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N ew sletter
# 1 6 7
-
S e p t.
1 ,
1 9 9 2
T he
c h u r c h
m eans
m any
.:>:
d iffe re n t
th in g s
t o
d iffe re n t
p e o p le .T oa d e n o m in a tio n a lis t a church
w o u ld
h e
s o m e th in g
o f
th e ir
ow n
d e n o m in a tio n .
I t
m ust
a lig n
t o
i t s
system 'sd o c trine . T h e y
m aye v e n
th in k
th a t
th e ir
c h u r c h
is
th e
o n ly
o n e .
B u t,t o
a
h ih le
s tu d e n to r s c h o la rth e
c hu rc h
is
a
d iffe re n t
th in g .I th a s
n o th in g
t o
d o
w ith
t he
s tic k s
a n d
s to n e s
th a t
m ake
u p
a
b u ild in g .
T he
w ord
" c h u r c h "
com es
fro m
th e
G reek
w ord
" e k k le s ia "w h ic h
is
m ade
u p
o f tw o
o th e r w ords." e k "
m e a n in g
" c o m p le te ly
o u t"
a n d
" k a le o "
m e a n in g
" to
c a ll."
J o in e d
to g e th e r
th e y
fo rm
th e
w ord
" e k k le s ia ,"
m e a n in g
" c a lle d
o u t
o n e s ."
T h e re
is
n o
w ay
th a ty o u
c a n
s a y
th is
a p p lie s
t o
a n y
k in d
o f
b u ild in g .
Som e
te a c h
th a t
th e
c h u r c h
i s
n o t
m e n tio n e d
p a s t C hapter
3
i n
R e v e la tio n
a n d
th e y
u se
th is
t o
s h o w
i t
h a s
h e e n
" r a p tu r e d
o u t."
I n
fa c t,
th e
w ord
" c h u r c h "
i s
n o t
m e n tio n e d
i n
m any
h o o k s,s u c h
a s
M ark,
L u k e ,
J o h n , e tc .,b u td o e s
th is
m ean
th a tth o s eb o o k s d o n 't
a p p ly
t o
G o d 's
c h u r c h ?
W ell,le t's
lo o k
a tw hat G od
m eans
w he n
H e
s p e a k s
o f
th e
" c h u r c h ."
M A T T H E W
1 6 :1 3-1 6
W hen
J e s u s
cam e
in to
th e
c o a s ts
o f
C e a s a re a
P h illip p i,
H e
a s k e d
H is
d is c ip le s ,
s a y in g ,
'W h o m
d o
m en
s a y
th a t
I
th e
S on
o f
m an
am ?"
!..!A n d
th e y
s a id ,
'S om e
s a y
th a t
T h o u
a rt
J o h n
th e
B a p tis t:
som e, E lia s ;
a n d
o th e rs ,J e r e m ia s ,o ro n e
o f th e
p ro p h \u00ad
e ts .'.!J H e
s a ith
u n to
th e m ,
"B u t w hom
s a yy e
th a tIam ?"
!.\u00a7 .A n d
S im o n
P e te r
a n s w e re d
a n d
s a id ,
"T h o u
a rt
th e
C h ris t,
th e
S on
o f
th e
liv in g
G od."
T he
w o rd s
P e te r
s p o k e
w ere
v e ry
a c c u r a le
\
\
~
s
\ue000
P e te r
re sp o n s ih le
fo r
h is
answ er?
M A T T H E W
1 6 :1 7
A nd
J e s u s
a n s w e re d
a n d
s a id
u n to
h im ,
"B le s s e d
a rt
th o u ,
S im o n
B a r-jo n a :
fo r
fle s h
a n d
b lo o d
h a th
n o t
r e v e a le d
i t
u n to
th e e
b u r
M y
F a th e r
W h ic h
i s
i n
h e a v e n ."
" S im o n "
m eans
" h e ilT in g"
,w d
"B a r\u00b7.i"n < l"
tra ns \u00ad
la te s
" s o n
o f
th e
d o v e "
w h ic h
is
:llw .:ty s
~
y
m
h
o
l
i
c
\ue000o f
th e
H o ly
S p irit.
T
h
i
~
\ue000w as
W h,l
to ld
P e te r
w hat
t o
s a y .
W hen
o llr
F < Jth e r
s p e < J k s
th ro u g h
a n
in d iv id u a l,
th a i
p
e
r
~
o
n
\ue000
J
l
)
e
~
n
'
\ue000
t
\ue000h a v e
;llIy lh in g
t o
d o
w ith
w hat
i s
o ,a id .
C io d
c a u s e d
P e te r
t o
m ake
th a t
s ta te m e n t
(w h ich
w as
e
v
e
n
~
y
m
h
o
l
j
c
\ue000o f
w hat
w as
t o
com e
in
Pete r's
l i f e ) .
M A T T H E W
1 6 :1 8
"A nd
I
s a y
a ls o
u n to
th e e ,
T h a t
th o u
a rt
P e te r,
a n d
u p o n
th is
ro c k
I
w ill
b u ild
M y
c h u rc h ;
a n d
th e
g a te s
o f
h e ll
s h a ll
n o t
p re v a il
a g a in s t
i t ."
R em em berth etru e
m e a n in g
o f th is w o rd
" c h u r c h "
-
th e
"c a lle d
o u t
o n e s ."
