The Church Is…
#BecomingTheChurchHeIntended
Welcome To Our Church Video (sermon spice)
NOW – if that does not get you fired up about His church, I don’t know what to do you….
As my pastor said when I was stationed in Newport News, “if that does not get you fired up, your woods wet.”
OKAY MGCC – welcome to week 3 of our series…
AND LISTEN B/S – that title pretty much sums up what we are hoping and praying to accomplish during this conversation.
IS – to become the church He intended for us to be…
OR – at the very least figure out what He intends and then go for it. AND – that make sense, right?
LIKE – why would we want or think…
THAT - we have the right to become anything other than what He, the One who has all authority intends?
NOW – most of you know that I am a huge NFL fan…
And the teams right now are in the middle of their first OTA’S (organized team activities) for the 2019 season.
AND – one of the things that the players especially those new to the team, through the draft or free agency need to do is learn the playbook.
QUESTION – wouldn’t it be kind of crazy, counter productive and ultimately career ending to join a team but never look at or refuse to go by the team’s playbook.
OR – imagine walking into a restaurant and ordering a steak.
AND – 15 minutes later, the waiter comes back and puts a plate of spaghetti in front of you, claiming it’s the best spaghetti you’ll ever eat.
QUESTION - would you be happy about that?
No way, you would send it back… because it wasn’t what you ordered. It wasn’t even close!
AND LISTEN B/S – in so so many ways this exactly what we have done with HIS Church.
UNDERSTAND - God gave us His “order” for the Church.
He told us precisely what He wanted through His commandments in the Bible (His playbook, His divine recipe).
AND THEN WE - in our arrogance, in many ways created something we think works better.
YOU SEE - rather than diligently studying His commands and delivering exactly what He asked for, we have been influenced by so many other things.
LIKE - we think about what ‘we’ want, what ‘others’ would want, what others ‘are doing.’
AND IN - in the spirit of Cain (Adam and Eve’s son who killed His brother because God accepted Able offering but not His), WE BRING - bring an offering we think God should accept rather than what He actually asked for.
WE – run the plays that we want, WE – cook spaghetti rather than steak.
In His book ‘Letters To The Church’ Chan writes…
There is a simple exercise I walk through with church leaders. First, I have them list all the things that people expect from their church.
They usually list obvious things like a really good service, strong age-specific ministries, a certain style/ volume/ length of singing, a well-communicated sermon, conveniences such as parking, a clean church building, coffee, childcare, etc.
Then I have them list the commands God gave the Church in Scripture. Usually they mention commands like “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15: 12), “visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1: 27), “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28: 19), “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6: 2), etc.
I then ask them what would upset their people more—if the church didn’t provide the things from the first list or if the church didn’t obey the commands in the second list.
MGCC – sadly I think we all know the answer.
YOU KNOW – in my 34 years in church leadership (the last 27 as a pastor)… I have seen people upset about many things... BUT – not even one time has anyone came to me upset about the fact that we are not reaching more lost people for Christ or discipling more believers to maturity.
AGAIN – this series is about becoming the church He intended.
IT’S ABOUT – following His playbook…
cooking what he ordered.
AND REMEMBER - as I have been saying, for us to become the Church He intended will require us (will require both you and me) during the next several weeks...
It will require us
• to be open to what God has to say about His church (and listen there is a very high likelihood that God is going to say some things we may not like, agree with and that make us feel uncomfortable)
• to be honest about where we really are (collectively and individually) in regards to His Church
• to be humble and admit where we have been wrong, and to spend more time looking at ourselves rather than at others and how they need to change or fall short.
• to not make this about ourselves and our opinions and preferences, but about Him
• to be willing to change and do whatever it takes
• to be ready – ready for what? For the enemy to come at us in order to stop us.
AND – so far in this series we have been unpacking several 'The Church Is' statements...
AND LISTEN – it is really essential that we do this…
THAT WE – look at what the Bible (what God’s Word) says the church…
OR ELSE – we may end up defining church in a wrong, incomplete or inaccurate way.
