“Becoming the Church God Intended”
By
Bishop M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
Pentecost Sunday 2014
Acts 2:1-13 & 37-47
Today I am going to preach on the subject of “Becoming the church God intended, but before I do I came across this article the other day and I need to share it with you and it ties in perfectly with my message on today.
Church Charges Admission Fee
Most churches do not charge a fee for people to attend Sunday morning worship services. According to a report, a Carolina church has introduced a controversial plan to charge an admission fee for people to attend their Sunday morning service.
Mount Ebenezer Baptist Church revealed the fee was a direct result of church members and visitors not giving enough money to keep the doors open. The church’s pastor, Rev. James Lamont, spoke with local news station WSTV saying, “We realize charging members to attend church would not be a popular decision, however it was necessary to remain operational. There is a lot that goes on to make these services happen. Without a sufficient amount of donations, the church would have to operate at a loss. We are in the business of saving souls, but we are also a business. Salaries and bills have to be paid. Saving souls ain’t cheap”.
Rev. Lamont says he was reluctant to make this decision, but it was necessary because for the last six months of operating the church, it has been done with his own personal funds. If the church is to stay open, the pastor says he needs funds coming in to help with the finances of the church.
The pastor believes the fees are affordable. Members of Mount Ebenezer Baptist Church will be allowed to pay a discounted yearly membership fee of $60.00. Visitors will pay $10 at the door each time they visit. The church says there will also be a $25 family discounted admission fee for up to four family members. Children under twelve will be allowed to enter the church without paying
The fee is only for the Sunday morning service. Entrance to the church will be free on all days except for that particular service.
Matthew 10:7-8 says “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give”.
1 Corinthians 1:21 says “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe”.
THE QUESTION IS - Is this what God intended for His church to be?
Charging a fee to attend service is not only Biblical but is a deception that is birthed from the pits of hell itself.
We are not in the business of saving souls Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”. We are commissioned to Make Disciples, to teach them to observe all things as He has commanded, Baptizing them, teaching them and building them up Ephesians 4:12:13 “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”.
YES ministry cost, it’s not cheap, but I am a firm believer that if God has called you then it’s up to Him to provide. Read Luke 12:20-59.
Oh ye of little faith.
The Church is desperately in need of a revival. She has suffered for so long in the seat of comfort and complacency that there is a desperate need for her to be awakened, and refreshed, and renewed from within. Proverbs 6:6 & 9 says “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep”. The church has been asleep, she has forsaken her calling, forgotten her name, seduced by the materialistic things of this fallen world and, worst of all, she has been distracted to the point of forgetting her first love. Revelation 2:4 says “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love”. The church today seems to have lost its first love. They have lost the love of Christ for people, for fellowship, for the work of the ministry.
Jesus came and fulfilled the Messianic prophecy. He proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God and lived a life that demonstrated what people of the Kingdom should be like. He had compassion for those that had not, that were stricken with infirmities and diseases. He said Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”. He wasn’t looking for those that had it all together, that had fortune and fame, power and prosperity. He was looking for the hurting, hungry, destitute, thirsty. Luke 5:31-32 says “And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. Luke 14:23 says “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled”.
The Church is desperate once again for a prophetic word to shake us from our stupor and awaken us from our slumber. It needs to return to its first Love. It needs to become the Church that God intended it to be.
SERMON
Today is Pentecost Sunday – It is what we call the Birth of the Church as we know it.
The Feast of Holy Pentecost is celebrated each year on the fiftieth day after Passover as the culmination of the Feast of Weeks Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10.
The Feast of Weeks began on the third day after the Passover with the presentation of the first harvest sheaves to God, and it concluded on Pentecost with the offering of two loaves of unleavened bread, representing the first products of the harvest Leviticus 23:17-20; Deuteronomy 16:9-10.
Now for most of the church today that really doesn’t seem to matter much because unless you take the time to study Jewish Feast you don’t realize what importance that plays in Biblical History.
Passover is celebrated because when the Children of Israel were in Egypt and God told them to kill a lamb and put the blood of the lamb on the door post and over the door and when the death angel would come would see the blood of the lamb and Passover those under the blood. 50 days later the children of Israel came to Mt. Sinai and God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Children of Israel. THIS IS A COMMANDMENT THAT IS TO LAST THROUGH ALL GENERATIONS.
After they came into the Promise Land, after 40 years of wondering because of murmuring and complaining against God, they were to celebrate the Feast of Weeks which was to give an offering to God of the First Fruits of the Harvest. REMEMBER THAT.
WATCH THIS:- Jesus was crucified on Passover, the Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world, 3 days later he rose from the dead the beginning of the Feast of weeks and presented himself before God the First fruit of the Harvest 1 Corinthians 15:20 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept”, 50 days later on Pentecost the Holy Ghost descended upon those in the upper room, the new covenant. At Sinai 50 days after they came out of Egypt they received the Ten Commandments Exodus 20.
Since the Jewish Feast of Pentecost was a great pilgrimage feast, many people from throughout the Roman Empire were gathered in Jerusalem on this day Acts 2:5-12.
