The Church's Foundations & Methods

We're going to look to the word of the Lord this morning. I'm going to read from Psalm 1 verse Psalm 127. I'll read a portion from Matthew chapter 16 and then we will go to Acts chapter 2. We're looking at some distinctives of the book of Acts church. And so we're going to we're going to discuss the church church's foundations and its methods today. The foundation that we are built upon, what we stand upon, and the methods that the early church used for revival. Psalm 127:1 says this, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.

Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh, but in vain." I'm thankful this is God's church. >> He's building it. It's not man. It's not man's way except he do it. We're just wasting our time. And then Matthew 16, very familiar to us. Particularly we Pentecostals like this passage. Jesus asked his disciples, "But whom say ye that I am?" And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my father which is in heaven, 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." And then from Acts chapter 2, I'm going to begin reading at verse 42.

It says, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and in 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. They sold their possessions, and good. They parted them all to every men, as every man had need. And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking of bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singless of heart praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

As I mentioned our current series studies focuses on the distinctives of the book of Acts. And so we began with a lesson on the church's commission. what God commanded the disciples to do and ultimately for us to do to go into the world and preach the gospel. We studied the power of Pentecost showing how the spirit was vital throughout the entire apostolic period. Not only did it fall on Pentecost, but that empowerment worked through the working of the spirit. We see it all through the book of Acts.

Brother Carden taught on miracles and wonders and signs in the book of Acts. The way God moved in miraculous ways. And so we look today at this church's foundation and the methods they used to spread the gospel. The plan of God from the foundation of the world was for a people to be called out of darkness into his marvelous light. This mystery, as Paul called it, has now been revealed to us. We know that it is ultimately the church. So today we're going to look at God's plan for the church and then we're going to turn our attention to those early days of the church that we read about there in Acts chapter 2 and learn from the patterns that are set there for us.

And I think when we look at that, we can learn what God wants us to be. We are apostolic Pentecostals and we want to follow their example, don't we? I'm glad to know the church is God's handiwork. It is his alone except the Lord build the house. the scripture that we read. It's important to realize that the concept, the structure, the building, the security, the destiny, the the whole thing of the church all originated in the mind of God. This is not man's kingdom or man's ideas.

Many people have invested countless hours in his kingdom. And we should never forget that all of our combined labors could never create a church. We can create an organization. We can create other things. We will never be a church without the working and the power of God. And of course, we know by his own declaration, Jesus is the one who builds the church. He said, "Upon this rock, I will build my church." And through his power working in us, that is exactly what happens. We must have the power of God.

The good news is the Lord does build the church. That it does happen that way. I'm thankful for that. Aren't you, man? And I don't have to come to church and think, "Well, I've got to build God's church today." No, he's building it, and we just want to be those willing vessels. Before mankind fell in the Garden of Eden, I believe that God's plan for redemption included the church. We know that Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. So, it was in God's plan right there.

But God also included in that plan to have his church. All his dealings with mankind throughout the Old Testament pointed forward to the church. Even the prophets pointed forward and talked about and became part of its foundation. Of course, we know Jesus is the cornerstone and the apostles, the prophets, all that are are our foundation. The apostles preached it. The book of Acts records it. Man's wisdom could not design something so lasting as wonderful a church. We've created all kinds of organizations, all kinds of things done.

But ancient Rome is no longer here. Ancient Greece is no longer here. Other societies, other things that have happened throughout, they don't have the staying power that the church has because God himself created it. It was his plans. And it's interesting in the Old Testament, they really didn't grasp it, didn't understand it. They could only wonder what God had in mind or what he intended. sometimes probably glossed over a lot of those scriptures and kind of ignored it, especially when it talked about Gentiles and the Jews really didn't know what that was all about and just kind of probably overlooked that.

But when Jesus arrived on the earth, he began to preach the kingdom concepts and and we began to see that that shroud fall away. We begin to glimpse what God had purposed. And finally, Paul says in Ephesians 3:9, he said, "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world had been hidden God." He's talking about the church there. He said, "Our job is to let all men see here is this mystery." He said, "He created all things by Jesus Christ to with the intent that now under the principalities and powers in heavenly places." So he's talking about other spiritual forces might be known by the church the manifest wisdom of God.

