What is the church?
The church is people. It is not the building we meet in, it is the people who meet in the building. The church is made up of all the people throughout the world and throughout history who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
Is the church perfect? No.
Was the first century church perfect? No.
Will the church ever be perfect? Yes, but not until we are all in heaven.
So then what is the point of being a part of the church? If we are not a part of the church then we are not born again believers and if we are not born again believers we won’t be going to heaven.
That very point should be the very thing that unites all believers around the world, regardless of what denomination you are a part of.
That was what Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus in John 3:1-21. In that portion of Scripture Jesus explained to Nicodemus, “no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
All of mankind is called to be a part of the church, the body of Christ and as a part of the church we need to understand that God desires for the church to be a certain way.
Last week I explained to you what kind of Jesus God intended the church to be.
The kind of church Jesus intended was for the church to be something that would change the world. God desires for the church to turn this world upside down and right side up.
He desires for us to change the way people look at religion.
The way people look at God.
The way people look at politics.
The way people look at worship.
The way people look at personal relationships.
God’s desire for the church has never changed.
His desire is still for the church to be upside down according to the worlds standards.
A church that is operating fully upon God’s kingdom principles.
A church that is rooted in the Word of God.
A church that is founded upon Jesus Christ.
A church that is full of the Holy Spirit.
A church that is not afraid to stand up for Godly morals and principles.
A church that loves others, loves each other, and takes care of the needs of the people.
That is the model of the first century church, a church in which the leaders where teaching the truth of God and of Christ, a church in which the people devoted themselves to that teaching, and a church in which they put into practice the very things they were learning.
Today the church is not living up to its full potential, it is not the church that Jesus had in mind, but it can be.
PRAYER
Father, open my eyes to see Your Word.
Open my ears to hear.
Open my mind to understand.
And open my heart so I may receive Your Word today.
AMEN
We are no longer living in the days of the first century church. We are living in the days of the church in the last days. I can say that with certainty because the signs of Jesus’ Second Coming can be seen all around.
In the book of Revelation, (Rev. 3:7-8) Jesus says that the door is open for us to be the church he has called us to be. That is why it is so important for us to step up and follow through with His call to be the church Jesus intended the church to be.
Now I understand that we cannot speak for the millions of people in the world who make up the church today, but we can bring this to a personal level and work on Prairie Family Church being the church that Jesus intended us to be.
In order for this to happen we have to stop looking at the church as people have looked at it in the past 1000 years and we need to get back to the basics that the first century church adapted as their model.
The first century church acted in ways that we not normal or natural to the human character of that time or of our current time.
Let’s look at Acts 2:42-47 again.
42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47 NIV
The early leaders of the first century church were ordinary people who experienced the same weakness and trials and shortcomings that any of us experience today.
None of these leaders made any claim to greatness, they were just regular people. As a matter of fact, you might not have picked any of these guys to work for you if you were hiring.
Simon Peter was emotionally unstable and had anger issues. He was far too impulsive to be put into a position of oversight.
Andrew had no leadership qualities.
James and John placed their personal interest above the interest of the company and they were very impatient when it came to working with others.
Thomas demonstrated a questioning attitude of his leaders and his co-workers.
Matthew was involved in a number of shady deals as a tax collector.
And the rest of the disciples had a self-explanatory list of short comings as well.
The only candidate that showed any potential for business leadership was a man of ability, resourcefulness and ambition. His name was Judas Iscariot, but we all know what happened to him.
Besides Judas, these were the men that Jesus chose to turn the world upside down and right side up. They were not qualified and yet the responsibility of starting the church was placed upon them.
Then you add to the mix and man who was over qualified but who, at first worked for the competition, Saul of Tarsus, one would tend to wonder how the church ever survived.
When God said in Isaiah 55:8, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.” He wasn’t kidding!
God loves using people who don’t look like they would succeed or amount to much.
He used Abraham when he was old, Moses who had speech problem, Gideon who was the least and weakest in his family, David who was the youngest, and Mary who was young and not married.
