The Church: What Is It All About? - Part 1

The intent fantastic term for Thursday, August 8, as believers in the command of God. Discover the purpose of the church as we continue the series a firm foundation essentials for solid Christian living.

What would anybody want to join the church. In fact if you look around the lots and lots of building some of the Lord's multiple small and the question is what goes old in these buildings. What's it all about what a people do what they do emphasize that who started it away and not only that, is it necessary to belong to a church to be a godly person to walk in holiness before God does God say that it's absolutely important to be a member of the church go to go to heaven. How would you even know which church to join what kind of criteria would you go about so I think if you will listen carefully this message, you will be able to make up your own mind listening to God and knowing the truth about what the church is all about. So in turn, if you will, to Matthew chapter 16. This is a very important time in the life of Jesus, because up until this time he is not talked about his suffering and what is going to face in the cost of certain that he knew all about that, and it's actually what happens in this passage to give you background he's asking his disciples to people say he is then he asked them who they say he is and then he turns runaround talks about suffering and dying so that almost sounds like a little bit of confusion here.

I would you start something and then at the same time almost the next breath talk about the fact that you lose your life so beginning in verse 13 now when Jesus came to the district of Caesarea Philippi, he was asking his disciples who do people say the song of man is notice he identified himself.

Who did they say the Son of Man is and he was indeed identifying himself. They said, some say John the Baptist others. Elijah was still on this Jeremiah 1 of the prophets, he said to them, but who do you say that I'll Simon Peter answered you the Christ song of the living God. What a wonderful answer. And Jesus said to him, bless of you, Simon bar Jonah because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my father who is in heaven.

I also said to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overpower. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall of been bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth shall of been loosed in heaven. Then he want the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ. Think about this he said to them, who do you think I'll they said. Peter said you the Christ the son of the living God. Then Jesus said Peter you can come up with this yourself. This was revealed you by my heavenly father about this 18 verse is a verse that's been so misinterpreted and so controversial because there are people who believe that when Jesus said, I say to you that your Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.

The gates of hell, not overpower it that because the word Peter P.

Trost the same word for rock. Many people believe that Jesus meant that he was going to build his church upon a person, Peter. That's totally unscriptural to begin with, and certainly it is not like the ways of God and all that he would build his church upon the man, what is referring to is building his church upon this confession of his faith. Christ is the son of the living God. That is the truth upon which our Lord build his church now Jesus build my church and I'll give you the keys of the kingdom.

That is when the body of Christ is declaring the truth.

That truth is binding.

No person has the keys. The bond anybody about anything is the truth of the word of God, the truth, the revealed truth of God.

He has given to his church and what that truth binds men and women that is whatever that truth is we live by the truth we violate the truth.

Then we suffer the consequences. That's what is referring to here. Now back to our question. We started at the very beginning.

Why should anybody even belong to a church, what is the church in the first place, and many people who are critical of it know absolutely nothing about and try to cure many people who belong to a church don't know much about it later. They just know that somebody told Elder John the church or some people join the church because it's it's good business or it gives most status or I and makes them feel good sells their conscience. They don't get involved and give that up right and read their Bible out there, not living a godly life, but somehow I think just go to church on Sunday.

Somehow that makes them feel better. Now the question is what is this thing we call the church. The begin will will let's think about it this way, there's the Greek word necklace CM Eric out of place. He a call the church is composed of those people who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior and as he says, called the cold ones called out of the world system in order to unite together to live a godly life as a godly community, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a God live community of people who have chosen to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and live. Unlike the world system, but live unto God, a godly life that was and is his intention.

Now what is the makeup of the church with the church made up will first of all, we just read that Jesus Christ is the head of the church. He listed he is the one who rules and reigns, he is the one who, through the Holy Spirit gives direction and guidance to the leadership of the church.

He has called men to be pastors and teachers of the church, giving them the responsibility of giving direction and guiding and teaching and instructing the body of Christ staff members on any church that also share that responsibility and the truth is, the whole body shares in the responsibility of the mission of the church, but the head of the church is the person of Jesus Christ. I watch this, Christ is not on the head of the church. He's the head of the church because he established the church. It was his idea. He is the one who builds the church and so we talk about building churches today. People talk about building the church they made, we may build buildings. It is only God who builds the church because the church is not a building churches are people we are the saved Saints of God. That's what the church is all about. And so we think of the makeup of is Christ ahead.

