Paul’s View Of The Church

As we drive around town, we can see all kinds of shapes and sizes when it comes to church buildings.

• The same is true with pastors, they come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

Illus: A new pastor moved into town and went out one Saturday to visit his community. All went well until he came to one house. It was obvious that someone was home, but no one came to the door even after he knocked several times.

Finally, he took out his card, wrote on the back "Revelation 3:20" and stuck it in the door. That verse says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

The next day as he was counting the offering, he found his card in the collection plate. Below his message was a notation, "Genesis 3:10." Upon opening his Bible to the passage, he let out a roar of laughter. That verse said, "And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked."

Church is not only a fun place to be, it is a great place to worship the Lord.

Times have really changed. Years ago, when folks had to ride horses and wagons or walk to church, they would find a church that was close to home.

But now, in this modern day of transportation, you can go to many churches and some of the best people in the church are folks who have driven a good distance to get there, which proves, "People go to the church that is dearest to them and not the church that is nearest to them."

Paul shows us five different views of the church in these four verses.

I. THE CHURCH AS A NEW NATION

Look at verse 19, we read, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”

When a person moves to a new country as some have done and they become citizens of a new nation, it is a new world to them. That is, in that nation as new citizens they are going to discover some things that are different.

We now are the members of the Kingdom of God.

Now there are some who come into the Kingdom of God and they want to live like they have always lived, but that does not work.

For example, in America we drive on the right side of the road, but suppose we moved to England and became a citizen of that country, and we decided we might be a citizen of England but we are going to drive the way we drove in America. THAT WON’T WORK!

And listen, old ways won’t work when we become a member of the Kingdom of God. We have moved our citizenship and we need to learn to live as the Saints of God.

Notice, the word “Saints” in this verse. Some of the cults teach that we have to have some religious body vote us into SAINTHOOD!

Illus: Did you hear abut the two nuns that were voted into Sainthood by Cardinals of the Catholic Church? They were recognized as Saints because they did such a wonderful job in the local Catholic Hospital.

After they were voted in as Saints, they were going home with smiles on their faces when their car ran out of Gas.

A man came along and saw them in this predicament, and stopped and helped them.

He told them he would give them some gas from his vehicle, but he did not have a gas can and he asked them if they did.

They said, “No, we do not have one, but we do have a bed pant in the back seat, will that work?” The man said, “Yes, it will work” He filled it up and was pouring the gas into their car with the bed pan, when the Cardinal that just voted them into Sainthood came by and saw him pouring the gas into their car. He stopped and said to the NEW SAINTS, I DON’T THINK IT WILL WORK BUT I CERTAINLY ADMIRE YOUR FAITH!”

The fact is, we all have already been voted into Sainthood by God, and we certainly do not need some religious group voting on that .

It is too late for that, because God the Father tells us we are NOW the SAINTS of God.

And now God wants to teach us how to live like Saints in the Kingdom of God.

We also see -

II. THE CHURCH AS GOD’S FAMILY

Look at verse 19, we read, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”