The Cause Of The Church Is Christ. The Cause Of Christ Is The Church.

The Cause of the Church is Christ. The Cause of Christ is The Church.

I remember a story I read from the newspaper several years ago. It was about a Japanese straggler found in the Philippines. Let me read the article for you:

“2nd Lt. Hiroo Onoda is a Japanese straggler who lived in the Jungle of Lubang Island, Philippines for 29 years, from 1945 to 1972, after the Japanese forces was defeated by the Allied Forces in World War II.

Found by a Japanese student, Norio Suzuki, Onoda still refused to accept that the war was over unless he received orders to lay down his arms from his superior officer. Suzuki offered his help, and returned to Japan with photographs of himself and Onoda as proof of their encounter. In 1974 the Japanese government located Onoda’s commanding officer, Major Taniguchi, who had since become a bookseller. He flew to Lubang and informed Onoda of the defeat of Japan in WWII and ordered him to lay down his arms. Lieutenant Onoda emerged from the jungle 29 years after the end of World War II, and accepted the commanding officer’s order of surrender in his dress uniform and sword, with his Arisaka Type 99 rifle still in operating condition, 500 rounds of ammunition and several hand grenades.”

Imagine, he was living in an isolated island for 29 years. Long after the war was over. 29 years of his life in needless sacrifice.

That is how it is in the world. They don’t know that they don’t know. There are so many people in the world living in so much suffering because of ignorance. They don’t know that the war is over. They don’t know that the enemy has been defeated. That it is finished.

Jesus’ operating system while He was on earth was this:

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

And

Luke 19:10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

For most of us, once upon a time in our lives too we were like the Japanese straggler in our spiritual lives. We were in the dark. Until somebody told us the good news about Jesus. How He carried our sins and paid the price for our salvation and wholeness.

Do you remember Pastor’s teaching- Saved and Called?

2 Timothy 1:9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

We have been saved because God loves us. And we are called to share the good news of Christ.

Because we know how it’s like to live a life not knowing God, we want others to have what we have now- a life In Christ. We are called to know Him. As we know Him more and more, we get to see His heart. As we get more revelation of Jesus, we get to understand who we really are In Him. Like Jesus, we get His heart. We develop a compassion for the lost and hurting. We were once like them, remember? We then become His arms and hands and feet on this earth. Rightly so, because we are His body.

The Church is the Body of Christ. We are the Church. We are His arms. We are the Jesus-men on this earth. We are His representatives. His ambassadors.

2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

The Cause of Christ is to build His Church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The Cause of the Church, our Cause, is not to build the Church. That is not our job. That is Christ’s job. Our Cause is Christ. To exalt Him. To preach Christ and to live Christ.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (The Message)

1-2You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.

The Apostle Paul could’ve shared a lot of messages to the people. But He only preached Christ. Why? Because when Jesus is lifted up, He will draw all men to Him.

Why does God want you saved? Because He loves you and so that you could lift Jesus up. Because you know that your righteousness are like filthy rags and there is no other Way, there’s no other Truth, there’s no other Life but Jesus. Why does God want you to prosper His way? Because He loves you and so that you could lift Jesus up. Because you know that without Him blessing you, you would still be working for 12 hours a day 7 days a week and yet still be broke and be drowning in debt. Why does God want you healed and whole? Because He loves you and so that you could lift Jesus up. Because you know that without Him healing you, you’d be dead by now. Why does God want you serving in Church? Because He loves you and so that you could lift Jesus up. Because you know that apart from Him, you can do nothing.