Episodios

  • When We Get Carried Away

    When We Get Carried Away
    Mar 19 2025
    (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) Someday soon God's people are going to get carried away! The next great event in the last days is the coming of Christ for His church. Are you ready to be caught away? (0969250319) ----more----   The Last Days Welcome to the last days. Second Timothy 3:1 says this, "Know also that in the last days perilous time shall come. For men should be lovers of their own selves. covetous, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent fiercce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof." I repeat, "Welcome to the last days." We are living, my friends, in perilous times, and yet I'm afraid too often when we talk about the last days, it gives the connotation of some doom. Now, certainly those doomed for those who do not know God. It is a sad reality that people will be separated from God forever. But if you're a child of God, if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, this is not a sad ending. Instead, it's a glorious beginning of eternity with God, of every good thing that God has planned for us. The Bible says, "Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither is entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love him." Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ? If you do, I want you to know the Lord who loves you first, and loves you more than you could ever imagine. Has mighty things in store for you. The Rapture of the Church We're talking about what the Bible says about the end of time and what it will be set in motion. Now we know that scripture teaches, we just read it in 2nd Timothy 3, that the last days describes that period between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ, and we know that Christ came the first time and he's promised he will come again. So I believe that the next thing on God's agenda. The next thing on the divine calendar is what is commonly referred to as the rapture of the church. And we're gonna talk about that word in just a moment, but a simply put, we're referring to the moment when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again. I. For us when he comes to take his children out of this world. Now, the word rapture is not actually found in scripture, and yet the teaching of it certainly is. You see the word rapture comes from a word that means to, to catch away, to seize or carry away. The word is actually used in scripture. For example, 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says this, "We which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds." That's the exact meaning of the word rapture. That is exactly what we're talking about. We're gonna be caught away. It's used of Philip in Acts chapter eight. Remember when the Holy Spirit caught him away? It's used of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12. He was caught up into the third heaven; and so we believe there's gonna be a definite moment when God catches away his children, when he removes us from this perilous world, this wicked age, and brings us into his presence forever. As a matter of fact, when you come to the last book of the Bible, the revelation of Jesus Christ. He talks to his churches in the New Testament age. In Revelation chapter two, revelation chapter three. When you come to Revelation chapter four, verse one, you read these words, "After this, I looked and behold a door was open in heaven, and the first voice, which I heard was, as it were, of a trumpet talking with me, which said, come up hither and I will show thee things which must be hereafter." It's my conviction that verse is representative of a shift from the church age into the things which shall be hereafter. Friend, there's about to be a door open in heaven. There's about to be a voice and a trumpet. There's about to be a word come up hither. That's the catching away of believers in this New Testament age to be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever. Scriptural Basis for the Rapture Now, the most definitive portion of scripture that deals with the rapture of the church is 1 Thessalonians chapter four. So let me read the portion of scripture and then we'll draw a few observations. First Thessalonians chapter four, beginning in verse thirteen says, "But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep." That means those who've died. "That you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again." May I pause and ask, Do you believe that's the only way? That you can truly know Christ as your Savior? Do you believe Jesus died and rose again? If you believe that the Bible says, "even them also, which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." In other words, as surely as Jesus didn't end at the cross and didn't stay in the tomb, he's not finished with us. There's more to come. The best is yet to come for...
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    10 m
  • What the Bible Says About the End Times

