When Jesus Christ said in Matthew 16:18 “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” He was not merely throwing words around. In case you wondered, Jesus never spoke idle words. He meant what He said, and he always linked the present with the eternal. Jesus Christ had a focus and a vision for building His Body, the church, as they assembled together “to prepare God's people for works of service.” No amount of deceit and destruction from the enemy will destroy the church of Jesus Christ. There will be at the least a remnant left of the Ekklesia (church) of Jesus Christ when He returns.
Join the church. The church age is not over. The fellowship of believers must not end in these last days. An influential radio preacher says that “the church age is over” and has his list of proof texts to make that argument. Some of his arguments are compelling—many churches today discard clear teachings of Scripture, do not teach righteous living, and do not directly apply the life-changing truth and experience of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The broad way leads to destruction, but the narrow way leads to life eternal. There are those in the universal church who are clearly disobedient to the Word of God. This does not give us freedom to leave the church and go it alone. We need each other.
It is not enough to schedule a meeting with God once a week on a Sunday morning. What do we expect of our spiritual temperature if we go week in and week out and hope that the Sunday morning experience will pull us through another week? It is a cold Christian who does not regularly and prayerfully come to the Word of God each week, apart from the meeting together. That said, we are not just commanded to meet with God. Hebrews 10:25 says “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Join a weekly cell group. Perhaps you should lead one. I believe that every believer at Followers of Jesus Mennonite Church wants our fellowship to be a shining light of spiritual influence in the communities represented. Unless we all commit to join a small group on a weekly basis to pray for each other, to build each other up, to evangelize together, and to provide discipleship, our “together” vision for reaching the community will be only as strong as the connectedness and unified spirit we have as a Body of Christ. If you are not a member of a weekly cell group that meets sometime other than Sunday morning, join one or start one. The time cannot be more urgent as “we see the Day approaching.”
Join the church. The church age is not over. The fellowship of believers must not end in these last days. An influential radio preacher says that “the church age is over” and has his list of proof texts to make that argument. Some of his arguments are compelling—many churches today discard clear teachings of Scripture, do not teach righteous living, and do not directly apply the life-changing truth and experience of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The broad way leads to destruction, but the narrow way leads to life eternal. There are those in the universal church who are clearly disobedient to the Word of God. This does not give us freedom to leave the church and go it alone. We need each other.
It is not enough to schedule a meeting with God once a week on a Sunday morning. What do we expect of our spiritual temperature if we go week in and week out and hope that the Sunday morning experience will pull us through another week? It is a cold Christian who does not regularly and prayerfully come to the Word of God each week, apart from the meeting together. That said, we are not just commanded to meet with God. Hebrews 10:25 says “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Join a weekly cell group. Perhaps you should lead one. I believe that every believer at Followers of Jesus Mennonite Church wants our fellowship to be a shining light of spiritual influence in the communities represented. Unless we all commit to join a small group on a weekly basis to pray for each other, to build each other up, to evangelize together, and to provide discipleship, our “together” vision for reaching the community will be only as strong as the connectedness and unified spirit we have as a Body of Christ. If you are not a member of a weekly cell group that meets sometime other than Sunday morning, join one or start one. The time cannot be more urgent as “we see the Day approaching.”
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