Some time ago, Codepoke issued the challenge of painting a picture of "The Perfect Church" to anyone who felt like it. I did not have time back then, but I did want to attempt this. The topic is grand. It is larger than life. I certainly won't do it justice if I tried to do it in a single blog post! But let me at least get it started.
I will confess, freely, that when Codepoke issued the challenge, I immediately bumped off an email to a lot of folks asking their BRIEF input. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I got back. Many of these thoughts will have been gleaned or refined from the feedback I received.
I decided to use the "Painting a picture" analogy to do this. Here is a list of titles to kinda expect (all subject to change, btw):
I will do this in stages to keep the posts from being too long. So let's go!
Matthew 22:36-40
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
[37] Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."John 13:34-35
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Jesus could not have made this more clear for us. These are only two of the many, many passages that could be used to describe our first priorities.
The Church Jesus started was not about being radical, although He was radical. The Church Jesus started was not about revolution, although He was a revolutionary. The Church Jesus started was not about following rules and laws, although Jesus (somehow) did this perfectly.
No, the Church Jesus started 2000 years ago was firstly, and only, about love. His love for us as displayed by His coming to earth to save our wretched, sinful souls. His vulnerability to love people enough to never pull His love back from us. His desire to keep the pleasures and satisfactions of sin at bay so that you and I could have an example to follow, and ultimately a place in paradise forever.
But now that Jesus has been here and gone back to paradise, we are to represent Him through the Church.
Ephes. 3:10-11
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, [11] according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. [43] Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. [44] All the believers were together and had everything in common. [45] Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. [46] Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, [47] praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.Acts 4:32-35
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. [33] With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. [34] There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales [35] and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
If we are going to be for this world what Jesus was for this world, we must love. And love as He did.
1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (underscoring mine)
This is a tall call for those who want to be part of the body of Christ. It demands that we escape the emotions and temptations of this world in order that we might share a common love of Christ with (and for) one another. And it calls us to share that love with this lost world, for whom Jesus died.
*** The Church should always be known for it's love. ***
But here is a truth that I wish were not so: Sometimes we, the members of the Church fall short of that love. Hopefully it is not too often. But there are certainly times when we have throughout the last 2000 years.
And here is a truth that I am totally fired up will never change: The Church will always have perfect love simply because Jesus is the founder, and foundation!
We will fall short time and again. But we will always be able to direct a seeker to the love of Jesus, and in that they will find the perfect Church.
So what do I mean by the "character" of the Church? I mean the moral fiber, the temperament, the integrity of the Church.
Theme scripture: "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)
Please keep in mind that when talking about the perfect Church I am referring to the perfect body of Christ made up of imperfect people. Imperfect people have character weaknesses. Those character weaknesses will always get in the way of us attaining perfection while we are on earth. Yet the expectation is always going to be that we strive for perfection. We are never to "settle" for a half-hearted, or even 99%-hearted effort. The scripture above is not "a good suggestion". It is not a pie-in-the-sky thought. It is a command from our Lord Jesus who proved that we can always strive for perfection. The Church is to be made up of every member giving a 100% effort at being perfect, just as our heavenly Father is perfect.
But these attempts for perfection do not come without challenges. I have seen in my own life that Satan will use the same tactic over and over again to trip people up and get them to sin. And what is this tactic, you ask? For lack of a formal term for it I will call it, "Not my sin, but yours".
You see, for the most part, we can strive for perfection in our own lives. And given time we can have grace on ourselves for our foibles, weaknesses, and shortcomings. But WATCH OUT when someone else's sins are revealed! OOOOOHHH how the volcanoes can erupt in us when somebody else isn't "pulling their weight" for perfection. Even if you are like me and spend an unnecessary amount of time beating yourself up over your own sin, eventually you can forgive yourself and get right back on track. But how difficult it is to forgive when someone else sins against us or against the Church and threatens the integrity of it. You don't believe me? Have you ever had anyone in your life who copped an attitude against you because of what you might term a "minor infraction" on your part and they just could not seem to let it go? Are there people who, when they come into your mind, cause your heart to beat a little faster because of "what they did"? Or how about this one: Are there people who just bring out the worst in you because of the flaws in their characters? I have been there. I have had brothers in my life who I just did not want be around simply because it caused me to tense and get all uptight just to be near them. (Even to this day, I cannot eat with certain people because they are "smackers". You know the ones: they "Smack" their food around with their mouths open and you can hear everything. Well, that sound makes me want to haul off an' whack that mouth closed permanently!) But that is a light one. I have had brothers and sisters in my life, whose only sin might have been reckless social skills, and it caused me to sin against them. You see, it's "not my sin, but yours" that makes me settle for less than a 100% effort in my striving for perfection.
