Ten Marks of a Prevailing Church
Mark #1: Uncommon Faith
Matthew 16:13-18
June 24, 2001
Intro:
A. [What the Church Really Needs, Citation: Father John McKenzie. Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 2.]
If the church were to lose its hierarchy, its clergy, its vast collection of buildings, its stores of learning amassed over the centuries, even the text of its sacred books, and had to face the world with nothing but the living presence of the Risen Jesus and its mission to proclaim the Good News to all nations and people, it would be no less a church than the church of Peter and Paul was.
Perhaps it might be more of a church than it is now.
1. It seems that by and large, many local churches have lost sight of what God has called them to be.
2. Many have added the teachings of men to what the Bible says.
3. Many are nothing more than social clubs.
4. Many have tried to mix the teachings of other religions with the teachings of the Bible.
5. Many have turned to doing every sort of good thing that a person could do except for sharing the gospel—they are do-good organizations.
6. Many have turned into Pharisaic, legalistic bodies that do nothing but weigh people down with more and more rules and regulations.
7. Many have quit preaching the true gospel; they have watered it down to supposedly make it more acceptable to people of the 21st century.
B. But Jesus talked about building a church upon the foundation of the belief that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
1. Jesus said that church would be a prevailing church.
2. And I want Somerset to be a prevailing church.
3. So first, today I want to talk about what a prevailing church is…
I. What is a prevailing church?
Matthew 16:18, And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (NIV)
Matthew 16:18, And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (KJV)
A. The prevailing church shall overcome.
1. A prevailing church is a church that the gates of hell will not overcome!
2. A prevailing church is a church that is built upon Christ and His teachings.
3. A prevailing church is a church that is run by the Bible and not by the opinions of men!
4. A prevailing church is a church that is overseen by men, but the head of the church is Jesus Christ.
5. A prevailing church is a church in which Satan and all his demons will work very hard in order to try to destroy it, but will not be able to overcome it because Christ is its foundation, it cornerstone, and its head.
6. A prevailing church is a church that stands throughout the years and expands God’s Kingdom.
7. A prevailing church is a church that makes a difference in peoples lives.
8. A prevailing church is a church that wins people to Christ!
9. A prevailing church is a church that influences its culture by changing people from the inside out.
10. A prevailing church offends Satan deeply and causes him to rise up strongly against it!
B. A prevailing church is not a church that simply tries to keep people happy.
1. A prevailing church doesn’t just try to keep its members happy and comfortable.
2. A prevailing church doesn’t do a lot of whining and complaining when things don’t go the way of certain people.
3. A prevailing church doesn’t water down the gospel to make it more palatable to some people.
4. A prevailing church doesn’t forget its purpose and get side-tracked into doing other good things that prevent it from expanding the Kingdom of God.
5. A prevailing church’s leadership doesn’t decide where to lead the church based on how many people agree with their decisions.
6. A prevailing church is not a church that simply tries to keep people happy, but instead only seeks to keep GOD happy!
C. If the church does anything else, it will not be blessed by God, it may cease to exist, and it certainly won’t be a prevailing church.
1. I wrote in this month’s newsletter that a GREAT commitment to the GREAT commission and to the GREAT commandment will produce a GREAT church!
2. I want Somerset to be a GREAT church and I’m willing to make a GREAT commitment in order for that to happen!
3. I don’t want Somerset to be just another church; I don’t want Somerset to be a little, country church; I don’t want Somerset to just stay the way its always been.
4. I want Somerset to be a church that shall prevail against the gates of hell!
5. I want Somerset to be a PREVAILING church and over the next ten weeks, I’m going to preach us in that direction.
6. Over the next ten weeks, I’m going to preach, "Ten Marks of a Prevailing Church."
7. I hope that you will be here for all 10 of them, and together we will make the changes and the sacrifices in order to lay the foundation for Somerset to be a prevailing church.
