Copyright Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D. 1996
M08050
TITLE: WHOSE CHURCH IS THIS ANY WAY?
OUTLINE:
I. I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH
II. YOU WILL DO THE FOOTWORK
There is a brochure in the sermon notes file labeled ser238 that depicts some of
what I was trying to combat in this message. It goes on for a page and a half
before the word church is mentioned.
INTRO:
In the Gospel of Matthew, it is recorded that Christ, when speaking of a future
time, mentioned, "I will build my church;"
A small group of people that had recently organized as a church met to consider
the purchase of a building. The congregation was asked to pray and consider the
possibilities carefully. The church met and the decision was unanimous to NOT
purchase the building.
One of the couples in the church decided that the congregation had erred, so
contacted all the people personally behind the pastors back and convinced them
that they should go ahead with the plan to look into the building.
This group ceased to exist within weeks.
Jesus said, "I will build my church;"
A Sunday school teacher was asked to take a large class of Senior adults. He did
so and within a few weeks had the seniors responding quite well to his ministry.
So well, in fact that they decided that they were tired of pew warming and they
wanted to get busy helping in the church. The teacher went to the pastor to see
if the people could help. The pastor scoffed at the teacher's efforts and within
a week had run the teacher out of the church by falsely turning the church board
against him.
The young teacher found that he was the third in a series of teachers that had
been run off, and later found that a fourth was treated the same. The pastor was
insecure about anyone having a ministry in his church.
Jesus said, "I will build my church;"
I was told recently of a church planting organization that selects an area where
they make hundreds of phone calls. If there is a certain percentage of the people
on the phone that are positive in the thought of starting a new church in the
area, the organization feels that it would be "COST EFFECTIVE" to start a church
in the area.
Jesus said, "I will build my church;"
A church I recently was informed of has their whole thrust and program geared to
bring unsaved people into the church. They will do most anything to draw people
into the sanctuary so that the pastor can evangelize them.
Jesus said, "I will build my church;"
A church had been meeting in another churches building for several months. They
were talking about a new church building they were going to build. In all the
time a missionary was with the church during a conference the only reason for the
million-dollar building that the missionary heard was that the people were so
tired of carrying their hymnals in and out of the church every week.
Jesus said, "I will build my church;"
A church board met to ask their pastor to resign. They listed all of the reasons
he was being asked to leave. None of the reasons related to his preaching
ministry, nor his teaching ministry, nor his calling ministry, but mostly to his
yard work at the church. The most important reason for his being asked to resign
was that he had not fertilized the lawn in several years.
The pastor told the board that there was a woman in the church that had donated
money for lawn fertilization and that it had been done by professionals for
years. He was still forced to resign.
Jesus said, "I will build my church;"
A pastor took a small church and built it up numerically until they were able to
build a building. Shortly after, the pastor began eliminating church officers for
one reason or another. Ultimately the pastor was the only church officer, and his
family was the only ones allowed to minister in the church. He had total control
of all funds, all ministries and all aspects of the church when he had many very
qualified people in the church.
The church dwindled over the coming years.
Jesus said, "I will build my church;"
I was being considered as a Sunday school teacher in a very large church. As
teacher, I would have been pastor to a class of about 100.
Some observations about the church:
In the foyer was an enclosed window displaying a picture of the pastor as a child
on his mother's lap. Also, in the window was the mother's Bible. It looked like a
little shrine.
All I heard before Sunday school was about how great the pastor was.
Near the conclusion of my SS lesson, which all were very attentive to, the pastor
walked into the room through a door in the back of the auditorium.
ALL attention turned to him to see if he was going to speak.
I lost the complete class - had to stop talking because no one was listening.
A few months later the pastor resigned and they almost had to bury the church.
The congregation almost went to pieces, fearing that the church would
disintegrate without the pastor. It almost did.
I don't think for a moment that anyone intended for the people to put the pastor
on that high a pedestal, but somewhere the people as a whole lost sight of the
fact that Christ is building His church. (The church recovered due to strong
spiritual men on the board.)
Jesus said, "I will build my church."
I would like to consider Christ's comment in Matthew. Please turn with to Matt
16.18.
I. I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH
Matt 16.18 Christ tells the apostles that HE will build HIS church. "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 to concentrate on the phrase; "I will build my church."
Now, there is nothing earth shattering in this comment, I am not going to tell
you that it is a mistranslation, I'm not going to tell you that it was poorly
recorded, and I'm not going to insult your intelligence by taking an hour and a
half to explain the meaning of this phrase. AND THEY ALL SAID AMEN!
It simply means that Christ somewhere in the past had decided that He was going
to be the one to build His church. Simple statement of fact and all of the
translations I checked translated it the same with the exception of two that
translated it "I will build my assembly;" which is quite acceptable because the
Greek word used is Ecclessia which means assembly, but is normally translated
church in the New Testament.
Christ planned to build His church! If this is true, and it is, then how dare any
human being attempt to build Christ's church, how dare any human being declare
that another human being can build Christ's church. Christ Alone can and will
build His church. He certainly uses human beings to assist Him in His task, but
it is Christ that will build the church, not us.
