Be The Church - It's Jesus' Church - Pastor Matthew Anderson (Ellsworth Campus)

[00:00:00] Welcome to the C3 Sermon Podcast. We pray that this content uplifts you, encourages you, and challenges you to walking in a life full of belonging and becoming. Belonging to the family of God and becoming all that He has created you to be. Now let's dive into today's message together.

[00:00:21] Well good morning everybody. Good to see everybody here this morning. We want to welcome everybody in. We're in Hudson Live this morning. Can we welcome in our Hudson family? God bless you guys. Glad you're worshiping with us. At this time we're two locations in one church so man we're so glad that you're here. Also in the Pierce County Jail this morning and those watching online from wherever you're at, I'm Pastor Matthew Anderson.

[00:00:51] I'm pleased to know you. Pleased to be able to communicate with you this morning. Come on, can we just give it up for the Holy Spirit being in the house this morning? Amen. Nothing ever like the presence of God when He comes and ministers to us. Wow, so good. I was reflecting this week.

[00:01:13] I had somewhat of a week where a lot need to be accomplished, which I like those kind of weeks, but I was just reviewing my week as I prepared my heart for Sunday and I was thinking of our church and all the people and all the things that God is doing.

[00:01:30] And so I just want to mention a couple things for Phyllis on my heart this morning for here in Hudson. And sometimes if you, you know, you come in on a Sunday morning and, you know, you don't know about Hudson or if you're in Hudson, you don't know about Ellsworth and all the wonderful ministry that happens. And so I just want to mention to you the things that happened just this week as far as ministry. Everyone say ministry, right? We're called to minister. Yeah.

[00:01:58] That's what the church is about. We're called to do the work of Christ, to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world in which we live. And so this week, here are a few things. A brother and I went into the Pierce County Jail. Our brother Martin Kretzman has been assisting me in doing that. It's been great. And we were able to communicate with five different people for about 12 minutes a piece.

[00:02:24] And all five of them go to church and watch us online in the jail. And we got to pray with each and every one of them. It was just a blessed time. We got to walk in there and just be a presence, you know, filled with the Holy Spirit. So you're part of that. You're part of making that happen. All of our equipment allows us to stream in there on a Sunday morning.

[00:02:54] Come on. Is that cool or what? You're a part of that. I'm a part of that. And we have hopes to expand that reach and maybe get up to St. Croix County. Pray about that. And small groups happened all week. I went to a small group later in the week on Thursday. And it was just a time of ministry where we shared our hearts and prayed for one another and prayed for situations that each of us are dealing with.

[00:03:20] So I know that there was so many people that met in a small group this week at both locations. Just around the counties, you know, out and about. Just we have so many great small groups. If you're not a part of a small group, it really is part of your discipleship of becoming more like Christ. And so we invite you to join. If you're curious about a small group like the one I attend, we meet here because it works for all of us. We meet in one of the rooms are back there. And so there's many options, many different people.

[00:03:50] Small group is such an important ministry. As well on Tuesday night, everybody say Tuesday night. We have like a whole church of people, young people that meet on Tuesday night at the Hudson campus. Young people from here, from the Twin Cities, from Hudson, all over come. And two weeks ago, they had a joint with some of the college kids. And I think there was 70 young people there two weeks ago.

[00:04:16] And they average about 50 or 60 young people in that meeting on Tuesday night. Isn't that powerful? So beautiful. And on Wednesday night, we have GPY youth led by our youth pastor, Pastor Jacob, his wife. And their team, there's all kinds of people on that team. And they have 50 plus lease kids from all over.

[00:04:41] I know last year, we represented 10 different school districts in our area of young people that descend upon this place. And then from what I see, they also go to McDonald's and stuff afterwards. So they help with the businesses around here too. You know, those young people always have more money than we do, right? It is, you know, man, just so that was on Wednesday night.

[00:05:05] And then men's groups that are meeting, all kinds of just beautiful things. And then we're back here this morning and there's kids ministry happening over in the other building. There's all kinds of kids over there right now being taught the word of God. By beautiful people led by Courtney Gede does such a great job in her team. We have a special needs ministry over there.

[00:05:32] It's just amazing of what God is doing. And so, you know, numerous prayer sessions with people and counseling sessions that Angel and I partake in on a weekly basis. And it's just powerful. I know Pastor Mylon and the rest of the team and staff. It's just so powerful what God is doing. So I'm just happy to be a part. Come on, how many are happy to be a part of God's church? Amen. God's church. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[00:06:01] And so I want you to stand with me one more moment. And we're making a big deal out of this. We're bringing our Bibles to church. We're going old school. Turn to your neighbor and say, you're old school. Come on, somebody. We're old school. We're bringing Bibles to church again. Come on, we brought the Bible back to church. How many know that's a good thing? I mean, if we don't have this, we don't have much. We have God's word.