God isn’t looking for just the strongest, best looking, most capable people, God is looking for people whose hearts are loyal to Him.
The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV
If we are going to be the kind of Church Jesus had in mind then we are going to have to be the kind of person God had in mind. That kind of person is a person who is loyal to God.
There are two things that God is looking for in people that will make us that kind of person.
1. God is looking for people who will walk according to the Spirit of God not according to the spirit of the flesh which is the human tendency.
This is probably the biggest reason that the church is not affecting the world today like it should. The church is not relying on the Holy Spirit.
For too long the church has been relying on its own power, its own programs, and its own entertainment to do the work that the Holy Spirit desires to do in the church.
As Christians we need to understand the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Let me explain it to you in a nut shell. The Holy Spirit works two ways in the life of the believer.
First when we become a born again Christian the Holy Spirit enters our life and dwells in us. His purpose is to reprove the world of sin and lead us closer to God.
The second work of the Holy Spirit is more detailed. It is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is a definite and scriptural experience that is separate from salvation. It is the same thing that happened to the 120 people gathered in an upper room in Acts 1 and 2. The purpose of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is to give the Christian more power in sharing the Good News and to give the Christian more power to live a holy life.
Jesus promised us power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us in Acts 1:8 and in Ephesians 5:8 the Apostle Paul encourages us all the be “filled with the Spirit.”
Paul also tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, “Do not quench the Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit lives and works in us in these two ways. It helps guide our actions and brings us deeper into the presence of God. The Holy Spirit also empowers us to step out of our comfort zones so that we can do greater things for God.
As we allow more of the Holy Spirit into our lives we gain a greater sense of peace, joy, and strength as we partner with God in life.
The only thing that can take the Holy Spirit from our lives is our own acts of disobedience to God. A good example of this is found in Psalm 51 when David sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba. In that Scripture we see how David sensed his loss of God’s presence in his life and how he pleaded with God to help him.
David made a bad decision to walk in the spirit of the flesh instead of the Spirit of God and it all most cost him everything.
God is looking for men and women who will walk according to the Spirit of God.
2. God is looking for people who will put His priorities first not the priorities of people.
In Matthew 16:21-28, we see a time when one of Jesus’ disciples failed to put God’s priorities first. Jesus was explaining to them the things that would soon be happening and Peter objected.
Jesus had to rebuke Peter because he did not have God’s purpose in mind.
If we want to be the kind of church Jesus had in mind then we need to put God’s priorities ahead of our own.
God’s ways, God’s goals, God’s purpose, and God’s priorities are radically different than ours and are much better than ours.
In everything we do it needs God’s way.
As we become the kind of person God is looking for we understand Isaiah 55:8-9 much better and we can then adjust the way we live so that it will line up with the way God wants us to live.
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
How does God want us to live?
Jesus told us in Matthew 5, 6, & 7.
In a nutshell;
Be righteous.
Don’t live in sin.
Be humble.
Be a giver.
Love those who don’t love you.
Bless those who curse you.
Lay down your life for others.
Take care of the needy.
Don’t worry.
Don’t judge.
Pray and fast.
Let the light of God shine through you.
Now you might be thinking, “Pastor, I don’t know one single Christian who is living all of these things out in their life at one time.”
You are right, there probably aren’t. The church is full of people who are flawed, who make mistakes, and dare I say, full of sinners.
The church is not a museum for saints; it is a hospital for sinners. It is a place for us to go so that we can grow closer to God, worship Him with like minded people, love Him, love others, help others, and make a difference in the world.
That is why the author of Hebrews wrote, 23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV
We need to be the kind of church Jesus had in mind and in order to be that kind of a church we need to be the kind of person God had in mind for us to be.
We need to be a person who will walk according to the Spirit of God not according to the spirit of the flesh. And we need to be a person who will put God’s priorities first not the priorities of people.
Are you willing to be that kind of a person?
Are you willing to be that kind of church?
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