R1656 For the Sake of the Church

God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton. This edition of The Encouraging Word about today's encouragement is to us from the book of Colossians with Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment he's calling today's message for the sake of the church you know other reminders is it's not the church you just drove by your listening on the radio or in the podcast.

It's not the church you attend. There I turned it's the church that the C church. All of us together working together to make a change in the world culture in which we live as we push back against the culture we have a wonderful set of resources on our website right now. A book called a call for courage and the Mets of Dr. Wilton be salt and light. Check it out on our website tewonline.org you get your copy. It will fuel you to be a better representative Jesus that's online tewonline.org G.the conversation today, I will guarantee you the conversation today is that people out they will deceive you by finding sounding arguments, not to be engaged in the body in the church. Don't fall for it all on.

So let's read this passage and it's very important for us to to see one man under God's guidance. Speaking to one church but he speaking to all of us. He speaking specifically here to the people.

This body of Christ. This gathering of God's people at this place called colossi. So this is God speaking to you in your church about your church about you about your church because you all the church and this is what he says in verse 24 of Colossians chapter 1 now full-size.

I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my face. What is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, the church, I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness. The ministry that is being kept hidden for ages and generations but is not disclosed to believers to them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you the hope of glory. We proclaim Jesus admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, in order that we may present everyone perfect in the Lord Jesus Christ to this in postings.

Labor, struggling with all God's energy, which so powerfully works in me and I want you to know chapter 2 in verse one. Furthermore, I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not met me personally. My focus is that they may be encouraged in the heart and united in love so that they may have the riches of complete understanding in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely the Lord Jesus Christ in our hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by finding sounding arguments for though I am absent from you and body I'm present with you in spirit and I liked to see how orderly you all and half your in Christ is made the Lord Jesus right this would upon our hearts for the sake of the church. I see pulled here sitting in a room in prison talking to just a gathering of people you know, the irony of all of this is I don't know because we didn't have roles in numbers and all that sort of stuff, but II can only imagine the church colossi was probably not by any means, and maybe church.

I am sure they someone who would know this to be true. I will wouldn't be surprised if they were less than 100 people that he was talking to maybe less than 50 in all likelihood, in the context this was a small grouping number, but such value was placed such value, and I think what pulled those here is that he he she is amongst many other things. Six things that God designs for the church that makes the church with striving for. Maybe if I could put the sinner sort of colloquial way of someone and they do you know why.

Why be a member. Why become part of a church of a local bar Bible believing church here is €6.06 absolute critical reasons why he just puts them out. They he says this is the way God designed the church.

Here is what you get here is what you get.

You no doubt that our kids grew up in. They serve the Lord all over the place and they still to this day. Love coming back home now. They have their own their own home their own place. They own will, their own home, but they still love coming something about the root of it, those family times this something they something that came out of it that flows out of the church that in the church that part of God's design and God's seed God said listen folks, Jesus said we didn't say this, this was not our decision.

We didn't look around and say you know what we live in a very trying complex world.

Let's find some way in which we can gather and give ourselves something really meaningful and there are lots of very meaningful things in the world, their organizations and clubs, and places that we go in teams that we support. But there is nothing that can compare to the church because Jesus said the church is built on the rock.

It's built on God on Christ. He's one foundation is Jesus Christ the Lord, and the gates of hell.

Get this folks will not prevail against. I am making an announcement today to whomever it is that's listening to me right now you can stand on your head to try and break up the church of the living God.

It's not going to happen because Jesus said it's built on the rock who is Jesus, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. I want to be part of something like that.

I need that I need this rock in my life, my family needs at my friends need this. We need this. This is not just black will maybe I'll give it a shot.

We need this its transformational and here are six things worth striving for that policies to the church, he says, here it is. My purpose is. The purpose is for the church. God wants you to know, and he lists from verse two of chapter 2, he lists six believable God-given things that happen to have in my life. Number one encouragement. This is spiritual encouragement. He says right there in verse two. My purpose is that the church would be encouraged in heart. I know it's a it's a frivolous statement and it's worn out and everybody says I heard that students can.