Secondly, the makeup of the church is watch this is composed of people who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Believing Peter's testimony that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God, believing that he went to the cross endowed resins and paid our sin debt in full and having received him as our personal savior. We have now become sons and daughters of God.

Only those who are children of God belong to the church.

Let's go one step further, there are people who belong to local churches who had never been say never trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior do not even understand what salvation is about, but they have been convinced by persuaded by all their parents or grandparents are with you all to join the church and they got you in a church early in life. Maybe as a kid knew John and and that's why a lot of people got in so early. They don't know what it's about. Nobody ever instructed to know what it's about; they need the church and quit coming. Quit going to church so that there is another group of people involved here and that is those who are deceived, that is, they join the church never trusted Christ as their Savior brought in while they were children and made members of a local church, never having trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior and listen carefully if you listen same in whose fault is that is the God who sits in the pew.

Always the man who stands behind the pulpit, the fault lies primarily right here because if a man of God stands in the pulpit and says the only way to get to heaven is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and entrance into this local fellowship you join this church because you have been say you may walk a church. I'll whatever it might be trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior. You become a member.

This church after you say you don't join the church to get saved.

You receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and then you become a member of a fellowship whose responsibility is that it is the responsibility of the pastor to make it very very clear that the church of Jesus Christ is made up of the head, who is Christ and the saints who are those whose lives have been changed for the grace of God through faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ of caloric tragedy of tragedy is that millions of people who sit in church week after week don't even know what the church is about don't even know why that that the just been going since they were a kid, never having trusted Christ to say no but if explained to them. It was absolutely essential to be born again, and so there they sit week after week, and they want to hold him income the church of more than once. In other words, they come because it sounds their conscience. They come because they think they ultimately, very, very sincere. Listen, I'm not questioning the sincerity of lots of people because that's what they were told that solicit we wonder why the church is weak.

The reason the church is so weak is because there's so many people in the church missing who not committed to Jesus Christ and not living a godly life. Nobodies have explained to them what the church is all about what its mission is what it's messages and why we do what we do. What is most of the fault line. It lies right here at the pulpit, not all the fault because once a person's heard the gospel that is time to get right with God using one suppose I belong to a church and even not even been baptized but all of a sudden realize I've never been say what should I do he say which is you do.

You should go to your past is that you know I realize I never trusted Jesus Christ lot trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior.

This week I want to be baptized scripturally now that I am safe and I want to join this church as a saint as a child of the living God. Now I'm ready to join this church.

You know what you sell a lot of things in life that need to be settled and so we talk about who makes up the church who makes up the church of those who trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Now what is the ministry of the church, the ministry of the church is threefold than I'm gonna ask you to give it back to me so get it down. First of all the minutes of the church is the ministry to God. How can we minister to God at the first minister, the church listened minister to God and that's worship we made together. We don't just teach the word of God we meet together and we same and we praise the Lord and we glorify him and we exalt him and we recognize his majesty these songs we sing. All of these songs we sing these hymns. These courses there uplifting. Listen not only exalt the Lord Jesus Christ himself. They do something about these that the music feeds our soul feeds our spirit and we can we focus our attention upon and what we do. We were exalting him and honoring him and recognizing the fact that he is our God and we have devoted to human. We serve him and love him and honor him and obey him and walk in holiness before him. We worship the Lord and God is glorified in our worship now this is a wonderful thing about worshiping him alone in your own private bedroom in your living room you didn't know where it might make you pray as long as you want to sing as long as you want to sing is not as you want to listen when you sing of the Lord by Josef Dominguez were anybody else thinks because you're singing to God worshiping him. That's the first minister, the church, second minister, the church is the edification of the saints, that is, we come to worship him. And part of our worship is edification that is we opened the word of God. Edification means that we become involved in asking some questions. What does the word of God teach what is it saying it was my responsibility surpassed is to open the word of God and say, here are the principles of Scripture is what the word of God teaches. I cannot even imagine somebody standing behind the pulpit reading a passage of Scripture laying the Bible down and then speaking for the next 20 or 30 minutes and never refer to the Scripture totally, absolutely beyond my comprehension that anybody can edify the church and listen and never open the word of God. Secondly, if you go to church and you don't hear anything worth practicing. You'll hear the principles you don't hear anything worth open your Bible for all our writing down, you need to ask yourself the question, if you're in the right church there many, many listen hundreds and thousands of godly men out there preaching the word of God, who believe the Scripture from cover to cover who want to edify you who want to build you up who want to strengthen you who want to help you become the person God wants you to be part of the ministry is opening the word of God, anything, the people of God. That's what it's all about and I believe anybody who goes to church and spends an hour.

