This is an excellent article that Kevin DeYoung’s blog site.

Here is Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great Welsh preacher and longtime pastor at Westminster Chapel in London, explaining what Acts 6 can teach us about the mission of the church and the pastor:

But, and in many ways the most interesting statement of all, I sometimes think in this connection, is one that is found in the sixth chapter of the book of the Acts of the Apostles where we are told that a great crisis arose in the life of the early Church. I know of nothing that speaks more directly upon the present state and condition of the Church, and what is her primary task, than this sixth chapter of the book of the Acts of the Apostles. The essential message is in the first two verses: ‘And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the Word of God, and serve tables.’

This is surely a most interesting and important statement, a crucial one. What was the Church to do? Here is a problem, here are these widows of the Grecians, and they are not only widows but they are in need and in need of food. It was a social problem, perhaps partly a political problem, but certainly a very acute and urgent social problem. Surely the business of the Christian Church, and the leaders particularly, is to deal with this crying need: Why go on preaching when people are starving and in need and are suffering? That was the great temptation that came to the Church immediately; but the Apostles under the leading and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the teaching they had already received, and the commission they had had from their Master, saw the danger and they said, ‘It is not reason that we should leave the Word of God, and serve tables’. This is wrong. We shall be failing in our commission if we do this. We are here to preach this Word, this is the first thing, ‘We will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word.’

Now there the priorities are laid down once and for ever. This is the primary task of the Church, the primary task of the leaders of the Church, the people who are set in this position of authority; and we must not allow anything to deflect us from this, however good the cause, however great the need. This is surely the direct answer to much of the false thinking and reasoning concerning these matters at the present time. (Preaching and Preachers, 22-23)

It’s important to note that the Apostles didn’t ignore the physical need in the church (it’s also important to note these were needs in the church). So saying proclamation is primary does not mean everything else is rubbish. In fact, Acts 6 shows that attending to the physical needs of the church is positively necessary.

But this does not undermine the good Doctor’s good point: the primary task of the church is to minister the word, and nothing should supplant or turn us from this essential and indispensable mission.

“If we would be sanctified, our course is clear and plain — we must begin with Christ. We must go to Him as sinners, with no plea but that of utter need, and cast our souls on Him by faith. . . . If we would grow in holiness and become more sanctified, we must continually go on as we began, and be ever making fresh applications to Christ.”

- J. C. Ryle, quoted by Tim Chester in You Can Change (Wheaton, Ill.; Crossway, 2010), 44.

Here is an excellent blog article from Ray Ortlund

There is a difference between preaching Christ and preaching about Christ. Preaching Christ is presenting him so clearly and directly that the people experience the sermon this way: “It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified” (Galatians 3:1). Preaching about Christ is presenting ideas related to him. It’s a good thing to do. But preaching Christ is more profound, more daring and more helpful.
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The Stretching Process
After Nancy and I got married I decided to take Tae Kwan Do. The biggest problem for me was the stretching. My instructor "Master Sir" as he was called was determined to get me loosened up. So one day while on the mat he had me sit down and spread my legs to the side as far as they would go. Then he told me to touch my head on the floor. Well, I couldn't do it until "Master Sir" got behind me and pushed so hard that my head did hit the floor. The next day I looked and the inside of my thighs were black and blue. I learned that stretching often causes pain physically and I have noticed that when teaching doctrine it does that spiritually. If you have never studied the "Doctrine of God" over a period of time my warning to you is prepare to be stretched. As one pastor put it "better your mind be stretched to the breaking point as opposed to breaking God’s word.”

This week I will pick up right where we left off last Sunday.

Point #1 - Methodology in the Doctrine of God
I am going to talk about my two favorite ways to study the doctrine of God as it relates to the method.
First we will briefly look at the transcendence of God which will include a working definition along with Scriptural support. And then we will do the same with the immanence of God. If you want to see both of these categories displayed in Scripture then I suggest that you study:

• Isaiah 57:15
• Isaiah 66:1-2

Also I want to discuss a few more Scriptures as it relates to the transcendence of God:

• Job Chapter 38
• Psalm 77:13-20
• Habakkuk 3:3-13
• Psalm 104
• Exodus 20:18-21

It is important that you keep these categories in mind as you read through the Bible this coming year.
Part of your ongoing growth in grace assignments will be to write out in the margin of your Bibles when you observe transcendence and immanence.

Then we are going to look at my favorite way to categorize in our study of the doctrine of God.
Incommunicable and Communicable

Incommunicable means that these particular attributes of God are not communicated to us which doesn't mean they are revealed or said to us, but instead we do not share in any part of this attribute. This is distinctively divine.
For example: Self existence and we do not share in any measure this attribute. Because our existence is dependent and contingent and derivative.

Communicable means attributes of God which He communicates or shares in substance or in kind in some portion with His creatures. There is in us a finite representation of these particular attributes.

And over the next few weeks I will be teaching on the following 6 incommunicable attributes of God.
1. Self Existence

This has been sometimes referred to as asceity and it means that God has existence within Himself or it is God's nature to exist. God is not caused to exist as is everything else in the universe. Everything else owes its existence to something else and that is true both from a direct and indirect fashion.

2. Self Sufficiency

Definition: God possesses within Himself every quality in infinite measure. So any quality you can think of like beauty, power or truth God has that quality in that it constitutes His very nature. For example the goodness of God is intrinsic to God because no one gave this to God, no one makes God good, no one grant God to be good, it is His own by nature.

3. Infinity

You notice that this is a negative in that it means God is NOT finite. So what does the word finitude mean? It means to be bounded or limited. God is infinite in that He is not bound nor does He have any limits.

4. Omnipresence
Theologians all the way back to the early church have wanted to talk about God's omnipresence in two particular ways in which God is not bound.

God is not bound in relation to space (omnipresence)
God is not bound in relation to time (eternity)
Omnipresence means that God is not limited in His existence by space. Or God transcends all spacial boundaries and is present everywhere at once.

5. Eternity

God is not limited in His existence by time. The Scriptures speak of God as everlasting or eternal.
Some of the richest passages in the Bible connect the supremacy of God with His being the eternal God.

6. Immutability

This is to say that God is immutable is to say Biblically at least two things:
a. God can’t change in His attributes, His essence, His very being, that is who God is, as God
b. He can’t change in His ethical commitments that are an extension of His own moral nature

Point #2 - Methodological Balance when we come to the Doctrine of God
This means it is easy for us to emphasize one attribute of God that another attribute is lessened to the degree that it gets little or no attention.

Someone could emphasize the holiness, justice, righteousness and the judgment of God that kindness, mercy, forgiveness is hardly accounted for.

But really the problem in our particular culture today is that we have taken an over emphasis to the immanence of God which is God loves you to the limitation or exclusion of the other attributes.

I am going to ask for your patience and diligence to study these notes over the next few weeks. Some of this may seem hard but the more you assimilate the information the better you will come to understand. Remember we behave in life like that which we most behold in our minds. My prayer is that we will behold a correct view of God from the Bible. And in doing so it will lead to us as a community of believers to manifest the glory of Christ in our actions with friends, co-workers, neighbors and family members.