This is why the picture of The Perfect Church must have a background layer of love on its canvas.
Scripture teaches that we must be a city on a hill (Mat. 5:14). Scripture teaches that we should never put our lamp under a bowl (Luke 11:33). Scripture teaches that we are to shine like stars in the universe. (Philip. 2:15) I have been guilty of hearing passages like these and automatically reduce them to a cute little children's Bible song. Far be it for me to take the words of our Lord an downplay them or take them lightly. But guess what: THE LORD WAS NOT KIDDING.
*** Our lights must shine. And they must shine BRIGHTLY against a dark world. ***The only way to do that is to set ourselves, individually, apart from the world. (Notice that I said apart from, not above.)
I know two things to be true about the perfect church:
First, each and every member must "make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love." (2 Peter 1:5-7)
And second, each and every member must "put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature..." (Col. 3:5)
I can say with all the conviction I can muster that if each member of the church would put to death their sinful nature, and add godly traits to their faith, then a unified, loving, Christ-like perfect church will result.
Never mind focusing on "the other guy's sin". We need to apply the sword of truth to our own hearts first.
Do you struggle with those who are not as faithful as "they should be"? For the sake of perfection, "accept him whose faith is weak..." (Romans 14:1)
Do you struggle with those who are critical against you? For the sake of perfection, keep in mind that "it is to (your) glory to overlook an offense." (Proverbs 19:11)
Are you the type who needs to convince someone they sinned against you or that they are wrong? For the sake of perfection, "why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" (1 Cor. 6:7)
The point is, no matter what "the other guy" does, the call, no...the command, is that you and I remain focused on making every effort to be like Christ.
The perfect church will draw men to itself. It will be actively involved in loving our Lord and loving one another in such a way that we will indeed be lamps with no bowl threatening overhead. We will be a city on a hill, seen from far away. We will lights shining in this dark world.
Will have the character of the perfect church!
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)
Being a typical male I have no talent for color coordination. Probably the most amazing thing to me about artists is their ability to combine colors in a way that, for the most part, appeals to the eye and moves our senses and emotions.
So too, all of the members of God's family are a harmony of color who, when brought together, somehow create a wondrous, eye appealing, emotion stirring, blend of people we call, "The Church".
The Church is the most unique and marvelous living entity on the planet simply because the blood of Jesus has brought together so many individuals who would more than likely have nothing to do with each other if they were still "in the world". My wife would CERTAINLY have had nothing to do with me if I had not become a Christian. (Let's just say she was fairly reserved and disciplined, and moral, and she never got in trouble, and I...well, I wasn't like that.)
Right now, my best friends around me could not be any more different than me.
John has a PhD from MI. I, at the age of 41, am 2 weeks away from finishing my AA after 5 years. Sam is one of those extremely disciplined guys. He gives thought to what he says before it comes out of his mouth. He eats right. He is never given to emotionalism. Whereas I am prone to blurt stuff out, eat without knowing it, and run amuck emotionally.Vinnie (aka: Paul) is a Master Electrician gone "teacher" who is very low-key. Whereas I have been accused of exhausting people after 15 minutes of conversation! (Seriously, my friends made me sit on my hands if I was going to converse with them!)Magnes is probably the guy around whom they built the show McGuiver! He is the ultimate "10-talent" guy. He is one of those people who is good at everything; he's literally a genius with computers, he plays piano, sings, fixes cars, has a black belt, is hysterically funny, is a physical presence who changes the atmosphere of any party or gathering for the better. He learns things (whether is be a programming language, computer application, or even a new video game) faster than anyone else he plays against. Whereas I am usually slow on the uptake on all things requiring learning.I could obviously go on and on about a few dozen others with whom I am close friends, and our differences. But since that is not the main point of what I am trying to do, I'll stop there: you get the point. We are the BEST of friends, despite our differences and destpite the fact that we would have less than nothing to do with each other if we were still of the world, in the church we could not be more unified. The church is the ultimate melting pot!
