Inside These Walls, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.

What a privilege group of people got nearly this little tiny land God says you be my people.

Number take up residency with you writing right in your capital in Jerusalem and the Temple. I will make my presence known. I will be present in the holy of their privilege, and then they deviated from the plan of God and what happened is God left the company missile gun missing the habits, the church is just as the question is, once we deviate plan. We have no spiritual vitality. One of you joining us today on this additional fellowship of the word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhart now again he shows us how God's word meets our work sheet. I think for many of us were not sure Bible is clear, but I don't think were very short. All the most important thing about the church is what happens outside these walls. The most important thing about the church is what happens out there how you live your life how you walk with Christ when you're not here marriages that you have, how you treat each other in the home. The kind of employee or employer you are in the workplace kind of neighborly you are. Those things are all important, but they're not even the most important most important thing about the church come the words of Jesus is a go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. We call that the great commission and he didn't call it that we did, but it is the mission of the church is only one commandment in their we are to make disciples that's commanded and then there are three participles by going by baptizing and by teaching.

That's how we make disciples each year.

What we do at the church or in the spring as we try to emphasize our responsibility to outside these walls taking the gospel of Jesus Christ. Across the street and around the world.

We have, ever since I've come here aloud always the congregation to establish the missions and outreach budget. Budget of the church. The idea behind it is where much more concerned about where your heart is and where our heart is and so each and every year and this year will be no different. There in the lobby cards like this is a faith promise cards people in the congregation for the Mike put an amount on once we get the amount we destroy the cards and that's the budget for the next year where we how we take the gospel across the street and around the world.

The reason that so important is this what were about is the most important thing about us this year we decided do so to give for the theme that the theme outside these walls and what I loved about the video is a love one word and it said in there.

It said that the church is deployed. That's what the church is but do everything to the church outweigh the whole idea of the church is your being deployed. This is just a unit where if you're in trouble. I we can be hospital but on the other hand, if you're not in trouble. Our job is to motivate you and in the plan for you to be deployed out there in the real world.

That's what the church is now fully to be effective outside these walls. It's very important that were effective inside the walls of the church and to be effective inside the walls of the church and the church has to be exactly what the Bible says the church needs to be open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 16 verse 18 Matthew chapter 16 and actually it's a good verse 13 through 18. Matthew six very famous passage. Unfortunately, one of the most misunderstood passages by many many many people in the world. It's but it's important to us. Verse 13 says, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he was asking his disciples.

He said who do people say that the Son of Man is the Son of Man is a term he uses for himself comes in the book of Daniel, and he said he said to several people say that I am out this in the first time is asked the question.

People always asked that question who they say is a notice of response you get. Some say you're John the Baptist. He said others say Elijah. Still others are Jeremiah you're one of the prophets. So Jesus promises but who do you say that I am in Simon Peter said to him you are the Christ, the Messiah, you are the son of the living God and and Jesus said to him, Blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you.

My father in heaven.

And then he says something interesting. He said I also say to you that you are Petra Ross, you are Peter Petross and is wonderful in the Greek because the ideas Petross in a sense is a chip off of a big rock, a chip, your chip, your small stump your chip off the rock. He says you are Petross and then he says this he said and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Now notice he didn't say you are Peter, and upon you.

I will build the church. He could've said that easily if that's what he meant. But that's not what he meant at all. First of all, Peter is not going to build the church who's going to build it. Jesus, I will build my church, and that statement that's were the words. This is the antecedent of that is the statement that he made that statement is. You are the Christ, the son of the living God is, and upon this I will build my church know what's interesting about that.

That's a promise. That's a promise you can take to the bank. Jesus said I will build my church.

I'm going to build. There's a conditional receipt in the passage. The condition is I will build. I have to build the church met someone else, not man, I will build the church is he that becomes the condition of whether the church would rebuild it all in over the history of the church and around the world today, you have men, building churches is not exactly what Jesus is talking about at all. In fact he gets exactly the opposite outcome telling me now to Revelation chapter 3 just two verses one into Revelation chapter 3 verses one and two here John is writing letters to the seven churches is a precursor to all the prophecy in the book of Revelation and is talking about the condition of most of the churches in almost all them are already in trouble. By the time John writes, and he starts out in verse one of chapter 3 and he says to the angel of the church of Sardis. The word angel and loss means messenger so very likely most commentators believe that the angel of the church in Sardis is the pastor teacher.