[00:06:30] So I want you to make this confession. Everyone say, make a confession. It's important for you to speak. The devil does not want you to speak out of your mouth the truth of God. He wants you to just kind of say silence because there's a creative energy, so to speak, that comes out when you speak. And so don't say, oh, this is going to be a bad day. Don't say, you know, I'm going to struggle today or whatever. You say, this is the day that the Lord has made. I'm going to rejoice and be glad.

[00:07:00] Goodness is coming into my life. Joy is going to be known about my life. I'm going to bring joy where I go. I'm going to be a blessing. I'm the head and not the tail. My family is blessed. My marriage is blessed. My finances are blessed. Everything I touch is going to grow rightly. Come on, somebody speak forth the mind and will of God in your life. Amen. The only time you want to keep your mouth shut was when it's negative. You have a negative thought. Don't speak it.

[00:07:28] I don't want to condemn you if you have a negative thought because I have negative thoughts and we all do, but don't say them. Just let them go and say something. Speak it out positive. Amen. So here we go. Lift your Bible up and say it nice and loud with me. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I can, or it says that I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God.

[00:07:55] I boldly confess my mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I'll never be the same in Jesus name. Amen. Come on. Give God a hand clap of praise for his word as you take your seats. So I get the privilege this morning to begin a new series on being the church.

[00:08:25] That's a very simple title and something the Lord has put on our hearts that we're going to be teaching for the next four weeks or so of being God's church. Will you say that with me? My being God's church. Amen. Someone said to me this week, a quote by S. Truett Cathy. He is the founder of Chick-fil-A. Oh, I maybe shouldn't have said that because now you're all distracted.

[00:08:54] You're going to be hungry for the next hour, right? I saw something this week that they were giving chicken sandwiches away for pastors for the month of October. I'm like, I'm going to go there and show them my Paschal card. So this is what S. Truett Cathy said. How do you know if someone needs encouragement? The weighty answer. If they're breathing.

[00:09:25] If they're breathing. And so I want you to know that this place and what we do as a community of believers is a place of encouragement and edification. I want every time the pastor staff, Pastor Angel, our whole team, everybody in our membership, all of us together, we want to be an encouraging community.

[00:09:51] We want to leave here encouraged, saying, man, am I glad I went to church to be with God's people. I love what it says, and these aren't on the screen. This came to me kind of last, and I wanted to just throw this in there. 1 Thessalonians 5.11 says, Wherefore, comfort yourselves together and edify one another. Edify, you know, we don't use that term probably in our everyday language all the time.

[00:10:20] But it's actually a construction term that means to build up. So I think the blessing of God and God's blessing on us puts in our heart the propensity to build others up. To build others up. To lift others up. The Church of Jesus Christ is the place of crucifixion and resurrection.

[00:10:53] Crucifixion of our Lord and Savior so that we might live again and be born again. But hear it very closely. The crucifixion of our old nature. I have seen a paradigm in these many years of pastoring. And I mean, are with me in my age bracket or older who know that the years just kind of start ticking by rather quickly. I've done this for a few years. And I've seen a trend.

[00:11:24] Turn to your neighbor and say, we see a trend. People do not thrive in the kingdom of God and his church when it still continues to be about them. That's the whole idea of salvation. Yes, you're born again.

[00:11:52] But your old ways and your old nature has also been crucified with Christ. So we as Christians in the church is about Christ. Amen? He's the head. And others. I've been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live not yet I, but Christ lives within me. So I don't live in an outwardly obnoxious self.

[00:12:22] How many have ever met an obnoxious, selfish person? Right? You might say, well, the Lord has delivered me from that pastoring. I would suggest that probably all of us could raise our hands and say, yes, the Lord has delivered all of us from that. Living selfishly, right? Where it's all about us. I had this thought this morning as I was driving down here, driving to church. And I thought, man, being offended all the time is like the worst way to live. Being offended all the time.

[00:12:52] Like twisting someone's words and, you know, all this. When you live in offense, man, you start out behind the eight ball every morning. Because it's a victim mentality of what happened. How many know that Jesus Christ resets the deck? And now we are the people that create new life with his power living inside of us. We're not going around reacting to the past and reacting to this. No, we're just showering Christ's love on those around us.

[00:13:21] We live from a perspective of how can I bless you? How can I give you a word of hope? How can I edify? How can I bless you? Amen. That's how we become the head and not the tail. Above and not beneath. So, I want to talk about, through this series, we're going to talk about being the church.

[00:13:46] Our text for this morning and throughout this series is that, just that famous, iconic passage in Matthew 16, 18. Where Peter confesses Christ, he has a revelation of who Jesus is. That he is the Messiah. Everyone say the Messiah. So, he had a Jewish perspective. He was a Jew and they were waiting on the Messiah. And when Jesus came, most of the Jews rejected him. That's why they crucified him because he said he was their Messiah.

