The Church You Need To Know Part 8

Knowing the Church Series

Participation by the many is essential for the life and health of a Church.

The Church You Need To Know is full of people who Worship God.

Jesus said in John's Gospel 4:14, "...whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

No person ever spoke words of hope like Jesus. In verse 14, Jesus referred to people attached to the source of life that was living from within them. Such people do not need others the way lost people do. They are not self-sufficient; their sufficiency comes from the one who created them.

When writing his first letter in 2:27, John said, "As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides (remains; emphasis added) in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide (remain) in Him." The Christian needs to pray for the ability and determination to study God's word. Their ability comes from the knowledge of hermeneutics, which are the general principles of biblical interpretation.

Before the principles are obtained, all God's children are given the gift of life and truth, which are received from the Holy Spirit, who takes up residence in their hearts and souls. Furthermore, In John 4:23, Jesus said, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers." The point of behavior of which Jesus speaks is worship. Worship must overshadow every part of a person's life, including their thoughts, intentions, motives, attitudes, and actions.

The Church You Need To Know worships on Sunday morning as only the children of God can.

Beginning in verse 23, Paul teaches about the proper use of tongues as contrasted with prophecy, which tells forth the meaning of scripture. This process is explained best by Jesus on the Emmaus road in Luke 24:25-27. "And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures."

Remember, at this time, not a single word of the New Testament had been written, of which the early Church had none. Some want to dismiss some of Paul's teachings because, as yet, the Bible was incomplete. However, the Bible has been complete for two millennia, and there are only more heresies, misunderstandings, and divisions now than ever.

The Church You Need To Know must be predominantly Spirit-filled believers.

Only Spirit-filled believers have the resources to understand God's word. I did not say Spirit-filled people who are called to ministry. John established that all born-again believers have the resource of the Holy Spirit to understand truth. Teachers in the Church do not start from zero, as do parents of newborns. Discipleship is as much about making future disciple-makers as it is about maturing people by applying what they already know. The Church in the West falls far short in this regard.

The following teaching of Paul is not for an immature Church as some suppose the first Church was because they did not have the completed New Testament. If anything, due to its arrogance in scriptural knowledge, which ironically is lacking, today's Church inhibits a member's spiritual growth. I apologize for painting a broad stroke. It is far more likely to be correct than not, however.

After Paul states that when the whole Church assembles, and some speak unintelligibly and confuses the unbeliever, he then contrasts such behavior by saying, in verse 24, "But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all." Convicted by what: a spur-of-the-moment prophecy with a focus on the prophet? No! Jesus spoke from scripture this convicting word of warning, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!" Paul speaks of precisely that kind of prophecy because the New Testament writers always speak from the Old. 

Therefore, he concludes his thought by saying, "...the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you." This body dynamic only occurs when the emphasis is on the whole local body. It is neither the gift nor an individual displayed but God alone. 

When Jesus Christ is the focal point, through the prophesying of scipture,

you are in the Church You Need To Know.