• The Church is Christ's (it belongs to Jesus)
• The Church is The Called Out Ones
• The church is the hope of the world
• The Church is the Body of Christ
• The Church is the Flock of God
• The church is the Bride of Christ
• The Church Is The Family Of God
OKAY – let’s do this.
LET’S – unpack 2 more the church is statements
The Church Is…
I. The Temple Of God
NOW – it is important to understand as Paul throws out this metaphor about what the church is,
THAT… THE TEMPLE OF GOD – has been the centerpiece of worship for God’s people for about 1000 years…
The first Temple was built by David’s son King Solomon.
David wanted to build the Temple, but God did not let him because he was a man of war.
NOW - Solomon began constructing the Temple according to 1 Kings 6, in the 2nd month of the 4th year of his reign…
AND LISTEN - it was a massive project that involved thousands of workers…
According to 1 Kings 5:13-16 there were…
30,000 wood cutters
70,000 carriers
80,000 stone cutters, and 3,300 foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers.
30,000 + 80,000 + 70,000 + 3,300 = 183,000 people
That’s crazy… That is almost 2 times the population of Albemarle County (~100,000)
AND – here are a few more interesting facts…
According to the Bible, in constructing the temple they used
8.1 million pounds of gold
76 million pounds of silver…
In today’s money – that’s 165 billion dollars of gold, 18 billion dollars of silver… which equals 183 billion dollars.
Not to mention the cost of all of the cedar, bronze, precious stones and paying the 183,000 workers during the 7 ½ years that it took to construct the Temple…
(~ 300-400 billion dollars)
BOTTOM LINE – Solomon built a very impressive place for God to dwell…
IN FACT – it is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
AND ONCE – the construction was completed…
Solomon had the ark of the covenant brought into the Temple, into the most Holy Place…
AND WHILE – this was happening there were hundreds of priests, musicians (120 alone played the trumpet), singers and thousands of people outside the Temple…
AND THEY - all raised their voices praising God singing…
He is good; His faithful love endures forever. – 2 Chronicles 5:13…
AND THEN – Solomon prays this incredible prayer of dedication that he began with these words…
He stood on the platform and then knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. He said: “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—
you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today…
May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.
Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive. – 2 Chronicles 6:13-15,21,22
AND – we read in 2 Chronicles 7…
When Solomon finished praying, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
The priests were not able to enter the LORD’s temple because the glory of the LORD filled the temple of the LORD. All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the LORD came on the temple.
They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the LORD: For He is good, for His faithful love endures forever. - 2 Chronicles 7:1-3
WOW… What a powerful scene, right?
Thousands of people gathered, all praising God, and singing…
“He is good, His faithful love endures forever!”
AND THEN - Fire coming down from heaven consuming the sacrifices, and God’s glory filling the Temple…
YOU KNOW - I wonder what His glory looked like as it moved into the Temple.
NOW – we do not know, HOWEVER it was obvious to everyone who was there… That this was God.
UNDERSTAND – the temple was the place where heaven and earth intersected… And at this very moment a glimpse of God’s glory was made visible to the human eye.
WE – can only imagine.
NOW – I don’t know about you, but I would love to have been there, standing outside the temple that day…
• Hearing all the shouts of praise and worship
• Seeing the flames crashing down from the sky, watching His glory filling the Temple
• Feeling the warmth of the fire, and the joy and excitement of the people
YES _ Attempting to take in (with your won eyes and ears) the visible presence of God must have been incredibly awesome
And if I were there – I would be totally freaking out…
Heart pounding, blood pulsing, voice shouting
Just - a lot of awe, joy, wonder and celebration.
YES – God’s presence descending on and into the Temple that day had to be an incredible supernatural sight to behold…
BUT LISTEN – because of Jesus something even more incredible has happened…
YOU SEE – (the church) is The Temple of God
So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. – Ephesians 2:19-22
NOW – we know that each of us as Jesus followers are the temple of God, because the Holy Spirit (which is a promised gift given to us when as Peter said we repent and are baptized) lives in us.