[00:14:17] Jewish people today, not Messianic Jews, but traditional Jews, they're still waiting for the Messiah. They don't embrace Jesus, right? But Peter said, as a Jew, which was a mouthful, well, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. So, for a Jew, that was a mouthful. It was a divine revelation that you are the one. You are the Messiah.

[00:14:44] And Jesus said to him, thou art Peter. Peter, and upon this rock. Not Peter, but upon the revelation of salvation in Jesus Christ, I'm going to build my church. And the gates of hell will not prevail against it. So, if you're taking notes, this would be a good time to jot down.

[00:15:10] That's the first place the word church is used in the Bible. That's the first place the word church is used. It wasn't a common use. There was a different Hebrew word for that in the Old Testament, which would be rendered assembly or gathering. And then the Greek connotation is the same.

[00:15:38] And so, you've heard it before that the ecclesia, that's what church is in Greek, ecclesia. It means called out ones together. And so, when you put the Hebrew and the Greek together, it is a community of people.

[00:16:02] So, it is a deep Bible doctrine for us to be an assembled group. Down to the name of church. And so, called out ones were called out by Jesus to be his reborn, newborn family, members of God's household of faith. So, that's the church.

[00:16:28] So, Acts chapter 2 now, verse 40 through 47, is when the church was started. So, the Old Testament, just a little walk in theology here about the Bible. In the Old Testament, God was represented by a group of people, the Jewish people. Abraham heard the call of God and believed God.

[00:16:56] And so, the nation of Israel, the Jewish people, were God's representative in the earth. That's why when you harmonize 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9, where they're describing, the writer is describing now who the church of Jesus Christ is, we are what you would call the new Israel. God's new covenant people, where it doesn't matter what your nationality is. Come on, somebody.

[00:17:27] But that wall was torn down by Jesus Christ. So, now it doesn't matter where you come from, what your background is. What we have in common is salvation in Jesus Christ. How many are glad Jesus came for the whole world? Amen? And so, 1 Peter 2 and 9 says, Now you are a chosen generation. You are a royal priesthood. You are God's special people.

[00:17:54] It's not the Jews anymore, but it's all of us, the church of Jesus Christ. So, get it in your heart. Jesus is coming back for his church, for his family, for his assembly of believers. Amen. So, Acts 2 then is the historical record, Acts of the Apostles, of the first church beginning.

[00:18:21] So, Acts 2 in verse 40, the whole part of chapter 2, and we reference this a bit in the series we just finished up on the Holy Spirit. It was Peter preaching to that audience there in Jerusalem about what was happening, what was happening when the Holy Spirit came. Holy Spirit came, filled the upper room. The 120 believers went out of there, and they had an influence that was on them.

[00:18:50] There was something different about them. They had experienced in totality the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So, now these people were saying, what is this? What is going on? And Peter went on a burner message of the whole of chapter 2, preaching to them what was going on. And you get to the end of the chapter, verse 40, he says, and with many other words, he testified and exhorted them saying,

[00:19:20] be saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. Baptized. And so, our first act, when we've put our faith in Christ, is to confirm that by being baptized. All right? Baptism is central, is a central pillar to an individual's walk and relationship with Jesus Christ.

[00:19:48] It's symbolic of covenant of the circumcision of the heart that happened physically in the Old Testament, but now in the New Testament, the Spirit circumcises our heart, so we sense the Spirit of God and we know Jesus, and we're familiar with the Holy Spirit. Okay? And so, when that happens, then you're baptized. If you get baptized before that happens in here, you're just getting wet.

[00:20:22] And so, baptism, that's why if you look in the model in the Bible in the New Testament, wherever they baptized, they ask them, has Jesus become your Lord? Have you repented of your sins and had a change, and are you now believing on Jesus for yourself? And when they would say, yes, this has happened in my heart and my life, then they were baptized. Amen?

[00:20:48] And so, they were baptized, and that day about 3,000 souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship. So these are characteristics of the very first church, Jesus' church.

[00:21:13] They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and in fellowship and breaking of bread and in prayers. And then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now, all who believed were together and had all things in common. Everybody say they had all things in common. So the church of Jesus Christ has a special unity about it brought on by the Holy Spirit,

[00:21:43] where we have things in common, our values, our direction, how we live. We have things in common. Now, they sold possessions and goods and divided them, which means they became very generous among all as anyone had need. Verse 45. Sold possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. So continually then, daily with one accord in the temple and the breaking of bread,

[00:22:11] from house to house they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And then the Lord. Come on. How many know? And the Lord added to the church. Why? Because Jesus builds his church. It's supernatural. Turn your neighbor and say it's supernatural. Hey, it's not a work of man. It's the power of the Holy Spirit. And the Lord added to the church daily those who are being saved.