The church he would be the person is writing to the leader of the church pastor teacher. He said to the angel of the church in Sardis write this, he who has the seven spirits of God. The seven stars. He says this I know your deeds, that you have a name and that you are alive or dead.

He says I know what kind of church you are you have a name.

People talk about you that your little life. You see, I heard you had a good reputation. Your active church.

You have a lot of programs people like it. Your dead.

It's an amazing statement when you think about it, you are dead.

It's interesting and reminds me of the rhyme of the ancient mariner which reads corpses man the ship dead men pull yours. Dead men hoist the sales and dead men steer the vessel. Sardis is an ecclesiastical corpse. Instead notice it's active.

It has a great reputation but it's dead. Why because Jesus wasn't building the church men were we deviate from the plan of God. When the story of Samson's good story of a young boy I love that story is a lot of violence in it.

Big strong guy. Everything went well.

Then it until he deviated from the plant and ended in complete catastrophe. Think of the nation Israel. What a privilege group of people.

This little speck of dust in the near East. This little tiny land God says you to be my people. Number take up residency with you write it right in your capital in Jerusalem and the Temple. I will make my presence known.

I will be present in the holy of holies. I'll be right there.

What a privilege and then they deviated from the plan of God and what happened. It says God left the temple and wrote Ichabod on the side I'm done with you missing the happens, the church is just as well. The question is, once we deviate from the plan that we have no spiritual vitality from God's point of view. So the question comes that I do. Is there a blueprint, then of what we should be inside these walls and there is don't mean out of the book of acts chapter 2 in verse 41 the book of acts chapter 2 in verse 41, the best place to see the plan is the birth of the church. This is where the church just get started. First time it's good church going and so you have the birth of the church here in the birth of the church we see the plan Pentecost is taken place. Jesus is ascended. There's 120 believers and then the apostle Peter preaches and aptly preaches there is a response. Notice the response in verse 41 it says so they received his word were baptized, and that they were added about 3000 souls to the church so the church is at least about 3120 people in the very first day. Now the question comes down to how you going to do church that how do you do church not remember they have no idea. They have no idea they don't know what they don't know what church is. They have no understanding of the church at all. They have no New Testament they have nothing in writing middle have a how to do church workbook.

They don't have conferences they don't have seminars or how do you do church.

They don't have anything as a matter fact just all those believers and so God gives in the blueprint and a blueprint for us of how do we be effective outside these walls by what we do inside these walls. It says in verse 42 they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching the first thing they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching while now we know there. One thing about this group are saved 3120 people or so that are saved, the redeemed, the church should always be made up of the redeemed, the saved. That's who they are there safe people.

One thing I find interesting.

By the way I read some time ago Billy Graham in his heyday, wrote that he believed with all of the big, big evangelistic gob stadiums. He filled in all that he believed that throughout his ministry.

About 40% of the people that came forward actually ended up being saved. That's what he thought the number was what's interesting with Peter is to hundred percent all 3000 of these people were saved. Peter preaches they believe them and their saved so after their say we find this redeemed group of people and it says then that each of them in this sense had been devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. In other words, the church has to provide a vital learning experience for everybody were guy has to be taught just has to be taught. That is what truly interesting the world we live in right now is it's hard to find churches that teach the word of God minutes egg that doesn't even make sense. That's the one vital thing every church should be doing and yet there are people and maybe your some of them you spend years or decades. In a church and you were never taught the word of God.

It didn't even matter what the word of God was but here there devoted to the teaching of the word of God. Vital learning experience from God. Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus. Two young pastors, he said to them, you need to teach sound doctrine.

You need to teach the work you need to preach the word whatever you do don't get sidetracked.

You need to preach the word of God. But is that happening hasn't happened throughout history, the church that we have very many per request for the future for the church or myself, but let me let me put it this way.