8. The first mark that I want us to consider today is…"Uncommon Faith."
II. What kind of faith exists in a prevailing church?
A. Faith that believes Jesus really is the Christ.
Matthew 16:13-17, When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
1. Prevailing churches consist of people who really understand that Jesus is the Christ.
2. Notice that the others that Jesus asked were religious people.
3. They gave religious answers to Christ’s question: John-the-Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.
4. Sure there are some similarities between Christ and these others, but there is a distinct difference between them and Christ and Peter had the faith to tell the truth: "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
5. Peter said Jesus was the one who was prophesied to come and be the Savior of the people.
6. Peter said Jesus is not just another prophet, He is the Son of God!
7. And people in prevailing churches don’t play spiritual games with Jesus either—they speak and live like they know the truth that Jesus really is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
8. That means they study, know, believe, and obey what Jesus taught.
9. That means that they don’t try to impose their own opinions on others when they don’t necessarily line up with what Christ taught.
10. That means that when someone doesn’t worship quit they way they are comfortable with, they allow that person the freedom to worship their way as long as it is in Spirit and in truth, the way that Christ taught to worship.
11. That means that they don’t get offended when someone tries to show them in the Bible that what they think is not Scriptural.
12. Prevailing churches consist of people who have the uncommon faith to really believe that Jesus IS the Christ!
B. Faith that believes God will supply.
Matthew 6:27-33, Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
1. Prevailing church know that God will supply.
2. Prevailing churches consist of people who know that as long as they continue to seek first God’s Kingdom, God will supply what it needs.
3. Prevailing churches consist of people who know that as long as they continue to seek after God’s righteousness, God will supply what it needs.
4. Prevailing churches consist of people who know that it is their FIRST PRIORITY to seek after God’s Kingdom and His righteousness and they know that as long as this is their FIRST PRIOIRTY, God will continue to meet their needs.
5. Prevailing churches know that if they seek to please people or play favorites, God will not supply.
6. Prevailing churches know that if they are just seeking their own glory, God will not supply.
7. Prevailing churches know that if they are imposing their own opinions on people, God will not meet their needs.
8. Prevailing churches know that if that are just making themselves comfortable, God will not supply their needs.
9. Prevailing churches don’t get worried if the attendance goes down.
10. Prevailing churches don’t get worried if the offerings go down.
11. Prevailing churches don’t get worried about these things because Christ said that we should keep our minds focused on seeking His Kingdom.
12. Prevailing churches consist of people who have the uncommon faith to believe that God will supply as long as they seek first His Kingdom.
C. Faith that attempts the impossible.
Matthew 14:25-29, During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It’s a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid." 28 "Lord, if it’s you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
1. This story speaks of Peter walking on the water and you may know that the next verse goes on to say, "BUT" Peter took his eyes off Jesus and sank.
2. But we rarely focus in on the uncommon faith that Peter had to get out of the boat in the first place.
3. Who else got out of the boat?
4. And we rarely focus on the fact that Peter actually did walk on the water.
5. Prevailing churches consist of people who are willing to attempt the impossible.
6. Prevailing churches attempt things that only God could do.
7. Prevailing churches don’t bother asking God to do what some human being could do themselves.
8. Prevailing churches consist of people who have the uncommon faith to step out of the boat.
9. Prevailing churches don’t have in their vocabulary the phrase: "We can’t do that."
10. Prevailing churches don’t stay in the boat because the church is just, "a little, country church."
11. Prevailing churches don’t stay in the boat just because our offerings can’t sustain something like that.
12. Prevailing churches don’t stay in the boat just because its never been done before.
13. Prevailing churches consist of people who have the uncommon faith to attempt the impossible because they know that all things are possible with God!
D. Faith to break the rules.
Matthew 15:22-28, A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." 25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. 26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs." 27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table." 28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
1. This woman was certainly breaking the rules and Jesus granter, her request because of her uncommon faith.
2. The religious people around Christ wanted Jesus to send her away.
3. She was breaking one of their rules; that rule was that Jesus would only minister to the Jews and she wasn’t a Jew.
4. But she had the faith to say that even dogs get crumbs and surely the Gentiles could get some of the crumbs left over from the Jews.
5. And Jesus granted her request because of her uncommon faith in daring to break the rules.
6. Prevailing churches don’t make their own rules in the first place, but if there are man-made rules that get in the way of seeking God’s Kingdom, then they WILL break them.
7. Prevailing churches will do WHATEVER it takes to expand God’s Kingdom (other than violate God’s Word).
8. But if there are man-made rules that are getting in the way—they’ll break ‘em!
9. Prevailing churches know that man’s rules don’t matter at all!
10. Prevailing churches know that even if somebody won’t like it, they need to do what God wants them to do anyway!
E. Faith that knows God will see us through the storms.
Mark 4:36-40, Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?" 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
1. The apostles were afraid that they were going to die as the storm swirled severely all around them, and Jesus questioned their faith.
2. Prevailing churches don’t get alarmed by the storms that hit the church—no matter how severe they may appear.
3. Prevailing churches know that God is in charge and that the gates of hell will not prevail.
4. Prevailing churches know that if someone is doing something wrong, God can remove them.
5. Prevailing churches know that if someone is caught in immorality, God or the leadership of the church must deal with it.
6. Prevailing churches know that if there’s selfishness in the church, then it must be purged from the church.
7. Prevailing churches know that Satan will attack and they don’t become alarmed by it because they know the church will prevail.
8. Prevailing churches don’t get alarmed when the attendance or the offerings take a temporary dip.
9. Prevailing churches have seen that God will take care of things as long as they continue to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.
10. Prevailing churches consist of people who have the uncommon faith to know that God will calm the storms.
F. Faith that sees beyond tradition.
Mark 7:1-13, The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) 5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ’unclean’ hands?" 6 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." 9 And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ’Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ’Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ’Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."
1. Jesus denounced the Pharisees for using their traditions to keep from doing what God wanted them to do.
2. Prevailing churches look beyond tradition in order to accomplish the will of God.
3. Prevailing churches look beyond the traditions of a small, country church in order to seek and save the lost and build HUGE churches full of people who have uncommon faith!
4. Prevailing churches look beyond the traditions of the way things have always been done in order to seek first God’s Kingdom.
5. Prevailing churches look beyond the way its always been in order to seek His righteousness.
6. Prevailing churches know that keeping a church bound by its traditions is what Satan wants and Jesus denounced the Pharisees for using the excuse of tradition in order to avoid doing what God wants.
7. Prevailing churches see the potential for what God can do in a church instead of being blinded by traditions.
8. Prevailing churches first ask what God wants to do now and not what has always been done in the past.
9. Prevailing churches know that the seven last words of a dying church are: "We’ve never done it that way before."
10. Prevailing churches consist of people with the uncommon faith to see beyond tradition.
G. Faith that will go to extraordinary lengths to accomplish God’s purposes.
Luke 5:18-20, Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
1. Notice the reason Jesus healed the man: Was it because of his faith? No it was because of the faith of his friends ("their faith").
2. There was a lot of people there; too many people for them to be able to get their friend to Jesus in order to be healed.
3. But they weren’t going to let people keep them from doing what they needed to do.
4. They weren’t going to let difficult circumstances keep them from getting their friend to Jesus.
5. They went to the extraordinary lengths of getting their friend up on the roof, cutting a hole in the roof, and lowering him down, right in front of Jesus.
6. And Jesus healed the man because of THEIR faith.
7. How did they demonstrate their faith?
8. They demonstrated their faith by going to extraordinary lengths.
9. Prevailing churches consist of people who are willing to get up off their pews and go to extraordinary lengths in order to accomplish God’s purposes.
10. They know that nothing is impossible with God, but we need to go to extraordinary lengths in order demonstrate it.
11. Prevailing churches don’t just sit in their pews and expect God to bless them.
12. Prevailing churches consist of people with the uncommon faith to go to extraordinary lengths to accomplish God’s will.
H. Faith that will be obedient no matter what.
Luke 6:46-49, "Why do you call me, ’Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
1. Jesus said that not obeying His Word is foolish.
2. Prevailing churches do what the Word of God says no matter what.
3. Prevailing churches do what the Word of God says, even if some people don’t like it.
4. Prevailing churches do what the Word of God says, even if some people leave the church.
5. Prevailing churches organize its leadership the way the Bible says, even if it is not the way the country it is in organizes its leadership.
6. Prevailing churches are Elder-lead even if the country’s government is a democracy.
7. Prevailing churches love their neighbor as themselves even if the world doesn’t do that.
8. Prevailing churches make Christ the head of the church no matter how many people think they know how to run the church.