[00:22:41] And so I want you to know there is nothing in the world like Jesus' church. And we can never lose sight of what God intended his church to be. We must, as believers that experience salvation in Jesus Christ,

[00:23:05] we must continue to observe and teach and experience and walk in God's word as far as the church is concerned. I like that passage there in the 42nd verse of that second chapter. It says, and they continued steadfast. They had a steadfastness to them, a discipline of a direction of heart that they continued going.

[00:23:29] And so I want you to maybe write this down that the church is not man's idea. It's God's idea. It's God's original idea for us as New Testament believers, the church of Jesus Christ. And I say this whenever I marry a couple, a man and a woman, whenever I perform wedding ceremonies,

[00:23:51] I make a big deal in my little section of the message of the wedding ceremony to let them know that marriage is not man's idea, but it's God's idea. And when God has an idea, it's a good idea. He's went into planning and wisdom. And so the family, the nuclear family of a man and a woman and then children is God's idea of flourishing. Wow.

[00:24:19] That's why when you have children and you get together, or if you're married and you have such a great time, if God blesses you with children and you all get together, or you have extended family, aunts and uncles, I mean, you know, that's some of the best times of your life. When you're with that family, it's because it's a God idea. You know, it's always amazing when I get with my uncles and some of my cousins and I see resemblances and, you know, some I like and some I don't, you know, and not, no, I love everybody.

[00:24:45] What I'm saying is some of the characteristics, you know, you know, we're, we're a talky bunch. And it's like, you can't get a word in edgewise. Imagine that, but there's something divine about family. Well, and that's the idea of church. And that's why this morning, when you came into this house, when you came into this place, we are attempting to, to live this out in our, in our real lives. That when you came in here, it was like, man, it's so good to see everybody. It's great to get together and worship God.

[00:25:14] This is God's idea of flourishing his church, coming together to worship him. Come on somebody. So this is not, this is not pastor Matt's idea. This is not pastor angel's idea. This is not our elder team's idea. This is not pastor Milan's or, or your idea, but the church is Jesus's idea. And so I'm just going to stick this in there.

[00:25:39] Be very, very careful to speak negatively of something that is God's idea. It's God's creation. It's God's invention. It's God's design. The church of Jesus Christ is the greatest expression of God's grace. One of, I should say one of the greatest expressions of God's grace towards us. Why?

[00:26:05] Because God knew we needed a spiritual family, right? You've heard the stories about little kids that maybe don't have a mom and dad. And I've heard about orphanages and different things like that in third world countries where if they don't have a mother coddling them and a family that's connected with them, they have much dysfunction. They have to work through in their life because God made each and one of us for a family, a natural family as well.

[00:26:34] God has made us, we do well and we flourish in a family as well in a spiritual family because we need encouragement. If you're breathing, right? You need encouragement. Encouragement. We need to encourage one another. And so this should be the, a Sunday should be a highlight because it's an encouraging zone. This place is, we leave here like, I now put Jesus first for my week. The Lord's blessing me and now I'm ready for the rest of my week. I'm encouraged.

[00:27:04] I'm blessed. I'm highly favored. God is with me. God is for me. Amen. Encouragement. Oh, and then we have the word dice disciple or yeah, discipleship. And that's a harder word because the word discipline is there. And, and we, sometimes we don't like, I had this thought the other day, you know,

[00:27:30] where you've been successful in your life, where you've taken something serious. You look at your life in any, any area you've taken serious, you've been successful, but seriousness discern determines, demands some sort of discipline. And so Jesus's church, if we're serious about it is going to have some sort of discipline. You are expressing discipline by coming to church this morning.

[00:28:00] You could have just slept in bed and get your pillow adjusted. Just to just write and say, you know what? I'm just going to drink a warm cup of coffee and watch pastor Matt online this morning. And that's going to be my idea to church. And for some people that shut-ins or whatever we get it, we understand. I understand. But what I'm saying is if you can make it to God's house with God's people, if you can, if you have that option, right? That's discipline. That's, you're saying, I'm taking this serious.

[00:28:29] I'm going to do that. And so Jesus's church knew that we needed some discipline to live our faith out. How many remember summer, right? It was just a month ago or two months ago. And when summer hits, all of us are like, oh my goodness, I need a break. I can't wait for summer. How many know though, but by about the middle to the end of August, if you have kids, you're like, I'm ready for school to start.

[00:28:55] And we are ready to get back on a, because that amoeba type living, hippie style living does not work. We do not thrive in that. And so that's why Jesus put together his church. It's his idea. And he had us in mind. And so in his church, there's discipline. And obviously his presence is in his church.

[00:29:23] And so Jesus gave us the church. So when the church is what Jesus, and this is the Genesis of this series. When Jesus, what Jesus intended his church to be, when we are that, hear it, the church becomes the life-changing, family-changing, and culture-changing epicenter of our lives and of an area. That's the truth. Because it's Jesus' church.