What I want to do now is to share my understanding of 1.) the membership of God's church, 2.) the challenges we face to remain unified, 3.) and the ultimate goal of growing closer in Christ.
1.) The membership of God's church. (Short point, this one is.)The membership of God's church is solely comprised of those who have made Jesus Lord of their lives, have had their sins washed away by the blood of Jesus, and have the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit as a seal and a guide. That may sound exclusive to many, but it is biblical truth.
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world (...) who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood..." (emphasis mine) (1 Peter 1:1-2)The Holy Spirit will simply not allow Himself to enter a soul whose sins are not forgiven. These factors make the members of God's church unified soul-to-soul. We are bonded by the common blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. But though there is no tighter relationship, no stronger bond, no unity more perfect than that of brothers and sisters in Christ, that unity does not always make itself evident among the fellowship. Which brings me to number 2.
2.) The challenges we face to remain unified.UNITY! For me, it is the second most desired state of being. (2nd only to love, of course.) Make no mistake: He Who Must Not Be Named (oops...how'd that get in there?) is ALWAYS at work trying to disunify God's people. Whether it's the Old Testament or the New Testament...it doesn't matter. He just hates it when we are unified, and he strives to cause divisiveness, factions, discord, and even hatred among us. And let's face it. His job isn't all that difficult sometimes. I mean, even though we are in the church, unified soul-to-soul, we are still individuals with differing personalities and personal preferences regarding the types of people with whom we get along. In other words, some people are still gonna rub us the wrong way. Not to mention the fact that, though we be forgiven sinners, we all be sinners still. There is plenty of potential for the unity of the church to be threatened, and even disrupted. Yet:
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
We're gonna argue. We're gonna have disagreements. We're gonna have "I'm-not-speaking-to-you-moments." For 20 years now my character has been refined by my "iron sharpening iron" times just as much as the "Bro,-can-I-lovingly-talk-to-you-about-something" times.
The scriptures are replete with passages warning us about unity being a priority and something worth fighting for:
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Cor. 1:10)If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. (Philip. 2:1-2)
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephes. 4:3)
JESUS EVEN PRAYED FOR OUR UNITY!May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:23)
I could address the usual causes of disunity: doctrinal and procedural disputes, leadership failures, petty arguments...etc. But the Spirit seems to be taking me in a different direction, so off I go!
Scripture teaches that we cannot prejudice ourselves against someone just because of disunity due to a personality clash. I'll give you an example from my own life of a time when I did not handle disunity with godliness. (The names have been changed to protect the innocent):Let me talk about "Jim". Jim was a young guy of about 20. John had a heart of gold and the faith of a child. But there were things on the outside of Jim that made my insides curdle. Little things, really. Most of which he had no control over; like his New York/Philly accent which, when combined with his "odd" voice, drove me nutso! And then there was his clinically serious acne problem, and the way he always had his bottom lip gleaming with saliva, (sorry, just painting a real-life picture, here). There were a few other things about Jim that got to me, but you get the picture. These things about Jim did not bother most people. But for some reason, any time I was around him I was screaming inside. I was irratable, irrational, and impatient. And get this: I was the one given charge over helping him mature in Christ! I once asked Jim "What's you view of me?" He answered, "Icy". OUCH!!! If I asked most people the same question I would have received the polar opposite answer. But for some reason, (perhaps my immaturity, lack of faith and love) I simply could not get past it. Yet scripture says: "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." (1 Peter 3:8)
In the Lord's eyes, Jim's soul and spirit brought a bit of harmony to the colors in the fellowship. I did not see it. As far as I know, Jim left the Lord and went back to his old life. I wish I could say it was not because of me. But I have reasons to believe it was. (God, please forgive me.)
I've learned a thing or two about getting past my "self" in order to love and appreciate others. I have grown a bit in my ability to cherish those with whom I would normally not want to be around. I gots me a LOOOOONNNGGG way to go, yet. But I will settle for forward advancement. (By the way: in my opinion, I handle arguments and disagreements with people way better than I handle personality conflicts.)