They can look at God's wisdom and say wow had no idea. The angels said desire to look into this thing. They had no clue what the church was going to be about. And he said it is according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. A little more modern Bible translation than the King James said this. Paul wrote, "He allowed me to explain the way this mystery works. God, who created all things, kept it hidden in the past, and he did this so that now through the church, he could let rulers and authorities in heaven know his infinite wisdom." This was God's plan for all history, which he carried out through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, the church was in God's mind before Joel prophesied about Pentecost and about the outpouring of the spirit. Before Isaiah attempted to describe the name of Jesus, before Moses first set up the tabernacle, before Adam even tasted of the forbidden fruit, God had purposed to build a church founding on the redemptive work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It's often been said that the first prophecy in the Bible is Genesis 3:15. And that is definitely the first messianic prophecy, talking about the coming one that would bruise the serpent's head, that seed of the woman.

However, Paul reaches back a chapter earlier to Genesis chapter 2, and he finds a reference to the church. Think about that before we even hear of a Messiah. Genesis 2:23. And Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh. Sheep shall be called woman because she was taken out of a man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his life wife, and they shall be one flesh." Paul looks back and he likens that relationship to Christ in the church.

Ephesians 5:31-32, for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and should be joined unto the wife, and they shall two shall be one fle flesh. And then he says, this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ in the church. So he looked back to Genesis chapter 2 and he said, God had the church in mind, was there. We're blessed, I think, to be part of something that I mean, it's not fly by night. It's not going away. We're part of the church of the living God.

God's plan from the f foundation of the world. So, it was planned by God. But not only did he plan it and design it, but God also purchased his church. Price for building the church was high. 1 Peter 1:18, you were not know that you were not redeemed. You were not bought, you were not purchased with corruptible things. The silver and gold wasn't your money. It wasn't anything else from your vain conversation or from your empty lifestyle received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot who verily was fore orained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

He bought it. It was God's plan from the beginning. The Bible clearly states that God has redeemed. He has purchased us back from the enemy of our souls. He's paid the price for our sins. And Paul told his converts in Corinth, you are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. We belong to him, church. It's more than just I I'm not just joining a church. He's purchased you. He's paid the price. And when you accept that and his blood is applied to your life and in baptism and repentance and receiving the Holy Ghost, you are bought with a price and you are not your own.

And when speaking of the soon return of Christ, Paul even writes in Titus 2:13, "We are looking for a blessed hope in the glorious appearing of the great God, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." 1 Peter 2:9, you're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. You see that word there? Again, Paul uses it, Peter uses it, and it literally, it doesn't mean strange.

It doesn't mean different. It literally means a special treasure, a special possession. It refers to being bought. You are what? A church that is bought. Why? that we might show forth the praises of him that brought us out of darkness into his marvelous light which in times past were not a people but now the people of God who had not obtained mercy but now have attained that mercy that we sang about earlier. Aren't you thankful that you've been bought by his blood? Aren't you thankful for redemption?

So intrinsic to the church is this idea of redemption that when we finally get to heaven, you know what we're going to do? We're going to sing a new song. They sung a song, a new song. Thou art worthy to open the book and the seals thereof and thou for they were slain and you have redeemed us. Angels aren't going to sing that song. They'll sing holy, holy, holy. We do that sometimes, but they're not going to say I've been redeemed by blood divine. Glory, glory, Christ is mine.

They can't church. It's only his church. that mystery that was purchased by him, by Jesus Christ. Not only was it planned and it was purchased, but it is planted by God. It's going to stand forever because God planted it because God has placed it there. Matthew records a story or we read a portion of that which we won as Pentecostals. We're in intimately familiar with it. While some of our conclusions are very good preaching, I think the story goes a little deeper than what we've previously maybe studied or talked about.

And so I want to look at this again. Matthew chapter 16. It begins in verse 13. When Jesus came into the coast of Cesaria, Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Whom do men say that I, the son of man, is?" Now the disciples, they may have just discerned this as another day, another time, another time walking with Jesus. They had gone to Cesaria Philippi, which was very far north. It was at the northern part of Israel, about as far as you can go. It was near Mount Hermon.

And previously I have I've talked through this passage before that there was really no explanation why he went there and nothing about the place that was significant. But having studied this a little deeper, I've come to understand that statement couldn't be farther for the truth. Jesus knew what he was doing when he went there. So he said it was at the northern edge of Israel near the land of Dan. was positioned at the foot of Mount Hermon, the highest peak of all of Israel. And we learn this, the site was famous in the ancient world as a center of the worship of Pan, a Phoenician god, and for the temple of the high god Zeus was also at one time a place where they went to worship Baal of Dan.

