This is Our Church This is Our Time

 

Matt 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

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.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

It is good to belong. A sense of belonging has been the culminating factor in many great accomplishments in the world.

The pursuit of belonging has caused men to reach beyond the boundaries of fear and doubt into the arena of success.

I want to tell you right away…if you are looking for something to belong to, you have the found the right one!

The church is not an institution, its not a club, its not merely a fellowship of believers…it is the body of Christ!

He is the head and we are the body.

We are a part of this thing!

Employee owned…how many times have you seen workers wearing a name tag that has employee owner on it?

That simple tag is a beacon to the world, I am an owner of this company, I care!

When the church was established, it was done so to bring the body of Christ into action!

It was not birthed to form a religious society or a smattering of faithful people in the earth.

The church was born to involve you and I in the power of God’s work on an individual level as well as the whole.

Matt 16:13-18

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

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.

I want you to notice something with me.

The revelation of God in Christ is the foundation of everything!

Redemption. Only through Jesus.

Sanctification. Only through Jesus.

Justification. Only through Jesus.

The understanding of the Oneness of God is not a trivial thing. It is not an extra blessing to the church. It is the pivotal truth in the church.

We love verse 18. we have shouted over that verse for years. Especially as oneness Pentecostals. Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

What a powerful revelation. Even the very gates of hell cannot withstand the name of Jesus! The gates of hell cannot overcome the church of Jesus Christ!

What a rock to build upon. Not a junior god. Not part of God. But God himself.

If you are going to build on anything build on the solid name of Jesus! The revelation of God in Christ.

The wise man builds his house on the rock.

That word Rock is  petra (pet’-ra); a (mass of) rock

Everyone say mass of rock. Say it again.

This church is not built on shifting sand! This church is not built on corruptible things! It is built on the only solid rock!

Everyone say, this is my church!

Ray Havner story. Shot four times. Head (2), throat, hand. For $300. Not supposed to live.  But he is a part of the church…church on the rock…people started praying….including the saints of JWC.

This week, now communicating. Shot through the top of the head…no brain damage! Wrote down the name of shooter and accomplices.

One bullet passed through his esophagus and into his stomach…doctors think after eating some solid food he will be able to pass that bullet without surgery!

Your church! The greatest attacks of Satan cannot stop god’s people!

Bro Black’s church. Little lady went home and a man was in her garage. He tried to rob her and she rebuked him in Jesus name. He shot her. Bullet didn’t touch her. Burned a hole in her blouse, and blew a chunk out of the concrete floor when it hit. She was unhurt!

God’s church is a powerful church. His name is still a powerful name! It can even protect from point blank gunfire!

Somebody shout My church is built on the rock!

Jesus to told Simon …you are Peter  Petros (pet’-ros); a (piece of) rock

 

In other words…you are a part of this thing. I am building the church on the rock, and you are a piece of that Rock!

Church, I want you to realize today…this is our church!

It’s time to take ownership and act like it!

What are you saying pastor?

I’m saying the devil wants us to think that the church is relegated to a back row because its not the most popular thing…he is wrong.

This church takes a back seat to nothing! This is God’s church!

Satan wants us to believe that we are merely associated with the church through beliefs or creeds…again, he is wrong.

Jesus identified Peter as a part of the great rock that the church would be built upon. In other words, it is going to take the efforts of men like you to achieve the single greatest move of God that this world has ever seen!

God wants all of us to know that we are integral in the working of the church. It needs us!

We’re the body of Christ now!

That’s why when we pray…god moves.

That’s why when we loose on earth, it’s loosed in Heaven. When we bind on earth its’ bound in heaven!

We aren’t second rate! This is God’s prime choice!

High five somebody and tell them this is my church!

Now tell someone else, this is my time!

I was talking to a friend of mine this week about ASU football. He is a season ticket holder and has been a fan of them since 1955.

He told me, “I really believe that this is our year. I have seen a lot of good teams, but there is something about this one that makes me believe that this is our year. It’s our time to shine.”

It’s time for JWC to believe that this is our time!

It’s our time. Somebody shout it’s our time!

Life is Too Short
A. Doing More
a. Life is too short to think small
b. We need to be encouraged to, “March of the map.”
c. Most people could do more than they think they can, but they usually do less than they think they can
d. You never know what you cannot do until you try

I agree with Oscar Wilde, “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.”

e. Everything is possible – Never use the word ‘nev

Dr. J.A. Homes said, “Never tell a young person that something cannot be done. God may have been waiting for centuries for somebody ignorant enough of the impossible to do that thing.”

e. If you devalue your dreams, rest assured the world won’t raise the price
f. You will find that great leaders are rarely ‘realistic’ by other people’s standards

I have to tell you one more time…church as usual is about to change! We are due to recognize that it is our time!

c. Christian, to believe an idea impossible is to make it impossible…as soon as you utter the words, “I can’t” you’ve failed
d. Too many ideas or possibilities have been killed at birth simply because of a cowardly imagination.

If our God truly is as awesome as His word declares that he is….why do we dream such small dreams, and attempt such little things!

Its time to believe great, attempt great, achieve great!

Listen to pastor today…I am not about hype. I have suffered at the hands of mere hype long enough…I am talking about reality.

There are churches all around the world that are thriving in spite of the critics that say that they won’t! Right now people are achieving what others told them was impossible!

Walt Whitman:
There is a man in the world who never gets turned down, wherever he chances to stray;
He gets the glad hand in the populous town, or out where the farmers make hay;
He is greeted with pleasure on deserts of sand, and deep in the isles of the woods;
Wherever he goes there is a welcoming hand – he’s the man who delivers the goods.

Listen today…this world is looking for a church that is able to deliver the goods.

A church that believes the word of God is for today, for us.

I have said all of this to say…this is our church…this is our time…let’s do something.

It is time for every individual to take ownership of this thing!

From praying to cleaning. Believing to achieving! It takes the body.

When my people which are called by my name pray….

He that wins souls….