The Foundation (The Church Pt.2)
The Foundation (The Church Pt.2)
Matthew 16:16-18 NLT “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’” Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
We’re going to be referring to a document that was a statement of beliefs written over 1600 years ago, by the early church, inspired by the Scriptures that the Apostles wrote in the Bible.
They declared this Creed in unity together when they gathered together:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
(This was originally adopted, and then modified to read “the holy Catholic Church” - which at that time, there was no denominations… Catholic actually means = Global, universal Church (meaning the WHOLE BODY of Christ as the Church).
(Not to be confused with the Roman Catholic Church or the eastern Orthodox Church that was formed around 1054AD.)
This isn’t just a list of beliefs, but something to keep us ANCHORED in the foundation of what we should hold to in our belief.
WHY do you believe what you believe?
Have you ever had a personal encounter with God?
Revelation 3:20 KJV “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”
What we believe HAS TO come out of a personal relationship and experience that we have sought for, not just cuz of something someone told us.
And once we have ‘tasted and seen that the Lord is good’, we are to always be ready to give an answer to others.
1 Peter 3:15 NLT “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful (relatable) way.”
If you don’t know what you believe, then the culture around us will define our beliefs, which is pretty much why today we have so many different denominations.
Because of what once started out as THE CHURCH “THE ROCK”, and a reference to Peter who had a personal revelation from God of Who Jesus is and Who sent Him, got distorted with “MAN’S” idea of what the church should be! …and may people follow the crowd!
It should be our highest priority to surround ourselves with our brothers and sisters in Christ!
It can definitely be dangerous for us to associate with unbelievers when it comes to our ideologies, or man-made theories and similar things that come into relationship with the TRUTH we should acknowledge in our lives.
2 Peter 2:7-8 NLT “But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.”
When this said that it tormented his soul, this is referring to how Lot was actually compromised by being exposed to all the wickedness around him which actually influenced his decision making and corrupted his family and those around him. (He thought he could handle being exposed to the wickedness without it influencing or affecting him.)
The other part of “the communion of saints” referred to in this document, refers to Unity which we talked about last week:
1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.”
There should be one mission and purpose that we adopt that is motivating us….
Just like OUR MISSION STATEMENT….
“Creating and Developing a Christ Centered Lifestyle…for our God Given Purpose.”
When you adopt a sports team as “YOUR TEAM”, you can be with like-minded “fans” who all get passionate about the game. You’re yelling and rooting for the team. And when they appear to be losing, you have an OPINION on what players should be doing something different, what the Coaches did wrong in your eyes, etc.
It’s easier to criticize watching someone on TV when you’re not the one on the field, right? And that’s how a lot of people treat the Church.
They know what would make it better, what different songs to sing, how the preacher should act, and how the thermostat should be set, what color to paint the walls, and what kind of donuts to bring on 1st Sunday Fellowship - AM I RIGHT?!
But very few of them are actually plugged in as an adopted contributing member of the Church.
We have to remember, the Church was never meant to WATCH the Church, but we are called to BE THE CHURCH.
CHURCH FACTS:
1. The Church is God’s people - Believe (in Christ and His Church), Belong (Integrate yourself in ways that creates bonding and belonging), Become the Church (seek to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus as His Church).
2. You can’t separate Jesus from His Church. (Many say they love Jesus but they don’t love Church) - You can’t love your spouse, but you just don’t like their head. It doesn’t work well when someone likes your Spouse but they don’t like YOU (their Bride). The Church is supposed to be the Bride of Christ.
3. People talk about “Church Hurt” - You have a person or people hurt, because the Church is full of broken, messed up people. The Church is necessary for your Spiritual Growth. You can’t have a negative experience with a Plumber, and you just decide you will never ever call a plumber again because you got plumber hurt. You wouldn’t do that with Walmart, Doctors, Lawnmowers, etc. Just cuz you had a bad experience with your Refrigerator doesn’t mean you’re going to store your food in a cooler with ice the rest of your life.
4. The devil knows that if he can work divisiveness and disunity, then he’s got a foothold to hinder the church. (Father of lies, master of manipulation)
5. The devil knows if he can convince you to not BE the Church, then he knows that’s where you’re going to grow, that’s where you heal, that’s were your purpose is developed.
6. This Church is JESUS’ Church, built on the revelation of what Jesus is. It’s not built on Charisma, Talent, Production, Lights, or Electricity. Jesus has to be the central focus.
7. The Church is God’s family = We believe in the communion or connection of the saints - Relationship. And relationship is not done be something you casual go to. It’s beyond acquaintances. And yes, it can be scary, and it involves risk taking. But the common thing that brings us together is our belief in common purpose of the Gospel.