Don't ask me why some personalities clash so drastically with others. I have no answer for you other than, "Go ask a phyclogist." All I know is that, when we each bring a bit of "local color" to God's Family of Fellowship, unity does not always take over and rule the day. And somewhere deep in my heart I also know that these clashes are necessary to bring us closer together and must not be avoided.
Do you have people in your life with whom you struggle being around? I beg you with all of my heart to overcome your "self" and let Jesus love those people through you, and to "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Hebrews. 12:15) In The Perfect Church, the harmony of the members is reliant upon it.
In all of this I am trying to say that the unity and harmony of the believers is not something that comes easily all the time.
Which brings me to number 3:
3.) The ultimate goal of growing closer in Christ:Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. (Romans 12:16)
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. (1 Peter 3:8)
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Cor. 1:10)
I cannot remember where I read it, but somebody recently made a comment about unity being the end result of a process. (I think it might have been Alan over at Christian Unity.) Think about how true that is. We will never actually reach total unity until we are all gathered Home someday. Therefore, unity will be something for which we will be striving for the rest of our lives. So you better get used to it if you're gonna be a member of God's Family.
Here's a thought; as Christians, we know better than to be disunified with our heavenly Father. If we are ever struggling with how He is working in our lives, we work through it the way Jacob and David did. We simply cannot live joyful lives if we are disunified with our Father.
But do we have the same convictions about our brothers and sisters? Are we willing to wrestle through the "tough stuff" in order to be unified. I believe the most challenging scripture regarding unity is 1 Cor. 6:7,
The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?In Corinth there were many reasons for the church to be struggling along. But only in this area does Paul call them "defeated". Why? Because it had to do with unity. It had to do with their oneness in Christ. That is the main distinction between Christians and all others. We are bound soul-to-soul by the washing away of our sins by the blood of Jesus. The world can only claim that they "get along well". We are the ones who can claim that we are "God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved", and that, because of that choosing, we must "bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity" ( Col. 3:12-14). And why is the Lord so emphatic that we should exercise these qualities? Because we are already a united and holy family in His perfect and loving eyes. Because Jesus died a horrible death so that we would no longer be defeated in our relationships. Because when there is a wonderful, beautiful and perfect harmony of colors in our souls, yet on the outside we are not even close to unity with someone (or someones), our spirits are in a constant battle to try to reconcile the two. But those of us who have experienced the victory in a battle to truly unify with some one with whom we have butted heads or simply didn't "like" understand the "perfect unity" Colossians 3 talks about. And nothing is more beautiful. The harmony of colors the Lord sees when looking a us will be clearly seen by everyone else. And the picture of the Perfect Church will be all that much more pleasing to the eyes of our hearts.
In all this "harmony of colors" I have talked about I have not mentioned any specific colors. I have not said that this type of person is orange and this type is yellow and this type is fuchsia and they all blend beautifully together to make God's church. There is a reason I have not done that. The reason? BECAUSE IT WOULDN"T BE TRUE!!!!
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.Rev. 3:4-5 Yet you have a few people in (insert your town here) who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. [5] He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.There are only two colors God cares about: red and white (And no that doesn't make PINK!)
If we are in Christ then, just like during the Exodus they crossed the Red Sea, we have crossed a spiritual "red" sea...the red sea of Jesus' blood.
If we are in Christ then we too have been given a robe of white that represents the purity of Jesus. And it will never see wrinkles or stains or a fading glory.
Red and white: the harmony of colors existing in all of the members of God's Perfect Church.
OK. I was a bit uncertain about how to go about this one. Should I just skim over the differences and just go with something like, "Whatever you believe, you must practice that"? No. I couldn't do that. I don't believe it to be true. Should I do a nice little study pointing out the different things people believe? No. I don't have that much knowledge in my head. Should I go full throttle and ahead and invite a doctrinal free-for-all? ABSOLUTELY!!! WOO-HOO!!!
Well, being who I am, I decided a free-for-all would be more fun (and educational) for all of us. I am by no means an expert on doctrine. I am actually doing this because I am eager to learn why others believe what they believe. I am expecting this to be a time when I am forced to wrestle with some of the things I believe. I consider this a good thing. I pray you will do the same.