    What the Bible Says About the End Times
    Mar 18 2025
    (Isaiah 46:11) Scripture is full of prophecy and sincere Bible students must not neglect it. Today, we uncover five definite blessings connected to the study of prophecy. Our goal is to learn more than end time events; it is to know more deeply the eternal God. (0968250318) ----more----  The World's Fascination with End Times Hollywood has made a small fortune imagining what the end of the world is going to look like. In fact, it seems every week. Something new in printed form or media comes out about the end of time, and yet I think it may be smarter if we ask the one who started time, how time is going to end. That is the eternal God, the creator of all things. What does God say? What does the Bible say? About the end of time, about last things. Biblical Prophecy: An Overview As you read and study the word of God, you're gonna be shocked, I think, to see how much of the Bible is prophetic - I mean by that telling us about things to come. Sixteen Old Testament books are considered to be prophetic books. You have what is commonly referred to as the major prophets and the minor prophets. But prophecy's not restricted just to those books. In fact, prophetic elements are found all through the word of God. In the Psalms there are prophetic psalms. Moses was referred to as a prophet, so that's hearkening all the way back to the beginning of the Old Testament. When you come to the New Testament, about 1/20th of the New Testament is prophetic. Now, obviously the revelation of Jesus Christ the apocalypse the final revelation. That's prophetic, but there are prophetic elements in the teachings of Christ and the writings of Paul. You can't neglect scripture. When it comes to prophecy. I heard someone recently say, what gives us the right I. To pick and choose which verses we wanna believe. What gives us the right to pick and cho choose which verses we want to study and apply and live. No, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. So what is the profit of us studying what the Bible says about the end of time? Lemme give you several profitable things that it'll do in your life. The Sovereignty of God in Prophecy First of all, if you study what the Bible says about prophecy. It's going to reveal something to you about the sovereignty of our God, that He truly is on the throne. He has a plan. He's all wise and all powerful. He knows exactly what he's doing. Listen to the words of Isaiah 46, verse 11. The Bible says, "Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executed with my counsel from a far country. Yay, I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also do it." Now, the context of this text is in a prophecy to the nation of Israel. But listen to the revelation of God himself, the one who's giving the prophecy, he said, I've spoken it. I'm gonna bring it to pass. I've purposed it. I'm going to do it. When you begin to study prophecy, one of the things immediately that is revealed is that our God is not arbitrary. He has an eternal purpose in the ages. This is not some emergency plan with our God. From the very beginning, before time started, God knew exactly how it was going to end. So his purpose is being fulfilled. That ought to help you not just to know events, but to know the God of the Bible in a greater way. Closely akin to that, let me give you a second profitable thing. Faith in Bible Prophecy In the book of Acts chapter number 20, we're told this beginning in verse number 26, the Apostle Paul says, "Wherefore, I take you to record this day that I'm pure from the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." One of the things that happens when you start seeing what the Bible says about prophecy is it increases your faith in the word of God itself. And the Apostle Paul said, Acts 20:27, "I've not shunned to declare all the counsel of God." May I say to you, we should not shun all the counsel of God. Study all of the Bible. Seek to understand all of scripture. Teach and preach all of the Bible. Why? Because God has a message for us in every part of scripture that includes prophecy, faith cometh by hearing by the word of God. Your faith is gonna grow as you see God fulfilling what he foretold and everything. God foretells, he fulfills. When you see all the prophecies that have been fulfilled to this point, do you know what it says? It says that the same God who never lies, who always tells the truth and always keeps his word, is going to fulfill the rest of the prophecies. So it reveals the sovereignty of God. It increases our faith in the word of God. How about this? This is a very practical thing. Hope in Bible Prophecy When you begin studying what the Bible says about prophecy, it's gonna give you some hope and comfort. I'm talking about living through difficult days. It's gonna help you. Second Corinthians 4:17 says, "For our light affliction, which is, but for a moment, worketh for us a far ...
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    10 m
  • The Mission