BUT UNDERSTAND – there is also a sense in which we are God’s temple collectively…
in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. – Ephesians 2:22
LIKE I SAID….
I would give anything to stand outside the temple and watch God’s glory descend. But I get something so much better: I am literally a part of the temple itself!
R U kidding me!
I MEAN - somehow by the blood of Jesus, I became worthy of joining with others to form a dwelling place for God! Peter said…
And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. - 1 Peter 2:5
SERIOUSLY – do you hear what Peter just said?
YOU - are a stone in the same structure in which the apostles and prophets are the foundation and Jesus Himself is the cornerstone!
THAT IS INSANE – we are a stones (right along with Peter, James, John, Paul…etc.) in the very same Temple of God.
AGAIN WHEN - Paul talked about this concept, he used the plural form of you and the singular form of temple.
in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. – Ephesians 2:22
YES - somehow, we are stones in a building that transcends time and space. And because the structure is a temple, this means that The Living Creator of all things God makes His home among us!
SERIOUSLY - we should be bursting out of our skin at this point!
AND LISTEN - don’t try to solve the mystery; just stare at it in awe, wonder and amazement
He is good; His faithful love endures forever. – 2 Chronicles 5:13…
NOW - when Paul explained this mystery to the Corinthians, he added a terrifying warning.
Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
– 1 Corinthians 3:16,17
God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple.
Francis Chan in a chapter called ‘Sacred’ writes…
Think back to the scene in 2 Chronicles 7.
When the fire came down and God’s glory filled the temple, would you have considered taking a sledgehammer and striking the temple? Of course not!
Then why are we so quick to gossip, slander leadership, and divide the Church? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person.
Why is God so harsh about this? Paul explained that God’s temple is sacred, and we—collectively—are that temple.
Every time you speak evil about a member of the Church, it is like taking a sledgehammer to the temple.
Are you sure you want to keep doing that?
Let’s be careful with our words and actions. We are dealing with something sacred. Let’s stay on the right side of His protection. Maybe this is why Paul said in Titus 3: 10,
“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him.”
We can’t be enablers of division.
God hates this sin too much. His temple is too sacred.
We live in a culture today where we are used to evaluating and giving our opinion on everything. Whether it’s the pizza we ate, our Uber driver, the movie we saw, or our friend’s picture on social media, everything is set up for us to be able to critique and compare.
So, in the Church, rather than marveling at the incredible mystery that we are a part of God’s body, we critique the leadership, the music, the programs, and anything else we can think of.
We point out the flaws in our pastor’s sermon with the same conviction we critique a movie star’s acting or our favorite team’s recent loss. Could it be that we are taking a sledgehammer to the temple in so doing?
Remember that the temple was the location where God chose to live on earth. And now the Church is that temple.
MGCC – is that temple. AND THAT – is a big deal!
So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. – Ephesians 2:19-22
The Church Is . . .
III. The Promised Messianic Kingdom
NOW – you have heard me say before that the bible at it’s core, that it’s central message and dominant theme is the coming of Christ (The anointed one – God’s Messiah)…
The message of the OT – Christ is coming
The message of the Gospels – Christ is here
The message of the rest of the NT – Christ is coming again.
UNDERSTAND - everything we read and see in the Old Testament FROM - the promise in the garden UNTIL Mary held baby Jesus in her arms is all about God preparing the world and His people for the Messiah’s arrival.
AND WHEN – I say everything, I mean everything…
• The calling of Abraham and Moses
• The forming of the nation of Israel
• The giving of the law and the building of the Temple
• The sacrifices and the priesthood
• The prophets and the kings
YES EVERYTHING – …everything, looked to, pointed to and longed for the coming of the Messiah and the Kingdom that he would bring.
WHICH IS WHY – it should be of no surprise that the kingdom was the central focus of Jesus’ ministry.