Here is what to expect. I will post a bit about the importance of sound doctrine. I will discuss my personal beliefs, but I won't put in too much detail at first (probably just a scripture or two and an analogy or something like that). Then we can all jump into the fray and find out what others believe and why. I see the potential for a little more "heat" than is necessary. So in order to avoid any broken keyboards, here are the ground rules:
And now, a few thoughts about doctrine...
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Tim. 4:16)
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Tim. 4:3)
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, (2 Tim. 3:14)
Many people do not believe that doctrine is all that important. It is commonly taught in our society today that if you believe in God, then you are all set. Well, not according to James 2:19,
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.
It is commonly taught, and many people believe, that if you just believe in Jesus, then you are all set. Well, not according to John 8:31-32,
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. [32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Some people believe this. Some people believe that. Some people don't believe that absolute truth will ever be known, and so why search for it? There are many teachings about the Lord and His Word out there today. If you want to find a church that teaches what you want to believe is true, it should not be too difficult to find one. But this does not result in a following of "the truth". It does not bring us closer to being united with God. If we are simply trying to find a doctrine that already lines up with what we want to be true then we have already broken away from scripture. If we only give a half-hearted effort to seeking God's doctrine, what good is that? The only thing it does is prove that we are careless, lazy, or easily discouraged, or all three. The question to be asked is not, "What do I want to believe the truth is?", but instead, "What is the truth of God as He lays it out for me in His word?" If our sincere desire is to know the truth of God, I believe it will be shown to us by God. This was Peter's experience in Matthew 16:15-17,
"But what about you?" (Jesus) asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. (Emph. mine)
We know only what our wise Father reveals to us. And we only know it in His good time.
I am in an awkward spot. I hold to most of the common teachings in the Church of Christ. I understand that we are in the minority as far as what we believe the plan of salvation to be. I believe the doctrine that it is only after baptism for the forgiveness of sins that we receive the Holy Spirit and are saved. Yet, most denominations teach a different doctrine; one of praying Jesus into your heart. I have often been asked if I can accept that someone is saved who has not yet been baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. I tell them that I will let God do the judging, but as far as what God has shown me up to right now, I do not believe them to be saved. This usually gets me into some kind of trouble and the verbal bombardment starts flying at me like bullets in a skeet shoot.
I totally understand why people get upset about it. I really do. But think about what is being asked of me:
Is it for no reason that John 4:23-24 says:
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (Emph. mine)
Scripture makes it clear that we are to pay attention to the details of our doctrine. We are to be able to teach potential converts what we believe to be sound without having to wrestle with our consciences. Acts 2:42 says that the early church was "devoted" to the apostles' teaching. What does it mean to be "devoted to the apostles teachings" if I am expected to let go of them in order to match other belief systems? To me, the scriptures are quite clear, as they are to others who believe differently than me. Please do not take this as a complaint or a rant. I do not mean it to be taken that way. At this point in my writing I am simply trying to convey the importance of sound doctrine. It should be sought after. And it should be cherished as a revealed gift from God.
Let me illustrate the importance with an example which I am quite certain we have all heard dozens of times, and probably taught quite often as well.
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Tim. 4:16)
If "Life" and "Doctrine" were wings of an airplane, and you had to choose which wing you were going to chop off, which one would it be? If you had to choose between life OR doctrine, which would you choose, and which would you let go of? Obviously if you chop off either one the plane crashes.
Doctrine is important. It's not just important to me. There are enough passages in the Bible imploring and even warning us to follow sound doctrine. Those passages convince me that God thinks quite highly of it as well.
I will post about just a few of the key doctrines that I hold to and give reasons why I hold to them. And then we'll all jump on in and have a free for all! WOO-HOO!!! Please remember the rules. In case you are like me and you forgot them, (and are too lazy to scroll up), ;-) I'll post them again:
So now, let's have some fun.
At what point is someone's sins forgiven:
Acts 2:36-38
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
To me, this one has always been pretty clear. Peter is using the "keys to the kingdom" that Jesus gave him in Mat. 16. The keys are "repent" and "be baptized". Peter says that "Every one of you" must repent (or turn to God) and be baptized. How? In the name of Jesus Christ. Why? For the forgiveness of your sins. And then after the sins are forgiven and the HS can come on in and take over.