So today the Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon those in the upper room, the establishment of the Church through the preaching of the Apostles and the baptism of the thousands who on that day believed in the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
When the people in Jerusalem heard the sound, they came together and heard their own languages being spoken by the Apostles Acts 2:5-6. The people were confused and amazed, knowing that those speaking were Galileans, and not men who would normally speak many different languages. They wondered what this meant, and some even thought that they were drunk Acts 2:7-13.
Peter, hearing these remarks, stood up with the other 11 and addressed the crowd. He preached to the people regarding the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Holy Spirit.
He spoke about Jesus Christ and His death and glorious Resurrection. Great conviction fell upon the people, and they asked the Apostles, "What shall we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" Acts 2:38-39.
The Bible states that this New Dispensation, the Dispensation of Grace/the Church Age would come Jesus prophesied that it would come. He purchased it by the shedding of His blood on Calvary’s cross and after His resurrection and ascension the church was constituted on the Day of Pentecost in accordance with His promise. The Bible records that on that day about three thousand were added to the church.
The Bible says inActs 2:42-47 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”.
BECOMING THE CHURCH GOD INTENDED.
Many people today understand the church as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of “church” is not that of a building, but of people.
It is funny that when you ask people what church they attend, they usually identify a building. Romans 16:5 says “… greet the church that is in their house.” Paul refers to the church in their house—not a church building, but a body of believers.
The church is the body of Christ, of which He is the head. Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The body of Christ is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ from the Day of Pentecost until Christ’s return.
WATCH THIS:- Matthew 8:20 Jesus said “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head”. He wasn’t talking about a place to sleep He was talking about being the head of the church He hadn’t had a body spiritually speaking yet. Many people will teach this and say see Jesus was poor and this is where they come up with the vow of poverty and that is not what he was talking about. Jesus had a mother and she had a house I’m sure and you can always go home. Jesus had 12 disciples and some of them were married and had a house, he had friends like Martha, Mary, and Lazarus and he could have laid his head there if that is what he meant. He was talking about the Body of Christ the church, the ekklesia.
The body of Christ is comprised of two aspects:
1) The universal church consists of all those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink”. This verse says that anyone who believes is part of the body of Christ and has received the Spirit of Christ as evidence. The universal church of God is all those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. From the Day of Pentecost until today all over this planet.
2) The local church is described in Galatians 1:1-2 “Paul, an apostle … and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia.” Here we see that in the province of Galatia there were many churches—what we call local churches. A Baptist church, Lutheran church, Catholic church, a Apostolic church, etc., is not the church, as in the universal church—but rather is a local church, a local body of believers.
The universal church is comprised of those who belong to Christ and who have trusted Him for salvation. Jesus said it like this:- John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd”.
So we understand that the church is not a building, a denomination, or an organization, but it’s a living, breathing, moving organism that must apply the “body” principles of 1 Corinthians 12: encouraging, teaching, and building one another up in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
JESUS IS BUILDING HIS CHURCH
Jesus said, Matthew 16:18 "I will build my church". Jesus Christ said that He would build His church and that the gates of hell, would not prevail against it. Therefore; we know the church cannot be stopped Matthew 16:18. WATCH THIS:- I’m getting a little ahead of myself but, 1 Corinthians 6:19 says “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own”? ------- HELLO CHURCH/EKKLESIA/TEMPLE YOU CAN’T BE STOPPED, FOR THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST YOU.
The church that I am under-shepherd of is not my church, the church is not the elder’s church or even the members of the congregation, but this is Jesus Christ’s church. He is the Head of the Church and the church is called the Body of Christ 1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 4:12, Ephesians 5:23. The church was founded upon the apostles, prophets and Jesus Christ Who is the Chief Cornerstone of it Ephesians 2:20.
The Descriptions of the church
The church is described in several ways: the people of God, the family of God, the bride of Christ. We are a building, a temple and a body. Jesus described us as sheep, a field of grain and a vineyard. Each analogy describes a different aspect of the church.
Many of Jesus’ parables of the kingdom describe the church, too. Like a mustard seed, the church started small and yet has grown quite large Matthew 13:31-32. The church is like a field in which weeds are scattered among the wheat Matthew 13: 24-30. It is like a fishnet that catches bad fish as well as good Matthew 13: 47-50. The church is like a vineyard in which some people work a long time and others only a short time Matthew 20:1-16. The church is like servants who were given money to invest for the master, and some produce more fruit than others Matthew 25:14-30.
Jesus described himself as a shepherd, and his disciples as sheep Matthew 26:31; his mission was to seek lost sheep Matthew 18:11-14. He described his people as sheep that must be fed and cared for John 21:15-17. Paul and Peter used the same analogy, saying that church leaders should be shepherds of the flock Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2.
"You are…God’s building," Paul says 1 Corinthians 3:9. The foundation is Jesus Christ (v. 11), and people are the building built on it. Peter said that we are all "living stones...being built into a spiritual house" 1 Peter 2:5. As we are built together, we "become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" Ephesians 2:22. We are the temple of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 3:17; 6:19. Although God may be worshiped in any place, the church has worship as one of its purposes.