    The Mission
    Mar 17 2025
    (1 Timothy 3:15) The church is not called to do everything—it is commanded to do one thing! His purpose must become ours! Every member must find their place in the wonderful work of God in this world. (0967250317) ----more----   The Mission of the Church We've taken a good bit of time to look at what the Bible says about the church, and here's why. Because this is what God is doing in this world right now. This is present tense. This is where we're living. This is not theory, this is practice. What is God doing in this world through the local New Testament church? And what are we to be doing? What's our mission? Let's begin with one verse today, 1 Timothy 3:15 Paul writes, "But if I tarry long that thou may know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." Understanding Our Role in the Church We find something here that's true of the institution, of the church and something that's true for the individual in the church. The truth for the institution is this. We have one mission and that mission as the Church of the Living God, is to be the pillar and ground of the truth, literally to uphold the truth, to lift up the truth in love. We've been given a body of doctrine. And it's our mission, not just to hold it. Did you hear the words, the pillar and ground of the truth? What's the pillar and ground do? That's the foundation. And then the pillars hold it up. It's not just our responsibility to hold the truth, it's our responsibility to uphold the truth. It, in other words, to show it to others, to share it with those around us, to lift it up in the midst of a world that is filled with error. That's the church's mission. Now individually, what's my part in that? The Bible says that we're to know how we're to behave ourself in the house of God. In other words, we're to find our place in that work. We're to find our mission in God's mission. The New Testament Church exists to accomplish Christ's purpose in this world, not our purpose. So when you identify the Lord's mission, you've identified the local church's mission, you've identified your own mission. The Church's Mission: Unlike Any Other Churches have not been called on to do everything in this world. Today churches are trying to offer services and programs for every possible need. But could I remind you, the church has been given a mission that no other organization on Earth can fulfill. Ours is eternal work. Ours is not simply to make this world a better place from which to go to hell. Ours is a mission to keep people out of hell. Do you remember when we began our study of what the Bible says about the church? Jesus said of the church, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We're to be on the offense. We're to be advancing against the gates of hell we're to be pulling people out of the fire. In the words of Jude we're to be rescuing the perishing. That was Fannie Crosby's famous hymn, rescue the perishing care for the dying. Snatch them in pity from sin in the grave. Our mission is to advance the cause of Jesus Christ in this world and to bring people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Our mission is Christ's mission. The Church & the Great Commission In Matthew chapter 28, the Lord Jesus gave what is commonly referred to as the Great Commission. Some people have have said that the Great Commission has become the great omission. How true it is that the one thing God left us to do is the one thing we're most failing to do. Listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:18, "All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you all way, even under the end of the world. Amen." I love this. The same one who founded the church is still with us. The same one that was with that first primitive church. Those first disciples that were the called out assembly is with us now and He is with us. Not so we can simply sit in a building and enjoy a good message, not so we can simply sit around in fellowship and talk to one another and think about how great it is. We're not going to hell, but to carry out his work in this world. Active Faith and Influence It was Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission that famously said, God is always advancing. I wonder if God's always advancing, are we? Because if we're in step with God, that must mean we're supposed to be on the move, not passive. But active, not simply sitting around waiting on Jesus to come. That was the error of the church at Thessalonica at one point. They thought they'll just sit around and wait on the Lord to show up. When Jesus said, occupy till I come, he did not mean occupy church pew. He meant be busy. Be busy about the Lord's business, the work of the Lord and the tool that we use in this ...
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    10 m
  • The Weekend Pulpit: After This

    The Weekend Pulpit: After This
    Mar 15 2025

    (Revelation 4:1-11) One million years from this moment, you will be somewhere. Death is merely a door into eternity. You can know where you will be and what will occur after your death. (0966250315)