Romans 6:3-4
Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Baptism is the participation of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died for us and took on our sins. We die to this world and live for him. Jesus was buried. We are buried. Jesus rose from the dead. We, too, may live a new life.
1 Peter 3:18-22
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. (emph. mine)
This one clearly says that baptism save you. It's not just a bath, but a pledge to God from deep within us to live for him.
These are a few of the many that I believe teach that it is at baptism we are saved.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit:
Acts 8:17-19 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." (Emph. mine)
I am convinced that, in context, this is talking about the miraculous gifts of the HS, not the indwelling HS which is given at baptism. I do not hold to the teaching that there are still apostles walking the earth. Therefore, the gifts ceased to be passed on after the last apostle died.
1 Cor. 13:8-12 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (Emph. mine)
The big question is, "What is the 'perfection' that was to come"? I believe it to have been the Bible itself. James 1:25 refers to the word as "the perfect law that gives freedom".
OSAS (Or Once Saved Always Saved):
Col. 1:22-23
But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. (Emph mine)
Now that is one BIG "if" statement! It implies that if you do NOT continue in your faith, you will no longer be reconciled by Christ's physical body. It implies that if you do not continue, you will not be holy, unblemished, and free from accusation.
Hebrews 10:26-29
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
It is clear that God feels strongly that our gratitude for His son be evident in our lives. If we deliberately keep on sinning, then in God's eyes, we are standing at the foot of the cross playing footsies in the blood of our savior. We will have insulted the Spirit of grace itself. We will have thrown our salvation away for the sake of our desire to sin.
Why do you believe what you believe, and why is what I believe different than what you believe? (Yes...I am asking why I am wrong and you are right.)
Now let's have some fun!!!
This will be the fifth and final article on "The Perfect Church." Keep in mind that all of these articles are based on my own personal study, experience, thoughts, and sometimes shots from the hip. It has been a ton of fun to do these, and I hope and pray that something I wrote during this series has benefited you in some way, even if it's just to know how I think. (Why anyone would want to know that is beyond me, but...) Some of the things I've written are on track. Some of the things may be a bit "off." I have had to wrestle with certain thoughts and opinions to make sure they were Biblical as far as I could understand them to be. I want to throw a huge "THANKS!" to Codepoke for issuing the challenge a coupla months ago to anyone who would do this. The picture of "The Perfect Church" is impossible to paint in just five short installments. I knew that when I started. If someone else wants to pick it up from here...GO FOR IT!!! It will truly bless you.
About this article:
And now: installment 5 of "The Perfect Church"
The Supporting Easel: Our God and His Word!
How powerful is our God to have supported His Church since before the beginning!
How steady His thoughts and emotions as our forefathers wavered through belief and unbelief, obedience and disobedience, blessed times and exile and slavery!
How sturdy is His mighty hand throughout what we know as "Time" to have brought into existence this great spiritual nation, this eternal Kingdom that we on earth know as "The Church"!
When we think of an easel, we have a tendency to think of three spindly little twigs held together by a few screws and some metal panels. Such is not the case when I refer to our great God and His Word being the easel of support! Strength upon strength upon reinforcing strength is the reality of the stability and security of the Church!
Let me illustrate:
When sin entered this world through Adam and Eve, God promised us a deliverer who would defeat Satan and free us from the enslaving chains sin:
"And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15)
When Abram and Sarai tried to force God's promise through Ishmael, and when Abram and Sarai both considered God's confirmation of His promise so ridiculous that they laughed, God firmly stated that through Abram and Sarai would come kings, including the King of all other kings...Christ the King, head and husband of the Church!
"I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." (Genesis 17:16)
Even while Abraham was in motion to strike down Isaac, through whom the promise of numerous descendants (some of whom would be kings, and one of whom would be the King of kings!) was to be fulfilled, Abraham was trusting in the promise.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. (Hebrews 11:17-19)
We read that Joseph's brothers despised, rejected, and sold him to foreigners. It was later revealed that this was done by the will of God to ensure that the children of Abraham would not perish during the Great Famine, and that the promise of kings would not go unfulfilled!
Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. (Genesis 45:4-7)
As Jacob lay on his deathbed, blessing his twelve sons, we find out that it is through Judah that the promise of kings, including the King of kings, who would be the Head of the Church, would come.