I will speak for me personally than on the posture on the preacher I'm supposed to. This is what I do cannot tell you in my life. It happens all the time. We can have everything going on the crises of life and the burdens of life and I'm 10 you I come into church and God. God encourages my beloved friends.

Unity in the church is not silence. Unity in the church is not the inability to share and exchange godly ideas because God uses all of us unity in love is the fundamental basis of the Christ love in us that the fires that this unity in heat that we live amongst in the world. It's the very antithesis of what you are not living looks at the church and he says because of Jesus Christ. The church unity in love.

How is it possible to get people all different with every idea to wear not to wear to be vaccinated to not be vaccinated Republican and Democrats black and white, rich and poor is it you have together and so what Jesus means by being in, did little fired up about this. If you missed the point man you down the kitchen sink. That's what Paul is telling them for the sake of the church.

The church is worth striving for, and pulls putting himself up the as is the poodle pony saying folks you talk about me. I didn't even know half of you I've never hardly been there with you but I've been shipwrecked. I've sacrificed all being beaten up by being run out of town to be installed. The being looked half to death and I'm sitting in prison but I want you to know everything that I've done is what for the sake of the church because it's in God's house.

When you get encouragement, and where you see first hand practically and demonstrably what it means for all people to be united together. I love that men go to somebody say I can't tell you that's fantastic and money on point number two to give you the other three or four very quickly. One he told about six things with striving is understanding. Forgive the eruption will be back with the rest of today's message for the sake of the church by Dr. Don Wilton. Just a moment Dr. Don Wilton remind you we are here for you 24 hours a day. We love to pray with you and for you at 86689 I can jot the number down storing yourself, 866-899-9673 will always connect with what I was having talk, listen, or pray, or connect with great resources like this. First Thessalonians 511 therefore encourage one another, build each other out. Just as in fact you are dealing many Christians today encouraging any unsafe message of Jesus Christ. We invite you to put your love for Christ interaction. We invite you to become a monthly donor to the encouraging way your support today, 899-869-9963. Information on how you can help support the work of the encouraging Larry The Encouraging Word as a viewer and listener supported ministry. Thank you for listening today that's is one of many great resources you'll find on our website. TW online.org and while you're there, be sure and sign up for the daily devotional from Dr. Wilson comes out email emphatically early in the morning.

That's TW online.org one he taught about six things will striving is understanding. He says not only that, you might be encouraging heart you're not in love, but so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding.

That's what God's church does for you enables you and me to have spiritual understanding the full riches of complete understanding about what God number four protection says in verse four I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments hello that's protection policies.

The church is designed to so that you don't give way to all this yada yada and rubbish that you listening to what parent in their right mind can really say that they love the children that you don't do everything in your children's life to protect them from the rubbish out. They influence of other people that influence the pool of the world. You're always doing that you're always talking to them, helping them every time they turn on the TV sit every time they go to school by sitting at a table with somebody else.

People of God engenders. This is not always a nice world.

You telling me as a parent you don't get on you could do everything you can to try to protect so that they can make good sound decisions and not just be sucked into these vacuums of rank stupidity and frivolity. You do that and pull here's looking at the church. Anything let me tell you why strive for the sake of the church for understanding for protection protection and he identifies it in the Colossian world. They he sees it. Strike that doesn't mince words nieces. I tell you this so no one will deceive you by phone on sounding all this stuff that you don't need to man. Why don't you non-youthful friend. We are gullible people. Some people you listen to such drivel from some people such absolute rubbish.

