Sunday_Service

Dear Heavenly Father, I will not talk about myself today, I just thank the Lord that I am able to complete this sermon, I do ask for a special prayer for the antibiotics to work, and not to have any complications with this tube leading all the way through my vein close to my heart, if I have to suffer it, is in the Name of Christ, I should count it all joy, all of us should, for any of our sufferings for the cause of Christ, if we fully love the Lord. We should feel honored and worthy for suffering the shame, that we must go through, for this life for the foundation of Christ. We worship you with all we have, we want to teach our brothers and sisters the bread of life and please Father, send the Holy Spirit to all of us that hear and read this message today. We truly want to worship You in spirit and in truth, to be the church, that believes in the written Word, Your Word. We are those called out ones that love you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and tries not to let the worries of this world even alter our faith one spot. In Jesus Name.

The reason today we are in so much confusion today, is what the answer to the true church is, or the church of Jesus Christ. If we really don’t now what it is than we are in big trouble. You hear of all kinds of answers today and it becomes very conflicting within the body. We all question ourselves who is right and are we following the true path or has our lives been put on a detour. So what is the true church? Some think it is an organized religion. We if we really look at the meaning in the dictionary, tells us that the word religion means –an organized system of beliefs and rituals centering on a supernatural being or beings. However the church is not a system of beliefs and rituals even though they may be a part of what the church does. It does not explain to us what the church itself really is. The church may be religious, but it is not a religion. Then we have to ask ourselves is the church a building? As people get all there things ready and get dressed up to go to a particular building or a location. The building itself is not a church; many people think it is, so we will explain further. People will sometimes refer back to Old Testament time as the temple, and consider the same concept. The auditorium of a church building can also be referred as a sanctuary. But as the New Testament explains the real temple is in the (body of believers, which the Holy Spirit dwells in.)

Other aspects are we go to church to meet friends and to mingle and to have picnics, and other food gatherings, and to gossip, meet old friends for small talk, and more or less feel it is like a social club, and never get the full value you are going there in the first place, to learn about the bread of life, or the teaching of the bible, and the love and salvation of Jesus. We have to remember that each church has its own way of worship and different types of agreements, but I am surprised that between all these denominations they cannot form one perfect union or unity as one body the way the bible speaks of.

Let us now examine the word Church, it is thought to come from an Greek adjective kyriakon, meaning the (Lord’s) When the early Christians started to meet in houses and buildings they referred to the place as kyrialon doma which means the (house of the Lord,) but the word which translates into the word (church) from the Greek New Testament is ekklesia, and which in turn we get English words like ecclesiastical, and ecclesiology, This all might sound a bit confusing but it starts out with the root word (ek) which is a preposition meaning (out of) and kaleo a verb meaning (to call) so now in the known form klesia, it will mean (called ones) And to complete this whole menagerie the word will mean (called out ones). So in other words in our day it is meant as (an assembly,) a body of citizens summoned by a messenger.

In the Old Testament the word ekklesia is used in the Septuagint the Greek Old Testament, to translate the word qahal, which is translated into English by the words (assembly or congregation) It is also used in Acts 19:32,39, and 41 where it is translated assembly and refers to a mob in the city of Ephesus which defiantly was not a Christian assembly in reference to the New Testament the word (church) as its translation ekklesia is used 112 times excluding a few other usages which aretranslated by the word (church).

We have to admit in the early centuries of discrimination, intolerance and persecution, our bothers and sisters had to worship out-side, in caves, in the deep woods, and in private homes. Then the emperor Constantine 306-337 allowed the Christians to worship openly in pubic that the word (church) referred to a particular building or structure. So now in the 4th century the Christians began to use the Roman place of worship as a model for church, this way the word (church) became known as a building. These particular buildings are not mentioned in the New Testament, but they are through time, through man’s tradition, and gave a certain freedom for Christians to meet as a public assembly.

