Notes | October 3, 2021

Today's Message:  The Future of Church | Brandon Naramore

Deuteronomy 32:12-13 ESV
The Lord alone guided (Israel), no foreign god was with him He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he (sustained) him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.

Acts 4:13 ESV
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Honey Symbolizes Abundance

Dream of Buying Oil 
There was a huge olive tree.
There were HUGE olives on all the branches of that tree.
The olive tree was planted in a rock. On a hillside.
There was a huge crack in the rock, and the center of the rock had been crushed.
But in the crushing process, the roots were able to grow in size and grow deeper.
On each side of this tree were two streams of water.
The roots traveled deep, down into the ground, tapping into both streams of water.
As this took place, I also saw oil from the olives dripping down the tree, down the roots, and into the water.
As the oil reached the water, the tree caught on fire. Although the tree was on fire, it wasn’t being burned.
The fire was bright, fierce and not damaging.

“Oil from the flinty rock may refer to olive trees growing in places otherwise (unable to produce) fruit-growing trees… (This is a promise that) infertile places would be rich (with) produce in God’s land; ” - P.C. Craigie, (1976). The Book of Deuteronomy (p. 381).

Oil Symbolizes Anointing.

Mashiach:  Messiah - The anointed one “the smeared one."

Mark 1:14-16 
Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;[a] repent and believe in the gospel.”

Mark 1:32-34
They brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Mark 3:13-15 NRSV
He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons.

Authority:  Exousia -  “it is free” (implies) that an action is possible (and) that there are no hindrances… an action is not prevented by a higher… court “it may be done” (Like the)  ravens and crows  (can soar with) unlimited opportunity (in the sky). - Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 2, p. 560). 

Mark 3:21 NRSV
When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.”

John 7:5 NRSV
(For not even his brothers believed in him.)

John 19:25b-27 NRSV
…Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister,… . When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

Acts 1:13 NRSV
When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 
 
Acts 1:14 NRSV
All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

James 1:1 NLT
This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jude 1 NLT
This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.

Soon after this movement spreads beyond Jerusalem and to the greater parts of Rome Converting over 51% of the empire before Constantine’s Legalization of Christianity. - Rodney Stark 

Acts 4:13 ESV
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Boldness: Parresia - The presupposition of παρρησία is that one should be a full citizen of a Gk. polis. At the height of (Greek) democracy the full citizen alone has the right to say anything publicly… Aliens and slaves have no such right. Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 5, p. 872). 

Ephesians 4:11-13 NRSV
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

Acts 2:42-47 ESV
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Our desire is to see an Acts 2 Community in every neighborhood throughout Greater Sacramento.

The future of the Rock is to become a church of house churches.