Together We Build Part 2:

Creating Structure: Rediscovering God’s Blueprint

In our first session, we laid the foundation of God’s Church- the people- how we are to live in relation to Him. Now we are going to develop the structure that is meant to stand on that foundation. To do this, we must begin with the most important, and perhaps most obvious, question: What is God’s purpose for His Church?

In Matt 16:13-19, Jesus touches uppn this subject.

“Now when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you yourselves say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.””

The Expositor’s Bible puts it like this: “Upon this rock of revealed truth—the truth you have just confessed—I will build my church” . Whole dotrines and denominations have tried to use this text as their anchor, so I will simply say this: It is very clear, when considering the context of Jesus’ Words, that the Church should be built upon the revelation of who He is, and what He accomplished- as I have mentioned before, this is known as the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Even if you don’t commit these terms to memory, it is important as a Christian that you both understand this for yourself, and that you learn how to articulate it to others. That is the purpose for the Church, known as the Great Commission: Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

So the Church must be a place where people are:

Taught to understand the Gospel,

Prepared to share the Gospel and

Engaged in discipleship of those who receive the Gospel.

So how are we taught the Gospel? An important- and I believe indispensible method- is expository preaching- this is preaching that exposes the meaning of God’s Word to God’s people. The whole Gospel should be both taught AND demonstrated in our worship services. We should be regularly reminded and gently encouraged to uphold our responsibility to share the Gospel, and we should be shown how to do it. It is a good practice to offer the prayer of salvation in our services, and to make visitors aware who they can speak to about receiving Christ- TODAY! This should be supplimented with a regularly scheduled Bible study. Why is this important? Don’t we already get enough on Sundays? We experience many wonderful asnd necessary things on Sunday: preaching, praise & worship, fellowship and prayer. But we do not get the opportunity to ask questions- about what we just heard, or anythnig else! How can we make sure that we understand what has been shared…and how can we apply it to our everyday lives? Bible study is a time tested way to do this. And because most churches now have a digital or online presence, we should include prayer and information on receiving salvation through Jesus Christ. God and God alone brings sinners from death to life, but He does so through individuals- like you, and like me- sharing the Gospel.

So we have preached the Gospel, we shared it with our friends, neighbors, co-workers…and some people respond to the invitation. Now what? Now, the REAL work begins!

This brings us to Discipleship.

Matt 28:19 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,”

What is Discipleship?

A disciple has been shown to be someone who follows the teachings, life, and aim of another until the person becomes like the master. Discipleship in the Christian sense is the process of making someone become like Christ. The disciple of Christ is to become like Christ in everything. The Church is not merely an organization- it is an organism- the living, breathing Body of Chrst. And each part must be taught to embrace it’s purpose.

This is the area of challenge for most churches. It requires a level of vulnerability and transparency that many people are uncomfortable with. This is because, in part, the fact that it involves church discipline. We must hold ourselves to a standard, and hold others to that standard as well. If we do not, the Church will lose its identity and effectiveness. But we are not called to face this challenge alone! The Bible says that the Holy Spirit empowers us to do the work!

Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.””

We are promised the power to do what? To be witnesses, to tell people what we saw & experienced!

Most of the time, we focus on the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But did you know that there was a SECOND major outpouring?

Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”

There are 2 things that I must stress to you today. The first is the absolute NECESSITY of discipleship; the second is that you are powerFULL, not powerLESS. We must pray about everything, and we need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do anything. Remember the Lord’s promise- and remember that He is a promise keeper.

Don’t Miss Your Check Ups!

It is important for us to evaluate ourselves from time to time. Just as you go to your doctor each year for a check up, we need to pull away from our routine- retreat, pun intended- to check in with the Lord. On a personal level, we should do this often.

Before Communion- Each month we partake in the Lord’s Supper, and we are warned by the scriptures not to “take it unworthily”. This is a parfect opportunity to make sure we have no unrepentant sin; an opportunity to forgive people, and to ask for forgiveness. Both require humilty, and for us to remember the cost that was paid for our salvation. We dare not withhold forgiveness, knowing that we have been forgiven for sins against God Himself.

Before bedtime- Eph 4:26 “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,” This is a good habit to develop- especially for married couples! Make sure you are not harboring resentment- it will surely hinder your ability to share God’s love with others, and receive forgiveness yourself

And of course, as a church we should periodically and prayerfully reflect on our mission, and our progress. We may discover that adjustments need to be made. New leaders may need to be appointed; before adding more weight, any architect will tell you that the structure must be strengthened. An aanuall retreat like this, or prayer meeting present great opportunities to do this corporately.

Let us pray.

Discussion Questions

What did structure look like when the “1st Church” was established? What can glean from them for the Church today?

What is the difference between an organization and an organism? Which do you think best describes the Lord’s Church?

“More weight, more structure.”- G. Morris Coleman. What do you think is meant by this expression?

Every structure requires maintenance. What type of “spiritual maintenance” can we perform to make sure the church remains healthy, strong and safe?