The Essential Church - Part B

This is Jesus talking to my Jesus my church I will build my church notice to whom it belongs to belong to a pastor is a belong to a Board of Directors doesn't belong to a group of elders and deacons or bishops belongs to Jesus Christ. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus proclaimed that the gates of hell would not prevail against his church and today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares how God has preserved his church over time the church is necessary for you today. Now we want to tell you about a resource that will help you live with the boldface as you follow Jesus wherever he leads. What stands between you and a more fruitful walk with Jesus about how four prominent women in the Bible thinks their struggles in a new teaching series for my height and called Queens of the Bible on the Queen of Sheba hearing is the first step toward spiritual life right now, hearing step toward blessing Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God hear more from Leng as she explores the faith in the failings of four different queens in Scripture. The Queens of the Bible collection of teaching is our way of saying thank you when you get $35 or more today to support this Bible teaching ministry. The cost of following Christ is to go wherever healing get your copy of these unique teachings when you call 819 to 18 date or give online securely connectwithskip.com/offer connectwithskip.com/offer Matthew chapter 60 Skip Heitzig obstructs produce good 70×70 times. The Bible uses. The New Testament uses the phrase one another one another and one another is a kind of a phrase that requires people have proximity to one another.

Hard to do things with one another on a zoom call now. I just want to address is good. I got asked this way before.

This mess called cobra 19 got asses for years. Can I be a Christian without going to church will the answers. Technically, yes you are not saved by go to church are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone, but to ask that question can I be a Christian by going to church. It's like cannot be a football player without a team cannot be be without a high can I be a drummer without a band yeah but Illinois everybody so can I be a Christian without getting together with other Christians.

Well, yeah, could you not saved by that, but why would you ever think you'd want to do that so it see it fuels our faith. It it enhances our humanity. Another reason we gather is that it provides accountability provides accountability when you are with somebody else and say something or hear something, and you can look at body language and discuss or dissent or or clarify that's helpful when you're alone, you can do that. Some people say well I don't need the church. I'm not into organized religion.

That's usually a copout. It's a way of saying I don't want accountability to anyone for anything. I just want to do my own thing that's dangerous. Proverbs 18 verse one.

A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire. He rages against all wise judgment. Some people prefer isolation so they don't have to be accountable to anyone. So it fuels our faith. It enhances our humanity in a provides accountability. Another reason we gather it enable service. It fosters service when COBIT began our staff immediately did a pivot because a lot of the tasks. Now we were doing so we just decided let's let's pour into the community. Let's find people who are vulnerable or isolated who need supplies and let's get that to them not to do that and to go out into the community means you're putting your own health at risk, but it has to be done and we have been able to give out $700,000 worth of items to people in the community since COBIT began including meals including things from the drugstore snack packs, etc. but you gotta get close to be able to help this this week I got a phone call from a friend of mine who's a pastor and he called me on the phone as I got COBIT sweetie of Iraq over 19 I say watch again because I was in Los Angeles and I was giving food to the poorest people in the community and I got and I said okay so do you regret doing this note do it again. I need to. He said that's part of the risk right you put yourself arrest but he said yeah but I'm just waiting all the people are going to climb on my case and I told you you shouldn't do that, but he said you know what skip.

You cannot distribute food to a zoom call. Gotta get out there and that's placing yourself at risk.

But that's one of the reasons were called together. So it's essential because of its designation church. You are the church.

A second reason it is essential because of its foundation. I take it back to the Scripture in verse 18.

I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church for 1500 years. There was confusion on this text until the Protestant Reformation because one of the translations of the name Peter is rock people have assumed for years that Jesus was saying, I'm going to build my future church upon this man named Peter who will be the.

The Pappas he Peter me to say if the church is built on Peter, we are all in deep trouble and I think Peter would be the first to agree. Certainly Paul would agree. As Paul said in first Corinthians 3 verse 13, for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Melanie clear up the tax.

Jesus said you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church is not Sangamon to build my church, and you listen to it in the Greek language I say to you, you are at throats, a tiny little pebble, and upon this different word altogether. Massive stone I will build my church, you're a pebble neck ago that I knew. Upon this massive rock I will build my church, what is he referring to, not Peter but what Peter has just said Peter is just said I know you are you are the Messiah, the son of the living God, to build my church on that confession Peter that monumental firm foundation that Jesus is Lord that's what he builds the church not on the man, Peter, but on the truth that Peter articulated that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of the living God. So the foundation is Christ, and the foundation of the church is Christ. That means that we are the physical representation of Jesus on the earth. As Paul said the body of Christ.

