Today we are going to start a new series of messages called The Church of Jesus . This new series will focus on the fundamental importance of The Church of Christ and its the role on earth.
Everything I’m going to give you is based on what the New Testament says about the Church and our own part in it.
The New Testament’s word “ekklesia” translated into English as “church”, means assembly, and the New Testament show us two kinds of assemblies: one in heaven and many on earth. These two kinds are the universal and the local church
Universal church is a heavenly assembly of everyone – past, present, and future – who belong to Christ’s new covenant and kingdom.
Local Church is a group of baptised believers who join together regularly, who preach the gospel, celebrate the ordinances and have a commitment to help each other fulfil God’s purpose in each other’s lives.
There is just one Lord, one saviour and there is just one Church , (Today we have many denominations and labels) but one day I will see a multitude of people that no man can number around the throne of God.
I believe there is only one church, one Holy Church and one true church, and Shalom is just a small part of it.
The church of Jesus is everlasting, there is only one society on earth that never loses a member by death, and this is the Church of Jesus.
The Church is going to last forever! Nothing on this planet will last much long, except the Church, that’s how important the Church is !
“Then we will be with the Lord forever.”
1 Thessalonians 4:17
Christ offers you eternal membership of the church.
This is why Jesus said: I will build My Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
That means the gates that closed over the dead will not prevail against Jesus’ church. The church smashes through those gates.
Jesus said I am He who was dead and I’m alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and hell.
Revelation 1:18
The true Church of Jesus will never ever get smaller, it always get bigger and bigger. Doesn’t that excite you?
What a privilege it is to belong to something that is such a success, that’s getting bigger all the time.
God reveals in the bible that we should be relate to Christ but also fully related and committed to His Church. It is the other side of the penny.
Christian life has these two sides: the vertical relationship with the Lord and the horizontal with his church that is the followers of Jesus.
Today we are going to see that the Church is the personal representative and agent of Jesus on earth. There are a lot of misunderstandings about what the Church is and there is many who are deceived by false teachings, false churches and false leaders.
In one of the message of this series I’m going to talk about the True and False Church. Because of the false teachings, false churches and false leaders many have come to believe that church is not important and there are many Christians that are not committed to the Church.
“Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:6
Jesus is the only way of salvation! No one comes to the Father or goes to Heaven except through Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the Door and there is no other door, and the only way to access God’s presence on earth is by Jesus Christ !
Salvation is only through Jesus; He is the Door but He has a body on earth and His body is the Church.
Jesus is the head of the Church and the Church is the Body of Christ.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”
I Corinthians 12:27
How can someone say : I like Jesus but I don’t like church, I’m committed to Jesus but I’m not committed to the church. I love Jesus but I don’t love the church.
Christ and the Church are one and the Church is the Body of Christ. Some people say: I need Christ but I don’t need the church.
Example: Imagine a man saying to his wife : I love your hair and your face but I don’t like your body! (You would be in trouble)
If you are not committed to the Body of Christ you’re not committed to Christ!
Church is the personal representative and agent of Jesus on earth.
18 “ I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.””
Matthew 16:18-19
Jesus said I will build my Church – pastor Marcio has no Church, the Church doesn’t belong to any leader or pastor, the church belongs to Jesus Christ.
Jesus didn’t give Peter the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, he gave them to the Church. And Jesus said : whatever the Church bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever the church loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
When you are connected to the church on earth, or when you get baptised, you get connected in heaven.
When you are disconnected from the church you’re disconnected in heaven.
No one can live without belonging to a church, for the church is the authority here on earth that can put someone in Heaven. Every person that is activated here on earth is also activated in Heaven.
How can a church activate someone here on earth? Through baptism.
Whenever you get baptised in the water, you are activated as a part of the local church (Shalom) here on earth, you become a disciple of Jesus.
Let’s see once again how the Church is the personal representative and agent of Jesus on earth
“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
Matthew 10:40
Those who receive you receive me. In other words, you are my representative. That’s the only way I can come to people is through you. If you go, then I will go with you, if they receive you, then they will receive Me.
“So Jesus said to them : As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.””
John 20:21
I’m sending you exactly the same way the father sent me.
Jesus came as representative of the Father and said : Who has seen me, has seen the Father.
