THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH

Pastor Rick Jackson

At one point everyone who is a Christian was not a Christian. No-one is born a Christian. “Well, I was a born in a Christian home.” Being born in a Christian home doesn’t make you a Christian any more than being born in a Burger King would make you a whopper! The Bible does say we are all born as sinners. We are sinners by birth, by nature and very quickly thereafter, by choice. Because of our sin we have earned an eternal home in the lake of fire. But God commended His love toward us and sent Jesus. Jesus loved us and died on the cross paying the penalty for our sins and rose again proving He is Who He said He was---God in the flesh, and that He did what He came to do! Now whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!

When we are saved we become a member of His body, the Church. Sometimes called the universal church or the invisible church--- everyone who is saved is a member of that body. But what about the local, visible church? Why bother? If being a member of a local church doesn’t save me why should I become associated with and faithfully attend a local church?

I. TO BE FAITHFUL TO GOD

1. God Ordained the Local Church [1 Cor. 1:2, 2 Cor. 1:1]

Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

2. God Owns the Local Church [Acts 20:28, 1 Tm. 3:15]

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

3. God Oversees It [Rev. 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 3:7]

We don’t see all the results but fear not, God keeps excellent records. Do you think Stephen knew the day he died what an impact he had made on the life of Saul of Tarsus?

So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

II. TO FURTHER THE FELLOWSHIP [Heb. 10]

1. By Encouraging the Brethren [v. 23-25a]

2. By Exemplifying the Saints [v. 24-25, 1 Tm. 4:12]

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

3. By Evangelizing the Lost [v. 26-31]

III. TO FEED THE NEW NATURE

1. Some Need Milk [1 Peter 2:2]

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby

2. Some Need Meat [1 Cor. 3:2, Heb. 5:12-13]

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3. Some Need Motivation [2 Tm. 4:2-4]

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Now the truth is not every lost person will get saved, not every saved person will do God’s will but that doesn’t remove our responsibility to do our part. Jesus preached and some left Him [John 6:60-67]

Paul had people fall asleep while he was preaching and others criticized him as he reported in 2 Corinthians 10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

Stephen preached and some got saved and some got mad and killed him. The response of others is not our responsibility, the response of ourselves is! How will you respond to the Word of God today?