ομοθυμαδον πας δε βροτος εις γην απελευσεται οθεν και επλασθη

34:16 ει δε μη νουθετη ακουε ταυτα ενωτιζου φωνην ρηματων

34:17 ιδε συ τον μισουντα ανομα και τον ολλυντα τους πονηρους οντα αιωνιον δικαιον

34:18 ασεβης ο λεγων βασιλει παρανομεις ασεβεστατε τοις αρχουσιν

34:19 ος ουκ επησχυνθη προσωπον εντιμου ουδε οιδεν τιμην θεσθαι αδροις θαυμασθηναι προσωπα αυτων

34:20 κενα δε αυτοις αποβησεται το κεκραγεναι και δεισθαι ανδρος εχρησαντο γαρ παρανομως εκκλινομενων αδυνατων

34:21 αυτος γαρ ορατης εστιν εργων ανθρωπων λεληθεν δε αυτον ουδεν ων πρασσουσιν

34:22 ουδε εσται τοπος του κρυβηναι τους ποιουντας τα ανομα

34:23 οτι ουκ επ’ ανδρα θησει ετι ο γαρ κυριος παντας εφορα

34:24 ο καταλαμβανων ανεξιχνιαστα ενδοξα τε και εξαισια ων ουκ εστιν αριθμος

34:25 ο γνωριζων αυτων τα εργα και στρεψει νυκτα και ταπεινωθησονται

34:26 εσβεσεν δε ασεβεις ορατοι δε εναντιον αυτου

34:27 οτι εξεκλιναν εκ νομου θεου δικαιωματα δε αυτου ουκ επεγνωσαν

34:28 του επαγαγειν επ’ αυτον κραυγην πενητος και κραυγην πτωχων εισακουσεται

34:29 και αυτος ησυχιαν παρεξει και τις καταδικασεται και κρυψει προσωπον και τις οψεται αυτον και κατα εθνους και κατα ανθρωπου ομου

34:30 βασιλευων ανθρωπον υποκριτην απο δυσκολιας λαου

34:31 οτι προς τον ισχυρον ο λεγων ειληφα ουκ ενεχυρασω

34:32 ανευ εμαυτου οψομαι συ δειξον μοι ει αδικιαν ηργασαμην ου μη προσθησω

34:33 μη παρα σου αποτεισει αυτην οτι απωση οτι συ εκλεξη και ουκ εγω και τι εγνως λαλησον

34:34 διο συνετοι καρδιας ερουσιν ταυτα ανηρ δε σοφος ακηκοεν μου το ρημα

34:35 ιωβ δε ουκ εν συνεσει ελαλησεν τα δε ρηματα αυτου ουκ εν επιστημη

34:36 ου μην δε αλλα μαθε ιωβ μη δως ετι ανταποκρισιν ωσπερ οι αφρονες

34:37 ινα μη προσθωμεν εφ’ αμαρτιαις ημων ανομια δε εφ’ ημιν λογισθησεται πολλα λαλουντων ρηματα εναντιον του κυριου