A Church Built On Christ Series

I don't think I need to tell any of you that our church is going through a new phase. We are about to enter into a new stage of growth for this church beginning in January. I have asked God what words can I bring to the church that would make this transition a lot easier so that we can remain an authentic church.

Then I asked, "Just what is it that makes a church authentic?" Do you think that Southeast Baptist church is an authentic church? I believe strongly that we are, especially after I began studying about what makes up an authentic church. So, for the next few weeks leading up to our Christmas season I want us to focus closely on what makes a church authentic.

The pastor does not make a church authentic. You are the church. It is you and your actions that will make this church authentic or not. So, for the next few weeks we'll be looking at a church that is built on Christ, that shares Christ, that is growing in Christ. A church that worships God and serves in God's name. Then we will wrap this up by talking about doing life together in Christ. PRAYER

If you don’t already realize it, let me tell how our world views things. On April 15, 2019, the world paused to process the videos that were shared on every news and social media outlet as Notre Dame, the famous cathedral in Paris, was engulfed in flames. The fire caused enough devastation to close the structure for years. But thankfully the blaze didn't claim any casualties.

6 days later, terrorists in Sri Lanka coordinated a military attack on a number of churches, 321 adults and children died as they gathered to worship and yet this event barely made the news.

The world was more in shock that Notre Dame wasn't open on Easter than it was with the hundreds of Christians that died in Sri Lanka. Do we associate the church more with the building? Or the people? Jesus didn't give His life to build a building. He gave His life to create a people, a church.

The apostle Peter wrote his first letter to encourage suffering believers. He knew that following Jesus didn't free us from ever suffering again, but he also was convinced that the way of Christ was superior to any other way. In chapter 2 of 1 Peter, he taught how necessary it was for believers to build their lives and their assemblies on nothing other than Jesus. I want to begin by backing up a little into 1 Peter 1 as Peter quoted something that the prophet Isaiah prophesied.

1 Peter 1:24-25 – “For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.”

Have you ever thought about how quickly we get tired of what's new? When we compare our life span to eternity, we haven't lived that long. We operate with technology that hasn't been around that long. We live in a nation that hasn't existed that long. And yet we are always looking for the next new thing.

So Peter writes to remind us that we're just like grass. The grass is frail and doesn't last that long. Flowers appear, but they're beauty is short lived. Everything that we see and think of as secure in this life is not going to last. God's word is the only thing that will be here forever. Our opinions are unreliable. The policies of our culture are inconsistent. But God's word is unchanging.

The greatest challenge that we find as we try to follow Jesus is dedicating ourselves to the truth of the Scripture in a culture that tends to base their lives on their own opinions instead of on the truth of God's word. What are we going to do when the world says one thing and God's word says another?

In these opening verses, we learn a truth that is essential for a Christian as well as a church. God's word is necessary. Not only is it vital for our character, but it's also the only thing that is stable. Remember Satan's first question to humanity when he said, "Did God really say that? And his strategy hasn't changed.

We spent about 6 weeks talking about how to discern God's voice from the false teachings that are out in the world. Have you ever allowed an individual's opinion to alter how you interpret God's truth? Which standard is more reliable- Yours, culture's, or God's? Let's get into the meat of our Scripture.

1 Peter 2:1 – “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.”