Moving on with the church.
Many believers have the idea that they can have a relationship with Jesus Christ without becoming part of a local church. While it is true that our relationship with Jesus is an individual matter and is not conditioned upon becoming part of a local church, it is also true that our relationship with Him is not complete without the local church.
1 Peter 2:5 tells us that we are being built into a spiritual house. “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
The word “church” has gained a twisted definition during the past 2000 years. Quite often people define the church in light of what their traditions and cultures have taught them.
The word for church in Greek is ekklesia. Ekklesia has a multi faceted meaning. It means a group of people called out to gather. However, just stopping there does not do the word justice. A study of history and of the first century church reveals more. Many of today’s churches have copied historic pagan customs that were introduced in the third century.
Humans were created to live in family units. We are not designed to be content as loners; God made us that way. That is one reason you see so many people pack into bars every night and have fellowship around drinking beer and hard liquor. They are in “family.” That family accepts them just the way they are. They find that there is always someone there to listen to their hurts and pains, and give them mercy.
This is what the ekklesia is supposed to provide. I like to define it this way. “To be called out of your worldly family in order that you may get together with your new spiritual family.” Just as families have never been perfect, churches and church families are not perfect. Nevertheless, they are God’s plan for our lives.
Man has used many different forms of church organizations. Denominations have been useful in establishing authority and the orderly ownership of land for church buildings. Some denominations have promoted humanistic and ungodly doctrines, but God has not thrown them away. There seems to be a move of God in the earth now that is breaking down denominational barriers. I have heard C. Peter Wagner call it “post denominationalism.”
In his book The Gift of Apostle, Dr. David Cannistraci makes the following comments about what he calls the “apostolic” or New Testament Church.
In the coming years, the church will be the vehicle God uses to accomplish his will. The New Testament reveals that the Church is God's instrument and the apple of His eye. He calls us the royal priesthood (Revelation 1:6, 5:9,10), the holy nation (1 Peter 5:3), the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27, Colossians 1:18), God's heritage (1 Peter 5:3), the
Many writers have seen mission (outreach) at the heart of the life of the church; none, however, more graphically than the Emil Brunnner: ‘the Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning. [1]
The book continues to describe the earmarks of an apostolic Church. Some of them are:
1. A church primarily concerned to reach all people with Christ. They have a passion to see entire cultures embrace Jesus in His saving, healing and delivering power.
2. They are churches completely committed to the Lordship of Jesus.
3. They are churches made up of completely activated members of the Body of Christ. They are not held back by any sense of a clergy-laity split. Their people preach, teach, serve and prophesy according to their spiritual giftings as members of the Body.
4. These churches have an intense relationship with the Holy Spirit. They experience supernatural power because they're deeply devoted to prayer, fasting, spiritual gifts and faith.
Program based church buildings. Often a denomination or a group of believers build a new church building in a neighborhood and then promote church growth. God has greatly used this method to infiltrate neighborhoods with the Gospel. As the church grows it produces programs for children and the varied interest groups. This is called a “program based church.” Some of these program-based churches have embraced principles from the Word of God, especially the Book of Acts, and many of them are doing an important, powerful and wonderful work.
Cell Churches. Today there is a recent explosion of believers meeting in small groups in homes and workplaces as they did in the Book of Acts in the
These are called cell churches (not all home churches are cell churches however). These have been widespread in (but by no means limited to) areas like
In cell churches, believers meet in homes or workplaces in small groups and minister one to another. Each believer has special gifts and callings that God uses. The small groups make up a larger body of believers who meet from time to time in a larger congregation. Often, as the assembly grows, they purchase a large building for meetings on Sunday. There is authority and organization through apostles, pastors, elders, etc.
The successful cell churches have grown rapidly for two important reasons. First, each believer was given the opportunity to do more than just sit on a pew. Second, the groups keep the vision of evangelism. Once they grow beyond fifteen people, they split much in the same way the cells of the human body split and multiply. Members reach out to people in their realm of influence and bring them to the meetings. Often, unbelievers are more likely to attend a home meeting than they would be to enter a church building.
Through
The following are three outstanding books on the subject of cell churches:
Successful Home Cell Groups, David Yonggi Cho, Bridge-Logos Publishers,
The
Where Do We Go From here? Ralph W. Neighbor, Jr., TOUCH Outreach Ministries,
I am in no way promoting one type of church over another. With whatever type of church you become involved, the important thing is that you use discernment to look for the following character traits in church leaders:
1. Integrity of character.
2. Integrity with money.
3. Integrity with the Scriptures.
4. If the leader is attempting to control the members’ lives, stay away. The leader should be available as a shepherd without violating a person’s free will. He should be trying to put his members under the control of the Holy Spirit.