If we are sent in the same way we have the obligation to say to the world : If you have seen us, you have seen Christ.
Jesus said: As my Father sent me, I send you !
The Church is the visible and authorised representative of Jesus Christ.
Can you now see how important the church is? Are you a committed member of Jesus Church? Or are you church visitor?
Who had the idea of Church in the very beginning? Who started the whole thing? Who thought of linking Christianity to the Church?
The answer is Jesus. He said, I will build my Church. I cannot claim to be a follower of the Lord Jesus and yet ignore the Church.
If He said “I will build my church” and told us all to belong to it how can I dare say “I can be a Christian without doing what He told me to do”.
The problem is: many people are in the building but not in the Body of Christ.
Church is not an event I attend, it’s a spiritual family that I belong to. It’s a spiritual family that I belong to.
41 “Those who believed what Peter said were baptised and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper ), and to prayer.
46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity —”
Acts of the Apostles 2:41-42, 46
Now notice these words : Believed, Baptised, Added to the Church , Devoted themselves, Teachings, Fellowship, Sharing meals, ate together, ministered and prayed together, worshiped together.
According to these bible verse and many others, the definition of Church is quite clear.
A Church is a group of baptised believers who have joined together in a commitment to help each other fulfil God’s purpose in their lives.
The purpose of the Church is to help you fulfil God’s purpose in your life.
A Church is not an institution, the church is not a corporation with Jesus as the leader; the church is an organism; it has life, it is a body with Jesus as the head.
The Church Is God’s family
“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.”
Ephesians 2:19
When you are born again you became part of Gods family .
Just as you became a part of the human race by being born into the world you also became a part of Gods family by being born again into God’s family.
You’re member of God’s family.
What is God’s family?
“That family is the church of the living God. And God’s church is the support and foundation of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15
Church is not an organisation, it’s not a building, Church is the family of the living God !
The Bible says that your church is a Family. How does your family work? Do you go home whenever you want? Is it important for your family that every member is there every day? When the children are missing at dinner time do you ring or go after them?
Beloved brother and sister when we get baptised or received as a member of Shalom you become part of Shalom family !
Remember that Jesus’ church is a physical church, not an online church !
I know many people are listening my preachings on Internet and these teachings can help you have more understanding, but If you don’t come to this church I’m not your pastor !
I’m the pastor of the people who come to this church ! Every believer should be a faithful member of a church and invest their time and make disciples for the kingdom of God.
The Church of God is the Support and Foundation of the truth.
Same people don’t have any support or foundation for their lives because they don’t belong to a church, they only attend a church sometimes.
So the church is God’s family – that’s why it’s more important than any business, government or any organisation.
God’s family is the Church of the living God .
Why is the Church important? Because God purchased the church with the blood of His own Son – Jesus Christ
When Jesus was hanging on the cross He was dying for The Church.
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
Acts 20:28
The Holy Spirit has made leaders to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
“Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,”
Ephesians 5:25
When Jesus was hanging on the cross it was to make the Church possible.
What God is doing today is forming a Body, a Bride, a Building and The Church is The Active Body of Christ on earth.
The church is the body of Christ; that’s a metaphor for the church and He’s making it and One day we will be as the Bride of Christ coming up to meet the Lord in the air and we will forever be with the Lord.
Here is my point : The primary work of God in the World today is forming , developing and building His Church.
This is why is it so important to be in all meetings, Sunday Services, Home Cell Meetings, Prayer Meetings, being an active member of the Body of Christ.
Now we are going to prepare to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper is a celebration of our covenant with the Lord Jesus in memory (remembrance) of everything he did for us on the Cross.
“and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. 26 This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.”
I Corinthians 11:24-30
We need to have the attitude of maturity, here it asks us to EXAMINE, Do not eat or drink it in an unworthy manner, not DISCERNING THE BODY.
Notice here their problem was not discerning The Body of Christ
Who is the Body of Christ? The Church!
Are you valuing the body of Christ? Are you fully committed to the Body, are you a faithful member of your local church? Are you working for the body of Christ?
He who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
Let’s have a time of prayer and repentance for not discerning the Body of Christ and let’s renew our covenant with Jesus and also with our local church where you got baptised and became a member.
God bless you