The Practical Church Life

I. Experiencing the Deep Significance of the Church Life - Hebrews 13:1-7,
18-19, 22-24
A. The experience of brotherly love - Heb. 13:1
1. Touching the source of the Father's good pleasure - Heb. 2:11; Eph. 1:4-5
2. Participation in the love-life of the Father and the Son - Heb. 2:12
3. Touching the feeling of our deepest part - 1 Thess. 4:9
4. The reality of the Body life - Rom. 12:10
5. Needing to be purified - 1 Pet. 1:22
6. An aspect of growth to enter the kingdom - 2 Pet. 1:7-11
7. An overcoming church life - Rev. 3:7-13
B. Important dealings in the church life
1. Dealings with the self-life
a) Hospitality - Heb. 13:2; Rom. 12:13; 1 Pet. 4:9
b) Identifying with suffering saints - Heb. 13:3, 16; 1 Cor. 12:25-26
2. Dealings with sexual matters - Heb. 13:4; 1 Thess. 4:1-8
3. Dealings with money and our motives - Heb. 13:5-6; 1 Tim. 6:6-10
4. Dealings related to God's represented authority - Heb. 13:7, 16, 24;
Rom. 13:1-2, 5; 1 Pet. 5:1-6
C. The indispensable need of prayer - Heb. 13:18-19
D. The need of the Word specifically applied to our situation - Heb. 13:22
E. The need of fellowship - Heb. 13:23 (cf. 1 Thess. 3:2, 6)
II. Being Focused and Centered upon Christ - Hebrews 13:8-17, 20-21, 25
A. Following Christ in the experience of the leading ones - Heb. 13:7-8; Col. 3:10-11
B. Never being carried away from Christ and grace - Heb. 13:9; 1 Tim. 1:3-6; Eph. 4:14; Col. 2:8
C. The centrality of Christ as our altar - Heb. 13:10
1. The altar representing the Person and work of Christ
2. Becoming one with Christ by eating and partaking of Him as our altar
- Heb. 13:10; 1 Cor. 10:16-18
D. Going forth unto Christ "inside the veil" and "outside the camp" - Heb. 13:11-13
1. The blood of Christ is inside the veil in the heavenly holy of holies
- Heb. 13:11-12; 10:19- 22; 9:11-14, 21-24
2. The cross of Christ is outside the religious camp - Heb. 13:12-13
3. Seeking the coming city, while bearing His reproach on the earth - Heb. 13:13-14 (cf. John 16:1-4)
E. Confessing the Name of Jesus as praise to God - Heb. 13:15
F. Trusting His inner operating life to do and accomplish His will and good pleasure
- Heb. 13:20-21, 25