5. A passion for the lost.
6. A style of leadership that encourages members to be involved in ministry.
7. The leaders should be people controlled by the Holy Spirit and not by doctrines and denominations.
8. The leaders should be mature in the mercy, grace and love of God. They should shun legalism, but promote growth in the character of Christ by grace.
I like the mission statement of my church, Mt. Paran North Church of God in
“To embrace all people at their point of need, lead them into the presence of Christ, love them as the people of Christ, grow them up in the person of Christ and send them out with the proclamation of Christ.”
Benefits of being in fellowship.
Being in fellowship with other believers can be both rewarding and painful. I have had both experiences. When a brother or sister in the Lord hurts you, it is most painful. However, these are tremendous opportunities to learn and to be taught by God. If you were in the wrong, God will correct you if you allow Him. If you were innocent in the matter, there will be a great learning opportunity for patience and forgiveness.
Satan’s plan is to bring offenses to people so that they stop attending church, or at best go “church shopping.” There is nothing wrong with church shopping, but do it at the leading of the Holy Spirit and not because you are running from someone who offended you. If you run every time you become offended, Satan will be your guide and not the Holy Spirit.
It is good to stay planted in a local assembly; doing so will produce fruit and blessings. “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in
How to treat other believers.
It is extremely important to your spiritual well being to relate to all people with love. I can guarantee you that in your church fellowship you will have an opportunity to have disputes with other believers. It may be your fault or theirs; that is not the issue. The issue is that the enemy may use this type of dispute to hurt you.
We need to remember that we have entered into a blood covenant with Jesus, and we are in covenant with other believers through Him. If we mistreat other believers, gossip about them, talk negative about them or hurt them in any way, we can be in danger. I Corinthians chapter 11 gives a warning for us when we take communion. Taking communion is remembering the blood covenant with Jesus, but it also causes us to remember that through Him we are in covenant with other believers. “For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing [discerning] the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself” (1 Corinthians 11:29).
Judgment can come in many ways. It can come in your relationship with your spouse, your children, or in your finances, health, business, etc., when you do not rightly discern the Lord’s Body. That is, when you do not consider the other person to be part of Christ’s Body. When you discern the Lord’s Body according to what you see and not by what the Word of God says, you are in danger.
The priesthood of believers.
There are a lot of churches that promote one class of people to serve God and call them the clergy, and they call the rest of the people the laity. Yet the Word of God makes it clear that all who belong to God should serve Him.
In Exodus chapter 3, God told Moses to speak to the Israelites and tell them that the reason they were to be freed was so that they could serve Him. In Exodus 19:6 God said, “…you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
Let’s not look at the word priest in the traditional religious way. A priest is simply a person who represents God to man, and man to God. The priest acts as a bridge. He intercedes to God on behalf of man, and he brings God’s Good News to man. The priests ate, lived, and slaughtered the sacrifices, all in the service of God. Their entire vocation was to serve God. If they had other professions, such as teachers, physicians, etc., those were to be avocations.
However, all the Israelites did not accept the call. Only the Levites answered the call by forsaking all their idols and their other inordinate relationships. Even then, only a handful of them, the Sons of Aaron were allowed to minister in the Holy of Holies where the presence of God was. For some reason the same mindset still exists today. In the New Testament, and as the Body of Christ on this earth, all believers are priests.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
“…and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen” (Revelation 1:6).
Jesus is the only mediator between God and man (refer to 1 Timothy 2:5). But as part of the Body of Christ, we are indeed ambassadors for God to bring to lost humanity the Good News of the grace of God (refer to 2 Corinthians 5:20).
The “ministry” today is not reserved for people who have degrees from seminaries (or from anywhere), nor for people who work fulltime for a church. That is church tradition. The ministry is for all believers. Ephesians chapter 4 makes this clear. Paul is telling us that the work of the apostle, prophet, pastor, etc is to prepare God’s people so that they (God’s people) can work in ministry. “And truly He gave some to be apostles, and some to be prophets, and some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11,12).
For sure, this is a lot easier to talk about then it is to implement. But I have found in my experience that if you will take God at His Word on this subject, He will put you into your ordained ministry. There is a ministry waiting for you to step into. You are the most qualified person for this ministry. However, if you do not answer the call, God’s work is not decreased, He will send the work to another. On the day of judgment you will have to give account of your reasons for neglecting this calling.
The first church with which I became involved was a very small one. I had a strong desire to serve. I did not have any maturity in spiritual gifts, but I knew how to mop and clean. So I mopped the church and cleaned the rest rooms. I loved every minute of it, and felt the Lord’s pleasure as I was doing it. Little by little He increased my scope of service. I do not have to seek for promotions in serving God; I am not comfortable with people who do. I am very comfortable with being a servant and watching God take care of my needs.
