We Don't Go To Church - We Are The Church

…the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. —Galatians 2:20

 “…. Think what faith in Jesus Christ claims and provides— He can present us faultless before the throne of God, inexpressibly pure, absolutely righteous, and profoundly justified. Stand in absolute adoring faith “in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God— and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” (1 Corinthians 1:30). How dare we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God! We are saved from hell and total destruction, and then we talk about making sacrifices! We must continually focus and firmly place our faith in Jesus Christ— not a “prayer meeting” Jesus Christ, or a “book” Jesus Christ, but the New Testament Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate, and who ought to strike us dead at His feet. Our faith must be in the One from whom our salvation springs. Jesus Christ wants our absolute, unrestrained devotion to Himself. We can never experience Jesus Christ, or selfishly bind Him in the confines of our own hearts. Our faith must be built on strong determined confidence in Him.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Martie and I heard a great sermon some years ago.  The preacher was from Indonesia.  He said that Christians in the United States define Church in one of three ways.  1. As a Gas station.  That is where we go each Sunday to “fill up” spiritually so we can get through another week. 2. As a Cinema.  We go each Sunday to watch a show, maybe have an emotional response to what we see or hear, but take away nothing that might influence how we live. Or 3. As a super-market.  A one stop shop.  We have a need that must be met … we go have that need met. The bottom line in all three, it is all about us and what we get out of it .. for us. And we are never satisfied. Not understanding that attending the church service is actually a celebration, not the be all end all.  It is a gathering of His Church.

Why? Because we lack understanding what the Church, that has Christ as the cornerstone, is all about.  The main purpose of the Church is to expand the Kingdom and to bring glory to God.  Not make me comfortable and feel good. The reason Jesus wants you to be a disciple is so you can be a fisher of men (people) like Jesus, not merely to make you a better person, or be better than your neighbor.  

Jesus said “Go!”  Jesus said “Pick up your cross and follow Me.”  Do what Jesus did.  Jesus said “Lay down your life for others.”  Jesus said “Love God with everything you have.”  Jesus said “If you love Me, then do what I say.”  When you reflect on what God told Joshua, to obey His Word, and then Joshua  would be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8-9), does your mind go to material wealth? Or not having any problems? That is your flesh speaking.  The word says do not love the world or the things of this world.  Love God.  So how does that fit your idea of Christianity and the Church?  The proof of your belief is not in what you say you believe, but in how you live that belief out day by day.  

We don't go to church - we are the Church. The building we go to on Sunday is the place where the Church assembles to jointly worship God.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Living Every Day By The Spirit

Death no longer has dominion over Him.…the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God… —Romans 6:9-11

“Eternal life is not a gift from God; eternal life is the gift of God. The energy and the power which was so very evident in Jesus will be exhibited in us by an act of the absolute sovereign grace of God, once we have made that complete and effective decision about sin. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8)— not power as a gift from the Holy Spirit; the power is the Holy Spirit, not something that He gives us. The life that was in Jesus becomes ours because of His Cross, once we make the decision to be identified with Him. If it is difficult to get right with God, it is because we refuse to make this moral decision about sin. Even the weakest saint can experience the power of the deity of the Son of God, when he is willing to “let go.” Then Jesus will have complete and effective dominion in us, and people will take notice that we have been with Him.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. - Acts 4:13

The difference in Peter and John was that they had the Spirit of God in them.  Peter had just been with Jesus when Peter denied Jesus.  Peter was operating out of his flesh – his old nature when that happened. But in Acts, they were speaking with power and wisdom that could not be explained except that these men had been with Jesus.  They reflected Jesus in their words and with the authority by which they spoke.  It is the same with us.  The power of our new life is totally, 100%, dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit in us.  Imagine that you are driving down the road and someone reached over and turned the ignition key to the off position.  The engine stops .. the power steering is gone .. the car is unresponsive – dead if you will.  Well, that is how it is when we attempt to live the Christian life on our terms … without the Holy Spirit. 