And so more than 20 temples have been surveyed on top of Mount Hermon, which is unprecedented compared to other regions around there. They appear to all be ancient cult sites of the population. And they represent Canaanite gods, Phoenician gods, Greek gods, all these false gods. And it was considered and it was even called the gates of hell. It was the gateway to the realm of the dead in the Old Testament times. So it was a very unique place. a lot of idolatry, a lot of things going on there and worship of these false gods.

And I think it is significant that in this very place Jesus takes his disciples and say, "Who do men say that I, the son of man, am?" Of course, we know their answers. Well, they begin to name some. Well, some people say you're John the Baptist, maybe risen from the dead. Some say Elijah. Some say you're Jeremiah. You're one of the other prophets. We really don't know. No, they're not. And then here came the question, but who do you say that I am? And Peter says these words, "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God." We like that scripture.

We like to preach that scripture. We like to talk about it. But I don't know that Peter really expected the reaction he received. For Jesus just it almost seems like he he leapt at the chance to answer. Blessed art thou Simon Barjonah. Flesh and blood hasn't revealed this to me. It was my father which is in heaven. And I say unto thee also that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Now I think in a in a way our our previous interpretation and the one we generally use is correct.

We have said that the the rock refers to Peter's confection. Upon this rock, this idea of who I am, I am going to build my church. And I think that is true. He solidly planted his church upon an unshakable foundation. The revelation of who he is. That's why we're at Jesus' name apostolic Pentecostal Church. We believe in who Jesus is. And all who have recognized this illumination, we recognize that he was more than a man. We're planted on an immovable foundation. He's our Lord. He's our Savior.

He's our Messiah. He's the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. That complete revelation of God to man, the express image person. And and we could preach that and go on. And that church has stood the test of persecution and assault because nothing has ever shaken the true church from a foundation of built on Jesus Christ. That chief cornerstone. I'm thankful to know who Jesus is this morning. And I think that's a correct correct assumption there.

But I think it's also there's a double and tandra there. you might say a double hearing, a double meaning behind this because Jesus was literally at that time standing at the place that was known of the gates of hell. He was also at the foot of a great cliff in a p plateau that ro rises well over a thousand feet up that leads up to Mount Hermon, the abode of these many false gods. And he was letting all hell know, I am going to build a church.

Satan, I'm right here at your doorstep telling you that upon this rock, I am going to build my church at your home place in your abode where you think you reign and rule. I am going to build a church. Yes, this church is founded on the rock Christ Jesus, but it was also right on the enemy territory. And he was saying, "Devil, there's nothing you can do to stop it. I'm going to build it. And the gates of hell, everything around here is not going to have anything to be able to stop it." Now, if that point's not yet made, we go a little bit further in chapter 17 and Matthew says, "And after six days, never said they went home yet, so they're probably still in the area.

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John, his brother, and he brings them up into a high mountain apart. The highest mountain was Mount Hermon. That was right there where they were at where there were temples to all these false gods and everything else. And he takes them up there. And he was transfigured before him. And his face did shine as the sun, and his reignment was white as light. the very abode where people went to worship false gods and where the temple of Zeus the the high god of the Greeks was there and all these other things he goes up there and is transfigured before him he was showing all the powers of the enemy who he was say you know what you don't have this power it's vested in me as the highest mountain of all Israel that would make the most sense they were already in the vicinity and he chose the abode of demons and un earthly powers to be glorified by the power of almighty God.

He was saying nothing in hell is going to stop this church. I'm going to plan it and it's going to be secure and it's going to abide. It's going to live and devil there is nothing you can do it. If we could grasp that church, get a hold of that monumental event, you know what? Nothing in hell can stop us from reaching our world. Nothing the devil throws at it can change anything because God said, "I am planting it in the middle of hell itself." I think that says you can go anywhere in the world and build a church.

You can go to Africa. You can go to St. Louis. And you say, "Yeah, I've heard people, oh, I don't know about that city. That that's a tough city. The gates of hell cannot prevail against it. The abode of the enemy, the abode of demons, the abode of whatever else cannot stop the church because it is planted by Jesus Christ. When God planted this church, it was never his design to remain secret. He didn't just go in a little corner and hide it. So, I'm going to plant a church, but don't tell, you know, there's a lot of other powers around.