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his. (Genesis 49:10)
Even as the new king of Egypt, "who did not know about Joseph," came into power and set slave masters over the Hebrews, we are reminded of God's promise to Abram that after four hundred years of enslavement to the Egyptians they would emerge from a punished Egypt with great possessions.
Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. (Genesis 15:13-14)
Even while we consider the physical bondage of the Hebrews as they were cruelly enslaved and mistreated by the Egyptians before the mass Exodus, we are reminded of our own spiritual bondage as we all are cruelly enslaved by Satan and our own sin until that great day when we are freed from that bondage through the forgiveness of sin, and entry into the Church.
So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now (...) you know God--or rather are known by God... (Galatians 4:7-9a)
While we consider that the Hebrews waited for four centuries for Moses to rise up and deliver them from Egyptian slavery, we are reminded of the approximately four hundred years during inter-testamental times when Israel, and the world, held their collective breath while waiting for our Deliverer; our King, who would liberate us through entrance into His church.
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:20-23)
Even while Satan was doing his terrible work through that vile man, Haman the Agagite, in an attempt to wipe the Jews off of the planet, and thereby removing the nation of people through whom the King of kings would come, God was working through Esther to ensure that Satan's plan was spoiled.
Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life--this is my petition. And spare my people--this is my request. For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king."
King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, "Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?"
Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman."
Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.
Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining.
The king exclaimed, "Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?"
As soon as the word left the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, "A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman's house. He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king."
The king said, "Hang him on it!" (Esther 7:3-10)
When Satan realized he could not remove the Jewish nation from the earth, and thereby cancel the coming of Jesus that way, he then focused his attention on trying to remove David, son of Jesse, who would be a direct ancestor of Jesus. But again, every attempt to remove David failed time and again!
Through Goliath:
Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"
David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. (1 Samuel 17:40-49)Through Saul:
As (the women of Israel) danced, they sang:
"Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands."
Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. (1 Samuel 18:7-11)Through his own son, Absalom:
A messenger came and told David, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom."
Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword." (2 Samuel 15:13-14)
Isaiah gives a few clues as to approximately when (in the last days) the earth could expect the great and eagerly anticipated Kingdom, where it would start (in Jerusalem), and what it would be like (a peaceful Kingdom):
In the last days
the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established
as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.Many peoples will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
Come, O house of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord. (Isaiah 2:2-5)
The anticipation builds as Daniel interprets a dream that Nebuchadnezzar had about a statue made up of four sections: The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay (Daniel 2:32-33). Our emotions stir uncontrollably as it is revealed to Daniel that the statue represented four earthly kingdoms that would precede a fifth kingdom, which would be The Kingdom of God, otherwise known today as the Church!
The God of heaven has given you (Nebuchadnezzer) dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. (Daniel 2:3-38)
And during the Roman Empire there would come that fifth kingdom!
While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:34-35)
This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands--a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
"The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy." (Daniel 2:45)
About this Kingdom, which we now know as the Church, it is prophesied throughout Daniel that
Regarding the saints of this Kingdom, it was prophesied that
"many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." (Daniel 12:10)
The prophet, Joel, receives word from the Lord that this great Kindgom will not be for Israel alone, but for the GENTILES AS WELL!
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. (Joel 2:28)
And again, the prophet, Zephaniah, tells us that we Gentiles will serve the Lord in total unity with Israel.
"Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder. (Zephaniah 3:9)
And so there would be no mistake, Isaiah prophecies
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6)
Imagine the elation felt by his hearers as Zechariah told of the great news that the King of kings, who was to bring to fruition all the prophecies which prepared the way for the coming of the Church, was coming to dwell on earth among us!
"Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the Lord. "Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. (Zechariah 2:10-11)
Just as it was prophesied, Jesus did come during the Roman Empire. And when he did, Satan went into a rage and a panic. He knew time was running out. He knew that killing the Christ child was the only way to stop the coming of the Church; the Church in which all those who would be snatched out of the evil one's hands would live forever. And in his panicked and enraged state, he worked his evil through Herod to kill all the boys under two years old in and around Bethlehem. Though the plan was carried out, and hundreds of innocent boys were ruthlessly murdered at the hand of Satan, God foiled even that plot!
