08 Jan “What the Church is and How it Grows”
Major Points:
(1) There is something very important about the Church, that it is not a building made of bricks and mortar, but it is the company of believing people, of those who have been born again – John 3:3; 5 and baptized into the body of Christ, which is the church – 1 Corin 요게벳의 노래 mp3 다운로드. 12:13, as these words were true of the early Church, so they are true of the Church today. Every day the Lord has been adding to His Church those whom He is saving Endless Legends. – Acts 2:47.
(2) The risen Lord is actively engaged in building His Church, we must remember that the Lord who added to their number daily was and is on the throne in heaven 윈도우 7 지뢰 찾기 다운로드. The Church therefore is a divine institution, because He does the adding and no man can add to a Church, it is purely the Lord’s power and each day this is what Jesus is doing Download Comic Beck. Once we realize that the Lord is in the Building of His Church, the following results happen:
(3) We shall be delivered from discouragement and from the sense of defeat and despair 8090 songsed. Though the Church today seems weak and ineffective and the forces of evil, materialism, and the world often seem to overwhelm the Church, but the Lord has said, “I will build My Church, and the gate of Hades or hell will not overcome it” Also, we should be delivered from pride and self-congratulation, on the Day of Pentecost, 3000 people were saved, but whose work was it? So there is no room for any of us to congratulate ourselves on any success that we may have.
(4) The progress and growth of the Church are helped or hindered by the witness and testimony of its members. Only the Lord can do the work of building His church; only He can add to the Church so that it expands and becomes stronger each day, and He does this through the yielded lives and testimonies of His people. They were soundly converted – V41, openly committed -V41, truly obedient -V42, gloriously united -V44, and obviously consistent – V46-47.
(5) Those who have been added to the Church are being saved. It is not only true that new people were being converted daily, but those who were converted were being saved and salvation is a process. When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we are saved from the penalty of sin, justification to do with the past and we are being saved every day from the power of sin each day and sanctification to do with the present. Sanctification and spiritual growth are a process.
(6) There are no perfect Church members; all are being saved -2 Peter 3:18. There is also nothing static about a growing Church, new people should be coming in all the time, and there must be no room for cliques and every baby must be welcomed into the family of God and all who are being saved should be in the fellowship of the Church – Romans 8:29-30.