Our Communion of Shared Lives (6 of 9)
Series: Our Shared Life
John Barnett
Today, as we open to Ephesians 4, we are Christ's church; and, as a member of Christ's Church, we each need to understand what God expects from us.
Christ's plan for each of us is to focus on our part of the mending/equipping, and building up/edifying of other believers in His Church. To clarify God's plan, we need to ask and answer some simple questions:
- Why do we come to this same building each week called Calvary Bible on Drake?
- Why do we go through all the hoops to join this fellowship of believers formally, and become members of CBC?
- Why do we submit to the direction of the elders and seek to follow what they prayerfully present as God's plan for this church?
- Why are we celebrating these past 80 years and wearing these nametags?
Because Christ's church is not a building-Christ's church is a family of believers who share life together.
And Jesus Christ, Lord of His Church is challenging each of us to jump in and celebrate our spiritual life with the family God has given to us. First we must remember that:
God Ordained
Local Churches
The New Testament church was made up of a universal body of redeemed saints. But all of those saints located in identifiable, local, geographic gatherings that were deeply connected at every level: spiritually, emotionally, financially, and relationally.
The New Testament believers were not taught to drift around to find the best program for their kids, or for the one church that fit their schedules, or for a church that better matched their music tastes.
New Testament believers were taught that God wanted them to stay put in their local church, and pour out their lives into one group of people day after day, and week after week. Next, we need to realize:
What God
Did Not Plan
If Christ had only wanted us to only be a part of the universal church then we could all just drive around each Sunday and vi ...
Series: Our Shared Life
John Barnett
Today, as we open to Ephesians 4, we are Christ's church; and, as a member of Christ's Church, we each need to understand what God expects from us.
Christ's plan for each of us is to focus on our part of the mending/equipping, and building up/edifying of other believers in His Church. To clarify God's plan, we need to ask and answer some simple questions:
- Why do we come to this same building each week called Calvary Bible on Drake?
- Why do we go through all the hoops to join this fellowship of believers formally, and become members of CBC?
- Why do we submit to the direction of the elders and seek to follow what they prayerfully present as God's plan for this church?
- Why are we celebrating these past 80 years and wearing these nametags?
Because Christ's church is not a building-Christ's church is a family of believers who share life together.
And Jesus Christ, Lord of His Church is challenging each of us to jump in and celebrate our spiritual life with the family God has given to us. First we must remember that:
God Ordained
Local Churches
The New Testament church was made up of a universal body of redeemed saints. But all of those saints located in identifiable, local, geographic gatherings that were deeply connected at every level: spiritually, emotionally, financially, and relationally.
The New Testament believers were not taught to drift around to find the best program for their kids, or for the one church that fit their schedules, or for a church that better matched their music tastes.
New Testament believers were taught that God wanted them to stay put in their local church, and pour out their lives into one group of people day after day, and week after week. Next, we need to realize:
What God
Did Not Plan
If Christ had only wanted us to only be a part of the universal church then we could all just drive around each Sunday and vi ...
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