But this is why you can go to church but not necessarily be the church. Some people think what I'm a Christian because I go to church. Now you go to church because you are the church and you are a true authentic believer that rests completely in the finished work of Christ, so that leads me to ask. Is that true of you. Do you lean the rests completely on the finished work of Jesus Christ is he your foundation. Are you building your life on him and him alone so it's essential because of its designation and its essential because of its foundation may give you 1/3 reason it's essential.

It is essential because of its possession. Now I'm not using the term this way is not something we possess at something he possesses, and I want you to see that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build now notice the personal pronoun.

My church this is Jesus talking to my church, Jesus says my church I will build my church notice to whom it belongs and belonged to a pastor is a belonged to a Board of Directors doesn't belong to a group of elders or a board of deacons or bishops. It belongs to Jesus Christ.

Jesus built it. Jesus owns it. He is the architect he is the titleholder. It is not Skip's church. It is not your church setting in our church.

It's his church. Paul spoke to the elders of the church at Ephesus and he said in acts chapter 20. Be sure that you feed and shepherd God's flock. His church purchased with his blood over whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders, do you realize that the highest price ever paid in history has been for the church. The blood of Christ.

You ask, is the church essential go by what it cost God, he purchased it with his own blood. So it's Jesus church is not Skip's church is not your church is not our church and belonged us belongs to him. I just want to underscore this by saying he doesn't belong to the government either. Now if we were in England we couldn't say that because the Anglican church is run by the state run by the government and there are countries in the world where the state runs the church but not in this country and one the reasons we rebelled from England and came here and did this experiment in democracy was because our forefathers wisely wanted to separate church from the state, you've heard that term separation of church and state, by the way, I hear a lot and it is usually misunderstood people try to throw that term around separation of church and state. They try to make it mean, let's keep religion out of the public square. Let's keep religious people out of politics. That is not the intention, the intention is, let's keep the government out of the church's business. That's why that's why that idea came into being, and that is why our Constitution has the first amendment which says Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, that's our country. That's our country. Now if I was bringing a message like this in England or anywhere else it might look a little different but it doesn't. That's the law of this country and in countries where the state is controlling the church in such countries, the edicts and mandates of fallible men and women take precedence over God's holy Scripture.

Unfortunately, when the state is the head of the church, the integrity of the God of the gospel can be easily compromised.

I've always loved what Ronald Reagan said.

He said the most terrifying words in the English language are, I'm from the government and I'm here to help. Now we we know what the Christian's responsibility and relationship to civil government is we study that it's pretty clear we are to honor give honor to whom honor is due tribute to whom tribute is you pay are taxes, honor those who are over us respect the force etc. etc. and we do that in compliance with Romans 13 and first Peter etc. but also in the New Testament. You have people like John and Peter, the apostles of the Lord were given a mandate from the government. They finally came to a place in Jerusalem where they said you know what we must obey God rather than men.

And we haven't had to do that but I'm willing to do that and I guess I'd sum up the whole relationship to the government by saying this, a Christian is to be a good citizen until being a good citizen means being a bad Christian and of being a good citizen and complying with any regulation means I have to forsake what the Bible says I do then I will not do that and neither should you. And maybe that means I'd end up in jail. I've let the good life I've never had a jail ministry.

Maybe this is my portal into that new life. The Lord has for me. But the church is essential because of its designation because of its foundation because of its possession and finally the church is essential because of its preservation. I love this part you are Peter upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Just let those words seep into your soul. The gates of Hades will not prevail against it. There's a lot of chatter out there a lot of articles being written about the church in this culture right now. And the question that is being asked separate articles this week on is will the church survive and in particular the article that I read, few of them were called, will the church survive COBIT 19. One of the articles that I read got my attention was in the Atlantic monthly. If you're familiar with that magazine. You know that most articles in the Atlantic monthly, are quite long, voluminous circumlocution Tory. They like to they just like listening to themselves.

It seems like so I read the article and it was fascinating. They asked will the church survive and they cited all the challenges during Cova 19 of church is having to shut down and go live stream. Many were not equipped to do lifestream. They were prepared to do it. So it has caused enormous challenges and in the article cited the church in different parts of the world.

Throughout history the talked about Russia. The church in Russia was stamped out by the regime because the grounds were it's the opiate of the people opiate of the masses's way back when in European countries. In more recent times, church attendance is been so low, especially in countries where it is state run churches and David the attendance has been dwindling and COBIT is just wiped it out, wiped out church attendance. So the fear is in these articles and in the one I read in particular, is that many people who were not really that engaged anyway.

