Challenges For The Church

Challenges for the Church

by: Donny Granberry

Acts 20:27-32 NIV

For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

The days before us are going to be the greatest days for this church, should Jesus tarry.

We must rise to the occasion to which God has raised up Central, for there is no limit to what God can accomplish in and through us.

Not that this church, or that this pastor can receive any glory, but that Jesus Christ will be exalted.

He said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.”

1. We must be people of the word of God.

We must be doctrinally sound.

Paul said in this passage, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”

This is not a spiritual cafateria, you do not pick and choose what you desire to believe and not believe.

Let us not be guilty of having a feel good, do good, gospel, but God has called us to be prophets and proclaimers of the whole counsel of God.

Let our doctrine be Bible-based, our preaching Bible-founded, and our discipleship based on the word of God.

*ILLUSTRATION*

On October 31, 1983, a Korean airliner departed on a flight from Anchorage, Alaska to Seoul, South Korea.

Unknown to the flight crew, the flight navigation system computer contained a degree-and-a-half routing error.

At the point of takeoff it was unnoticeable, but as the 747 flew over the Pacific, it increasingly strayed off course, eventually into Soviet air space.

Soviet radar spotted the plane and sent fighter jets to intercept it, and over mainland Russia, the 747 disappeared and all those on board lost their lives.

Church this can happen to our doctrine if we are not careful.

Our doctrine has proven over the years now to be divinely blessed by God.

God’s approval has rested upon us, and our doctrine is not negotiable.

My concern is not the attack from outside, but from within.

I there are Trojan horse’s in our ranks, and they must be taken care of.

Romans 16:17 KJV

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

We must be a people that stays in the word and is a defender of the Gospel.

2. We must be people given to fasting and prayer.

Acts 2:42 – The early church “Continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine…and in prayer.”

The battles of the church are not won in board rooms, gymnasiums, fellowship groups, or in social events, these have their place, but the battles are won in the prayer room.

The enemy’s strongholds are torn down when the church prays, “When they had prayed, the place was shaken.” (Acts 4:31)

God has blessed the church with resources and facilities and talent, but these are not substitutes for fasting and prayer.

We have a reputation as a people given to fasting and prayer, and we must not begin to think that it can be done any other way.

3. We must be a people of discipleship.

This fellowship owns and operates 17 colleges and Universities in the U.S. alone where men and women are trained in many professions along with ministry.

This alone will not disciple our people, they must be discipled through the church.

This is one reason we feel such a strong importance in our Christian Education.

We feel that it is important enough that we have a Pastoral Staff member who is assigned to Christian Education.

We are not seeking to train people to teach with intoxicating eloquence, but under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:4,5

My speech and preaching was not with enticing words of mans wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God.

We need leaders who can boldly profess, “Follow me as I follow Christ.”

4. We must people of evangelism.