To be the true Church model as it was intended and instituted by God, means:
•They sacrificed together
•None of us is as good as ALL OF US TOGETHER
•We have to fight the urge of being selfish. Selfishness destroys the purpose and health in your life.
•Our culture tries to push us towards independence, and tries to push us toward isolation, thinking we don’t need each other.
- Ephesians 6 (Greed is demonic) You never feel at peace in your heart with selfishness.
•Son of man came to serve, not be served.
•We are to lay down our life for our friends
•Selfishness looks out at what is “best” or comfortable for me, what benefits us,
Music, Sermon, Coffee, Programs
•“Don’t expect too much from me, cuz I come to be SERVED.” (Mentality)
We have to die to our PREFERENCES.
We don’t gossip, we encourage each other.
If there’s an issue, we deal with it in a godly way without fleshly emotions driving us - but going to them directly in a heart of WANTING RESTORATION, not your way.
You can be in a crowd of people but not be connected.
God wants to use the Church to bring healing to each other, but that requires vulnerability and honesty and love.
We need the Church to rejoice with, to grieve with, to win with.
When we are alone, the enemy seeks to devour those in isolation.
The Church is God’s Plan = The Mission We ALL Have Together
If you think the Church is just a BRAND or ORGANIZATION - You will think that the Great Commission is just “THE CHURCH’S JOB”.
It’s a mission that WE ALL AS THE CHURCH BODY has in common.
If you don’t understand that the Church is YOU, YOU and ME, then we will not take personal responsibility for the command Jesus gave us.
We can’t rely on the government to reach the world, or some side organization to bring hope. We’ve been equipped with the Good News, and we MUST do it together, KNOWING WHAT WE BELIEVE, AND WHAT WE ADOPT AND WHO WE BELONG TO.
When the astronauts took their mission recently…you could see the UNITY among them as a TEAM for the SAKE OF THE MISSION.
We have to know that we walk in HIS AUTHORITY TOGETHER - (In the Great Commission) - We don’t go in our own strength.
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS becomes our righteousness
HIS BLOOD HAS POWER….GIVEN TO THE CHURCH.
We can be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
We are to BELONG and be relationally connected to the Church.
We are not just to be an observer of it.
We are to live with each other in unity.
We are called to a mission.
We don’t have endless time to accomplish the mission.
We don’t attend or consume Church.
We don’t criticize Church.
We BECOME the Church.
Shift to the next level besides just loving Jesus, but by adopting the mindset of DEVELOPING your relationship with God within THE CHURCH!
We’re going to be referring to a document that was a statement of beliefs written over 1600 years ago, by the early church, inspired by the Scriptures that the Apostles wrote in the Bible.
They declared this Creed in unity together when they gathered together:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
(This was originally adopted, and then modified to read “the holy Catholic Church” - which at that time, there was no denominations… Catholic actually means = Global, universal Church (meaning the WHOLE BODY of Christ as the Church).
(Not to be confused with the Roman Catholic Church or the eastern Orthodox Church that was formed around 1054AD.)
This isn’t just a list of beliefs, but something to keep us ANCHORED in the foundation of what we should hold to in our belief.
WHY do you believe what you believe?
Have you ever had a personal encounter with God?
Revelation 3:20 KJV “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”
What we believe HAS TO come out of a personal relationship and experience that we have sought for, not just cuz of something someone told us.
And once we have ‘tasted and seen that the Lord is good’, we are to always be ready to give an answer to others.
1 Peter 3:15 NLT “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful (relatable) way.”
If you don’t know what you believe, then the culture around us will define our beliefs, which is pretty much why today we have so many different denominations.
Because of what once started out as THE CHURCH “THE ROCK”, and a reference to Peter who had a personal revelation from God of Who Jesus is and Who sent Him, got distorted with “MAN’S” idea of what the church should be! …and may people follow the crowd!
It should be our highest priority to surround ourselves with our brothers and sisters in Christ!
It can definitely be dangerous for us to associate with unbelievers when it comes to our ideologies, or man-made theories and similar things that come into relationship with the TRUTH we should acknowledge in our lives.
2 Peter 2:7-8 NLT “But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.”
When this said that it tormented his soul, this is referring to how Lot was actually compromised by being exposed to all the wickedness around him which actually influenced his decision making and corrupted his family and those around him. (He thought he could handle being exposed to the wickedness without it influencing or affecting him.)
The other part of “the communion of saints” referred to in this document, refers to Unity which we talked about last week:
1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.”
There should be one mission and purpose that we adopt that is motivating us….
Just like OUR MISSION STATEMENT….
“Creating and Developing a Christ Centered Lifestyle…for our God Given Purpose.”
When you adopt a sports team as “YOUR TEAM”, you can be with like-minded “fans” who all get passionate about the game. You’re yelling and rooting for the team. And when they appear to be losing, you have an OPINION on what players should be doing something different, what the Coaches did wrong in your eyes, etc.