One of the greatest ways we can serve Jesus is to serve the people in His Body. The natural tendency for people is to be selfish and think that the world revolves around them and their own problems. Many churches are filled with people who are running around looking for blessings and looking for people to bless them. This is not God’s plan. His plan is outlined in Matthew chapter 25: 14-30 in the parable of the talents. This is the law of increase. We are to use what we have in our hand to serve others, and when we do, Jesus gives us more.
The Church needs to keep a burning vision of outreach instilled in all its members. Without this, apathy and backsliding are the common results. Our forefather in the faith and the first Hebrew was Abraham. God promised to bless Abraham, which was a profound promise to him. However, God made it clear that he was not to bottle up his blessing, but he was rather to bless others. “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). Abraham’s descendents,
When I met the Lord I owned a small grocery story (that was until 1983). In just two months I had cleaned off an entire grocery shelf and replaced the groceries with free Bibles and Gospel tracts. I held a Bible contest. I held Bible studies in one of the back rooms. I felt that I had received something so valuable that I wanted everyone to share in it!
One day a pastor came by and asked me if I was afraid of losing my business by being so bold for Jesus. I thought about it and told him, “Well, if I lose my business, then I will get a job. If I cannot get a job, then I will have no food to eat. If I have no food I will die and be with Jesus. Anyway you look at it I win!” He scratched his head and left.
Please read Ezekiel Chapter 16, which shows God speaking to
People cannot exist without purpose.
If your purpose in life is not God’s purpose for you, you will end up miserable and perhaps even like the Israelites. There is no purpose in life with enough significance to keep you from self-indulgence, except for God’s purpose!
God has designed every believer differently. Not all of us are evangelists or pastors. But each one of us is a vital part of His Body. As a matter of fact, pastors and evangelists are not at the top of the spiritual “food chain.” This is confirmed in 1 Corinthians 12:20-24. You and your ministry are very important to the
God has bestowed gifts on each one of us in a customized way, and has given us a custom made personality. The only way to find expression for your gifts is by the fruit bearing process. Fruit in ministry is the only thing that is of real value to God. John Chapter 15 says that if we abide in Christ and obey His Words, fruit will be the result. Working up plans in our “flesh” will not produce fruit for God. Fruit only comes by a life laid down for God, and by allowing the discipleship process to take place in your life. Fruit is a result of trusting the Word of God to supply all of your needs. As the Word grows in your life, the life and character of God will be formed in you, and His life is always reaching out to the lost. Jesus is a missionary, and His Bride should be His helper! “My children, for whom I again travail until Christ should be formed in you” (Galatians 4:19).
Other benefits of Church life.
“His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly” (Proverbs 26:26). This Scripture lets us know that there are areas in our lives that can only be exposed in the assembly. Before we can truly be free, we need all of our wickedness to be exposed, no matter how painful.
“Let the assembled peoples gather round you. Rule over them from on high” (Psalms 7:7).
“I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people” (Psalm 35:18).
“I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation” (Psalm 40:10).
“Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints” (Psalm 149:1).
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him” (Psalm 89:7).
“Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders” (Psalm 107:32).
“Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation” (Psalm 111:1).
The church gives us an opportunity to express the supernatural power of unity.
The Holy Spirit works powerfully through the unity of believers in the church. Jesus prayed in John 17:20-23 that the world would know God’s love through Jesus Christ when believers came into unity with one another. When believers come into unity, they manifest a small mosaic piece of the Body of Christ. The result is the Holy Spirit is unleashed to do what He does best. The Holy Spirit lifts the veil from the eyes of unbelievers, sets prisoners free, and heals the brokenhearted. The Holy Spirit makes Jesus real to us and to the world around us. He makes us whole, spirit, soul, and body, and sends us out to proclaim the Good News to others. I feel that this picture is worth a thousand words.
[1] The Gift of Apostle, Dr. David Cannistraci, Regal Books,
Finally, we need to remember that the Church, or the Body of Christ, is also the Bride of Christ. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:31,32). “…Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9b).
We need to understand how passionate Jesus is about the gathering of His bride and His anticipation to see her in all her glory. Let us keep this in mind when or if we ever become frustrated with the Church or church life.
Usually people in a nation who may be divided come into unity when they are faced with war. Let us unify around the fact that Jesus has made a “beachhead” on earth in this war with Satan, and that we are called to finish up the victory.
Be real with God.
Now listen for His voice.
“Hello there, my Name is Jesus. I love you.”
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