[00:29:52] It's his idea. This is why the church is so attacked. Because it has so much potential and so much power. I said this to Pastor Angel when we were preparing some thoughts and ideas on this, that the Lord was speaking to us on this series. I said, I think sometimes Jesus might say, you know, what did you do with my church? Where did my church go?

[00:30:23] He's coming back for his church. Not another kind of church that we've made up in our own mind. But he's coming back for his church. Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 10 says this. To the intent that how the manifold wisdom of God may be known by the church. Not like the church knows it, although the church should. But listen to the rest of this verse.

[00:30:54] Be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places. So Jesus' church is supposed to make a big difference in the world. And it was the manifold, think of this, the manifold wisdom of God that he created the church.

[00:31:22] That it might have power and affect the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. Having Jesus' church be Jesus' church affects principalities and powers in the heavenly places. God displays his wisdom through the church. The church is a threat to the kingdom of darkness.

[00:31:54] That's why the devil attacks Jesus' true church so consistently. Opposition from the inside can't even be opposition in the inside with carnal Christians. Division, distraction, compromise, and corruption is what he targets against the church.

[00:32:17] So, the church of Jesus Christ is something that the scripture is very loud about. So, you know our teaching on this. When the Bible is loud about something, we're loud about it. When the Bible is quiet about something, we're quiet about it.

[00:32:44] So, we can't make big things out of the scripture that the scripture doesn't make big things out of. But I'm telling you this, when you read the scripture, there's a big deal about the church. There's a lot about the church. So, Jesus is the builder of his church. He said in Matthew 16, 18, I will build my church. And the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Which means it's going to have greater power than the kingdom of darkness. So, it's his church. Everybody say, it's his church.

[00:33:14] The church doesn't belong to a pastor, to an elder board, to a denomination, or to a congregation. The church is Jesus' church. The church. Acts chapter 20 and verse 28 says, Feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Colossians 1, 18 says, And he is the head of the body of the church, that in all things he may have, Jesus may have the preeminence.

[00:33:45] Ephesians 5, 25 says, Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. So, here's three powerful truths that you can write down. He purchased the church. The church belongs to him. He is the head of the church. He has authority over it. And he loves the church. He gave his life for it. Amen. So, he builds his church.

[00:34:16] Jesus didn't say, You will build my church. He said, I will build my church. I love this in 1 Corinthians 3, where it says, I have planted, I had planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. God gave the increase. And so, someone said, Well, Pastor Matt, why are you so confident? Why can we be so confident about the church? Well, because it's Jesus' church, and he's building it. If it's on my neck, I wouldn't be confident. I wouldn't be confident preaching this message

[00:34:46] if it was on my neck because I'm just a simple human being by you, just like you. But when we have the power and presence of the Lord and the supernatural power, and it's his church, we're vessels that he uses in his church. And so, we can be very confident in the success of the church. Amen? We can be confident. I've planted Apollos water, but God gave the increase. You know, someone, an old pastor looked at me one day and said, Hey, Pastor Matt, you always got to remember, you're not the Holy Spirit.

[00:35:18] The Holy Spirit uses us. But at the end, when we pray for people and when we believe, God has to move. God has to act. I can't do anything unless the power of God flows through me and does it. Amen? We can't worship without the presence of God. When there's no anointing, there's no worship. We're helpless without God doing the work. And the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved, Acts 2.47.

[00:35:47] Psalms, you know this, verse Psalms 127 and verse 1 says, except the Lord build the house, the labor in vain that build it. So our responsibility as believers is to faithfully have the word of God, preach the word of God, follow his spirit and fulfill his mission. His responsibility is to build his church. Amen. So, I want to give you the rest of this message here. Four foundations

[00:36:18] four foundations of Jesus' church. I heard this story in 1961 following a heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1960 NFL championship game. Some of you may remember this. I don't. Vince Lombardi gathered his Green Bay Packers for training camp. The Packers had come close to winning a championship that year,

[00:36:47] but had fallen short that past year. So Lombardi decided it was time to return to the fundamentals. And I'm kind of hoping the Packers do that now, I'll be honest with you. According to the famous account, he stood before his players and he held a football up and said, gentlemen, this is a football. Here was a room filled with professional

[00:37:17] football players, the Bethlehem athletes in the game, and their coach was starting the most basic, starting with the most basic truth about football. This story is often told with an additional humorous exchange. And I remember this guy used to be one of the Iranian announcers. When Coach Lombardi said this, Packer receiver Max McGee supposedly raised his hand and said,

[00:37:47] Coach, could you slow down a little bit? You're going too fast. The players laughed, but Lombardi's message was serious. He understood that success wasn't simply about learning something new. It was about mastering the fundamentals they already knew. That next season, 1961, the Green Bay Packers went on to win the 1961 NFL championship, one of our numerous rings,

[00:38:16] may I add, defeating the New York Giants 37 to zip on fundamentals. That's why we're saying this is my Bible. This is the playbook. This book will change my life. I'm going to read and devour this book and I'm going to live in this word.