He taught about the kingdom, He told parables to describe the kingdom and He came to establish the kingdom…
TRUTH BE TOLD - he could not stop talking about it….
He used the word over 100 times in the Gospels.
IN FACT, JESUS – talked about THE KINGDOM more times than He talked about faith, love and prayer… added together!
The kingdom was always on his mind and lips from the beginning to the end of His ministry.
AFTER - 40 days of fasting, praying and battling the evil one in the wilderness…
Jesus returned to Galilee ready to do what he came to do…
AND - we read in Matthew 4:17; From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
(The Greek verb means – it’s here and it’s been here).
AND - just a few verses later in Matthew 4:23 we read;
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
AND – in Luke 4:43, Jesus couldn’t have made the importance of The Kingdom any clearer…
I must preach the good news of the kingdom to other towns also, because that is why I was sent… - Luke 4:43
AND – in Luke 9:27 Jesus said
Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God. - Luke 9:27
Not taste death = it is getting here soon (Day of Pentecost)
AND THEN – in that final week in Jerusalem, We see Jesus still talking about, the kingdom
• At the temple with the people and the Jewish leaders
• With the 12 in the upper room
• When He stood beaten & bound before Pilate & the Jewish leaders
AND - what do you think Jesus’ favorite topic was during those 40 days after the resurrection?
After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. – Acts 1:3
MG – the church is the promised Messianic Kingdom.
YES - the church and the message she has to bring is what it is all about.
AND LISTEN – before He headed back home to sit at The Father’s right hand, Jesus wanted to ensure that when it came to the kingdom, that His guys got it.
The Gospel of Luke ends with the following post resurrection appearance of Jesus…
He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. – Luke 24:44-48
AND THAT’S - what we see happening in Acts 2…
The Kingdom, the church beginning and going out from Jerusalem…
UNDERSTAND - when it came to the church being the promised Messianic kingdom… Jesus wanted them to get it… AND – get it, they did.
But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. – Acts 8:12
The final words in the book of Acts…
He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance! – Acts 28:31
Paul wrote about the kingdom…
He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. – Colossians 1:13,14
The writer of Hebrews said that…
We should be grateful that we were given a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And in this kingdom we please God by worshiping him and by showing him great honor and respect. – Hebrews 12:28
John said as he opens up the book of Revelation…
He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
– Revelation 1:6
QUESTION – so, what is the kingdom?
Well basically it is the rule of God in the heart of man…
Your kingdom come, your will be done. – Matthew 6:10
NOW – the one day when Christ returns that rule of Godin the hearts of men will be experienced in all its fullness…
BUT LISTEN – in a very real way the kingdom God is already here – right now…
YES – hold on to your hat and put down your suitcase.
BECAUSE – 2000 years ago Jesus came (not merely to save us from our sins and punch our ticket to heaven, as need and as awesome as those things are)…
BUT – He also came to establish the Kingdom, His Church…
UNDERSTAND – forgiveness of sin was made available through Jesus’ spilled blood on Calvary…
AND - the restoring of the image of God in us, is now within the reach BECAUSE when Jesus established His Kingdom,
He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside those who would surrender to Him.
AND MGCC – God living in us is a really BIG DEAL….
IN FACT – it is was helps establish the kingdom… the rule of God in our hearts and lives.
LISTEN – here’s the deal…
BECAUSE - the spirit of the God lives inside of us….
WE NOW - have the power to live lives that are radically different than the world…
LIVES – where God’s ‘Kingdom’ and ‘His Will’ can be lived out in some awesome and mind-blowing ways…
Lives that are consumed with…
• Treating others the way we want to be treated
• Putting the needs of others above our own
• loving one another in radical kinds of ways
• opening eyes that are blind
• setting free the captive
• healing hearts that are wounded
• bringing light to those who walk in darkness
• washing the feet of a lost and broken world
• sharing the Gospel with those who have yet to taste His grace
• giving hope to those who are hopeless, comfort to those who are hurting and belonging to those who are lonely
• being the hands and feet of Jesus, the very light of this world
QUESTION - can you see why Jesus and the disciples could not stop talking about the kingdom!