You just fall for it and it influences you. That's what he's talking about the harnessing protection that God gives to us. Number five order get down the end of verse five uses non-absent from the body imprison with you and I'm so delighted to see how ugly you all by the way, if you do a study of that and I went in and prodded really understand that he was talking about anything but chaos the world. Our care folks with cool good things is just chaotic from traffic to politics to television to opinions, chaos, not the church. This order that he's talking about in what Paul is saying here is that because Jesus Christ is the head of the church. He's the head of the church and the way he could.

He calls the church, the body much like the body of which Jesus we bring that already and will again, which means all everything happens the other hand controls all the movements and the term because Christ is the head that's with all that comes from and then finally stayed falseness is not only how old are you on verse five. But how firm your faith in Christ is, don't you love that stayed falseness stayed falseness teeth keep heat to eight he gives you the picture again of the rock since the church is the rock your feet are on solid ground, your faith is rock solid. The church, the church is worth striving for.

Why because of spiritual encouragement and spiritual unity and spiritual understanding and spiritual protection and spiritual and spiritual stayed falseness. Wow. That's fantastic.

So grateful. Even in my more rebellious days. I think I've told some of you. My dad was' church in Africa and when I was a teenager I would desperately do anything possible to not have to go to church but God's got a sense of humor because the parsonage we lived in parsonage is in Africa was coming. This is unfair. I still want to cope some of those deacons. The parsonage was next to the church arming it was right next to it and it didn't matter how much I tried to pretend I was there but I wasn't paying like sleeping.

I could hear my dad preaching. It may stop many a Sunday morning nap. You know I wish so grateful that God introduced me through himself into you. You know the best part for me of the church is you you encourage me you you not my spirit in love and you helped me in my understanding of the mystery of God you help to protect me. You show me how beautiful order is in use of give me a solid rock that facilitates my ability to be steadfast in the fight. And so, yes, and I know that I'm' this is what I do every day.

But as I leave the gathered church and I go out into the wound. I'm fortified man, would you bow your heads with me today.

You know where all this begins lunch begins with knowing Christ is so worth it to give your heart to Jesus. Maybe today you just been listening and worshiping in God is speaking to give your heart to the Lord Jesus trusted you can do that. The Bible says that if you confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the date you will be saved, you know, when you give your heart to Jesus. You all a member of the body of Christ.

God gives us local churches to express that in to be part of the church of the living God, I invite you today to give your life to Christ.

I invite you today to become part of the body of Christ. God bless. Lord Jesus, as we come to this time of invitation today people get ready people making decisions right there where they sent right there in front of the televisions picking up telephones calling numbers on the screen in Genesis and in celebration. Some people getting ready to stand up and walk down the sign off. Given my heart to Jesus to be welcomed into the church of the living God, the family of God people putting their roots, people making decisions people being so uplifted. Lord Jesus, as we go into our world Europe wonderful and wonderful right precious you are Lord and lost and you gave us the church so as we responsible Jesus we honor you today. As we pray this prayer together. In Jesus name, amen.

Perhaps moments ago is Dr. Don was leaving that prayer you right along with him, and suggested Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, or maybe rededicate your life.

Either way, Dr. Wilton has wonderful resources.

Once you have absolutely free. If your calls are numbers 866899 Word 866-899-9673 or if you'd rather you can meet us on our website as well and let us know you given your life to Jesus. Rededicate your life will send these free resources.

Our website is TW online.org that's tewonline.org to you before we get away closing thoughts from our pastor Dr. Don Wilton okay just before you go today. I just want you to know how much I love you means so much to me and I just want you to know that with all the things that we've talked about the way in which God is speaking to your heart right now. We are the Encouraging Word and we are available to you 24 seven, morning, noon, not you can call a friend one of my friends right now and they will encourage you to pray with you, listen to you is the right to have people around us really care about us. You are not alone. God bless you and be encouraged that number. Dr. Benson is 866899 Word. We do hope you'll jot it down or stored in your cell phone 866-899-9673 will always connect with someone right to pray with you or connect with wonderful resources that help you grow this program is brought to you and sponsored by the Encouraging Word faith financial