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    41 m
  • Members

    Members
    Mar 14 2025
    (Acts 4:23) Is church membership taught in Scripture? In our study of the New Testament the Lord reveals His purpose in belonging to a local church. Membership matters. (0965250314) ----more----   Questions about Church Membership A very kind lady called me one day, and she was a little perturbed, we might say, by something that I had given in a Bible message regarding church membership. She said to me, I don't believe in belonging. I don't believe in being a member of a local church. I don't believe that's found in the Bible. Biblical Basis for Church Membership And I said to her the truth of the matter is I believe in a local New Testament church, which means I believe that the local church has autonomy. They have the right to do it any way they choose to do it. But the principle of belonging to a local assembly. Is certainly found in the Word of God. Now, how they keep up with those members and how they track them and all that kind of thing, that's not laid out in scripture, but belonging certainly is. As a matter of fact, at the very beginning of the early stages of the New Testament church, you find it repeatedly emphasized. Examples of Church Membership from the Book of Acts Let me show you what I mean. Acts chapter 4, verse 23, refers to the apostles after they had been beaten and persecuted. The Bible says in Acts 4:23, "And being let go they went to their own company and reported all of the chief priest and elders had said unto them." Look, they belonged somewhere. They had a company, there was a group that they were connected to and watch this. They were not only connected, they were accountable. I think right in this example, in Acts chapter 4, verse 23 perhaps is one of the reasons why people don't like the idea of membership. People don't wanna belong because they don't wanna be accountable. I. They wanna be attenders and not members, spectators and not participants. There are far too many people today who view the church as something they just come and observe. So they slip in at the last minute. They sit and they watch the goings on and then they slip out very quietly and they're not expected to do anything. May I tell you that is not the church that Jesus started and knowing the local New Testament church there is great accountability. Lemme show you again. How about Acts 5:12, "And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch and of the rest durst no man join himself to them, but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes, both of men and women." Did you hear it? There were some people that joined them, and there were others that said, we're not joining this group. They were. They were afraid. They were frightened. When people look at the New Testament church they may either be attracted or they may be repelled. And it has everything to do with their attitude towards Christ. If you love Christ, you'll love being with his people. If you love Christ, you'll love what he's doing in this world. And so here were people who were choosing whether they were going to join this local assembly or not. Here's another example. Paul's Joins the Church Acts 9:26, the Apostle Paul originally called Saul has just gotten saved, praise God, but there's a little issue because they're all afraid of him. He was a terrorist. He'd been killing Christians and imprisoning them. So in Acts 9:26, the Bible says, "And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples. But they were all afraid of him and believed not that he was a disciple." And I love the next verse 27 says, "But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way and that he had spoken to him and how he had preached boldly Damascus in the name of Jesus, and he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem." What do we learn from the example of Paul and the early church in Jerusalem? One thing we know is there was a visible body. There was a local church, there was a group there that met together. Then we know they had an identifiable body of doctrine. They believed something. They were preaching Christ, and only those who could line up with their doctrine. We're joining them, then we know people could join them because Paul wanted to, he wanted to put himself in line with this local group of followers of Christ. And then we know that only a true disciple was admitted. Criteria for Church Membership Now, that's very important, because we believe that to be a member of a local New Testament church, you first. Must know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior, that only those who are willing to publicly confess Jesus Christ and follow him in baptism should be admitted into the membership of the local church. If I go stand in a garage, that does not make me a car, and if I go sit in a church, that does not make me a ...
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    10 m
  • Why Go to Church?

    Why Go to Church?
    Mar 13 2025
    (Hebrews 10:25) You can worship God in many places, but there are some things you can only do as you meet with God's people. Today we discover seven simple, plain Bible reasons to regularly assemble in a local church. (0964250313) ----more---- Why Go To Church? Why go to church? I mean, honestly, what’s the point? Why did the Lord intend that his people would meet together? You know, we’ve learned already that the word church means “a called out assembly.” Now, while the purpose of the church doesn’t stop with the assembly, it does start there. Some people have so emphasized the fact that the church works outside the walls (which I believe) that we’ve forgotten, that we’re still supposed to meet with God’s people. The assembly part is important because, in the meeting of the New Testament church, the ministry is set in motion. It is as we fellowship, as we come together, as we are edified, as we grow, that then we can function in this world. Hebrews 10:25 says this, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” There’s a lot of truth wrapped up in Hebrews 10:25. We Are Not To Forsake The Assembling Of Ourselves Together. Do you remember the Lord Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (18:20). There’s something precious to Christ about His followers assembling. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He very often took His disciples aside, by themselves, so He could teach them. May I submit to you? He still wants to do that. And then the Bible says in this verse, as the manner of some is, boy, that describes the world we’re living in. Here we are, the end of the age when the assembling of God’s people ought to mean more and more, and instead, it seems it means less and less to many Christians. On the average Lord’s Day morning, you can drive through the community and see people doing almost everything except going to meet with God’s people. May I tell you that’s not the Lord’s way? We Are To Exhort One Another. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhort one another.” This is one of the great keys that unlocks the purpose of why we should assemble together. In fact, the previous verse, verse 24 says, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” We’ve come to the place in our world today where people even look at church selfishly. What can I get out of it? Are my children going to have a good time? How is this going to benefit us? We ought to turn the thing around. It should not be about “what I can get out of the church meeting?” but “what can I contribute?” “How can I be a blessing?” 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that all of the members are connected to the body. All of the members are under the head of the body, which is the Lord Jesus, but they all contribute to one another. We Are To Remember The Founder Is Coming Back. All are participants. None are dispensable. And so we ought to start looking at the local assembly and thinking, what can I do to make my church all God wants it to be? How can I be the kind of member of this called-out assembly that will help us move forward to the glory of God, and then listen to the powerful end of Hebrews 10:25, “and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.” What day is he talking about? He’s referring here to the day of the Lord’s return. Friend, Jesus is coming back. The Founder is about to return. The Head of the church is going to show up. And I don’t know about you. I’d be terribly ashamed for Him to find me totally disconnected from all the other members when He arrives I want Him to find me in my place, doing exactly what God wants me to do. So it brings us back to the question. Why go to church? Why did the Lord establish that we should meet? Let’s see what says. Let’s study the example of the early church, in the New Testament. Here Are Seven Bible Reasons We Go To Church 1. We Assemble To Pray. This is very important. And we begin here. Maybe, perhaps not where you thought I would begin. Everybody wants to run to the preaching, and I love preaching, let me tell you, I love to do it. And I love to hear it. But why don’t we begin with prayer? Because that’s where God began. What did Jesus command his disciples to do? Go to the upper room and pray. Acts 1:13-14. We read these words: “And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” The first meeting in the New Testament church after the ...
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    10 m
  • The Simple Structure of God's Amazing Work