The church is the promised messianic kingdom
INTENDED – to offer unbelievers a vision of life that is
so beautiful, so bold, so creative, so loving, so genuine,
so courageous, so authentic, so dynamic…
THAT IT – blows their minds, takes their breath away and they can’t resist…
And they added to Kingdom and are saved!
AND LISTEN – when we understand that church is the promised messianic kingdom we will understand just how valuable it is.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it. - Matthew 13:44-46
IMAGINE – that you live in a country ruled by a cruel dictator. I MEAN - he controls the army. He controls the government. He controls the media. He controls the economy. And it’s a very subtle yet a very real kind of control. Everything is done in this country to keep you domesticated and compliant. But somehow inside you know that you are not free. AND – this cruel dictator uses his media to tell you things like…
• If your overweight you’re not thin enough
• If your thin you’re not muscular enough
• If your muscular you’re not smart enough
• If your conservative you’re not liberal enough
• If your liberal you’re not conservative enough
• If your poor you’re not rich enough
• If your rich you’re not rich enough
He uses his media to tell you that…) You don’t wear the right clothes
• You don’t drive the right car, live in the right neighborhood
• You don’t wear the right underarm deodorant.
• You don’t have the right skin
• You don’t have the right hair style (if you have hair at all)..
He tells you that…
You need more money… and to get more money you need a better economy. To get a better economy your need different political parties. To get better political parties you need better opinions. And to get better opinions you need to listen to the media more.
And if you listen to the media more… You’ll hear lots of adds that keep reminding you that you’re not thin, muscular, smart, knowledgeable, popular, rich or cool enough.
AND – he keeps you in this little rat race of domestication simply by keeping you busy.
But you’re starting to get tired of this.
AND - you wonder if there is a better way of living. You wonder if there is another place to live.
And every once in a while you meet these visitors from another country. Who seem to be really happy.
I MEAN – it’s a real happiness and not the plastic, painted (Facebook and Instagram) on kind of happiness that you are used to.
AND - you wonder why they would ever want to come to your country for vacation since your country is so depressing and they seem so happy.
And you notice that whenever these vacationers come they tell you about their country. You never really paid attention before… BUT NOW – you start to listen..
LIFE – in their country sounds incredible almost too good to be true….
SO - you decide to sneak over there for a visit to check things out for yourself…
AND SINCE - your borders are tightly controlled… YOU - have to go through the mountains and on foot. YOU – sleep during the day and travel at night… IT – days several days…
BUT – eventually you get there.
AND – you visit this other country…
YOU – walk the streets, grab a coffee at a sidewalk café’, you sit on park benches… You watch, you observe and you listen…
AND – you are amazed by what you see;
It’s so different from your country…
IN – this country;
• People don’t compete they serve
• They don’t hate they love
• They don’t look out for #1 they look out for each other
• They don’t use their tongue to put people down they speak words that others up
• They don’t hold grudges they forgive
And in this country…
• AND - they don’t tell you that you are NOT (smart enough, rich enough, pretty enough, talented enough or good enough) INSTEAD - they tell you that you are loved and accepted, precious and wonderful just as you are
AND - there is a sense of reverence in the air in this country.
I MEAN – you can feel it…
AND – it feels so much better than that sense of; haste and rush and hurry and competition and cheapness that you are used to…. AND - you notice that in this other country.
THAT - the people who are last in your country; the handicapped, the minorities, the uneducated, the sick, the elderly, the young, the old the teenagers, the orphans, the less fortunate are NOT ONLY, not treated bad…
BUT – they are treated with unusual respect & honor.
IN FACT – they are treated like the most important people of all.
And as you travel secretly through this country…you feel a sense of excitement…
AND – you begin to have powerful and compelling visions of another way to live…
NOW - you realize that there is a lot that you don’t understand… but you also realize that you feel more at home here than you ever felt in your own country.