9. Prevailing churches obey they Word of God even if they get criticized and slandered in the community.
10. Prevailing churches know they have to seek first God’s Kingdom.
11. Prevailing churches consist of people who have the uncommon faith to be obedient to God no matter what happens.
I. Faith that has to give glory to God.
Luke 17:12-19, As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
1. Jesus praised the faith of the man who returned to give thanks.
2. Prevailing churches give thanks to God when He heals people – whether on His own or by using doctors.
3. Prevailing churches give thanks to God when He brings them through the storms.
4. Prevailing churches give thanks to God when He guides them in the right direction.
5. Prevailing churches give thanks to God when He accomplishes things that are humanly impossible.
6. And prevailing churches can’t help but give thanks because they know how utterly dependent they are upon God—they just can’t help it.
7. [When God Builds a Church, Bob Russell, Howard Publishing, 2000, p. 74]
Bob Russell tells the story of a time they were having an elders’ meeting and were listening to a report on the status of the church after their first year in their newest building in Louisville.
They heard that their attendance growth was higher than they had projected, offerings were better than they had hoped and costs were less than they had anticipated.
John Foster, the chairman of the elders, said, "Men we’re not this good."
Following his lead, they all went to their knees and offered prayers of thanksgiving for the blessings God had poured out upon them.
8. Prevailing churches consist of people who have the uncommon faith that just has to give thanks.
J. Faith that believes God wants EVERYONE to be saved.
John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1. Prevailing churches know that God wants EVERYONE to be saved!
2. Prevailing churches know they can’t prejudge anyone as to whether or not they will get saved.
3. Who would have predicted that Jane Fonda would profess to be follower of Christ?
4. Prevailing churches know that God wants drug addicts to get saved.
5. Prevailing churches know that God loves and wants to save homosexuals and lesbians.
6. Prevailing churches know that God loves and wants alcoholics to be saved.
7. And prevailing churches know that if these kinds of people are going to be saved, they have to consider the church to be a safe place for them to be without being judged and ridiculed.
8. Prevailing churches know what God has done for them and they want EVERYONE to be able to saved as well and they will go to extraordinary lengths to see it happen.
9. Prevailing churches don’t care how big the church gets as long as we continue to share God’s love with people.
10. Not all churches want to be safe places for people to come and be loved into Christ they’re only concerned about keeping themselves happy.
11. Prevailing churches consist of people who have the uncommon faith to believe that God wants EVERYONE to be saved.
Conclusion:
A. [No Place for Faith, Citation: Leo Tolstoy in Confessions. Christianity Today, Vol. 32. no. 10.]
My break with faith occurred in me as it did and still does among people of our social and cultural type.
As I see it, in most cases, it happens like this: People live as everyone lives, but they all live according to principles that not only have nothing to do with the teachings of faith, but for the most part, are contrary to them.
The teachings of faith have no place in life and never come to play in the relations among people; they simply play no role in living life itself.
The teachings of faith are left to some other realm, separated from life and independent of it.
If one should encounter them, then it is only as some superficial phenomenon that has no connection with life.
1. Mr. Tolstoy is right.
2. Many people’s faith doesn’t amount to anything more than that.
3. And if the church only has people whose faith is nothing more than head knowledge, the church will never be a prevailing church.
B. [Christian Contradictions, Citation: Joseph Roy, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 4.]
A true Christian is a sign of contradiction--a living symbol of the Cross.
He or she is a person who believes the unbelievable, bears the unbearable, forgives the unforgivable, loves the unlovable, is perfectly happy not to be perfect, is willing to give up his or her will, becomes weak to be strong ... and finds love be giving it away.
1. How can those things be true in our lives?
2. Because of our uncommon faith in Jesus Christ!
C. How is your faith today?
1. Is your faith an uncommon faith; of the kind that Jesus marveled at throughout Scripture?
2. O how I want Jesus to marvel at my faith!
3. Don’t you?
4. Perhaps today you need to acknowledge your faith in Jesus Christ for the first time and accept Him as your Lord and Savior.
5. Or perhaps you need to come forward and like the apostles did in Luke 17, pray, "Lord increase our faith."
6. Perhaps today you want Somerset to be a prevailing church and you want your faith to play a role in building that kind of church.
7. I believe there are a lot of people here today that need to come forward and just pour your heart to God and ask Him to increase your faith.
8. I know there are a lot of people here who really want to see God do something special here at Somerset and we need to have the kind of faith that demonstrates that we know He can do that.
9. We need a large group of people from all walks of life with uncommon faith!
10. Do you need to come to Jesus and ask Him to increase your faith?