    The Simple Structure of God's Amazing Work
    Mar 12 2025
    (1 Corinthians 14:40) The basic structure of the New Testament church is determined by only one person—the Founder of the church, Jesus Christ! God is a God of order and He has plainly left us the order He desires. The measure of any church is its obedience to Christ. (0963250312) ----more----   The Meaning of the Word "Church" Words matter. So why did the Lord Jesus Christ choose the word church to represent his people in this world? The word church itself literally means a called out assembly. Now there's two wonderful parts to that. First, we've been called out, are you glad you've been called out? Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:9 and says that we've been called out of darkness into his marvelous light. I love that. The Lord Jesus when he first came, called his disciples that they should be with him. So we're part of that. Called Out Assembly: Unity and Gathering We've been called out, but then it's a called out assembly. It presupposes the idea that we're not just supposed to belong, we're to be together. That we would meet, that we would gather, that we would stay connected to one another. A called out assembly. Now, while every person on Earth that has put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior belongs to the Lord, that entire group has never met together at one time, no matter how big the meeting may be. And it never will meet together at one time until we all get to glory someday. Won't that be a wonderful assembly? What a day that's gonna be. You've never been in a meeting, like the meeting around. The throne of God at the nail pierced feet of Jesus. That's gonna be a great day. Local New Testament Churches But my point is this, the overwhelming emphasis in the New Testament regarding the New Testament Church is that the New Testament Church is a local assembly. It's a local group of baptized believers who voluntarily joined themselves together to carry out the great commission. It is, if we might say it this way, a visible manifestation of the body of Christ in every place. For example, acts chapter eight, verse number one. This goes to really the heart of the church and the early stages of the church. Acts chapter eight, verse one says, "And Saul was consenting unto his death." That was the death of Stephen, the first martyr of the church. And the Bible says, and at that time there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem. There was a visible group of believers. Assembling together at Jerusalem. If you go over a few pages to Acts chapter 13, verse one. "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch." You hear that it's a reference to the geographical location of each assembly? We could go through the letters of the Apostle Paul, you'd find it again and again. Galatians chapter one, verse number two, one Thessalonians chapter one, verse number one. How about this one? Philippians 1:1, "Paul and Otus, the servants of Jesus Christ to all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi with the bishops and deacons." So our spiritual place is in Christ Jesus. We're seated with him in heavenly places. Praise God for that. But physically speaking, geographically circumstantially, we are at Philippi. At Thessalonica in Galacia or wherever your local assembly meets today. So we're dealing with local New Testament churches. Isn't that a simple principle? The Simplicity of God's Church Structure And a part of this simplicity, it's wonderful, is to see the simple structure of God's amazing work when the Lord Jesus founded his church. He established it in such a way that there was a simplicity to it. There was a simple structure. Let me give you a few thoughts today. Two Ordinances: Baptism and the Lord's Supper First of all he established two ordinances. That's wonderful. What are the two things he ordered that we do? They are baptism and the Lord's Supper. Matthew chapter 28, before he left the disciples, he told them to go into all the world to teach and then to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. So He ordered that we would baptize new believers and that baptism would identify those people with Christ and with His church in this world. You've gotta have several things, right? To have the right baptism, you gotta have the right authority. That's the local church. You have to have a right candidate. That's a saved person. They have to believe on Christ first. You have to have the right mode. That's immersion. That's what the word baptism means. It literally means to dip, immerse, or plunge, and so that's God's way. And then you have to have the right method, which is to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, because that's the way Christ said to do it. He ordered baptism. The second ordinance that he left the church was. What we refer to as the Lord's Supper or the memorial supper. Paul really expounds on this in one Corinthians chapter 11 and it's powerful, ...
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    10 m
  • A Word From the Founder