I MEAN – you feel like you have found a priceless treasure hidden in a field… You are so excited that you begin to feel LIKE you would be willing to sell all you have just to live there.
AND SO - you decide that you are going to immigrate to this new country and live their… SO - you go back to your home, to your country and you get your affairs in order.
AND – in a few days you walk out of the door of your old way of life for the last time…. Wondering what you will have to do to live in this new country. AND – feeling for the first time in years, hopeful about the days ahead.
NOW – let’s just think about what you have experienced… You’ve experienced what we might call repentance…
BECAUSE – you had a way of life that was part of the rat race … you were part of the system. I MEAN – you believed them when they said that I got to be thinner, I got to be richer, I got to be prettier, I got to be cooler,,, you believed all of that… BUT – then you started to doubt it… you began to rethink your life.… “This isn’t the way I want to live anymore, it’s not working, it’s not producing anything of real or lasting value…”
AND BECAUSE – you have visited this other country you’re not only starting to experience repentance but you are staring to experience faith….
Because you now have a belief and a confidence that if you could just live in that other country your life would be so much better.
So you cross over secretly (as you did before, traveling at night and on foot through the mountains) and you come to one of the border towns.
And you go to the mayor’s office.
And you say can I be accepted here as a refuge? Do you have like a refugee camp I can go to or something..
I am escaping from this other country… I am tired of living under that totalitarian government. I am tired of being told what to wear, how to act, what to buy, how to look and that I am not good enough, and don’t measure up, I can’t live under his rule anymore.
AND – the mayor with a grin says, “No I am sorry, but I cannot send you to a refugee camp because there none in our country. YOU SEE - you can only be a full fledge citizen here… AND - and we would love for you become one. YOU – my friend are welcome here.”
AND – then you ask (as you pull out a large envelope) “ here is my savings, I’ve emptied out all my accounts, how much do I have to pay… AND – the mayor says, “keep your money – you don’t have to pay anything to be a citizen here, it’s free, it’s a gift!
AND THEN – you ask…
“Do I have to pass any test?”
“Is there some kind of citizenship ceremony.
WELL - all who become citizens here go through something that we call baptism…
It is a picture of what God is does to our lives when we surrender to Him… the washing away the old and bringing on the new… It’s like being born all over again.
And you say I want to do that – and so they baptized you and now you are seen as a citizen of this country.
And you walk out of the mayor’s office. And you start walking the streets. You are home.
AND – someone shows where to live, and they tell you that they will help you learn how to live here so that you can enjoy life in this new country in all it’s fullness.
AND – you just breathe and it’s like there is something in the air. IT’S – like you are breathing in freedom, peace, hope and life. AND – though you can’t see it… there is a spirit in the air and as it comes into you, you feel at home…
AND – you feel both the desire and the power to change, to live new, to live better… to live the life you’ve always wanted to live.
THIS – is the kingdom of God….
THIS - is where Jesus invites us to live…
IN – a new and better country.
IN – a new and better reality.
YES – the church is the promised messianic kingdom.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated.
They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow.
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Angels desire to look into these things.
– 1 Peter 1:10-12
I love these words from N.T. Wright;
Our task, as image bearing, God-loving, Spirit-filled Christians, following Christ and shaping our world, is to announce redemption to a world that has discovered it’s fallenness, to announce healing to a world that has discovered its brokenness, to proclaim love and trust to a world that knows only exploitation, fear and suspicion…
Our task is to announce in deed and word that the exile is over…to act boldly in God’s world in the power of the Spirit.
LISTEN – becoming the Church that He intended, begins with understanding what the church (according Scripture) is…
The Church Is…
• Christ’s (it belongs to Jesus)
• The ‘Called Out’ Ones
• The hope of the world
• The Body of Christ
• The Flock Of God
• The Family Of God
• The Bride of Christ
• The Temple of God
• The Promised Messianic Kingdom
