The Church On The Edge Of Eternity Series

Matthew 16:16-19

The Church on the edge

Last week we talked about being the church on the edge and how to get there. What it show us even though it might be scary or way out of our comfort zone.

We talked about how the church has no walls. We can not worship the place we meet at but we can worship at the place we meet.

We talked about not owning the church¡Xit is Jesus¡¦ Church

We also talked about knowing where we were in Christ- in Him, clothed with Him

But today I wish to talk to you about what we are on the edge of.

First off I would like to talk to you about what we are not on the edge of.

A. We are not on¡K¡K

1. The cutting edge-

If we were on the cutting edge we would follow every trend and fad that came along, changing every three to six months. The trends and fads would direct and lead us to where it would want to go, not necessarily where Jesus would lead us. Jesus said to follow me (Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17), not follow the fads and trends of today, or even yesterday. He wants us to only follow Him.

2. The edge of town.

We may be on the edge of town, that is our building is, but the church is not there, only when it is assembled there. Like Sunday morning, Sunday Evening, Wednesday night at 6 or some other times, only then is the church there. So we are not the church on the edge of town

3. The edge of cultural evolution.

Marian Guinn’s soul was the issue, church leaders say, when elders of the Collinsville Church of Christ denounced her for adultery before the congregation and forbade 120 members to associate with her.

But privacy was the issue in Marian Guinn’s lawsuit against the elders in state district court. She sought $1.3 million, alleging invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Ms. Guinn, 36, is a nurse and divorced mother of four children.

Her suit says that in October, 1981, three elders publicly denounced her for "the sin of fornication" and ordered church members to avoid her.

In depositions and pretrial hearings, Ms. Guinn has acknowledged her relationship with Pat Sharp, a former mayor of Collinsville.

"It doesn’t matter if she was fornicating up and down the street," her lawyer, Thomas Frasier said. "It doesn’t give the church the right to stick their noses in."

But Truman Rucker, Jr., attorney for the church leaders, said the ban was an internal church matter. "Withdrawal of fellowship was an action of discipline within the Church of Christ," he said.

If we are driven by the evolution of our cultural then we would allow the culture to lead us and direct us into what is acceptable in our teaching, preaching and we would become just like any other group, like the Lions club, eagles club, not that is anything wrong with them as clubs or organizations, but they are not the church!

An old preacher friend told me once this story.

Growing up on the Atlantic Coast, He said, I spent long hours working on intricate sand castles; whole cities would appear beneath my hands. One year, for several days in a row, I was accosted by bullies who smashed my creations. Finally I tried an experiment: I placed cinder blocks, rocks, and chunks of concrete in the base of my castles. Then I built the sand kingdoms on top of the rocks. When the local toughs appeared (and I disappeared), their bare feet suddenly met their match. Many people see the church in grave peril from a variety of dangers: secularism, politics, heresies, or plain old sin. They forget that the church is built upon a Rock (Mt. 16:16), over which the gates of hell itself shall not prevail.

What are we on the edge of then?

B. We are on the edge of¡K

1. Eternity.

When we are

A. Anticipating the return of our King, the Lord Jesus the

Christ of God. The first century was anticipating Jesus¡¦ return every day, John even says in Revelation even so Come.

In Rev. 22: 7 It says Behold I come

In Rev. 22: 12 It says Behold I come

In rev. 22: 17 It says The Spirit and the bride say ¡§Come!¡¨ Everyone who hears this should also say, ¡§Come!¡¨

Frantic man on the phone: "My wife just left me, I lost my job, I need surgery, and my spirits have hit bottom! Pastor, you’ve got to help me. What’s the difference between pre-, post-millennialism

ƒÞ Cartoonist Doug Hall, Leadership, Vol. 7, no. 4.

What was he worried about? His problems in this life? Or when Jesus might return?