The Church Defined

The Church Defined # 20 – Influencers Click here for the Audio Version -   Influencers Matthew 5:13 , “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” (ESV) Jesus’ analogy of salt was an extremely profound one. A huge jar of unused salt will benefit no one. However, even a little salt added to any dish will make a big difference to it’s taste. The presence of salt will not go unnoticed, so also it’s absence. If salt loses its saltiness it will become totally useless. Jesus referred to us as the ‘salt of the earth’ to help us understand that we the church are chosen to be a godly influence in this world. While we are happy to congregate as ‘salt’ somehow, we have failed to let this saltiness penetrate into every area of our lives and various spheres of society. Jesus cautions us that if we become ‘tasteless,’ we los

The Church Defined # 19 – Disciple Makers Click here for the Audio Version: Disciple Makers Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (NKJV) The mandate to ‘make disciples’ of all nations, has to a large extent, become the Great Omission in the Great Commission. The directive of Jesus is not to make ‘converts’ but to make ‘disciples.’ According to Wikipedia, “A disciple in biblical terms is one who is a dedicated follower of Jesus. A disciple in the ancient biblical world actively imitated both the life and teaching of the master. It was a deliberate apprenticeship which made the fully formed disciple a living copy of the master.”   Luke records in Luke 6:12-16 , that Jesus prayed all night before He chose His twelve disciples. Note how Mark 3:14-15 explained this: “Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out

The Church Defined # 18 – The Church’s First Love Click here for the Audio Version: The Church's First Love Revelation 2:4-5 , “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” (NKJV) As the Lord addressed the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 we realize that there were a lot of good qualities about that church. They labored hard for the work of the Lord, were patient, persevering, they tried and tested false apostles, and they didn’t grow weary in serving the Lord. The only indictment that the Lord held against them was that they had forsaken their first love, and this, the Lord considered a serious flaw.  The early church exemplified and exhibited this love for the Lord in myriad ways. It was this boundless love they had for the Lord that displayed itsel

The Church Defined # 17 - A Witnessing Community Click here for the Audio Version:   A Witnessing Community Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. The early church took the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus, as mentioned in Matthew 28:19-20 , most seriously. Acts 1:8 records Jesus’ instruction to them: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (NKJV). On the day they received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, when Peter stood up to preach, 3000 people were added to the church. (Acts 2:41) . After the day of Pentecost, the disciples were such a mighty witness that the Gospel spread like wild fi

The Church Defined # 16 Church Leadership Click here for the Audio Version :  Church Leadership Acts 20:28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with His own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders." (NLT) One of the very important aspects of the church is it’s leadership. These leaders as mentioned in Ephesians 4:11 , include apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. The primary role of a leader in the church is to be the shepherd of the flock that God has entrusted to them. Peter explains this in 1 Peter 5:2-3 , “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;” (NKJV) The greatest example of leadership was demonstrated by the Lord Jesus who said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gi

The Church Defined # 15 - A City on a Hill Click here for the Audio Version: A City on a Hill Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (NKJV) Jesus declared in John 9:5 , "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” However, Jesus also reminded his disciples in Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world." We therefore, as the body of Christ, have a two-fold responsibility. Firstly, to walk with Jesus, who is the light, and secondly, to be those who will shine His light to the world around us. 1 John 1:5-9 says it this way, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son c