The Church The Way It Ought To Be

The Church, The Way It Ought To Be!

Acts 2 .42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

There is much being made out of what the church ought to be in the United States today. Conferences, Books, Seminars. 

You will notice this chapter is all about Jesus. He said that He would build His Church.

I get concerned when the church is spoken about before Him. He is the head of the Body. I am impressed with what He is enabling us to accomplish but if we get the church before Him, if we talk more about a certain gathering or group or even association or denomination than we do about the LORD then we have missed the mark! It is all about Jesus. 

Another way of putting this is in the question, “What is exalted in the Word of God?” The LORD Jesus Christ.

We have worshiped the worship rather than the LORD in statements like, “The worship is wonderful!” We are exalting the instruments. Now we are talking about how spectacular of great a particular church is and we are missing the mark of exalting Christ. God help us. 

If you took away the building, the ambiance, the lights and the technology and were just left with the people you would not change it one iota that is church! People loving Jesus and loving one another is the church. He is supreme! He is the One! He is what we are all about. He is building His Church.

 Believe this comes from believers who are more experiential than they are grounded in the Word of God. How we need to fix our eyes on Jesus these days!

What are we to do with the church?

Where then is a description of what the church ought to be? Right here in God’s Word!

1. A Devotion To The Word of God.

The Apostle’s teaching was about what Jesus began to to teach, the “opening up of the scriptures” like on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24)  and things the Holy Spirit were showing them. “Did not our hearts burn while He was on the road with us and opened the scriptures to us?” Luke 24.32

We have the Apostle’s teaching  (Paul, John, James and Peter and Matthew. Mark and Luke) in our New Testament.

We need a steady intake of His Word, everyday. Would that we could go back to meeting everyday!

The church, the believers, there in the first church to form at Jerusalem devoted themselves to the Word of God.

If that is not present then it is not the way God intended for the church!

Many teach from the Word. We have attempted to teach the Word.

God’s Word is under attack today within the church!

Educated men who ought to know better questioning God’s Word.

Believers not grounded in the Word expressing opinions.

Our culture is shaping the view of the Word many have rather than the Word shaping our culture. Our own nation has laws against God’s Word. God help us. We do our best to speak out but as Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “I’m talking about Christ and the church.” 

2. A Devotion To Fellowship

fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation

1. the share which one has in anything, participation
2.  intimacy
   1. the right hand as a sign and pledge of fellowship (in fulfilling the apostolic office)
3. a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship

Bind Us Together

We Are One In The Bond Of Love

The Family of God

This is a caring and loving group being described by this word. The church ought to be the Safest Place On Earth. Here people should come and not be afraid to confess their sins, share their burdens, open their hearts to the things that they are hurting over. They should be able to do that and be fully excepted and loved as a follower of Jesus Christ.

New Spirit Group for recovering alcoholics... “LORD, I messed up this week. Please forgive me.”

Everyone who is part of the Body of Christ gets an equal share. Everyone’s opinion is important, who loves the LORD.

We are Christ’s Body.

3. A Devotion To Sharing Meals

We don’t see it here is much But in many places in the world where I have traveled eating is more than just taking in food. It is sharing in the lives of the people. It is eating their food and drinking their tea or coffee.

Hofstra law school graduation for Rudy Jr. 2015

“If you cannot drink my tea, you cannot have my business.”

-Justice Sallie Marzaret Daniels, quoting a business person in the Far East

First We Have Coffee book about Norwegian Immigrants to America 1900

What happens in our Bagel Time downstairs is important. It may be one of the most intimate times we have. Ladies are baking and cooking and preparing with their own hands and bringing it for all of us to eat. Then we sit down and talk to each other.

Eating together in the time if the early church still hallens in much of the world. Meal times are not hurried. Their main purpose is to take in nutrition but right behind that is taking time to talk, to listen, to stop, together.

Ordering Chinese Food vs. McDonalds when I was growing up is a perfect example!

4. A Devotion to Prayer

Colossians 4.2

Devoted=

to adhere to one, be his adherent, to be devoted or constant to on

to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing

to continue all the time in a place

to persevere and not to faint

to show one's self courageous for

to be in constant readiness for one, wait on constantly

So much could be said of this. The church is to be a house of prayer for all nations.

We seek to do that when we meet during the week and in our homes. When we are together let’s pray, not forced but if the LORD is leading us to...

Pastor Johnson this week... beautiful! Right outside the nurses’ station. PA excused himself for interrupting. 

It is so important...

For us

For our faith to be expressed

For our faith to be strengthened

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   Let’s continue to seek to be this kind of church!
   
   

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