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. (Matthew 2:13-16)
Throughout the life of Jesus, there was attempt after attempt to kill him. Every one of them: foiled! Seeing the fruitlessness of his efforts, Satan intensified another form of assault on Jesus; the flaming arrows of temptation. But Scripture tells us that Jesus successfully defended His character and His righteousness against each and every one.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
In Matthew 16, Jesus, while teaching the disciples, gave Peter the keys that would be used to unlock the doors of that very Kingdom. It is here that we see the first verbal connection between the prophesied Kingdom which would last forever and the Church.
"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)
When the evil one successfully germinated an intense hatred toward Jesus in a large enough group of men, he put his best and final plan into action. The plan was to use the swirling dusts of hatred, confusion, and hysteria to manipulate the people of Jerusalem into nailing Jesus to a tree.
But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor.
"Barabbas," they answered.
"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.
They all answered, "Crucify him!"
"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"
All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"
Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. (Matthew 27:20-26)
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:44-46)
Satan could not believe it. He succeeded in ridding the earth of its savior FOREVER! All the prophecies, all the spiritual parallels, all the effort God put into ensuring the creation of the Church, had all come to naught!
Satan had won...
Well, not exactly. Satan had only nipped the heal of Jesus. Satan was severely limited in his understanding of the "Grand Plan to save Man." While the evil one and his demons were reveling in celebratory activities, they were blind to the heal...THE VERY HEAL OF JESUS...the heal that was swiftly coming down to crush the head of he who had worked his evil in vane for thousands of years, as was prophesied at the fall of man. Why can I say that?
Because...
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. (John 20:1)
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:5-6)
Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. (Mark 16:14)
Satan LOST!
But still, the Kingdom had not yet come. Jesus had been born. He had fulfilled the prophecies. He lived a perfect life. He was crucified. On the third day, he raised from the dead. He even ascended into heaven! And still, even after all this, the Kingdom had not yet come!
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1:4-9)
Jesus did not leave them totally clueless about what to expect regarding the coming of the Kingdom. Jesus told them
"This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:46-49)
Let me review a few facts about the Kingdom to refresh our memories:
And now, after seeing how powerfully God worked throughout the history of His people; after seeing His powerful arm direct the events which would ensure that the lineage of Jesus would be secured; and after each and every attempt made by the evil one to destroy and disrupt the plans of God, we find in Acts chapter 2, the fulfillment of the coming of the eternal Kingdom, the Church!
My goal is that, as you read this next part, you will find yourself at the end of it standing in awe of the power of our God!
The disciples are clothed with power from on high:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)
All nations would be there in Jerusalem:
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. (Acts 2:5)
Peter, while delivering the first gospel sermon in the history of mankind, reveals that "the last days" have begun:
'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.' (Acts 2:17)
Peter convinced many in the crowd that they had just crucified the King of kings, the savior of the world, the very savior who God had taken great pains to ensure his coming! And how do the wise people respond to this realization? They were desperate and begged Peter to give them some form of hope that all was not lost!
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:36-37)
At this point, Peter uses the keys that Jesus gave him in Matthew 16 to unlock the doors of the Kingdom for all people and for all time! He preached repentance and forgiveness of sins, in the name of Jesus, to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem, just as Jesus said he would in Luke 24!
He preached the keys of "repentance and baptism"!
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-39)
And for the last 2000 years the Church has continued on earth. It has gone through great times and hard times. It has endured times of peace and times of persecution. It has survived strife from within and strife from without. It has endured our oh-so-human way of politicizing everything. It has often been misrepresented and misunderstood. But through it all, IT HAS ENDURED!
And so it shall for all of eternity.
Throughout the history of Israel, the God of the universe had prepared the way for the coming of the Church. Throughout the history of Israel, Satan tried again and again to keep the King of kings from being conceived. Be it war, famine, hatred, selfishness, and every other evil plot his hateful mind could devise, each attempt to stop our great and awesome God from bringing about the perfect Church failed miserably!
When we consider the strength of our God and the flawlessness of His Word, we have no choice but to stand in awe of how perfect and how safe is His Church. We have no other option but to bow down before Him who supports it with His mighty arm and His mighty Word. Regarding the painting of "The Perfect Church," He is truly the easel of support who has held up the Church for thousands of years.
AMEN!