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Jesus builds His church on people. God builds his church through the service of gifted members. “You are Peter (petros) and on this rock (petra) I will build my church.” Since Peter’s name means rock, and Jesus is going to build His church on a rock – it appears that Christ is linking the two together. This sacrifice is called the Atonement. And for the most part, it has become increasingly accepted as a viable option on the smorgasbord of living out your Christian faith. ... the Body of Christ upon which is being build upon the apostles and prophets, but Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone, but buildings are necessary. In Ephesians 4:8-10, Paul describes how this authority to rule and distribute gifts was secured by Christ. The early church fathers believed it referred to Christ going to hades during his three days in the grave.7 Support for this is found in 1 Peter 3:18-19, a controversial passage: For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. God’s new society: the message of Ephesians (pp. Even when the going is tough, resistance is strong, and progress seems slow, we can continue serving in Christ’s church and proclaiming His Good News with great confidence – not in our power and ability, but in the power and ability of Jesus. However, it is clear that the authors do not mean these lists to be exhaustive. (18) I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon … He himself is the foundation, the corner stone (1 Pet 2:7), and we are the building blocks that He uses. Abraham’s Bosom), where the righteous dwelled, and across from it was a place of torment. His hope was for the Ephesian congregations to know God more. Since Christ’s ascension, he rules the universe as king, far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion. You will find out which gifts you have and which ones you don’t have. Some, using secular thinking, teach that you cannot grow a heterogeneous church—one with different ethnic and socio-economic groups—because people don’t like to cross those boundaries. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Does debt affect giving in modern times in light of the Israelite tithe and slaves? He has rightful control over it and it pulsates with His life. The church is founded upon the great Spiritual truth Peter confessed in those passages of Scripture that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Sunday Morning, January 6 Title: The Church Jesus Is Building Text: “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. Jesus told Peter, "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). All emphases in Scripture quotations and commentators’ quotations have been added. In Matt 16:18 Jesus said, “I will build my church.” The church belongs to Christ. Truth without love leads to pride and division. Christian. “You are Peter (petros) and on this rock (petra) I will build my church.” Since Peter’s name means rock, and Jesus is going to build His church on a rock – it appears that Christ is linking the two together. Without it, the body is unstable. Jesus is the Builder and Foundation of the Church With so many different churches existing in the world today, with conflicting doctrines, you may be wondering why it’s important that Jesus Christ should be the builder and foundation of the church. Along with the prophets, they built the foundation of the church (Eph 2:20) by writing the New Testament and teaching its doctrines. We must speak and practice the truth in a loving manner, which includes forgiving and being patient with others. 7 Stott, J. R. W. (1979). But there’s one thing that Jesus is doing today that we don't think enough about. In 2 Corinthians 12:2 and 4, Paul equates paradise with the third heaven. As with any other gift, we should be good stewards. We must work to heal any division that tries to destroy the body or keep it from growing. The church in general is full of doctrinal disunity, but God has provided godly leaders to help us know and become united in the truth. Talents are natural gifts received at birth. The devil and all the forces of hell will not be able to stop or defeat Christ’s church. He is referring to Christ’s authority, and our authority in him. He established His Church, taught His gospel, and performed many miracles. Christ says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Jesus says the gates of Hades will not prevail against his church (Matt 16:18). - cf. People are the building blocks. The apostle Paul also writes in Eph. We certainly see this in Paul’s pastoral prayer for the Ephesians: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Eph 1:17). And this current rule and authority play a part in God’s plan to build his church. Thank you, Lord, for your victory! Therefore, I believe it is good to both desire and pray for spiritual gifts. ( Log Out /  The question then becomes, “When did paradise, and therefore the righteous, move to heaven?”. In Ephesians 4:15-16, Paul focuses on the members’ role in building the church. In the New Testament, it is clear that believers now live in heaven. In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Scripture does not endorse a model where pastors and teachers are paid professionals who do all the work while the congregation does nothing. Jesus feeds the 5,000. Support for this is found in Christ saying he would spend three days in the “heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40), as the heart of something typically refers to the center. Jesus is the foundation for all believers: “ Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone ” (Ephesians 2:20). Q. Col 2:15). When Jesus builds His church, He does the building by using disciples just like you. Then they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken “‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6). 10 Accessed 1/18/2016 from http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/161343-tim_peters_10_common_reasons_pastors_quit_too_soon.html. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. No officers may oversee more than one local church. Paul tells Timothy not to neglect his gift, but rather to stir it into flame (cf. However, it is the humble—the ones who serve—that God exalts. (Ephesians 4:8-10). What is his plan? However, when the church is not living out the truth, it hinders growth, pushing people away from God and one another. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. A crowd has been listening to Jesus teach on a remote hillside, and the nearest Chick-Fil-A is still 2,000 years away. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. (1) They typically edify the person using them, even as a person speaking in tongues edifies himself. Ephesians (p. 134). Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. This is biblical faith? This is something you can count on every hour of every day: Jesus is building his church. He chose twelve men to be His Apostles, including Peter, James, and John. In many countries, churches meet in houses, as the early church did. At the end of His life, Jesus Christ suffered and died for the sins of everyone who has lived or who will live on earth. 1. He is foundational. In this psalm, David depicts God “as marching in triumph before all Israel after the Exodus.”3 God not only conquered Egypt for Israel, but also the nations who attacked them in the wilderness. God uses the evangelist to bring people to Christ, and he uses the church to disciple these new believers. In this context, “grace” means “the ability to perform the task God has called us to.”2 Paul describes this grace as “gifts,” saying, “‘When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.’” He pictures Christ as a conquering king, distributing booty to his followers. Each member of the body has a role, even the little toe. Just as much of Paul’s teaching addressed false doctrine in the church, good leaders uphold sound doctrine today. When believers live out God’s truth in speech and action, the church grows. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. God’s new society: the message of Ephesians (pp. Application Questions: What are your spiritual gifts? In the Bible, church is always a reference to people, not a place. 22 After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this. Paul says that God gave gifted leaders, “so that the body of Christ may … reach unity in the faith” (v. 12). As Warren Wiersbe wrote: “Each time someone comes to faith in Christ, another stone is quarried from the pit of sin and cemented by grace into the building.” Wow! Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Jesus sees his church as a family or community of people dedicated to serving God. When believers evangelize, serve, and build God’s church, they are working through the authority of the ascended Christ. Introduction It is little wonder that the church was a mystery to the Old Testament saints.8 Who could ever imagine that God could dwell among His people as Jesus promised and as Paul describes? Scripture quotations marked KJV or AKJV are from the King James Version or Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. There is no in between. Here are 8 ways to keep from being the church Jesus is building: 1. It gets me up in the morning with a sense of anticipation. Because “teachers” lacks the article in the Greek, some believe this is one gift, pastor-teachers. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Each believer receives a different grace from Christ. Denomination: Baptist. Peter (Petros, masc.) It dawned on me recently that if I have a life verse, this is it. When we build on secular principles, we get what man can build—a secular church that won’t last (cf. But Scripture does picture it as a building – a holy temple filled with the life, presence, and glory of Jesus. Mark A. Copeland The Church Jesus Built 5 b. Jesus isn’t saying that Peter is the foundation of the church; ( Log Out /  But his declaration about Messiah’s person led to a declaration of Messiah’s program. We have this mindset that church is a place we go to on Sundays. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promises Peter, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Christ is building His church. We all agree we want to be part of the Church the Lord Jesus Christ is building. Figuratively speaking, the early church Fathers said that, after announcing His triumph over demons in one part of Sheol, He then opened the doors of another part of Sheol to release those godly captives. However, if we only have love and not truth, then we have liberalism—a gross acceptance of sin. Jesus’ church community is made up of people who serve God. Change ). It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Christ says, “On this rock, I will build my church.” God is building his church today. However, several passages seem to indicate otherwise. That sacred opportunity is for every follower of Christ. Jesus' prophecy that the church will be His witness "to the ends of the earth" will come true (Acts 1:8). Jesus taught His followers that revelation from God was the rock on which He would build His Church. And He is building His church. There is no “new” thing to be seen, said, or done: Jesus the Rock is building His Church upon the foundation of Himself. John MacArthur says this about the early church’s understanding of this doctrine: Early church dogma taught that the righteous dead of the Old Testament could not be taken into the fullness of God’s presence until Christ had purchased their redemption on the cross, and that they had waited in this place for His victory on that day. There are, of course, no modern day prophets in this sense of the word. Scripture: Matthew 16:18. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. It seems clear that Timothy received another spiritual gift after salvation. All rights reserved. 1 “I” marks Christ’s Lordship Now, it must be understood that spiritual gifts are not the same as talents. But if we build according to Christ’s principles, we get what God can build—a church that the gates of hades will not prevail against. They may believe they are still His disciples, doing things for Him; but unless they continue to do the Father’s will, they are sadly mistaken! 11 Stott, J. R. W. (1979). But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. God authenticated their ministry through miracles (Heb 2:1-4, 2 Cor 12:12). Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 8 MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). last week we found out that jesus is building his church upon the foundation that he is the son of the living god and he is the christ matthew 16:16.. we then learned that jesus was the corner stone of that church luke 20:17.. we also learned that he is using living stones (us) to build the church with i peter 2:410. Chicago: Moody Press. This is an invitation for you to join Mercy Village Church in that work (in small or large ways or anything in between). The church is not a stagnant organization just trying to survive in this crazy world that is so often set in opposition to it. Godly leaders help the church come to a unity of faith by opposing wrong doctrine. Observation Questions: What ministry leaders does Paul list in Ephesians 4:11, and what are their ministries? They typically feel very comfortable around unbelievers, and are often gifted at answering questions that are hindering these people from coming to the Lord. 1 Peter 5:10 - But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle [you]. Building The Church Of God Bible verses in the King James Version (KJV) ... 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, ... who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a … God’s new society: the message of Ephesians (pp. When the words of eternal life are heard with spiritual ears, the house of the Lord begins to be constructed within. It can be translated “In spite of that” or “On the other hand.” He is contrasting the previous teaching of making every effort to keep the unity of the church because there is one body, one Lord, and one Spirit (v. 4-6) with what he is about to say.1 Essentially, he says that though it is Christ’s will for the church to be unified, it is also his will for it to be diverse. Clearly, most principles guiding church growth initiatives today are secular instead of spiritual. To our surprise, they are not really “gifts” at all—they are gifted leaders. Typically, spiritual gifts edify both the user and the receiver. Chicago: Moody Press. Believers should desire this and pray for it. And should the Lord tarry, he'll do it tomorrow. 12 Stott, J. R. W. (1979). (2) And of course, using these gifts will build others up, as prophecy was said to edify the church. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. In response to their question, "Brothers, what shall we do?" When we speak poorly of the church, we’re speaking of Jesus’s bride. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison. Believers have been raised with Christ, and his authority goes with them as they minister. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. This happens through the saving of lost people. Paul reminded the Corinthians that all things were theirs—meaning that these men were given by God to aid them. 3. But if nobody else is edified or encouraged by your teaching, it may not be your gift. The text “speaking the truth in love” is very hard to translate into English. In fact, we see other gifts mentioned in the Bible. Jesus Christ organized His Church: On the front cover of their Sunday bulletin I read the name of the Rector, the Reverend Everett Fullam, then the names of the Associate Rector and of the Assistant to the Rector. 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