The Church

The Church -1Tim3:1-16 Text 15

Not just a building, not even just a few people meeting a few times a week singing, talking a little bit, shaking hands and then going home. The Church and I call it that because there is only one. I belong to two churches. My name is on the roll of the Wichita Bible Holiness Church, but I'm glad my name is on the roll of the First Born. That's written in Heaven. And I can echo the words of Tom White the president of VOM when he was in prison in Cuba for spreading tracts they tried to intimidate him by telling him he would never see his children again. Bro. White told his interogators that he would see them again because they didn't have a long enough pencil. When Captian Antonio asked what he meant by that, Tom told him about the Book in heaven where their names were written and "No pencil was long enough for him to reach up and erase their names from the book."

It doesn't matter what happens in the world, no man has the power to take my name Out of the book of life.

I'm Thankful for the Church. When I got saved God put a love in my heart for the Church. Tozer said- "It is impossible to recieve Christ and reject His people" They are so entwined. You take all or none.

The Church is the Boat - Noah had to build an ark because of the flood coming. It's not going to be water but fire this time. The church should be trying to get as many on the boat as they can. Oh that God would help us to reach out to souls. Maybe we should start having class meetings again. One of the questions that John Wesely and the men in the Holy Club at Oxford used to ask themselves was. "When did I last speak to somebody else with the object of trying to win that person for Christ?"

The Church is the Body of Christ - "Oh to be His hand Extended" another song writer prayed, "Holy Spirit FLOW THRU ME" That God would help us to

Habitat for Humanity set a new record in March 1999. It was in Auckland, New Zealand. With 140 volunteers on site and 14 months of planning, a four-bedroom house complete with curtains, mailbox, lawn,shrubs, and fence and yes it all worked. In Get this 3 hours,44 minutes and 59 seconds. When people work together things happen.

Oh that the Body of Christ would get on the same page and work together. I'm afraid some are in the wrong book.

If you look at 1Cor. 12 it talks all through there about the body and compares it to the church. It basically tells us to do what we are good at in union and accord with the others in the church. For example, This is a poor example but those who sing, sing, those who teach, teach, those who preach, preach, etc. Working together and building the church.Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

The Church is the Bride of Christ - The Bride, The beautiful blushing lady in as spotless white as she can get, who strolls down the aisle of the church in a traditional wedding to be given by her father to a young man.

That is what in a sense happens to us. We are given by the Father to the Son, however we are in the preparing days. We should be making sure our garments are wrinkle free and spotless. Sis. Dora is sewing away getting ready for my cousin's wedding and she is doing her best to make them as perfect as she can. That is the way God wants us. Without spot or wrinkle.

The church Jesus told Peter He was going to build it on the rock and the gates of hell shall not prevail. We aren't going down. One songwriter said, "I've read the back of the book and we win" another wrote about the Church, " No government can break and no evil power can shake it for the Spirit of the Lord has been it's stay. On a rock he said He'd build it and the gates of hell can't tilt it but He's coming to remove it right away."

The Church is the only thing going passed the graveyard. It's going passed death it's going to be victorious because of the Blood of Jesus Christ which has purchased us and cleansed us. There is nothing that can come against the church that hasn't gone through God first. Some might think that God is in heaven now wringing his hands saying what do I do with those Islamic extremest? But I answer that with a loud resounding NO. God will never meet his Waterloo and neither will HIS CHURCH. Christ is still going to mount that great white steed and ride through the heavens with that inscription on his thigh, "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

I'm glad to be a part of the CHURCH I mean to stay a part of the CHURCH I mean to Contribute to CHURCH