We are "the people of God," 1 Peter 2:10 tells us. We are what the people of Israel were supposed to be: "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" v. 9; see Exodus 19:6. Not that we have replaced Israel, but we have been grafted in as a wild olive branch Romans 11:24 says “For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree”?
WATCH THIS:- When a branch is grafted into a vine this is the process, a cut is made into the vine then the branch is inserted into the vine. Once the branch is inserted into the vine the cells of the vine mesh with the cells of the branch and nourish the branch and makes the branch part of the vine. WATCH:- John 15:5 says “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing”. Thank God for the soldier that pierced Him in His side on Calvary’s cross for it made an opening for you and I to be grafted into the Vine.
We belong to God, because Christ purchased us with his blood Revelation 5:9. We are his children, and his family Ephesians 3:15. As his people, we are given a great inheritance, and in response we are to please him and bring praise to his name.
Scripture also calls us the bride of Christ—a phrase that suggests his love for us, and a tremendous change within ourselves, that we might have such a close relationship with the Son of God. In some of His parables, people are invited to attend the wedding banquet, but in this analogy, we are invited to be the bride.
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready" Revelation 19:7. How do we become ready for this? It is a gift: "Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear" v. 8. Christ cleanses us "by the washing with water through the word" Ephesians 5:26. He presents the church to himself, having made her radiant, spotless, holy and righteous v. 27. He is working in us.
Some Purposes of the church
Christ has built his church, given his people gifts and leadership, and he has given us work to do. What are the purposes of the church?
A major purpose of the church is worship. God has called us that we "may declare the praises of him" who called us "out of darkness into his wonderful light" 1 Peter 2:9. God seeks people who will worship him John 4:23, who will love him above everything else Matthew 4:10. Everything we do, whether as individuals or as a congregation, should be for his glory 1 Corinthians 10:31. We are called to "continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise which is the fruit of our lips" Hebrews 13:15.
We are commanded, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" (Ephesians 5:19). When we gather, we sing praises to God, we pray to him and we listen to his word. These are forms of worship. So is the Lord’s Supper, so is baptism and so is obedience.
Teaching is another purpose of the church. It is at the heart of the Great Commission: "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" Matthew 28:20.
Paul says, we should want to "build up the church" 1 Corinthians 14:12. The goal is to edify, strengthen, encourage and comfort. We are to be disciples, people who learn and apply the word of God. The early church was praised because they "devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42).
Ministry is a major purpose of the church. Paul writes, "As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" Galatians 6:10. Our first duty is to our family, and then to the church and then to the world around us. The second-greatest commandment is to love our neighbors Matthew 22:39.
The Church’s Orders
Jesus gave the church its marching orders and it was given by the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ five times! The main thrust of these commands for the church is found in Matthew 28:18-20, “Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” and Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” We see that the church’s purpose is the Great Commission of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world. That is one of the main purposes of the church. The church is actually commanded to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and to take it into all the world. We are to be His witnesses “to the end of the earth,” across the globe and across the street.
BECOMING THE CHURCH GOD INTENDED
WATCH THIS:- Luke 17:20-21 says “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you”.
Here are 5 scriptures that I need to use to bring this point home. 5 is the number of Grace.
1. Matthew 3:2 says “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.
2. Matthew 4:17 says “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.
3. Matthew 10:7 says “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand”.
4. Mark 1:15 says “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel”.
5. Luke 21:31 says “So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand”.
Hold your hand in front of your face. Where is the Kingdom of God at hand.
The Kingdom is not about speaking in tongues or shouting. It’s not about having your best life now and making a million dollars. The Kingdom is not about church as usual. The Kingdom is about becoming the church God intended.
You are the church we established that. How you act and what you do is what God intends.
HERE’S THE POINT OF THE MATTER:- Matthew 25:31-46 “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
1 John 4:8 & 16 says “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 16 says And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him”.
Being the church God intended is not about the best choir, the greatest musicians, the biggest sanctuary. It’s not about how many members you have or if you end up on television or not. It’s not about titles, robes, collars, miters, or staffs. It’s about showing Jesus to a world that will never see Him unless they see Him through you and I.
It’s not about getting a million dollars so you can be a millionaire, but being a blessing to someone else. It’s not about having your best life now, but helping someone else have a better life.
CLOSE:- A.W. Tozer April 21, 1897 - May 12, 1963) was an American Christian pastor, preacher, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor said, “We must not think of the Church as an anonymous body, a mystical religious abstraction. We Christians are the Church and whatever we do is what the Church is doing. The matter, therefore, is a personal one. Any step forward in the Church must begin with the individual.”
We need to be the church God intended not the building but the people God intended the church to be. When we do this we will begin to see God move. Ephesians 3:20 says “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think according to the power that worketh in us”. That is the power in the church, the Holy Ghost.
Bishop M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