Whatever it might be you want to walk away having brought something away, spoke to your heart that help you listen live a godly life that week encourage you, comfort you, strengthen you or convict you of sin or whatever it might be first ministry of the church, listen first. Mr. church is what is, to whom is to God and that is what worship second minister, the church is to whom saints and that is what edification third minister, the church is to the world and that is what evangelism and missions third minister, the church is evangelism and missions now look what did he say those disciples before he left he said as you go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father son and the Holy Spirit piece is teaching them to observe all the things I've committed you going to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. The ministry of the church is getting the message of the atoning death of Jesus Christ to the entire world.

That's the ministry of the church. It can't be just worship it can't be just edifying the saints. It must be also getting the truth of the gospel to people who never heard why because that's the ministry of the church evangelism telling our people we work with telling our friends about Jesus Christ. While we believe what we believe our Lord Jesus Christ is and why they need him.

That's part of the ministry. So when somebody says to you, what's the minister, the church waiting until her first thought the ministries to whom is the God. What's the ministry worship second minister is the whom saints and what's the ministry edification third minister to whom the world and what's the ministry, evangelism and missions. That is, the minister, the church, some little churches, small churches doing every bit of that and some big church is not doing any of it. And so it has nothing new aside once in a while you hear somebody talking about building a mega church that is not even a scriptural term. First of all past the skate build churches we say will he's a great church bill you missed it. He may build a building he may build organization. Only God can build a church. Only God can build a church and he builds the church through his son Jesus Christ and listen through the power of the Holy Spirit. God forbid somebody call me at church Philemon church build we just edifying the saints mega churches.

What that means is big. So what there some capacitors at their church is a 30 or 4050 members who love God just as much as we do. They give their money. They tied their income. They pray they do missions work through the denomination or in their community. Whatever it is you know what they're doing their doing exactly what God told him to do. Don't judge a church about size big does not mean light and small does not mean wrong and because a man is a past of a small church that is amazed it doesn't mean he's in a less talented a lesson godly than a man whose past of a big church. We need to get all of those human judgments of man godly men out there who doing their best. So the church has a threefold ministry and so when somebody ask you will why do you belong to a church and I what's the church up to it and one of a doing you can tell, is there with his the mission trips threefold and you have exactly what to tell it now, let's think about some is a danger because to keep all three of those balances a challenge. For example, is a church that loves the worship and they spend most of their time worshiping and they praise the Lord and they say I'm on like the fellow whose developments about a jump in full beat out the floor and shout hallelujah praise God is that is that they hit the floor tile their income than you'll know that their sincere noise for real but if it's all this and jumping up and down Holland screaming and carrying on. Listen is what happens when you get out of balance and advance the majority of the worship service. Usually I would say always but most of the time that Dr. lay very weak and secondly there very weak in their evangelism missions.

Secondly, if a church is all edification. What happens we just want to teach, teach, teach, teach, teach TTT teach you know what happens you get real dry that must be worship there must be evangelism you can. You can't have one without the other and have it balance like God intended for to be. Likewise, if a church is all missions and evangelism. I have seen churches I've seen churches that was so mission minded they gave most of them wanted to missions and it was missions and missions and missions and missions and you know what, if you have a strong local base.

After while you have anything to send the mission. As you can support the biggest there's nothing there yet to build a strong base.

It must be doctrinally sound less you send out people of the mission field who don't leave the word of God say it's got to be balance. You got to him, worship you must have instruction, edification, and you must have missions and evangelism. Thank you for listening to the church that all about like to know more about child family are intense ministries that might entice tantalizing after the presentation of intense ministry in Atlanta, Georgia