This may shock some of you but I'm lucky to be here forever. My time to go home, will, and when it does I big you don't let somebody stand up you doesn't preach the word of God. Just don't do that if somebody stand up hero doesn't preach the word of God leave go find someone preaches the word of God. You don't do that. Don't be part of that. I don't don't be involved with all of that human ingenuity you see one other thing about this early church that I find so fascinating is they were totally dependent on God didn't have any technique when you read this section there's no techniques. There's no need things to do. There's no there's no coffeehouse in the lobby there isn't the reason any of that. How could they do church that's what church is. That said, this is the ingenuity of man. That's all that that's become man figuring out ways and we can stuff all the time and I agree stuff online all the time. Of all of these techniques that if I would just do the techniques you can attract more people. It's a sad thing. I mean, up until a few years ago I used to get all the time and read that one of the most important thing to to really grow your church's money you need money money really that's important you and these these different groups would say. And we know how to raise it with professionals and raising money will come down here church you give some time. The service will visit people in homes and we guarantee will extract a certain amount of money from how revolting is that how disgusting is that.

But that's what you need amenable going to have a restaurant. The lobby we need money, don't we, I mean, isn't that what we do. We need money. That's just the ingenuity of man is this man trying every word. Can you see this is running rampant in America now they have everything you can possibly imagine. Were building $100 million facilities in the amount of evangelical believers in the countries in steep decline. Every year were not winning the lost, not happening at all. A lot of people think that's were doing churches is not what God says about Jesus is look. That's man trying to build his church, I will build the church.

The first thing that they have to have is the vital learning experience. He said that's absolutely important, they have to be saved.

The redeemed community that have to rely never on human effort have to be a teaching church and then he says the next thing and the fellowship now. That's our name fellowship yeah but it's not what you think.

For so many of us what is fellowship. Regrettably, by the way, we always say there's a fellowship room at the end of the hall. I don't like that very much.

I don't know if there's any fellowship going on in their law is not see we think fellowship is like coffee and doughnuts. You know you just sit there and sip a little honey when you have an fellowship.

That's not what Philip Quinn you doesn't mean that all Cory. Mia is a deep abiding partnership of people is a unity about holder place or go with me to John 13 John chapter 13 verse 34 John 1334 if you want to know what the heart of fellowship is this is it. John 1334 Jesus the knife the night before is crucified, says this to his disciples. He said a new commandment I give you this is no I'm going to commend it. I'm going to give it to you and us.

He said that you love one another. I command you. You have to love one another. Agape noticed the condition of the love even as I have loved you, you also love one another.

How does Jesus love us sacrificially right is that I command you to love one another. That way the be honest about this is how you feel. Is that really how you feel. You come the church. He said I love these people. I really love of sacrifice that I you feel or is it likely select. That's why I love a few of them that love me I live. I love people that love me. I like people like me. I tolerate people tolerate me and I dislike the people just like me is not of the Lord that's of you will love one another to love one another sacrificially to see just how far this goes in the context of this church so go back to the book of acts.

If you think that they had fellowship. I think there's around 39 different one another's in the New Testament love one another. Forgive one another, exhort one another, admonish one another. Confess your sins one another, serve one another. It just goes on and on one another. It's all about one another.

Why would we do that is we love one another and notice when Jesus spoke in John 13 knew what he said after he said what I just read by this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another way, I love you everybody out there will say never met a group of people like that. Now they may not believe the gospel, but I bet you're wondering they will say those people love each other. Now let me ask you, do you think that's what people out there think about us or any church hall.

They love each other.

I don't know about you, or maybe I'm just naïve, but I've never heard anyone tell me that it was an unbeliever. I've never had anyone say to me you know one thing about us.

They have never seen a group people love each other like the people in the church because we don't. That's why because we don't.

He says that in that case, all men will know now they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship he said in the breaking of bread and to prayer in the breaking of bread is interesting in that context because it's more likely what they were.

There is probably the Lord's table in a moment. It will be the idea of taken meals together and then he says this and everyone kept feeling a sense of awe.

Now, in this case, you would know I would to it's pretty easy because it says, and many wonders and signs were taking place of the apostles.

The apostles had enormous sign gifts. They did all kinds of things the gift of healing, each of Peter and Paul each raise the dead, they had done some amazing things but really, if you think about it there's all that happened there, God was so the people were not there were no gods of you and I should be in because God still at work after going over the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like the message one more time.

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