The Church Rediscovering its purpose IV

The Church

The Church is called first of all to be a world changing people

• The Church The living body of Christ, not a government, structure, religion.
• Those that have separated themselves to follow and serve God in real life
• Rediscover? Have we lost sight or maybe not stayed up with the Holy Spirit?
• Purpose? Never Changes!

The church has certain attributes or Characteristics, privileges, and promises pertaining to Christ’s kingdom belong, is a spiritual body consisting of all true believers,

• Characteristics (something that identifies the Church)
• Fruit of the spirit, changed life(new creation), Holy Spirit power, love for one another, grace, mercy, meet regularly (the assembly)
• Privileges (What we are allowed to do because we are the Church)
• Know God, live in his presence, be free from Sin, belong to the family of God, Have authority and power over the Devil, Faith (a gift), be led by the Spirit of God, Have the word of God, partakers of his provisions (Health and healing, peace of God,)
• Promises (What we can expect from God to fulfill because we are the Church)
• Eternal life, new body, heavenly home, everything new, rewards in Heaven, blessing for those that faithfully give, tithe, and sow.
• Commands (things we must do) fulfill God’s laws

Continue this week.

The re-mastering direction

Acts 26: 12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ”‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you (KJV “For this purpose) as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.

• I was going to…
• Before we met Jesus we were all “going to…” another direction, the wrong path, unknown destination, Hell, destruction…
• Why do you persecute me?
• Did you know that we have always had something to do with Jesus?
• Matthew 12: 30 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
• I have appeared to you for this purpose.

The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was no passing emotion, but a vision that had very clear  directions for him, and he said—“I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” The Lord said, in effect, to Paul—‘your whole life is to be re-mastered (repurposed, re-programmed) by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine.’ ‘I have chosen you.’

When we are born again we all have visions, if we are spiritual at all, of what Jesus wants us to be, and the great thing is to learn not to be disobedient to the vision, not to say that it cannot be attained.

• Learn not to be disobedient to the vision
• You may not have the same vision or purpose that Paul received, but you have received something. Something that God wants you to do for him.
• For some reason we are disobedient to it.
• Self seeking, staying on old path, rebellious, don’t care…

• Not to say that it cannot be attained
• Another reason may be that we are unbelieving!

In order to stay focused and attain what the Lord has for us to do, it is not enough just to know that God has redeemed the world, and to know that the Holy Spirit is working in us.

• I must have a personal relationship to Him.

Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim, he was brought into a vivid, personal, overmastering relationship to Jesus Christ. Verse 16 is immensely commanding—“to make thee a minister and a witness.” There is nothing there apart from the personal relationship.

• “To make thee a minister and a witness.” of what you have seen of me and what I will show you
• Paul was devoted to a Person not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s; he saw nothing else; he lived for nothing else. “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 1Cor. 2:2

Here again!

1 Corinthians 15: 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

• The fact of the Gospel & the relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Who are you, Lord?
• Have we asked this one? Have we settled for a Historical fact of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, but never gotten to know WHO his IS?

Lord and Master

That is why I like this word re-mastering.

Prayer: to know him, to make him Lord and Master of my life. 

“For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 1Cor. 2:2