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed] were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, "Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life." Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back, saying, "We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside." Acts 5:19-23

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? James 2:1-4

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well. Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church that is in their house. Rom 16:1-5

As we see as time goes by when we leave the New Testament we begin to realize that things have changed and our following of the gospel has been altered to some extent. We find now that there are different definitions of the church. By the end of the second century that religious chain of command the bishop of the church in Rome was given a special honor and authority. So now the word “church” was taking on a new meaning. So the churches began to organize themselves on there own. By the end of the second century there was the appearance of a religious system and organization among the churches and the ranks or decrees of importance among various offices of the churches. So here we find separation because in the bible the bishop and elder are basically the same. And there isn’t any mention of any other roles as archdeacon or other different ranks. As the third century came along there was a lot of confusion by that time the churches were as to say organized with the bishop as the head and a local group of elders administering under him with deacons under the elders. Several writers in that period of time speak as the church as an institution represented by its bishops. Strange as it may seem there from the membership within itself there was no salvation. As time went by the churches were organizing themselves even if they did not realize it at first into one great super church. Now when Constantine stepped in the beginning of the 4th century Christianity was finally recognized and accepted as the state religion. So to put it another way this was the sadist day for the history of the church. Christians obtained legal status as corporate societies and high religious officers became public figures of great importance. It then appeared that the New Testament meaning of the church was almost lost.

Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Eph. 4:1b-6

So by the 20th century the walls and the barriers between various denominational groups had become heavy. But one or two would find a crack or a mistake or something missing in the walls. People especially the young began the question the denominationalism and the allegiance to certain brand names as liberalism. The questioning became more open and more and more denominations were drifting toward liberalism, and getting far away from simple Bible teaching The Jesus People of the 60’s became a major factor in breaking down denominational walls. Young people were coming to the faith in Jesus out of a decade of rebellion, riots, drugs, sex, etc. Many of these same young people are now responsible members of bible teaching churches. They do not seem to be what brand name they are. They are hungry for the authority of God’s word and will go to a church that teaches and preaches the bible.

These are powerful words, I will build My church, tell us whose church it is, and who is going to build it, none other than Jesus Christ! Even Death itself (gates of Hades- the doorway into Hades is death) cannot destroy the church His Church. The Church belongs to Jesus Christ, and we better not forget it. If the church is not His church, it is not a church! The (rock) upon which the church is built is not Peter, but rather Jesus Christ.

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. Eph 5:22-30

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Eph. 4:14-16

Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God’s field, God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1Cor.3:8-11

Dear Lord, As we come to a close of our service today, we want to thank each and everyone of you for attending and sharing our service, we don’t need a building, we need the fellowship of our people, and we need to express our love to all mankind and to show the way to salvation to all that do not know Christ, and to have a personnel relationship with Jesus. We are the farmers that do the planting, and the watering, and our mighty Father does the rest, all we can do is love and forgive all people, and give a hope of joy to them until Jesus returns, it may be tomorrow or the next day but if we keep our hearts pure without envy and jealousy, and wanting money and power, God will take care of His children, I am a proven fact. Just to be here this day and be able to say this prayer is a gift from God. See you all next week, grace and peace be with you always, In Jesus Name Amen

The new land of religious freedom was America and in order to practice there particular kind of church life and doctrine, these churches flooded into the land of the free, and began to worship as they pleased. From the stand point of religious freedom it was a good thing, but from the standpoint of the unity, and of the body of Christ with bible doctrine it was beginning to shift. The rivalry and competition between the various sects was a far cry from the New Testament teaching of one body. Each group was of course quite confused about its beliefs, as to the nature and work of the New Testament church. During this period we saw the rise of denominationalism. In the history of most denominations you will find an outstanding individuality to which these groups continued to look for the right way, but there was no direction. There were too many groups wanting to be the head, on their own way with their own beliefs, and steering away from the truth, and biblical values. As it seems many sects and denominations had conflicting personalities and lost the truth, in the descending path, forgetting that Christ is the head of the church with neighboring biblical scripture, was being mixed with all different beliefs, that was established from the past, and within this new freedom, the true church spread even wider from the standard base.