Current Series: “Will the TRUE Church Please Stand Up!”
August 29th: “The ONENESS of the
Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). Having called the disciples and taught them about His kingdom, Jesus sent them into the world with the Gospel, the message of new life through the power of His Spirit, producing faith in His one sacrifice offered on the cross for forgiveness and righteousness. All those who confess Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the promised King, believing that He is the eternal Son of God in the flesh, that He paid the penalty for our sin, and that He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and that He is LORD over all things … all these are part of the one, true Church – the people for whom Jesus prayed in John 17. Jesus did not pray for a religious unity that would be expressed by ignoring truth, but rather, a “spiritual oneness” which would be produced by His Spirit through the truth revealed in His Word. The visible church today is tragically divided by false teaching, by traditions and rituals, and by self-centeredness and pride. Yet, God knows those who are His and through the preaching of the true Gospel Jesus continues to build His Church. In a world so desperately in need of hope, this true Church is “the pillar and foundation of truth” (I Timothy 3:15). With our brothers and sisters in Christ we must proclaim the truth, defend the truth and live the truth, so that God may be glorified and His Church built up until Jesus returns for His Bride!
September 5th: “The Head of the
1:22-23; Colossians 1:15-20
If Jesus came to you and said, “Follow Me!” … what would you do? Though Jesus is not physically on the earth at this time, He is the Head of the Church and it is His Spirit speaking to people through His Word and through His servants. Jesus is still saying, “Come to Me; follow Me.” So many today want people to follow them, rather than calling people to follow Jesus. Christianity has dozens of “brand names,” and many people choose a place to worship based on their own preferences or because of the personality of the preacher or the friendliness of the congregation or simply because of the name on the sign. The Church is about JESUS! The Church belongs to Jesus; it is HIS body, His Bride! Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom to His Church, the Rock upon which the Church is founded is Jesus, and all those who confess Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD, and the only Head of the Church belong to Him. God’s word calls us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). The focus of the true Church is its Head, Jesus Christ. He is the Savior of the Church and the LORD of the Church. Manmade organizations and structures distract the Church from her mission: to proclaim the reign of Jesus Christ over all things. Only by acknowledging that Jesus is the Head of the Church and by submitting to His Word can the Church bring glory to God and reach out to our world with the truth that sets men free!
September 12th: “The Life of the
Ephesians 4:1-16
Living together with other people can be a challenge. The human spirit is focused on self and the result is “self-ishness.” But Jesus came to change people; to set us free from self-destructive behavior and from the lie that putting ourselves first will make us happy. From the beginning God commanded His people to love Him AND to “love your neighbor as yourself.” The Church finds its life in Jesus, and expresses its oneness by loving one another. Over and over God calls His people to put others before themselves and to give freely, as they have received. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” (Romans 12:10). When the Church lives together in love, loving God and loving one another – living in obedience to His Word - God is glorified and others are drawn to Christ by His Spirit. While God calls us to Himself as individuals through faith in Jesus Christ, He calls us INTO a body, a “family” (Ephesians 3:15). Our life together as the body of Christ adorns the Gospel and makes Jesus appear as glorious as He truly is! You cannot love Christ without loving His body. Jesus calls all those who confess Him as Savior and LORD to be part of the Church, to live together in love with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to labor together to proclaim the Gospel to all people, in word and in deed. Jesus has given to every believer “gifts” to use for this purpose and it is in each person using their gifts that the body is made whole and useful for God’s purposes. As the Church lives together in this way Christ is exalted and God adds daily those who are being saved!
September 19th: “The Destiny of the
24
The Apostle Paul wrote, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (I Corinthians 15:19). There’s MORE! Too often the church today is focused on the plans and desires of men to make a better world through our own efforts. There is too little thought about the
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