Function of the Church

Matthew 16:18 - And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Oh my, last Sunday so spoke to my spirit! What I shared Friday about Thursday was somehow connected to Sunday school and our sermon. Amazing. Will I ever grow tired of how the Lord works and how He speaks? I hope not. When it becomes an even more regular occurrence, I pray I never lose the amazement I feel.

Sunday school brought the questions: What is the Church and what is its function? Jesus began the Church. He IS the head of it, always has been. His function while on earth was to show Himself and teach His followers. They in turn were to go out to share what they had learned with others. So the snowball effect takes place.

The Church isn't what it should be. It has lost its function in many cases. The Church is not a building but a people. The Church is Jesus' assembly. The Church is here to help us with our mission; we don't go to church to help with its mission. We are not to go to church to always be fed but we are to go to church to help feed. The Church’s mission is to teach us, like Jesus, that we might be prepared and encouraged to go out into our own mission field. We are not to assume that we come to help the Church with its mission to seek and save the lost. We ARE the Church and are commanded to go out, be disciples, to bring in the lost souls that they might be prepared to go out.

And the sermon? It was on fasting and prayer as we have been doing this week. We worshiped to songs that spoke on being in the presence of God and what we find when we are there: peace, rest and wholeness...and that these can help us in our mission. Being in His presence always works to our advantage as we go out.

Fasting and prayer should be a time of personal meditation. It can be a preparation of our hearts. It should be a time of seeking the Lord not just for the church, or the Church, or any other thing that seems important to us, but for ourselves. Looking for God's guidance for our lives. It's spending time in His presence and listening for His voice. 

Remember what Thursday night for me was all about? Being prepared and now it's time to act. Step into my mission field, whatever that may be, whatever the Lord chooses for me to do. Mission fields. Abide in Him. And if we are in His presence and only act when He tells us to, there should only be peace. His power is in us. And then I thought, if that's true we shouldn't have to ask for power! He gives it to us abundantly...just act in it. He has given us all we need; we only need to hear Him telling us when to act, to be that arm, hand, voice, heart, leg of God extended to someone else, those things that have been prepared if the Church has done its proper job. 

Jesus is the foundation, the solid rock on which we stand. He is the head of the Church. We can do nothing without Him.

John 15:5 - I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

A New Revelation

John 8:12 - Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." 

I am opening your eyes to new revelation. Come with Me as I take you deeper into the mysteries of Who I am. As you journey let yourself be led only by Me. Open your heart and soul to receive only from Me. Allow yourself to see with your spiritual eyes, like John did.

It is My desire you let My Spirit penetrate deep. You will not be disappointed. For when you do you will find I am the same on your mountain tops as in your valleys. The same God, never changing. It's only your view of Me that has changed because of your circumstances. But I tell you, I never change.

I want to take you deeper than you've ever been. Let go and follow Me. Set aside those things you've hung on to and try Me out in new ways. Go deeper, grow deeper. You will get lost...but you'll be lost in Me...and I know the way you should go. I am the Shepherd, I am the Way, I am the Light. I AM. And where I go you may follow. If you are to follow anyone, follow Me. This following is between you and Me. Don't worry about anyone else's path.

You must be willing to let go. Only goodness resides in My places, in My presence. Seek the revelation of Who I am. When you do you will see the mysteries more clearly.

Who I am far exceeds what you know. You will never know everything in this life, but I will reveal more if you allow Me.

These words came to me in a precious quiet time last night. It is a belief of many that we need to see beyond the surface of the words in the Bible who Jesus is. We need to begin to become undone. We need to realize the awesome power our God has over the things that whittle away the things in this world. If we stay focused on the Lord things can fall apart around us but He will hold us up. Psalm 91:7 - A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. 

We can say we trust Him, but we need to know Him at a deeper level, that we will not falter for a second because we can know in our spirits that He is the Alpha and Omega, First and Last...and all things in between...the Center. His arms are wrapped around us...if we know Him.

He is the Vine, we are the branches. We can be in Him and He in us. In Christ, Christ in us. If we dwell there we are surrounded by the all-encompassing God, the Light of the world, the Truth, the Way, our Comforter, our Guide, our all in all. Let us dig deeper for the understanding of Who He is and what He has to offer.

1John 5:20 - And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.