A Church Without Walls

A church without walls. WBC Away weekend . 16.05.04 am

Do you believe =God wants the KOG to grow? Lives to be changed?

- do you believe Jesus prayers (for unity, many to come to know Him, ¡¥greater things than these¡¦ etc) are answered?

Yes?

- do you believe God is more willing to answer some of our prayers than we are to pray them?

Yes?

Then why is our EXPERIENCE often so different? So half-measure by comparison? (we know God can do more/(better?) than this!)

Because of obstacles¡K barriers ¡K walls.. we put in the way.

- remove the barriers and God will do the rest

Want an illustration of this?

Mt 6:5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Now- I¡¦m not saying this to confuse or condemn. I¡¦m simply illustrating- remove barriers and God will do marvellous things (in the way HE wants)

Illustr: ¡¥natural Church development¡¦ by Schwartz. Marvellous book as says: natural.. healthy things grow (in life). Formula¡¦s don¡¦t work- but Giod does! If you can get rid of the things that hold growth back- God WILL do the rest. It will be natural growth

So- this is a weekend, sermon about removing the barriers!

- catalysed by this dream I can¡¦t get out of my mind of us being a ¡¥church without walls¡¦ (so much in there!)

TO GOD

Friends- I want to say that it all starts with us getting rid of the walls that there are between us and God.

- this is the starting point. Most important thing

o forget church growth! Seriously! (I want Kingdom growth!)

- everything hangs, starts, on us and Jesus. YOU and Jesus

o our purpose statement: ¡¥bringing Glory to God¡¦

If you can get the walls down that you¡¦ve put up to God

- that¡¦s the main thing

- other things will follow

What might they be? Well- YOU know. The HS will show you!

- may be fear

o Gen 3:10 ¡¥I was afraid of you so I hid¡¦

- Reservation

o 400 year window in the Bible (1000BC-600) there¡¦s lots about ¡¥hearts¡¦

„X starts with David. ¡¥wholehearted¡¦. A man after God¡¦s heart¡¦

„X then his son, Solomon

1KI 8:56 "Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. 57 May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. 58 May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. 59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. 61 But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.

„X Then lots about kings whose hearts were not committed, half committed or fully-committed to the Lord (in Kings & Chronicles)

„X 1 Ki 15:14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.

Maybe ¡¥reservation of heart¡¦ is the barrier?

Or unconfessed sin

Or disappointment

- (which sadly means that the barrier created in the past¡K still is a barrier, today). At some point you have to let disappointment go. Build a bridge, and walk over it

Or a physical or psychological condition. Yes- once this is dealt with- the rest will happen naturally

May the Spirit show you. WOK this morning!

BETWEEN EACH OTHER

I dream of a church where there are no barriers between us & God. An open-hearted open-heaven. Getting there!

But also- where there are no barriers between each other. A church without walls

- where it is okay to be YOU. Me. Real. Honest. Not have to ¡¥tow some theological, experiential or psychological line¡¦

- don¡¦t want to criticise them, but something I couldn¡¦t stand about my last church was- it wasn¡¦t a safe place for broken people to be themselves in. = a big failing!

Friends- when these walls come down¡K barriers are destroyed¡K and we are able to love one-another without pretence- great power and healing comes. And we fulfil God¡¦s purposes for us.

- 1 Pet 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.