Do not quench the Spirit - 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Like turning the key to off, we can disregard the Holy Spirit … trust in ourselves … and fail.  Are you having trouble being the Christian you know you should be?  Most probably it is because you are not walking in the power of your new nature. 

So I [Paul] say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. - Galatians 5:16-18 

And that, my friend, is the Gospel truth!

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

God Wants To Use You As A Stepping Stone

My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom… —1 Corinthians 2:4

“Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by impressive speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the preaching of the gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher. … If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. “And I, if I am lifted up…, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

I have often marveled at how God uses mere men and women to proclaim the Gospel to the world. But it is not the messenger but the message that brings salvation.  And not just any message.  I think we often get the “cart before the horse”.  I never precede God … The Spirit of God has preceded me.  I am but a part of the salvation process.  Paul said “Some plant and some water, but God brings the increase.”  (1 Corinthians 3:6) 

A seed was planted in my dad’s heart in 1951 on a hill in Korea. A Chaplain gave him a pocket bible with a reference to John 1:12 written on the inside cover. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—”  It was not until 1969 did he pray to receive Jesus as his savior and Lord.  Don’t think more of your role in sharing the Gospel than it is, but then, don’t think less of it either.  In His wisdom, God has chosen to use us for the hearing of the Gospel. 

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” - Romans 10:14-15

Don’t believe for a minute that you have the power to save anyone. At the same moment, don’t think that your telling someone about Jesus when the Spirit prompts you is not necessary.  You don’t know which stepping stone you are on the path someone takes to salvation.  But God does! 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

The Problem With Going To Church

To answer the question “Is there a problem with going to church?”.  It depends.  I have had two recent conversations, one on social media and the other in person. They both were alarming to me and reminded me of a spiritual truth.  

The first.  The person was talking to me about their spiritual angst and the feeling that they needed to draw closer to God.  When I asked to tell me about their conversion, when they became a Christian, they shared all of the churches they have attended and the many things they did while they were attending.  Good things. 

The second.  The guy was clearly on the edge of things.  He had been in prison, on drugs, divorced, homeless.  But with all of that, I sensed he had a good heart .. seeking God.  He attended church, but in the course of our conversation it was clear that he knew little about the Faith. He told me that a priest had prayed for him and told him that he “was good to go”.  He did not have to worry about his salvation.  I told him that salvation is personal, between the person and God.  No one can do it for another person.

Perhaps you know people like this.  People with good hearts.  People who do good things or, at least, want to do good things.  When Jesus met Nicodemus that night, Jesus told him “you must be born again”  

“Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.”  - John 3:3-9

Nicodemus didn’t understand. He thought he was doing all of the right things.  But something was not right.  Just like for the two people that I talked with.  

“Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” -  1 Corinthians 1:22-24

The Jews thought they had it all figured out, but Jesus turned that upside down.  Gentiles - non-Jews -  watch Christians and mimic what they do, but they don’t have the Spirit in them.  They have not been born again.  They have a form of godliness but lack the spiritual power to understand the Truth and live the life.  They lack the capacity to understand spiritual truth without the Spirit of God sealed in their hearts.  I suspect there are thousands of people like that who attend church every Sunday. Maybe even in leadership roles.  Teaching, but are blind guides.  Struggling in their battle with sin.  Wondering why life is not different than it is.  

So what to do when you discern the person you are talking to thinks they are saved by their works and are actually lost and bound for hell.  Point them to Jesus and the truth.  Speak the truth in love.  Even that burly guy that I was talking to yesterday has a fragile heart.  God has given you an opportunity to fulfill your purpose which is to proclaim the Gospel.  Not with a punch in the nose, but with a gentle touch.  Trusting that the Spirit of God is at work in their lives. You do your part and let God do His. And remember your part is not the saving, it is the telling and the loving. God does the rest.

Sitting in church every Sunday will not save you, me or anyone else.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone