Sermon Central
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There's A Problem With The Church
Contributed by Vera Hughes on Feb 20, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: Many of us got saved and born again and became a member of what is known as the “Body of Christ”. We come to church every Sunday and do not really understand our purpose in the Body of Christ. But to function properly and get the fullness out of this re
I Corinthians 12:12 – 14 (Everyone reads this together)
For as the body is one, and hath many members, all the members of that one body being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member but many.
In today’s lesson we will look at “What’s The Matter With The Church”. Many of us got saved and born again and became a member of what is known as the “Body of Christ”. We come to church every Sunday and do not really understand your purpose in the Body of Christ. But to function properly and get the fullness out of this relationship with God through being a member in His Body, you will need to understand that you were birthed in the earth to provide a direction for the world.
The Body of Christ to operate together so well that the government, political system, school home, etc. could extract their moral values from and get their source of direction as to how they should operate in a secular manner.
The Body of Christ has done a poor job of it now because the world is not looking at the Body of Christ today, as its source of direction. We are to be the consciousness of the world so when they had no one to turn to they could turn to the Body of Christ.
So I ask the question, “What’s The Matter With The Church”, we don’t understand who we are as a BODY. We don’t understand the purpose, mission or how to operate in the Body of Christ.
Before we can even understand the Body of Christ, we must understand that you have purpose in the earth. But we were to add to the earth and make it better, not just to get everything from the earth (jobs, money) and die.
Purpose of Man:
Genesis 1:26 – 30 (Turn here)
1. Someone to fellowship with God in His image and likeness. Man is able to conform to God’s moral character and not only that we can act like God and God has made us free moral agents that we can choose to have fellowship and relationship with Him.
2. Someone in earth that could establish a relationship with Him. God wanted a relative in the earth because He has an inheritance to share with us. There is feeling between God and us. We can come to Him and express ourselves and He can express Himself.
3. We are to represent God in the earth. God has a representative in the natural realm as He is representative in the spirit realm. We are His sole representatives in the earth realm and He wanted the natural and spiritual to be connected so He created us in His image and likeness and act like Him. He put us in charge and dominion over all the earth and we are to run earth just like He runs Heaven. And He gave a promise to us that “whatsoever you bind in earth, shall be bind in heaven; and whatsoever you loose in earth, shall be loosed in heaven”. It is not the intention of God for anything to have dominion over us (i.e. drugs, etc.). It grieves the heart of God.
Purpose of the Body of Christ:
1. Show the world who God is. There are people who need a God they should see and we should conduct ourselves in a manner so the world will know who God is.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
2. Give validity to God’s testimony. We are to act like God and God performs His Word in us and we give testimony of God. We are to proclaim the truth and signs and wonders follow so that the world can see the truth of God’s Word.
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Mission of the Body of Christ:
1. To glorify God. Make God look good by our conduct. We are to sanctify the Holy Name of God. That is how we glorify Him.
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
2. Evangelize the world. The Gospel will be published throughout all the earth. Everyone will have the opportunity to hear this Gospel.
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