    A Word From the Founder
    Mar 11 2025
    (Matthew 18:15-20) There is much discussion today about what people think about church. Scripture tells us what Jesus thinks about the church, and how it should affect our thinking. Let's let the Founder speak for Himself... (0962250311) ----more----   Jesus: The Founder and Foundation of the Church If you want to know about any institution, perhaps the best place to start is listen to the words of the founder. Recently I read an interview with Dr. Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A. It was fascinating. Not just because of his business sense, but because of his dedication to Christ, his Christian testimony. But it was so intriguing to me just to hear from the founder's mouth, his own words the foundational principles that they'd built their company upon. If you want to know something about the church of the Lord, Jesus Christ, maybe it would be good if we asked the founder. In our world today, everybody has an opinion. Everybody wants to give their idea. This is what I think of church. Now this is what we want church to be. Wait a minute, let's get a word from the Founder today. What does He say about His church? Jesus' Vision for His Church And we began this study in Matthew chapter 16, verse 18, where Jesus said, "And I say also unto thee that thou Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church.And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." So we know it's his church. We know he's building his church. We know he is building his church upon himself. It's not upon Peter that the church is being built. As a matter of fact, there's a little divine humor here. Peter's name literally means a little pebble, a little rock. And then he goes on to say, but I'm gonna build my church upon this rock. In other words, upon a great rock, a great truth, what is that great truth? Oh, it is the great truth of who Jesus is. Paul would later say, of the foundation, can no man lay then that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. So this is where the Founder begins talking about His church. But if you go two chapters later in the gospel, according to Matthew chapter 18, He continues. Remember, He's laying foundational principles in the hearts and minds of His first followers, the original disciples. I believe it's my conviction that the church started with Christ and His disciples. Now, there's some people that believe the church didn't start until the Book of Acts. I believe from my study of scripture that the Lord Jesus who is the Founder of the church, was the first pastor, and I believe the original disciples that little group of 12, that was the first called out assembly, that was the first church, and that then that church was empowered by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost in the Book of Acts. In Acts, you see the advancement of the church. It's the book of the Continuing Christ. But if you want to know something about the beginning of the church, then you have to go back and see what the Lord Jesus said to His disciples. And so in Matthew chapter 18, beginning in verse 15, Jesus is teaching something about discipline within the church. Christ's Purpose and Principles for His Church Listen to what he says. "Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou is gain thy brother. But if you will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established." That's not my purpose to get into all the implications here, but there's a great principle. And the great principle is this, that when you have a problem with another brother or sister in Christ that should be dealt with personally, and then it should be dealt with privately within the local church. This is a day and age, especially with social media where everything gets aired. The Lord Jesus said. There's some things that ought to be dealt with in the family, within the family of God. So he goes on in verse number 17 and says this, "And if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the church, but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man. And a publican verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loose in heaven." Does that sound vaguely familiar? That is the same teaching that He gave in Matthew chapter 16, when he first talked about building his church, He said to Peter, "I'm going to give you the keys of the kingdom. Whatever you bind on earth, we bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loose in heaven." The Power of Prayer in the Church In other words, God has given to his church the great privilege of prayer, which is the divine link. It is the connection between earth and heaven. Heaven and earth. Isn't that glorious? And then he says in Matthew chapter 18, verse 19, "Again, I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ...
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