[00:38:45] And you can hear a fancy sermon and by the time you leave the parking lot, you forget it. But when the word of God and the fundamentals of knowing Jesus, having a relationship with the Holy Spirit and living in his word, you've heard it many, many times, but that's the blocking and tackling drills of being a Christian. So the first pillar of foundation of Jesus' church

[00:39:13] when it's his church is it's a saved church. It is a saved church. The church begins with people being born again. If we don't preach the cross and we don't experience the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit, the church can quickly move into being just another social club.

[00:39:42] It can be something else. I've told a story before that I had a friend that loved him to death, but he did something notable and he really started serving the poor with his church. And how many know that the Bible even commissions us to do that? But listen to me very closely. That's not the main mission of the church. It's a mission,

[00:40:11] but it's not the main mission. The main mission is to see people born again. Now that may be happened by helping someone who has a need and that's why that's in there and we ought to represent Christ's heart. But if that's all we do, all we're doing is helping poor people. But if they're not getting saved, if we're not preaching the gospel, if people aren't having a conversion experience and coming to Christ, then the church ceases to be what God

[00:40:40] intended it to be. And then it dovetails into something else, a place of amusement or it just starts to fall apart and the church declines and no one's getting saved and then the church goes out of business and the church goes out of business when it's my church and not Jesus' church. Because Jesus said, the gates of hell will not prevail against my church. So listen, when we're adhering to God's word, we don't have to worry about the church growing or people being saved or people being touched

[00:41:09] because Jesus is going to make sure that happens. Amen. I heard one guy say, I thought it was real wise, he says, whatever you do to grow your church as at a pastor's conference, you have to keep going. You have to keep doing that, whatever that is. I've heard of, you know, people saying, well, we're going to put it out in the online or whatever. You come to C3 and you may win an iPad if you come to church.

[00:41:39] So if you're going to grow your church that way, guess what? You better raise a lot of money because you're going to have to keep giving away iPads because that's why they're coming. Right? So that's a man idea. That's a man's way. And I'm not even saying that God can't use some of our ideas, but we can never get the cart before the horse that this place is about people knowing Jesus. That this place is knowing truly that we're here because Jesus saved us, that we know about the cross,

[00:42:09] the crucifixion, that we've been born again by the spirit of God. Amen. And so it's a saved church. Peter preached repentance and salvation. They received the word. They were baptized and about 3,000 souls were added on that first day. The church begins with people being born again. I've been to churches and it's like, man, I don't even feel like a lot of people in this place are born again. There's no joy. There's no power of God's presence. They're just blindly coming to church

[00:42:37] and they're religious people, but they're not born again. They're not saved. Oh, it can happen. It's happening all over. And so we as God's people, we've got to make sure it's Jesus' church, not just religious people, not just church attenders, but people whose lives have been changed by Jesus. John 3, 3 says, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 2 Corinthians 5, 17 says,

[00:43:06] if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. It's a saved church. And I'm just going to throw this in here. If people are going to be saved, they have to understand sin. I told one guy who his theology had become very liberal. I said, you're going to go out of business because if you don't preach against sin, what do people need to get saved from?

[00:43:38] This is an answer to our sinful lives. Amen? And if there's no sin, well, then the church will cease to exist because God saves us from sin to plant us in his family. Amen? That doesn't mean we're perfect, but it means we're heading in a direction. We don't want to be like that anymore. We want to be like Jesus. Amen? And so the first mark of a church was change lives. It was a, it began with people having an encounter with Jesus. People who were lost

[00:44:08] became found. People who were dead in their sin became alive in Christ. People who were separated from God were brought back into his family. The church has been and will always be Jesus' church is made up of people who have been made new in Christ. Amen? Second pillar of truth is Jesus' church is filled

[00:44:37] with the Holy Spirit. And we just talked for four weeks and could keep talking. We sang about it this morning about the precious Holy Spirit. Amen? Someone told me this morning they've missed a couple services because they were out visiting and they went and again this is to not lift us up it's to say the Holy Spirit makes a big difference and they said I just I missed our church because I missed the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Amen?