G od
i s
s a y in g
th < J t
th ro u g h
P e te r
(w h ich
m eans
" r o c k "
in
G reek),
H e
w o u ld
e s ta h lis h
H is
" e k k le s ia ."A nd,v o lu n te e rsd o n 't
re a lly
a p p ly
i n
th is
c a s e.I t
i s
m ade
u p
o f
th o s e
w hom
H e
h as
c a lle d
o u t
a n d
th e
" g a te s
o f
h e ll"
c a n n o t
to u c h
th e m .E v e ry th in g
th a tS a ta n
c a ng a th e r
u p
a n d
th ro w
a ty o u
c a n n o t h a rm
y o u
i fy o u
a re
o n e
ofy o u r F a th e r' s" c a lle d
o u t
o n e s ."
A s
lo n g
a s
y o u
e x e r c is e
th e
pow er
a n d
a u th o rity
g iv e n
y o u
th ro u g h
J e s u s
C h rist.
M A T T H E W
1 6:1 9
"A n d
I
w ill
g iv e
u n to
th e e
th e
k e y s
o f th e
k in g d o m
o fh e a v e n :a n d
w h a ts o e v e r
th o u
s h a ltb in d
o n
e a rth
s h a lf
b e
b o u n d
i n
h e a v e n :
a n d
w h a ts o e v e rth o u
s h a ltlo o s e
o n
e a rth
s h a llb e
lo o s e d
i n
h e a v e n .'
B efo re
C h rist
p a id
th a t
aw esom e
p ric e
o n
th e
c r o s s ,
a n
in d iv id u a lc o u ld
r e p e n t
h y
th e
la w
th ro u g h
s a c r if ic e . B u t,f l e s h
s in sa n d
i f
h ed ie d
h e fo rem a k in g
a to n e m e n t,h ed ie d
in
th a ts in
a n d
w asth e re h y
h o u n d
a fte rd e a th . C h rist,b e fo re H isa s c e n s i o n
t o
th eF a th e r,
v is ite d
th o s es o u lsth a t w ere
b o u n d
( IP e te r3 :1 9 )a n d
p r e a c h e d
th eg o s p e l
o f
H is
s a v in g
g r a c e
t o
th e m
a n d
th e re b y
s e t
th e m
fre e .
A nd
now ,
th e
c h u r c h
is
fo r\u00ad
g iv e n
b y
ta k in g
th e ir
re p e n ta n c e
d ire c tly
t o
H im .W e
a re
g iv e n
th e
k e y s
th a tu n lo c k
a n d
n o
m an
c a n
c lo s e ,
a n d
th a t
lo c k
a n d
n o
m an
c a n
o p e n .
T hese
key o ,
a re
t he
tru th ,
pow er,
a n d
a u th o rity
V llU
p
,
)
.
,
s
e
~
\ue000
b e c a u s e
y o u
a re
p a rt
o f
Hi
~
\ue000
c a lle d
\1 1 1 1
(
)
n
c
~
.
\ue000
T h is
i s
th e
h lltlo m
lin e
llf
w hat
a
c h u r c h
i s
a ll
a h o u t.D o
y o u
k n o w
o fa n y
h u ild in g ,c a th e d ra l,c h u r c h
h o u s e ,
l l T
~
y
n
a
g
(
)
g
u
c
\ue000
th a t
c a n
d o
th is ?
I
th in k
n o t!
A n v tim e
i n
H
i
~
\ue000W o rd , G od
ta lksa b o u t
th o s e
th a ta re
c a lle d ,o r Ih ee le c t,e tc .,H e
iss p e a k in g
o f
H isc h u r c h .
A nyone
th a t
i s
o f
th e
c h u r c h
(c a lle d
o u t
o n e s )
c a n
e
x
c
r
c
i
~
c
\ue000th e
pow er
o f
th e
c h u r c h .
Y ou
d o n 't
n eed
a
"m in ister"
t o
b a p tis e
y o u
fo r
e x a m p le ,
o n e
C h ristia n
c a n
b a p tise
a n o th e r.
T he
m in ister
o r
te a c h e r
in
a
c h u r c h
is
n o t
th e
o n ly
o n e
w ho
h a s
hee n
b le s s e d
o f
G od.
E v e ry
s in g le
m em her
h a s
th e ir
ow n
g ift.
D o n 't
e v e r
t r y
t o
w ork
i n
th e
g ifts
o f
a n o th e r
h e c a u s e
y o u
th in k
th a t
i s
w hat
y o u
h a v e
t o
d o
t o
b e
u s e f u l
t o
G od.W hen
y o u
a re
in
th e
s e r v ic eo f C h rist,y o u
b le s s
o th e rs
th ro u g h
th e
g ifts
H e
h a s
g iv e n
y o u
a s
a n
in d iv id u a l.J u s tb e c a u s e
a
s e ed
y o u
p la n td o e s n'tta k e
h o ld
is
n o
r e a s o n
t o
p u t
y o u r s e lf
o n
a
g u ilt
trip .
I n
G o d 'se y e sy o u
h a v e
d o n ey o u r jo h
s u c \u00ad
c e s s f u lly .
A C T S
1: 1 5
A nd
i n
th o s e
d a y s
P e te r
s to o d
u p
i n
th e
m id s to f th e
d is c ip le s,
a n d
s a id ,
(th e
num ber
o f
nam es
t o\u00ad
g e th e r w e rea b o u ta n h u n d re da n d tw e n ty ,)
T hed is c ip le s ,(m e a n in g
d is c ip lin e d
i n
G o d 's
W o rd )
w ere
c a lle d
o u th y
G od
a n d
e v e n
th o u g h
th e
te x t
d o e sn o tu seth e w ord
" c h u r c h,"
th is
i s
w here
t he
fo u n d a tio n
w as
la id .
J
I
O n
th e
d a y
()f
P e n te c o s t
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