No, that's where he goes and glorify is glorified. He was letting them all know this is something that's going to be known. The good news was to be proclaimed. Luke said 24:47 that repentance and remissions of shin should be preached in his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem. They declared it. Go you therefore teach all nations. We spent an entire lesson a couple weeks ago, so we won't go into that. But but it is a proclaimed. It was not done in a corner and it should not be done.

It's to be proclaimed. Not only that, it is preserved by God. He didn't just build it and watch it fall apart. He promised, I am going to preserve. I am going to keep you. We've already deserved the gates of hell can't prevail against it. But also as his church, we have a assurance that he is able to preserve not only the church but the people in the church. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5, the very God of peace, he will sanctify you holy. He will separate you to himself.

And I pray God your whole spirit, your soul and body, it will be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord. Heard people say, "Well, I don't know if I want to join this. Just I don't think I can do that." No, you can't do it. But God can. And when he puts his spirit in life, he is able to preserve you blameless unto the coming of the Lord. Jesus gave this promise in John 10:27. My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish.

Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. It can't happen unless you choose to walk out. Paul's words of Timothy ring true. I know in Timothy 1:12, I know whom I have believed. I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. church. This this is a sure church. It's a preserved church. You don't have to worry about failing and you don't have to worry about I can make it. I don't know if I can or not.

Yes, you can if you've got the power of God in our life. And while it is planted and it is preserved and it is doing all these things, I'm thankful it is not a static church. Used to sing at chorus years ago. This church is moving on. This church is moving on. It's not just planted say, well, we're just going to sit here and try to survive until Jesus comes. No, we're immovable in terms of our message, but we realize that those methods can change and other things that but it is a church that is constantly being used by God to reach out into others, to reach to other places.

It is a church that is being perfected, that is being changed, that is being worked on by the potter, if you will, bringing us closer and closer to what we need to be. We are being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. We are to become more and more like him. Ephesians 5:27 says, "He is going to present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it will be holy and without blemish." And I know we look at the world around us say the world is getting so much worse and this has changed and that's changed.

Yeah, it has. But he's still working on his church. And we don't have to let society or anything else dictate who we are and what we are because God's working on us, working in us. So I'm thankful to be in that kind of a church purposed by God, purchased by God, planted by God, preserved by God, and being perfected by God. He is working in us. Now, by any standard that you might apply, the early church was an amazing success. When you think of what they had just gone through, watching the crucifixion, all the disciples fleeing, everybody saying, you know, whatever we've done for the last three and a half years is all just fallen apart and we don't know what is going to happen.

Locking themselves, hiding in rooms and then a resurrection and they still couldn't figure that out. Took them took them a little while. But that success was not due and we see this in the book of Acts and we saw it last week or last lesson when we talked about the power of Pentecost. It was not due to the depth of the natural abilities of their leaders. They were by the testimony of the spirit the scripture in the book of Acts unlearned and ignorant men. Now that doesn't mean they were stupid.

They just didn't know. They hadn't read. They hadn't studied. They hadn't gone to college, if you will. Moreover, their success was not the result of years of familiarity with church growth and administration. And and there's nothing wrong with that. We need all of these. We just came through a time of ministry training. And that is good. There's so much we can glean, so much we can add. Their success though was not based on just favorable cultural surroundings. I know sometimes we look and say, well, everything was just in a perfect way for the gospel.

He said, that is true, but God put it that way. It wasn't just the favor of societal leaders around them because they weren't. They were considered heretics and dangerous and they were tried to be stamped them out. Yet in the face of all these this group of undereducated believers had this testimony that in a few short years in Acts 17 it said they these that have turned the world upside down or come hither also. I pray that's a set of every church wherever it is. You've turned the world upside down.

You've turned your city. You've turned your nation. It was a divine success. And we who would see our current day church succeed in that fashion. We will be well served to look and see what they did. And let's do some of those same things. So let's look today at the rest of our text from Acts chapter 2. I'll read it again a bit of it. They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship 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 thing all that believed were together. They had all things in common. They sold their possessions and good. 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 favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. The first aspect of this church is they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine.

We are apostolic Pentecostal because we believe in the apostles doctrine and teaching. We believe in the Pentecostal experience that we talked about in the last lesson, but we also believe in apostolic teaching and preaching. These new believers who had seen their lives radically changed by the power of the Holy Ghost living in them did not seek any other way than what the apostles preached. They didn't look for another explanation or a different way around it. And even though many influential and dangerous voices no doubt pressured them to alter the message they declared these believers followed the pattern of the apostles and received their doctrine who had received that doctrine from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Simon Peter made the position of the early church clear when he faced the high priest and other leaders of the temple and they said you know don't talk in Jesus' name. Don't don't keep spreading this message around there. and and he looks at them and said, "We have to obey God rather than man." And they passed that imperative along to new converts through through what we know as our New Testament Bible. And they talked about what we believed and what we taught. And they they preached it with a fervent ferveny.