This is not a totally new concept to God. The Old Testament mentions this concept
a few times and I would like to just touch on these for a moment to illustrate
the fact that God has a plan and He is in the process of taking steps to complete
that plan.
These texts also illustrate the fact that God gives the increase. We do what He
leads us to do and HE GIVES THE INCREASE. We will see this as we go along.
God, in the Old Testament times was in the business of caring for people, as today Christ is caring for His church.
Levi. 26.4 mentions that God will give the rain and that the land would give the
increase. "Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her
increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit."
Ps 85.12 shows the idea that God does the increasing. "Yea, the LORD shall give
[that which is] good; and our land shall yield her increase.
Deut. 7.13 mentions "And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he
will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and
thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep,
in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee."
There is one final aspect of the I Will of God in relation to the church. Acts
15.16 mentions the "I will" aspect of the rebuilding of the end time temple.
"After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is
fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:"
Yes, God is speaking of a literal building, not a church group, but it
illustrates the fact that God takes steps to do HIS work.
I Cor 3.5ff speaks well of our subject. "5 Who then is Paul, and who [is]
Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is
he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the
increase.
It would seem that the apostle Paul had gotten the picture quite nicely, but the
people at Corinth seemed to feel that some were more important than others due to
which person had led them to the Lord. Paul is clear that he was not doing the
increasing, that Apollos was not doing the increasing, but that GOD was doing the
increasing.
Paul continues: 8 "Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every
man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are
labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, [ye are] God's building. 10
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I
have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take
heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that
is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
The context goes on to explain that there are consequences to doing other than
God's method of building. We will consider this later.
I think that we should be clear at this point that it is God that is building His
church not you, not the pastor, not the evangelist, not the Sunday School
teachers, not the janitors, but ALMIGHTY GOD HIMSELF.
II. YOU WILL DO THE FOOTWORK
Never in the Bible is a person told to go out and build a church.
Never in the Bible is a church told to seek a pastor that can build a church.
Never in the Bible is a single individual held responsible for a church growing or declining.
Never in the Bible is the success of a church based on numbers.
Never in the Bible is the failure of a church based on numbers.
Never in the Bible is -- well, I think you get the message.
However, on the other hand the Bible is full of things that we are to do, are to
judge success by, are to judge failure by, are to seek pastors by, etc.
Spirituality is the key to judging all of these. Pastors are to be picked for
their spiritual qualifications and gifts. Not their good speaking ability, not
their good looks, and not their great drawing power.
Churches are to be judged by how they minister to the unsaved and saved alike. It
relates to the ministry of the Word of God.
Individuals are to be judged by how their spiritual lives reflect the love of
their Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.
No matter how great our pastor is, God must give the increase.
No matter how great our programs are, God must give the increase.
No matter how much we witness, God must give the increase.
No matter how pretty our building is, God must give the increase.
I suggest that many churches, FUNDAMENTAL AND EVANGELICAL CHURCHES ALIKE, are
trying the hardest they can to build Christ's church instead of allowing Christ
to do it.
I doubt that I've heard it all, but let me tell you a little of what I've heard
in recent years.
We have an orchestra to try and get the intellectual in to hear the Word.
We have a keyboard to try and get the young people interested in the Word.
We have contemporary music so that the younger couples will come and listen to
the pastor.
We have the best Sunday school literature available so that we can draw the
children into the Sunday school and then maybe we can reach the parents.
We have to build a new building so that we have enough room when visitors come.
We have to have contests to draw people in.
We have to have drama to keep the peoples interest.
NOW, before we go further!
Yes, buildings are important.
Yes, pastors are important.
Yes, programs are important.
Yes, Sunday school is important.
HOWEVER!
All we do in the church MUST be done by the leading of the Holy Spirit, NOT by
the budget, not by the attendance, nor by the any other thing.
Let me tell you what my philosophy of church growth is.
Let me tell you what my philosophy of church budget is.
Let me tell you what my philosophy of church buildings is.
All of these philosophies are rolled up in one. ALL BELIEVERS WITNESS TO THOSE
THEY HAVE ACCESS TO, AND WHEN PEOPLE ACCEPT CHRIST THEY ARE INVITED TO THE CHURCH
FOR DISCIPLING, WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP.
Let me repeat that for you.
ALL BELIEVERS WITNESS TO THOSE THEY HAVE ACCESS TO, AND WHEN PEOPLE ACCEPT CHRIST
THEY ARE INVITED TO THE CHURCH FOR DISCIPLING, WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP. It's that
simple!
If we witness and bring the converts that GOD brings unto Himself into HIS church
so that the believers can train them, then budget, growth and buildings will deal
with themselves.
I am not a reformer, nor am I against church planning, budgets, and goals, but we
must be about the work of the Lord first and formost, and allow Him to build His
church and lead us into the planning, budgets, and goals that He wants to bring
about in our individual church.
Christ told us that He would build His church.
