The World Stole the Church
Chapter 1
The nature of the Church.
Upon the faith that Peter expressed in his confession, that Jesus Christ is God the Son, having God’s Nature and LIFE, as the Only Begotten Son of God, Christ gave us this important Promise:
“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.”
– Matthew 16:
“16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
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.”
In spite of the multitudes of human failures and over 325 different denominations or divisions, Christ has kept that promise made more than 2000 years ago.
This is true because the true church is in Heaven as well as in the heart of every true believer; removed and protected by God, beyond sin, change and decay.
When believers sin, and we all do sin, it is with the old nature of the flesh, not the new Nature given us in the New Birth!
The true Church is the Life of Christ within all truly born again believers who have believed and received the Risen Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and King.
“4 When Christ, who is our life”
– Colossians 3:
This is the work of God in giving this New Life to those God chooses through repentance and faith.
“3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
- Colossians 3:
“29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
– John 6:29
| “12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: | Gal 3:26, 1Jo 3:1, Rom 8:14, 2Co 6:17-18 |
| 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. | Jam 1:18, 1Jo 3:9, 1Pe 1:23, 1Pe 1:3 |
| 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” – John 1: | |
This is the true Church. It is not a building or an organization.
The true Church is composed of those in whom the LIFE of God, the Risen Christ, dwells. The buildings, with their denominational names, are places where believers and those who have not been born again meet.
How did these become born again believers?
The Bible Scripture is clear as to the absolute necessity and the way one becomes a born-again believing Child of God.
Jesus tells the Pharisee Nicodemus, an authority from the religious establishment, that “He must be born of again of the Holy Spirit of God”.
Christ is absolutely categorical in His giving this, religious but lost, Jewish minister, the absolute necessity of obtaining God’s LIFE; by the “New Birth” into the Life of God by receiving the Holy Spirit of God; New Life from God the Holy Spirit,
We learn in the Bible that it is through repentance and faith, given from God, from the Word of Truth.
The Scriptures put it like this:
The necessity for the first birth by water, and the second birth by God the Holy Spirit.
“5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
– John 3:
“7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
– John 3:
Born Again by the Holy Spirit’s Word of Truth!
“23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” – 1 Peter 1:
“18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” – James 1:
God must give us this repentance and faith!
“18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”
– Acts 11:
We find Eternal Life by God drawing us to Himself and our searching for the God of Truth in the right place:
The Holy Scriptures of God’s Holy Spirit!
“13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
– Jeremiah 29:
Why do people not become born again?
Because they refuse to come to the Light of Truth and believe God. This process of becoming a Christian is one of God’s Mysteries! It is something that God does. He gives us true faith!
“17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” – John 3:
We are saved from Condemnation and Judgement by believing in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ; not just that there was a man named Jesus;
but in the name of who Jesus Christ is!
The Messiah of God, God the Son, the Lamb of God sent by God to die for man’s sin, fulfilling Scripture prophecies.
The prophecy in Isaiah tells us that He is!
He is the Messiah of God promised to Israel; God the Son, the Lamb of God sent by God the Father to die for man’s sin; to take man’s place for the Judgement of our sin.
“The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
“6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
– Isaiah 9:
This repentance and faith are Gifts of God! This is the work of God!
“29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
– John 6:
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. – John 5:24
“15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
– John 3:
The local, earthly church has changed!
Christ told us this would take place in His parables of “The Tares among the Wheat parable”, “The Grain of Mustard Seed parable” and “The Leaven in Three Measures of Meal parable”.
In this parable, we are instructed to not seek to separate the tares from the wheat.
“27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
– Matthew 13:
God’s Word of Scripture teaches us that we are to exhort one another with Scripture.
“25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
- Hebrews 10:25
The letters to the churches are filled with exhortation and correction!
“16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
- 2 Timothy 3:16
We are to exhort one another with the exhortations of Scripture!
Not only does the church need exhortation, but ministers of the Gospel need exhortation.
The pressures on preachers is horrendous.
We have, contrary to Scripture, puffed up our ministers; putting them on pedestals.
“6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.”
- 1 Corinthians 4:6
All believers in Christ are Saints in our New Creation Man in Heaven; on earth, we all sin and come short of the Glory of God.
“4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?”
- Corinthians 3:4
“6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.”
- 1 Corinthians 4:6
“8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
- 1 John 1:
The Church in Heaven in Scriptures
“That we should be holy and without blame before him in love:“
– Ephesians 1:4
Do we grasp, by faith, what it means for us in the here and now; that we are reconciled to God by the Lord Jesus’ New Covenant “in His Blood”?
“For this is My blood of the new covenant,”
- Matthew 26:28
“For this is my Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. [Exod. 24:6-8.]”
– Matthew 26:28 AMPC
Ephesians 1:7
“redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”
“an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God”
“yet now hath he reconciled”
“justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
“to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: “
“that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: “
Ephesians 1:7
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”
Colossians 1:
“21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: “
Ephesians 1:
“4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, “
Romans 5:9
“Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
1 Peter 1:4-5
“4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Matthew 26:28
“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. [Exod. 24:6-8.]”
- Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) |