Abundant Life Episode 39
In this episode Saso and Ben discuss the topic of the importance of the church.
The Christian life was not meant to lived out in isolation. Some people say that they can worship God on a mountain away from people. It’s true, you can worship God anywhere, Jonah prayed to God from the belly of a big fish. However, you can’t simply live like a monk because it’s not God’s design.
The last two episodes were about adoption and unadoption, going from being unadopted to being adopted into the family of God which is what we call the church.
Websters 1828
Church
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A house consecrated to the worship of God, among Christians; the Lords house. This seems to be the original meaning of the word. The Greek, to call out or call together, denotes an assembly or collection. But, Lord, a term applied by the early Christians to Jesus Christ; and the house in which they worshipped was named from the title. So church goods, bona ecclesiastica; the Lords day, dies dominica.
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The collective body of Christians, or of those who profess to believe in Christ, and acknowledge him to be the Savior of mankind.
Why do we go to church? Why is it important?
Key Verse
Hebrews 10:24,25
What does this verse mean? We are to exhort (to incite by argument or advice) each other. We often see brothers and sisters fall away from the church when they desire not be accountable or they do not want to be encouraged to do the right thing. We are in the last days and it is important that we hold each other accountable to the do the right thing and that we have the godly influence to a lost world around us.
What is the church?
Jesus instituted the church.
Matthew 16:18 – And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The Catholic church use this verse to say the church was built on Peter, but the Rock spoken of is Jesus Christ. A righteous church can only be built on God and not on man, programs or anything that is not of God.
The name Peter or petros means small stone, or little stone or piece of a big rock. There is a sense in which Peter helped build the church, but the foundation of the church has always been and will always be Jesus.
2 Peter 2:5-8
Jesus not only instituted the church, but He is the cornerstone, or the head of the church and our high priest.
Hebrews 4:14-16
Essentially the church is a big huge family made up of brothers and sisters in Christ. It is so good to be a member of the family of God.
Romans 8:15
As members of the family of God, we have the privilege of serving God through ministry and in essence we are His hands and feet. God can use us, but we must be willing participants walking in the Spirit. God doesn’t need us but He choses to use us as His hands and feet.
Colossians 3:15
We are called to be one body and not part of our own groups and cliques although it is natural at times to link with those who are of like personalities and likes, but all believers have in common being washed in the blood of the Lamb. We are of the same blood line where we can call each other brothers and sisters in Christ.
Matthew 18:20
What a blessing to be with those who have experienced the washing away of our sins and the cleansing He gives.
To summarize, church is a community of believers that gather together to encourage one another, observe Lord’s table, perform baptism, minister to one another, and most important to carry out the gospel to the ends of the earth.
How do you become a member of the family of God?
Jesus was clear about this, to become a member of the church, you must be born again. Jesus met with a leader of the pharisees named Nicodemus.
John 3:3
How do you become born again?
Romans 10:9-10
This verse is jam packed with the full gospel message. To confess that Jesus is Lord means that you are submitting to His Lordship, you are surrendering your will to His will, you are repenting, turning from your way of sin to His way of righteousness. Believing and depending on the fact that Jesus was crucified, put to death and rose on the third day in order that your sins would be forgiven is essential and in short is the gospel.
The beautiful thing is that if you’ve never confessed Jesus as Lord, and put your faith and dependence upon Him, you can do that right now, you can pause this episode and lift your voice to God who hears you from anywhere.
Acts 2:46-47
God is the One who adds to the church and it is a beautiful thing when new people join in the body of believers and adds their gifts and talents to the church.
What is the purpose for the church?
The church has several purposes.
The blueprint for church seems to be defined in the book of Acts.
Acts 2:42
The Apostles teaching was God’s word and Jesus teaching. Reading and meditating on the Word of God is essential for Christian growth and becoming more like Christ.
2 Timothy 3
The breaking of bread (ordinances like Lord’s table), is important so that we keep the gospel of Jesus in our forefront.
Prayer is the engine for the Christian life. Prayer is what helps build our relationship with God, increases our faith and builds care for other people.
James 5:14-15
Sadly, our prayer sheets are filled with those who are sick or in need of healing, and we have the opportunity to pray for one another. It is natural for the body to break down, and we will all need prayer for what ails us.
Acts 12:5
Christian fellowship is extremely important. If you aren’t surrounding yourself with God’s people then you are opening yourself to being drawn to the cares of the world. It doesn’t take long for someone to fall and be consumed with the world.
Part of being in Christian fellowship and a member of a local church is accountability. Accountability is very important in a Christian’s walk to prevent error and to give motivation to continue in the Christian walk.
- Proverbs 27:17
- Proverbs 29:15
An adult left to himself without accountability will undoubtedly bring shame to themselves as well as others.
Being a part of a community of believers is so that we can bear one another burdens, weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice.
- Galatians 6:2
- Romans 12:15
Spiritual Gifts
Everyone who is a born again believer has spiritual gifts. Some may feel that maybe they don’t have a gift, but they do. Spiritual gifts are for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. The apostle Paul spoke about these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12.
1 Corinthians 12:4-5
Paul, in the same chapter went on to talk about the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
What is the mission of the Church?
Most secular corporations have a mission statement which is used by a company to explain, in simple and concise terms, its purpose(s) for being. In the same sense, the church also has a mission.
The primary mission of the church is to further the gospel by making disciples.
Matthew 28:19
As we are one in Christ, a body of believers, our purpose for everything we do should be to glorify Christ. This is a difficult call, however, we are to glorify God in everything.
- Ephesians 1:11-12
- 1 Corinthians 10:31
- Ephesians 3:20-21
We should be building up the Saints, this is what makes the church strong.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Challenges in the church
Do you go to church just to receive?
Don’t just go to church to get fed without serving others. 20% of church does 80% of the work. It’s very important to learn and grow in Christ but it;s also important to serve the church. Don’t just be a consumer of church, serve your brethren. Jesus was our primary example.
John 13:12-15
Another challenge is dealing with difficult people in the church. This is a tough one. Jesus is clear about loving one another in the book of John.
John 15:12
Closing
Jesus is coming back for us, will you be counted in the group He raptures up with Him?
The second important questions is: Are you part of a local church? Do you attend regularly, or do you have funday Sunday? Will you obey God and go to church this Sunday and be part of a body of believers?
Lastly, are you involved in your local church? Are you part of a ministry? Do you serve others? Are you active in carrying out the great commission? Are you accountable to other brothers and sisters?
God help us to be active in His church and may we exhort one another even more as we see the last day approaching.