And Jude admonished us to contend for that faith which was once delivered to the saints. Keep looking. Stay in that doctrine. These verses have steered this church to remain doctrinally pure in its very early days. And so I think it's imperative that we too must maintain a commitment to doctrine. Doctrine is literally teaching to to knowing what the word has to say. If we are going to be a true apostolic church, you have to have apostolic doctrine. How could it be an apostolic church with no apostolic doctrine?

I think the answer is self-evident. It cannot. We have to remain true to the apostles doctrine. And I know we're in a world that says, you know, well, let's just, you know, you've got some doctrinal some teachings you have and we have some teachings and you know they're maybe a little bit different, but let's just all come together and got to be careful. heard it here many years ago. We had an evangelist and I wasn't even attending at the time. We had come down to visit and he was preaching and he made this point.

He said doctrine will divide. Talks in the book of acts that they were divided by their doctrine. He has separated us. Didn't we just read that I will separate you holy? There is a right way to live. There is a right way to receive salvation. There is a right teachings from the word of God and we can't just throw that out and say, "Well, let's just all come together and not worry about it." No, we got to have some doctrine. We got to have some teaching.

It's why we do these things on Sunday morning. The second as aspect of these believers is they continued in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, fellowship, community, coming together. the coinia from the Greek, which means an association, an intimacy, a community, a joint participation, contact with one another. I I said it a few weeks ago and maybe I said it a little bit harsh, but I said you can't be a church if you're not part of the church. I understand if you can't get here, that's one thing.

If you physically can't do it and things, that's that's different. But if you are able to be in with a body of believers, that's where the church is. I can stay home and I'm not the church because it is a fellowship of believers. And so these collective meanings indicate something greater than we're not a club or a social organization, but it is a closeness of uh we talked about it just a few weeks ago when we went through Corinthians about the body of Christ. We need one another, church.

We have to have one another. We have to work together to be the church that he wants us to be. The hand can't say to the foot, "I have no need of thee. I'll just do this all by myself." No, we have a part. There is this sense of community, this sense of belonging that is part of the church. The church literally is the called out ones. He has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. And that ecclesia, that church, where the word church that we translate church comes from, is literally a called out group of people.

You can repent and be baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost in your house, but that doesn't make you the church unless you come and join a group of people, God's people. I know we sometimes look at our activities and say some are more spiritual than others. I mean, when we're in a worship service with the spirit of God, that that's spiritual. You know, God's doing a spiritual work. But if you can't get together with your brothers and sisters and and have a communion with them, that's a spiritual thing, too.

It's interesting in act two they said with breaking of bread. I don't think it was necessarily a a solemn time when we came to church and we had communion set up here and we're breaking and and I love those times. They're getting together for supper, but the Holy Ghost was there and there was a community there. Literally a meal shared together most usually at someone's home and probably some point in that gathering a prayer meeting would begin. They begin to talk about the things of God and God would begin to work and touch lives.

Things would happen in that environment. proper attitudes and visions and priorities are more clearly seen. Think about it. If evil associations and those things corrupt and are dangerous, then it stands to reason that righteous associations are beneficial for us. We need one another, church. Sometimes we simply have to make time for the body of Christ. I think when the writer of Hebrews said not forsaking yourselves together as a manner of some is didn't necessarily mean you all go to church on Sunday. It meant get together with the people of God.

See what God can do when two or three of you get together in him. Not for a gossip session in him. For church to succeed, we must give ourselves. That's that others. We we need to reach out connecting with one another. Give ourselves a times of fellowship in the body. And and right behind that, they all believe were together. They had all things in common. Now, that sounds a lot like socialism. That was not a biblical mandate. And the church soon abandoned that practice. In fact, it didn't work.

That's why Paul had to take offerings from all his Gentile churches and bring it back to Jerusalem because I mean, and I can understand their mistake. They expected Jesus to just show up any minute. They said, "Well, we're going to wait here. He's coming right back and let's just sell everything and sit here and wait." Well, he never commanded them to do that. He said, "Wait until you be endued with power from on high and then take it and share the gospel to all the world." So that but but here's what we do gain from that.