[00:45:08] When you experience the Spirit there's no going back. There's no going back to dead formalism. Amen? So the church must be filled. In fact Jesus told the early disciples who had been with him someone say they had been with Jesus I think that's a pretty close relationship to the one who's going to save them and save them. They saw him they knew him they did life with him but that wasn't enough. He said

[00:45:37] I need you to go to Jerusalem and don't you leave until you've been equipped with power with power from on high. So one of the things missing one of the grand things that's missing in the church at large is the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Right? Because you can't stay the same and encounter the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God challenges our sin He challenges everything in our life that is not godly and so it's just as easy to not have that presence there not have him there

[00:46:07] come on somebody but the power and presence of God is what fills us with power to be what Jesus called us to be. So a Spirit filled church His church His true church is Spirit filled It was never intended to operate without the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. It's not like the Girl Scouts club or the Boy Scouts or the

[00:46:37] these clubs that people have and then they keep minutes and they have a little money and they do this and they do that and I'm not a lot of great clubs out there a lot of great organizations I'm not dismissing or belittling them but hear it very clearly that's not the church of Jesus Christ. We are filled with supernatural power and so we don't have like committees on well what are we going to do well I think the carpet should be red and not black you know I you know

[00:47:07] you know they you know why would you why would you put you know I like a lighter color floor so they have meetings and everyone gets in arguments on what color the flooring is going to be on the platform oh I'm honest some of you are like this is all you ever know and so you're like you're kidding me pastor man oh no I've seen this stuff we're supposed to be winning the world

[00:47:39] on foolishness and the devil just laughs and says I've just stuck that church in neutral because now they're concerned about their opinions and their ways and then the church then becomes powerless right that's why it has to be done Jesus way you see when they made decisions in the first church they got together the leadership of the church got together and prayed and told them what to do

[00:48:09] do this go this direction be that come on how many know that we need to be led by the spirit we need to be led by prayer and what the will and mind of God is amen otherwise we can get off and we can have you know I've had some ideas where people look at me and said no not so much pastor now that idea just came from me it wasn't by the Holy Spirit so we need to make sure our ideas and what we're thinking even in our

[00:48:39] personal lives but as the church the direction we're going has to be directed by the Holy Spirit amen and so that's why the small groups and the youth ministry and the young adults and all the things that the mission that we're doing going to the jail etc. etc. that's what God has led us to do to honor him and to build his church with him come on somebody man you want the demonic forces are against that agenda they're against all of that amen how many think it's cool

[00:49:08] that a number of years ago we started another location in Hudson and right now there's all kinds of people up in Hudson who are part of this family who are listening to me preach God has smiled on them they've gotten saved or they've gotten encouraged they've been blessed they belong to small groups and our young adults look what God has done when we follow the Holy Spirit amen fill with the Holy Spirit I got reports this week of healings that happened at both locations where someone was prayed for

[00:49:38] in our altar time and some people were supernaturally healed hallelujah some people were supernaturally encouraged and directed out the Holy Spirit come on how many knows we need the church to be the church we can't play around with this but we have to know this is Jesus' church and the direction that we go and the decisions that we make as believers in the church has got to be in step with God's Spirit and God's Word and the blessings come

[00:50:09] hallelujah the church was born in the Holy Spirit the church did not begin until it was filled with the Holy Spirit they were all filled Acts chapter 2 and verse 4 they were all filled with the Holy Spirit we are not the church if we don't have majority of the people filled with the Holy Spirit they were all filled everybody said they were all filled they were all filled with the Holy Spirit so it's a spirit filled church

[00:50:42] saved church filled with the Holy Spirit I got two points left it's built on his word right here right here it's not here we don't preach it but if it is here we preach it even if common culture doesn't agree with it even if they throw Pastor Matt and Pierce County jail not as a chaplain but as a

[00:51:12] attendee because I preached something that was in here it doesn't matter when I became a pastor and minister I agreed with the Holy Spirit and God's call in my life I said this is my responsibility right here this is what I stand for the Word of God this is what I'm going to preach this is what I'm going to believe I'm not going to add to it and I'm not going to take away from it but it's right here this is what we stand on we stand on God's Word if we move anywhere else it's not going to be anointed

[00:51:41] and blessed and it's the same with our lives you can believe what you want but I'm telling you right now when you start to believe God's Word in your life your life's going to begin to move amen the Word of God were built on God's Word they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine they were devoted to the teaching of God's Word the Word shaped what they believed the Word shaped how they lived and the Word established their convictions they just didn't hear it the Bible says but they continued in it

[00:52:11] John 8 31 and 32 if you abide in me and my Word you are my disciples indeed you need to remember this after 30 years of ministry I have yet to see high functioning Christianity without that person having a working relationship with the Word of God if someone doesn't get familiar with the Word of God

[00:52:41] and all they ever hear is just me preaching my preaching or our preaching is to spur you on to get to know the Word of God for yourself that's my aim is to encourage you to get to know God's Word and the Holy Spirit I visited with a man this week who's had a fresh experience with the Lord and he told me the Lord kind of spoke to me very deeply and said you need to be in my Word and he said it's been changing my life

[00:53:11] I supposedly been saved for many years but man I've reached this new level as I am in the Word of man I to to be forever which means you can

