The Importance of the Church | Ep31

Transcript

In this lesson, I want to point out a few reasons for saying that the Bible teaches the church is important. This is Wayne Berger. Let’s meditate on the Word.

I live in the White Mountains of the beautiful state of New Hampshire. It’s beautiful here, nice looking mountains, streams and ponds and rivers all around. It’s a beautiful place to live.

We have found the people here very friendly. We’ve enjoyed being here the past couple of years that we’ve lived here. It’s just a great place to live.

The towns are small and quaint. You don’t have the big traffic jams that you find in the big cities. A number of blessings for living in this part of the country is one thing, though, that is interesting about this area of New Hampshire and Vermont.

Those two states have the highest percentage of people who say that religion is not important. Now, many of these people who say religion is not important, they’re spiritual people. They’re people who want a relationship with Jesus, but they simply say religion is not important.

Now, what they mean by that is the church is not important. They don’t see church as a vital part of their spiritual life. They don’t see the church as something that they should be a part of.

Some are members of churches. The number is very small. Most denominational churches here are very small in number because most folks say, I don’t have to be a part of the church.

I just want a relationship with Jesus. It’s unfortunate that this part of the world has developed that attitude. I believe there’s several reasons for that.

I believe, as I was told by one person, well, I used to go to church, but I never did hear the Bible preach, and so I quit going. When the churches quit proclaiming God’s word, people quit seeing the need to go. When the church became more social than spiritual, they didn’t see the need to go.

When they found that the church was more entertaining than just entertaining, they didn’t see the need to go anymore. There may be any other number of reasons why people have quit going to church, but it is unfortunate that they have arrived at the conclusion that church is not important. I want to point out a few reasons for saying that the Bible teaches the church is important.

First off, the church was in the mind of God from the very beginning of time. Now it took a while for that to bring about. He was developing the plan of salvation.

He was putting into place, as it was, needed step by step, but all the while he knew that he was going to establish the church. Paul speaks about this in Ephesians the third chapter. Let’s notice the reading there, and let’s begin in verse 8, chapter 3. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles of the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places.

This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which he carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. Notice what he says, God’s plan of how man was going to be saved was not revealed clearly until Jesus Christ came. As he stopped to look at this, he said that he was the least of all saints, but that this grace was given to him to preach this great message, and it’s about the unfathomable riches of Christ.

But he goes on to say, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church. Notice he described the church as being the manifold wisdom of God. He’s saying that the church is the manifold wisdom of God.

It’s all the culmination of all that God did down through the ages to bring about this great institution, the church. He said that it is the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the church. And then he goes on to say, this was in accordance with the eternal purpose which he carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The church was not an accident. The church was part of God’s eternal purpose. It came about, of course, because and through Jesus Christ.

When Jesus died on the cross, he was purchasing the church. You see, he died for individuals. Individuals make up the church, and that’s the reason Paul in Acts 20 and verse 28 says the church which he purchased with his own blood, the church is not an accident.

The church is the manifold wisdom of God, and it is precious because it was purchased by the blood of Christ. And so therefore we can say the church is important because it is the manifold wisdom of God and that he planned it from all eternity. A second reason we can say that the church is important, there really is only one church.

And I know that we look around us, we see all kinds of churches, we see literally hundreds of churches in the world, but did you know that Jesus came to establish only one? In Matthew 16 when Jesus came to do, he says in verse 13 of the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, who do men say that I am? He said Isaiah or Jeremiah, one of the prophets. Then Jesus said, but who do you say that I am? And Peter said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus said, blessed are you Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood is not revealed to you, but my father in heaven.

And I said to thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I’ll build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Notice what he said, I will build my church, not churches, but I’m going to build my church. And the rock upon which it was to be built was not the word Peter or Peter himself.

Peter does mean a rock, but it means a little bitty rock. The word that Jesus uses different from the word for Peter, it is bedrock. And he said, I’m going to build my church on this bedrock.

The bedrock was the confession that Peter had made. He said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. That’s the bedrock of the church.

But Jesus said, I’m going to build my church. And he began to make preparations for that to happen. And that church came into existence in Acts the second chapter.

There when those 3,000 people have been asked, they were added to the church that day. Paul, again, in the book of Ephesians, talks about the oneness of the church. Notice what he said in Ephesians 1, 22 and 23.

And he, God the Father, put all things in subjection under his feet, that’s Christ, and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Notice he says that he’s the head over the church, and that the church is his body. The group of Christians who gather are the body of Christ, the spiritual body of Christ on earth.

He is the head. The group is the church, the body. Notice also in Ephesians 4, when Paul names all those ones, notice what he says.

He begins in verse 4, there is one body and one spirit, just as you were also 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. Notice how he begins this list of ones. Verse 4, there is one body.

What did Ephesians 1, 22 and 23 say? The body is the church. He says there is just one church. You know, if there’s just one of something, it’s very valuable.

And that’s true with Christ’s church. Now, men have developed numerous denominations, fashioning the church as they wanted fashioned. But the only way we know about the church that Jesus established is to study the scripture, see, what did that church look like? How did they worship? What did they teach one to do to be saved? How did they live in accordance with his will? You see, unless the church that you belong to matches the church that’s described in the Bible, you’re not in Christ’s church.