The early church practiced this out of a sense of care and to help one another rather than an outification. They willingly sacrificed for others that had needs and and to take care of them. That is that others concern. Paul clearly defines this principle over and over. Galatians 5:13. He said, "By love serve one another." I'm talking about what makes a church a church. Yeah, it's apostolic doctrine. Yeah, it's coming together, but it is serving one another. And then we could go on. There's I won't give all the text, but he said be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another.

He said, admonish one another. He said, comfort one another. Edify or build up one another. Exhort or teach one another. Love one another. You see that one another over and over and over in Paul's writings. Why? Because we need to be concerned with others, connecting with God and others. Acts 2:47, he said they were praising God. Now that can happen anywhere, but it happens when we come together, doesn't it? The church that God constructed will succeed only when it continues to worship and to praise him.

We can't become an activist church. You see churches that their focus is well let's let's go protest or let's go let's be activists for this need or for that need and do this. And I'm not saying don't get involved in things that that that's up to you. But as a church, here's our purpose. Praising God, walking in his truth, being filled with his spirit. They were praising God. And here's the thing. We know the responsibility of praise and worship rests on everyone who steps into the presence of God.

I'm thankful we can have a praise team. We can have praise singers. We can have worship leaders and they bring a blessing to the church and they help us and they bring us along. But what we do not have are surrogate worshippers. We're not going to hire, you know, give you a weird example. The funerals in Jesus' day, they would hire mourers to go about and Jesus walks in the house and they're oh crying and he said, "Get out. Get out." They were getting paid just to make it look like they were, you know, everybody's sad.

Same thing. We can't come into the church say, "I'm going to hire a team over here. You all start worshiping. Everybody else will." No. There's no such thing. Praise comes from your heart. It comes from a heart that says, "You know what? He set me free." It's a heart that says, "You redeem me." It's a heart that says, "I've been bloodbought and bloodwashed. You've taken my sins away, and I want to lift up my savior." The psalmist said, "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord." I'm thankful to be a part of a worshshiping church.

We can't get away from it, church. We We can't leave that piece out. Can't say, "Well, that's just a little bit too fanatical for me." Well, it's pretty fanatical that he pulled you out of sin and filled you with his spirit and cleaned you up. And if you can't be thankful for that enough to say, "Hey, I need to worship Jesus today. >> Then something's wrong with our experience." Let's look back that I think that's why he said in the Old Testament, "Look back to the pit from when you were digged.

Look where you came from. Look what God has done for you. And if that doesn't elicit a praise, then something you maybe you just need to go back and start over." Thankful this is a church of worshippers. And then the final portrayal of the early church depicts what they not only what they did but what the the Lord response the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. When his people are properly committed themselves to doctrine and to fellowship and to service and to worship evangelism naturally follows.

And if we his church the actions of his body will mirror the concern and the thinking of the head Jesus Christ. We're going to do what he wants us to do. He said, "I came to seek and to save that which was lost." Well, if he's the head, that ought to be our job. Seek save that which is lost. Mirror that purpose. We should ever be conscious of the great need of those around us. If we don't reach them, there's little hope for their destiny. We need to realize that every action of the church either makes it easier or more difficult for sinners to find him.

Every church service, every time we come together, every time you witness on your job, any time you talk to somebody, it needs to be an open invitation for people to be healed and sending a message that Jesus is the answer for everything in our lives. And then the church grows and the church begins to be what God wants us to be. Those principles of a successful New Testament church, they're they're unchanging. Our methods change. Yes, I know. We do things differently sometimes. Probably not doing things the same way we were in the 70s, the 60s, the 80s, the 90s, 2000.

I mean, it's it's a continual progression. We find what will work in our community and our service. But the things that will always work, the doctrine, the fellowship, that mutual love for one another, that worship and that evangelism will be what builds the church that God wants us to be. It's not going away. We already said it is on a firm foundation and he will have a church. It comes down to are we going to be a part of it? And if we are, here's how it's done.

Let's stand. Why don't you just give him a thanksgiving for his church? So thankful, Lord, for the church that you have established, that you have bought with your blood, for what you have poured into our lives through the power of the spirit, for taking our sins away, uh for the joy and the peace and the hope that we have beyond this life. We thank you for it, Jesus. Let us be the church that you want us to be. We pray in Jesus' name. Jesus name. Amen.