The church is in existence for only a few limited purposes. Evangelism, which
includes missions, Edification, which includes training of the new believer and
challenging of the older believer, Fellowship, for the uplifting of the
believers, and Worship to uplift the soul before its Lord and Master.
The church is central to the plan of God. Paul did not go around saving people
and telling them to become isolationists. He went back and organized the churches
that he had planted by setting up church leaders. (Acts 14.23) He would not have
set up church leaders had he not known that the church was God's plan for this
age.
Eph 4 mentions that the church is for the edification of the believers. We are to
train others so that they can train others so that they can train others.
Let us turn to Eph 4.11 and read a couple of verses, and then I want to read one
verse from Paul's second epistle to Timothy.
11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Now, II Tim 2.2 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses,
the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
Without this process the church would cease to exist! Christ uses us to build and
continue His church.
GUESS WHAT?
If we as a body of believers don't teach those we lead to the Lord, it is very
doubtful that anyone else will.
GUESS WHAT?
If we don't pass on our faith, it is definite that no one else will do it for us.
Each generation must reach its own generation - GUESS WHAT? My generation has
failed thus far. One half of the world hasn't heard of Christ. My generation is
about out of time.
Paul mentions our ministry in another way. Turn to II Cor 5.18 for our closing
thoughts.
"And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,
and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."
God is in the business of reconciling the lost to Himself, but he has honored us
with the opportunity, indeed, the duty to share that message of reconciliation
with others.
We are to do the footwork, but WE MUST NEVER FORGET WHO IS IN CHARGE - ALMIGHTY
GOD THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH.
Before we close, I would like to revisit one of our texts for just a moment. Turn
back with me to I Cor 3.8.
Remember this text is in the area of church planting and nurturing. Paul has
planted a church and Apollos has done some nurturing and evidently was in on some
of the fruit bearing as well, however Paul's admonition is that it is God that
gives the increase. It is God that increases numbers, and by logic it is God that
increases offerings, it is God that increases buildings etc.
Now in that context Paul states, (3.8) ".... and every man shall receive his own
reward according to his own labour." Paul tells the Corinthian believers that
each person will have their own reward for how they have built while they are
working on the church of Christ.
Paul then continues to tell them that their work will be either wood, hay, and
stubble, or it will be gold, silver, or precious stones. How we as individuals
work on the church that Christ is building will be judged.
I Cor 2.12ff mentions, "12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made
manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and
the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work
abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 if any man's
work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so
as by fire."
Folks, this is personal opinion - doctrine of Derickson - so take this with a
grain of salt - but I personally believe that there are many churches in
existence today in Fundamental and Evangelical circles that are built as wood,
hay and stubble. I believe that many believers are more concerned with their
numbers, buildings, and programs than they are with their Lord and HIS BUILDING
OF HIS CHURCH.
I was sitting in a pastors office one morning and the pastor walked to the window
- looked out and around and said, "Stan, this is MY turf." He ran his church HIS
way, to fit HIS desires and if HE needed to run someone off to get HIS way HE
would do it.
He took his church of over 200 to 50 in less than a year after his statement to
me.
His Turf? Yes.
Christ's church? One is left to wonder.
As we go forward with our Lord, let us be sure that we are building in the manner
that Christ desires us to build. Let us be sure that we are building gold,
silver, and precious stones.
As we as believers win the lost to Christ and bring them into the local church
for training, so they can go out and win others to Christ, we will see the church
grow as Christ wants it to grow, we will see the offerings grow as Christ wants
the offerings to grow, we will see the building grow as Christ wants the building
to grow.
It is not wrong to set goals for the church, it is not wrong to set up programs,
it is not wrong to evaluate how the church has been run in the past - these are
all imperative - however, BUT all we do must be in conjunction with prayer and
the seeking of Christ's purpose for this particular church and its people.
You and I are to do the footwork, while we leave the increase to the one and only
one that can cause the increase -- God.
I would like to describe a church we went to one time for you - a successful
church Scripturally.
It had spiritual leadership.
It had regular meetings.
It had as many present for prayer meeting as for worship.
It had serious prayer meetings - we went to one and they gave the preacher an hour then prayed about an hour - ON THEIR KNEES!
It had a witnessing membership.
It had a part time pastor.
It met in the pastor's basement.
Success comes in small packages OR large packages - IT DEPENDS ON HOW CHRIST
PACKAGES IT.
To tie all this together I would like to share four points concerning what God
blesses. Though I disagree with Watchman Nee in some of his theology, I agree
with his points about God's blessing our efforts.
What God will bless:
WHAT HE INITIATES
WHAT DEPENDS ON HIM FOR ITS SUCCESS
WHAT IS DONE ACCORDING TO HIS WORD
WHAT IS DONE FOR HIS GLORY
Let me repeat that for you.
What God will bless:
WHAT HE INITIATES
WHAT DEPENDS ON HIM FOR ITS SUCCESS
WHAT IS DONE ACCORDING TO HIS WORD
WHAT IS DONE FOR HIS GLORY