That’s a sad part. Not all churches are the church. See, Jesus established the church.

There’s only one true church. It is the goal and desire of churches of Christ to be that church. We want to speak where the Bible speaks.

We want to live as the Bible describes. We want to govern the church as the Bible describes. We want to be that church just like the church we read about in the scriptures.

I would urge you to compare the church you’re part of with the church that you read about in the Bible. If it does not match, it is not the church. Third, the church is where one is reconciled to God.

That makes it important. Again, in the book of Ephesians in chapter two, Paul is talking about unity between the Jews and the Gentiles and how that they were at such odds, but that God brought them together in the church. Notice what he says as he describes this about the Jews and the Gentiles when he says, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross by it having put to death the enmity.

Notice what he said. Jews and Gentiles are reconciled to God in the church. No one is reconciled to God unless he’s part of the church.

You cannot be reconciled to God and not be a part of his church. You may feel that you’re reconciled. You may feel that you’re saved.

But right here in Ephesians two, verse 16, that he might reconcile both of them, Jews and Gentiles, in one body. The reason Jesus established the church is to give a place for God’s people together and to be his people and to do his work. We need to recognize the importance of that idea that reconciliation to God must take place in the church.

And that’s the reason when one is baptized for the forgiveness of his sins. According to Acts 2.38, he is forgiven. At that same time, Acts 2, verse 41 and 47 says God adds that saved person to the church.

We don’t really join the church of Christ. God adds us to the church that Christ established. That’s the reason he also says, for by one Spirit of all baptized into one body.

First Corinthians 12, verse 13. When we are baptized, we are forgiven of our sins. Acts 2.38, Mark 16, 16.

And at the same time, he adds us to his church where reconciliation can be found. We might also point out the importance of the church is because in the church is the only place where men can be reconciled to one another. How sad the world in which we live.

There’s animosity between political parties. There’s animosity between races. There’s animosity between different individuals.

And that animosity is manifesting itself more clearly all the time. Violence. Killing people who disagree with what you teach.

People who are being persecuted for what they believe. People are hating one another. Hatred has filled our news.

Hatred has created some of the greatest, most sad situations our world has ever seen. The only place where you can have that peace is in the church. Because anyone who comes into Christ must take the nature of Christ.

And you cannot have two different natures in Christ. We all have the nature of Christ. And therefore we are reconciled to God in the church.

And it’s there that we can be at peace with one another. There was a great hatred between the Jews and the Gentiles. But God put them together in the church.

And they began, they loved each other. They served each other. That can happen again.

There’s no other organization on earth where peace can be found between races or hatred groups than in the church. It will not happen in the United Nations. It will not happen in peace conferences.

It will not be happened through man-made laws. The only place peace is going to be found is when people surrender their lives to God and come together in the church, accepting each other in all of our differences, learning to love each other. One more point that I want to show you in the scriptures is why the church is important.

And that again is found in Ephesians 5, verse 23. He’s talking about the church being the bride of Christ. And in verse 23, he says, for the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is head of the church.

He himself being the savior of the body. He himself is the savior of the body. The body we’ve noted in Ephesians 1, 22, and 23 is the church.

When Jesus Christ comes back and this world is destroyed by fire, when all souls are resurrected, bodies are resurrected out of the graves and all the souls from the A.D. and realm are united with their bodies. He will take us home. But notice what he said.

It’s only people. Who are in the church who are going to be saved. Can we really say the church is unimportant? No, the church is the most important institution in this world.

And it is a blood-bought institution. Jesus Christ died and shed his blood to establish the church. That’s the reason it’s important besides all of the other reasons we’ve given of the importance of the church.

It is important because it was in the mind of God from the beginning of time. He knew the church needed to be. It is important because there’s only one true church that Jesus has established.

It is valuable because in the church we can be reconciled to God. It is valuable because it’s the only place in the world where true unity can be obtained. And it’s important because Jesus is coming back to take to heaven those who are part of the church.

Thanks for joining us this week and spending time in God’s Word. Special thanks to Mac Graham, John Kachelman, and LightWay Media for recording, producing, and making this podcast possible. If you’re ever in the Littleton, New Hampshire area, we’d love to have you join us for worship and Bible study on Sunday afternoons at 4 at the Senior Center.

You’re always welcome. For more information about this podcast, visit LightwayMedia.com/meditating-on-the-Word and find the link there to email me to subscribe to my free weekly newsletter with more information you can use in your personal Bible study. Be sure to like, subscribe, and follow us on your favorite podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

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Until next week, keep meditating on the Word.

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“Meditating On The Word” is hosted by Wayne Burger, recorded by Mac Graham, and produced by John Kachelman III and LightWay Media. Follow us on social media to get updates and information when available.

If you’re ever in the Littleton, New Hampshire area, please join Wayne and Mac for worship and Bible study on Sundays at 4 PM at the Senior Center. You’re always welcome! You can get more information on their work online at www.littletonnhchurchofchrist.org.

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