Lord, I Miss My Church

LORD, I MISS MY CHURCH!

Mt 16:18

Jesus had been talking to His disciples and He asked them who they thought He was. Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And Jesus answered them....

Mt 16:18 I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

(1) He wasn’t saying that the church would be built on Peter with him as the 1st pope.

Petros = small stone. Petra = mountain peak, firm foundation.

The NT speaks of Jesus as the foundation of the church, it is His body.

(2) Here, He was stating that upon the faith of believers and the teaching of the Gospel, He would build His church. The Church is the vehicle thru which the Kingdom of God works thru in the NT age.

(3) Notice: The Gates of Hell will not overpower the church, but those who are not part of the church do not receive that same protection.

Why? What benefits do believers receive when they assemble with other believers and are part of a true Bible based Church?

1. WE EXPERIENCE HIS PRESENCE WITH US.

John 20. Shortly after the Resurrection, 10 of the disciples were gathered, all but Thomas. Thomas was not “in church” that day.

Jn 20:19-20 19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Thomas missed out that day because he was troubled and broken. He missed out on the encouragement that comes from the presence of Jesus. His doubts were so strong that he said he wouldn’t believe in the resurrection Jesus unless he saw and felt his scars. Later, he finally met with the others to find what was missing in his life.

Jn 20:26-28 26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He *said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

What did Thomas find when he assembled with the church?

(1) Peace- not the absence of conflict, but the blessed assurance that God is in control. Rest for his heart and his spirit.

(2) Faith- Thomas fell to his knees and cried out “My Lord and My God”. He may have been doubting Thomas, but from that day forward he never doubted again. He trusted in His Savior. If you honestly seek Him, Jesus will come to you and remove all of your doubt.

(3) Anointing- Thomas was so filled with the anointing of Christ that he soon left Jerusalem never to return again. He evangelized through Iraq, Iran, and on to India where he courageously gave his life as a martyr for Jesus Christ.

* If you’re not serving/worshiping in a church family, you’re missing out greatly.

Can you worship God anywhere? Absolutely. But if you’re not part of the local church then your relationship with God will never be as close as it could be and your spiritual life will be less full than you need it to be.

Why? Sin hinders our relationship with Christ.

(1) God commands our assembling together in Heb 10:25. (Sin)

(2) Most people neglect to tithe if not attending church. Another sin.

(3) The Church is the Body of Christ. If you severe yourself from the spiritual body, your spiritual life will wither and die. Also, in not being part of the church, we hinder the body of Christ because we are not doing our part.

When I was a kid, I used to like to catch lizards and hang them from my nose and my ears and scare girls with them. Quite possibly, it was one of the many reasons I didn't have my first date until college when I met my future wife. Catching lizards was fun stuff, but if you miss the body and grab the tail, it breaks off and the lizard runs away. The tail will lay there and wiggle around, but it will die without being attached to the rest of the body.

Similarly, when a believer is not a vital part of the church, his spiritual life will die and waste away.