It’s easier to criticize watching someone on TV when you’re not the one on the field, right? And that’s how a lot of people treat the Church.
They know what would make it better, what different songs to sing, how the preacher should act, and how the thermostat should be set, what color to paint the walls, and what kind of donuts to bring on 1st Sunday Fellowship - AM I RIGHT?!
But very few of them are actually plugged in as an adopted contributing member of the Church.
We have to remember, the Church was never meant to WATCH the Church, but we are called to BE THE CHURCH.
CHURCH FACTS:
1. The Church is God’s people - Believe (in Christ and His Church), Belong (Integrate yourself in ways that creates bonding and belonging), Become the Church (seek to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus as His Church).
2. You can’t separate Jesus from His Church. (Many say they love Jesus but they don’t love Church) - You can’t love your spouse, but you just don’t like their head. It doesn’t work well when someone likes your Spouse but they don’t like YOU (their Bride). The Church is supposed to be the Bride of Christ.
3. People talk about “Church Hurt” - You have a person or people hurt, because the Church is full of broken, messed up people. The Church is necessary for your Spiritual Growth. You can’t have a negative experience with a Plumber, and you just decide you will never ever call a plumber again because you got plumber hurt. You wouldn’t do that with Walmart, Doctors, Lawnmowers, etc. Just cuz you had a bad experience with your Refrigerator doesn’t mean you’re going to store your food in a cooler with ice the rest of your life.
4. The devil knows that if he can work divisiveness and disunity, then he’s got a foothold to hinder the church. (Father of lies, master of manipulation)
5. The devil knows if he can convince you to not BE the Church, then he knows that’s where you’re going to grow, that’s where you heal, that’s were your purpose is developed.
6. This Church is JESUS’ Church, built on the revelation of what Jesus is. It’s not built on Charisma, Talent, Production, Lights, or Electricity. Jesus has to be the central focus.
7. The Church is God’s family = We believe in the communion or connection of the saints - Relationship. And relationship is not done be something you casual go to. It’s beyond acquaintances. And yes, it can be scary, and it involves risk taking. But the common thing that brings us together is our belief in common purpose of the Gospel.
To be the true Church model as it was intended and instituted by God, means:
•They sacrificed together
•None of us is as good as ALL OF US TOGETHER
•We have to fight the urge of being selfish. Selfishness destroys the purpose and health in your life.
•Our culture tries to push us towards independence, and tries to push us toward isolation, thinking we don’t need each other.
- Ephesians 6 (Greed is demonic) You never feel at peace in your heart with selfishness.
•Son of man came to serve, not be served.
•We are to lay down our life for our friends
•Selfishness looks out at what is “best” or comfortable for me, what benefits us,
Music, Sermon, Coffee, Programs
•“Don’t expect too much from me, cuz I come to be SERVED.” (Mentality)
We have to die to our PREFERENCES.
We don’t gossip, we encourage each other.
If there’s an issue, we deal with it in a godly way without fleshly emotions driving us - but going to them directly in a heart of WANTING RESTORATION, not your way.
You can be in a crowd of people but not be connected.
God wants to use the Church to bring healing to each other, but that requires vulnerability and honesty and love.
We need the Church to rejoice with, to grieve with, to win with.
When we are alone, the enemy seeks to devour those in isolation.
The Church is God’s Plan = The Mission We ALL Have Together
If you think the Church is just a BRAND or ORGANIZATION - You will think that the Great Commission is just “THE CHURCH’S JOB”.
It’s a mission that WE ALL AS THE CHURCH BODY has in common.
If you don’t understand that the Church is YOU, YOU and ME, then we will not take personal responsibility for the command Jesus gave us.
We can’t rely on the government to reach the world, or some side organization to bring hope. We’ve been equipped with the Good News, and we MUST do it together, KNOWING WHAT WE BELIEVE, AND WHAT WE ADOPT AND WHO WE BELONG TO.
When the astronauts took their mission recently…you could see the UNITY among them as a TEAM for the SAKE OF THE MISSION.
We have to know that we walk in HIS AUTHORITY TOGETHER - (In the Great Commission) - We don’t go in our own strength.
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS becomes our righteousness
HIS BLOOD HAS POWER….GIVEN TO THE CHURCH.
We can be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
We are to BELONG and be relationally connected to the Church.
We are not just to be an observer of it.
We are to live with each other in unity.
We are called to a mission.
We don’t have endless time to accomplish the mission.
We don’t attend or consume Church.
We don’t criticize Church.
We BECOME the Church.
Shift to the next level besides just loving Jesus, but by adopting the mindset of DEVELOPING your relationship with God within THE CHURCH!
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