In church before covert will completely disengage Africa at Safir and it's a legitimate fear and I would actually even say that's true. Recent research has found that around half of US adults who attended church before COBIT 19 are unlikely to return to church even if public health officials deem it safe to get that even when they say it's okay now you come out of the woods disguising filing. You can make it. Get back to work at back to life that half of US adults who went to church before you say I'm done.

I'm not coming back now that's a little ominous so will the church survive we need to ask that question to the Jesus who said, here's my idea, to build the church so let's ask hey Jesus, will your church survive COBIT 19 okay so I'm not asking you but I appreciate that. He gave us his answer ready the gates of hell will not prevail against it affects his answer. Let me explain the tax just briefly on in ancient times cities were built with walls and gates walls to protect gates to gain entrance and for people believe and so when enemies wanted to attack a city. They would often attack the gates first, but the gate in ancient times is also the place of power, the place of authority.

That's were elders met. That's were judges met.

That's were cases were heard so the gates of Hades, Hades is another word for the grave or the place of the dead. Some translations say hell gates of hell to the idea of that is the power of death and hell, or the power of death and Satan. So you might translated this way you can open up hills gates and unleash all the wicked forces on the church. You can persecuted you can torture believers. You can kill believers going on for 2000 years.

You can burn their buildings down. But guess what the church will prevail. It is indestructible. It's not going anywhere and really the best place to look is. Let's go back to that day when this man hung on a cross and there we are agog up and were looking up and were remembering that this is the guy who said I'm in a build my church, and now he's dying.

And some of us would look at that we go it's over churches, over whatever plans he had to build the church is over you kidding, it's just beginning. It's just beginning and it is going to be followed by a resurrection and 2000 years now with history that has been standing so I have a better question, then, will the church survive COBIT 19 ready. Here's a question.

Will your faith survive COBIT 19 what your faith survive COBIT 19, with all due respect to our online community and I do respect them and we we do serve that and we will continue to do that.

But frankly, in a people get used to getting up in this were in their PJs all day long sit on the couch and turn on the TV and watching church private people so you know I kind of got up one day and thought I want to get my kids ready iritis on the couch with my popcorn and watch church. I understand that I get that I do and some people waiting for this vaccine are all excited about this vaccine.

95% get me let me throw little wrench into that thinking what if the virus mutates the wrong way, I've got about four and/or what if into three years of different virus comes then one yes isolation mitigates risk why we do it we isolate because of the risk.

But what are you willing to risk for your spiritual health, what are you willing to risk for your mental health. What are you willing to risk for your emotional health, with the last time I checked. Life is about risk.

You get up in the morning, much risky when you can walk to the garage not see where you're going and hit your head on a bicycle and get a subdural hematoma. What happened to me.

Now do I say I will never walk in the garage again. No, I'll just look where I'm going next time. So, bottom line, principal faith rarely grows in isolation. Faith rarely grows in isolation is one of the reasons Jesus started his church in the first place. So as I close, let me just say make it to church, whether it's online or in person, whether it's sitting outside or inside. And if you're going to be online. Great but don't just sit there with the popcorn and watch stand up and sing the songs. Better yet, invite people over, even if your 10, 20, 30 feet apart or whatever it takes but be in some kind of proximity to share the experience with others in a watch party and make it to church. Make it a priority to go to church because it's not just about you and Jesus said that's the fallacy in the American church you know everything is about us. My personal Instagram my personal feed I curate what I want to see who I want to see when I want to see it and were used it's all about me.

It's not in the church. If the question isn't about you and Jesus in a week.I have a personal relationship with Christ. But a lot of people mean by that is my own private relationship with Christ know you do not know you do not start about Jesus and you. It's about Jesus and us to new community, was how did Jesus teach us to pray did he say when you pray, say, my father, who art in heaven, our father who art in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, it's done collectively is done with the community in mind this is the church of the living God, the pillar in the ground of truth, and we need each other and we are essential to God, we are essential to the Lord Jesus Christ as his bride.

We are essential to each other. Spiritual help, and we are essential in this organized way to the world at large church is essential that conclusive hike to commence 122 Skip to share how you can help keep this broadcast going strong connecting you and others around the world with God's word. We all know that life is filled with ups and downs but God remains our steady, constant, our heart is to bring people closer to him so they can have a relationship and enjoyed the riches of his word. Your gift today means we can keep sharing these teachings that you love for many more years to come. Would you consider sharing a gift today and giving the gift of Scripture to so many others. Here's how you can do that to give today simply call 800-922-1888 that number again is 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com/donate.

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