WHY IN THE WORLD IS THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD?
by Nelson Price
Scripture: MATTHEW 16:10-11, MATTHEW 16:13-18
5/19/85
WHY IN THE WORLD IS THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD?
MATTHEW 16: 13 - 18
JESUS CHRIST said, "I WILL build my church..."
If it is deserving of His emphatic commitment it is worthy of
our consideration. His true church is in such contrast and
often conflict with the world there must be some reason He wants
it here.
He said the "gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
Again He is emphatic in saying they "shall not prevail." This
should tip us off to the fact that they will try.
The gates of ancient cities were where the elders of the city
met to plan the affairs of the city. Here the collective wisdom
was shared. Thus, Christ was saying, "Let the devil and all the
demons of hell plot and plan their strategy and they shall not
keep me from my intended end. I will build my church."
C.S. Lewis, the scholarly British writer in his work entitled
"The Screwtape Letters" depicts Screwtape (the devil) giving
advice to his nephew, Wormwood, the recruiter from hell working
here on earth. Here was the devil's advice on getting recruits.
"The church is a fertile field if you just keep them bickering
over details, structure, organization, money, property, personal
hurts, and misunderstandings...One thing you must prevent--don't
ever let them look up and see the banners flying, for if they
ever see the banners flying you have lost them forever." Keep
them bickering. Over what? Most often little things that
become exaggerated.
In a small Tennessee town there is a little church with asign
out front noting their name to be LEFT FOOT BAPTIST CHURCH. It
got the name years ago when they pract ...
WHY IN THE WORLD IS THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD?
MATTHEW 16: 13 - 18
JESUS CHRIST said, "I WILL build my church..."
If it is deserving of His emphatic commitment it is worthy of
our consideration. His true church is in such contrast and
often conflict with the world there must be some reason He wants
it here.
He said the "gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
Again He is emphatic in saying they "shall not prevail." This
should tip us off to the fact that they will try.
The gates of ancient cities were where the elders of the city
met to plan the affairs of the city. Here the collective wisdom
was shared. Thus, Christ was saying, "Let the devil and all the
demons of hell plot and plan their strategy and they shall not
keep me from my intended end. I will build my church."
C.S. Lewis, the scholarly British writer in his work entitled
"The Screwtape Letters" depicts Screwtape (the devil) giving
advice to his nephew, Wormwood, the recruiter from hell working
here on earth. Here was the devil's advice on getting recruits.
"The church is a fertile field if you just keep them bickering
over details, structure, organization, money, property, personal
hurts, and misunderstandings...One thing you must prevent--don't
ever let them look up and see the banners flying, for if they
ever see the banners flying you have lost them forever." Keep
them bickering. Over what? Most often little things that
become exaggerated.
In a small Tennessee town there is a little church with asign
out front noting their name to be LEFT FOOT BAPTIST CHURCH. It
got the name years ago when they pract ...
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