[00:53:41] take it to the bank you can build your life I'm telling you if I were you I would take this book very serious amen 2nd Timothy 3 and 16 all scripture is given by inspiration of God so become familiar a workman doesn't need to be shamed rightly dividing the Word of truth that's why you need to ask questions you have a question

[00:54:11] about a scripture a passage get to know what does this scripture mean rightly dividing looking into so you understand properly the Word of God and the last pillar that I want to talk about this morning that grounds the church that makes the church for sure Jesus is church is fellowship

[00:54:41] fellowship one big glaring characteristic of God's church is it's filled with covenant relationships in other words we experience the feeling of family in the church like a natural family but a spiritual family it's a place where you do well I have yet to see

[00:55:10] Christians thrive in their Christianity and not be plugged in consistently to a local church like C3 that they support that they belong to that they're discipled in and that they attend and are part of and participate in regularly I've not seen a lot of fruit as you stand with me the Bible is a passage in the New Testament

[00:55:38] where it talks about having fruit that remains would you say that with me fruit that remains what the scripture is saying is somebody can look like they're this knock it out of the park Christian but if you dig deeper like things like

[00:56:07] marriage things like children you know the kind of fruit that's really where it's at you you won't see that and so I've seen a lot of smooth characters and they they know the scripture here not here so I'll be able to you know quote you verse and whatever else I've had people say

[00:56:37] to me I really don't think we need the church and I want to be like that's a foolish thing you've just said well you know can't the church just kind of be like a hippie movement where we you know there there's no leadership and we just kind of all hang out and you know if we want to sing that song we'll sing that song and anybody can play the keyboard and you know it doesn't matter who preaches we're just okay

[00:57:07] how's that working for you how's that working for you but you see in the bible there's teaching on the local church there's teaching about elders there's teaching about how the church is supposed to be run right here and when we do it as God says to do it and we now

[00:57:37] I'm asking the Holy Spirit to help you to see the seriousness of it will change your family tree I preach this with deep conviction because I am the result of

[00:58:06] somebody taking church seriously my mom and dad were both young people they had been to church as kids but they weren't totally taking it serious before when they were in their teenage years and both of them had been raised in not bad families but some struggles

[00:58:36] and I've told this story before my grandfather who didn't know Jesus but he struggled awfully with alcohol he was an alcoholic my dad was like any young person my dad was actually a he's short but he was a really good basketball player he was an all conference player he could shoot the lights and but if I

[00:59:06] remember the story correctly I don't think my grandfather attended one of his games because of a terrible addiction and I'm not condemning my grandfather I knew him well there was redemptive things he a guy but my dad said I want a

[00:59:36] good family I want my children to be blessed so when my mom and dad got married they started going to church and got saved and it's made all the difference in my family's life because they took their commitment to Jesus and their commitment to

[01:00:06] God's family and God's people seriously brothers and sisters I can confidently say this morning that all the goodness in my life is a result of not only my parents taking their walk with Jesus serious and church seriously but the church of Jesus Christ has formed and fashioned my life if I am anything it's

[01:00:36] because of God's church pastors leaders youth fellowship all these years have kept me walking a walk that has kept me thankfully on the straight and narrow come on how many can identify with that this is not something to negotiate with it's not something to question in a in a in a in a fleshly way

[01:01:05] but know that the church of Jesus Christ is God's desire and God's design know that Jesus built his church with us in mind that we might flourish that we might have a great life on this side of eternity with God's family his people the ecclesia the called out assembly the gathering of the believers the people of God there's nothing like God's church come on

[01:01:35] if the church has changed your life would you give a witness by clapping your hands to Jesus well praise the Lord praise the continue steadfastly in fellowship in the breaking of bread Ephesians 2 9 says we're members of the household of God we're members

[01:02:04] of the household of God 1 Corinthians 12 18 says God has set the members in the body as he is pleased Hebrews 10 24 and 25 let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works if you're all by yourself how many know you can't even fulfill that scripture and it says not

[01:02:33] forsaking the assembling of yourselves together together why do I preach about coming to church because I have you in mind I know it's going to change your life I know it's going to keep you healthy and strong in the Lord by your firm commitment to come together the writer of Hebrews says don't forsake that assembling of yourselves together as in the manner of some but exhorting one another lifting each other up you know making

[01:03:07] back let's keep keep it keep it focused Jesus in your name father we pause here a moment in your holy presence to thank you for salvation in Jesus

[01:03:38] thank you Lord that you came that we might have life Lord thank you Holy Spirit for filling us Lord thank you for your people my precious brothers and sisters Lord we could have all been doing different things today but your church came together your body comes together

[01:04:11] Christians who are serious about health wellness and your blessing on their life they see this truth not out of arm twisting but it's in our heart to be together that we need the word we need the fellowship we need to be with our family we need encouragement we need to be edified Lord I thank you