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WE ARE HIS CHURCH|
"...For where two or more are gathered together in my name
there am I in the midst of them."(Mt.18:20)
WHAT IS FELLOWSHIP IN THE CHURCH
LOVE (Jn.13:34) LONG-SUFFERING (Eph.4:2) Help (Gal.6:2)
COMFORT (1Thess.5:11) ONENESS (1Cor.12:26)
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of
God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (2 Cor.13:14)
Acts 2:42 could be
considered a purpose statement for the church: “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” According to this verse, the purposes/activities of the church should be 1)
teaching biblical doctrine, 2) providing a place of fellowship for believers, 3) observing the Lord’s supper, and 4)
praying.
The church is to teach
biblical doctrine so we can be grounded in our faith. Ephesians 4:14 tells us, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed
back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in
their deceitful scheming.”
The church is
to be a place of fellowship, where Christians can be devoted to one another and honor one another (Romans 12:10), instruct
one another (Romans 15:14), be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32), encourage one another (1 Thessalonians
5:11), and most importantly, love one another (1 John 3:11).
The church is to be
a place where believers can observe the Lord’s Supper, remembering Christ’s death and shed blood on our behalf
(1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The concept of “breaking bread” (Acts 2:42) also carries the idea of having meals together.
This is another example of the church promoting fellowship. The final purpose of the church according to Acts 2:42 is prayer.
The church is to be
a place that promotes prayer, teaches prayer, and practices prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us, “Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace
of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Another commission
given to the church is proclaiming the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). The church is
called to be faithful in sharing the gospel through word and deed. The church is to be a “lighthouse” in the community,
pointing people toward our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The church is to both promote the gospel and prepare its members
to proclaim the gospel (1 Peter 3:15).
Some final purposes
of the church are given in James 1:27: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look
after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” The church is to be
about the business of ministering to those in need. The church is also to equip believers in Christ with the tools they
need to overcome sin and remain free from the pollution of the world. This is done by biblical teaching and Christian fellowship.
So, what is the purpose
of the church? Paul gave an excellent illustration to the believers in Corinth. The church is God’s hands, mouth, and
feet in this world—the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). We are to be doing the things that Jesus Christ would
do if He were here physically on the earth. The church is to be “Christian,” “Christ-like,” and Christ-following.
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BY HIS BLOOD
Redemption, "to deliver by paying a price." In
the New Testament is the record of the fulfilment of the Old Testament types and prophecies of redemption through
the sacrifice of Christ. The completed truth is set forth in the three words which are translated "redemption":
(1) agorazo, "to purchase in the market." The underlying thought is of a slave-market.
The subjects of redemption are "sold under sin" Rom 7:14 but are, moreover, under sentence of death Ezek 18:4, Jn 3:18,19
Rom 3:19 Gal 3:10, and the purchase price is the blood of the Redeemer who dies in our place. Gal 3:13 2Cor 5:21
Mt 20:28, Mk 10:45 1Tim 2:6 1Pet 1:18.
(2) exagorazo, "to buy out of the market." We the redeemed are never again
to be exposed to sale;
(3) lutroo, "to loose," "to set free by paying a price" Jn 8:32 Gal 4:4,5,31
5:13 Rom 8:21. Redemption is by sacrifice and by power. Christ paid the price, the Holy Spirit makes deliverance actual in
our experience. Rom 8:2.
The blood of Christ is the basis of the New Covenant. On the night before
He went to the cross, Jesus offered the cup of wine to His disciples and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20).
Not only does the blood of Christ redeem believers from sin and eternal punishment,
but “His blood will make our consciences pure from useless acts so we may serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14 ). This means that not only are we now free from having to offer sacrifices which
are “useless” to obtain salvation, but we are free from having to rely on worthless and unproductive works of
the flesh to please God. Because the blood of Christ has redeemed us, we are now new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and by His blood we are freed from sin to serve the living God, to glorify
Him, and to enjoy Him forever.
The Bible gives us numerous instructions in victorious living in Christ, and
pleading “the blood of Jesus” is not one of them. WHY ? Because we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ
and He is our High Priest and mediator who “always lives to make intercession” for us (Hebrews 7:25). As His sheep we are ALREADY under His protection, we simply need to live
day by day trusting in Him for what He has already promised and provided.
Romans 3:24-26
24 Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth
to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through
the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at
this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
1 Peter 1:2
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours
in abundance.
Revelation 1:5
and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the
dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
Romans 4:16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and
may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith
of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
Romans 3:27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that
of observing the law? No, but on that of faith
John 6:53
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those
who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins
committed under the first covenant.
Revelation 1:5
and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the
dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Acts 20:28
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has
made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
Romans 5:9
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be
saved from God’s wrath through him!
Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious
riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory
Colossians 2:2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love,
so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,
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IT'S A GOOD TIME FOR BLESSINGS.
When I walked the streets of California in
the early 1980's I came across an empty lot behind a small shopping area where many homeless slept. The Lord blessed me to
find them and fellowship in the early mornings when they awoke from their hard beds on the ground. To my great surprise there
was a makeshift building formed by old wood with a metal roof and a sign outside: FREE STORE.
Inside
were old clothes and lots of odds and ends in household necessaries, even old mattresses and chairs. Anyone could leave something
and take whatever they desired. Soon thereafter this was torn down by the local authorities when upgrades were being made
to the commercial buildings nearby. Suddenly love was swept away from those who gave and from those who were needy. It was
sad.
THE FREE STORE IS THE LORD'S. HE OWNS IT AND OVERSEES IT. I SOW SEEDS FOR HIS GLORY. PERHAPS YOU WILL SOW
THESE SEEDS AS WELL. WE ARE ONE FAMILY IN CHRIST. MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU, MY BELOVEDS.
John 14:
2"....... I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
MATTHEW 25:14-30 (PLEASE READ)
Mt.16:
24 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose
his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Luke 12:
16 "And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought
forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my
goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be
merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be,
which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 22 And he said unto
his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall
put on. 23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment."
Luke 6:
35 But love ye your enemies, and
do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest:
for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."
Luke 6:
46 "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
49 But
he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream
did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great."
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