The Essential Church - Part A

You are essential to God individually, and you are essential to this culture and this world in general. The Church is essential. The message we preach is essential. The Gospel is essential. Salvation is essential.

Jesus Christ and His people are essential. God gave the Church a divine purpose when He established it today on Connect with Skip Heiting. Skip helps you understand your role in that purpose. But first, we want to let you know how you can stay updated on the latest from Skip and this ministry. Get encouragement and important announcements on social media. Just follow Skip on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

That's at Skip Heiting, at Skip H-E-I-T-Z-I-G. Now, we're in Matthew chapter 16 as we dive into our study with Skip Heiting. One of the questions that our society has been asking for 10 months now is what is essential? Who is essential? What businesses? What activities do we deem as essential activities and essential businesses?

And I've noticed that it changes from region to region, state to state, and month to month. So, when this whole thing started and we were allowed to have drive-in church, other places were not. For example, in Kentucky, the governor there prohibited drive-in church services but allowed drive-through liquor sales because, after all, that is essential. In California, churches are not deemed as essential. They are deemed as non-essential. But the entertainment industry, making movies, etc., is now deemed as essential. Some states will call liquor stores, tobacco manufacturers, cannabis dispensaries, and even strip clubs as essential. I read an article from the BBC this week that, in Paris, chocolate shops have been regarded as essential. Some of you go, I get that.

But he said when the lockdown started, he was on the Champs-Élysées, that mean drag in Paris, and he said everything was completely shuttered except chocolate shops, called essential. And while the world is being locked down and all the non-essential people are prohibited from going around and moving around, they are suffering. Mental health is failing. Depression is on the rise. Substance abuse is on the rise. Spousal abuse is on the rise. Child abuse is on the rise. And I cannot tell you about how many suicides I have heard about or conducted funerals for here at the church.

Studies done since March—so that's 10 months now—reveal that most adults in the United States report significant and negative impact on mental health, including difficulty in sleeping, problems eating, an increase in the use of alcohol, increase in substance abuse. I heard this week something that I said, that can't be true. That has to be a false statement. But I, after hearing it, decided I would research it and discovered it indeed too. be true.

So I wanted to preface it before I tell it to you, because it almost sounds unbelievable. In Japan, there have been more suicides in one month than all COVID deaths in that country in 2020, through the year. More suicides in one month. Even the World Health Organization has admitted that lockdowns are detrimental to the mental health of a society. It has now been estimated—and I have the article, I've had it for a couple of weeks now—it is estimated that 130 million people could starve to death worldwide because of the lockdowns. It's killing them. I know it's a tragedy when anybody dies for any reason, and certainly with COVID, that is always a concern. 1.6 million deaths worldwide because of that disease. But 130 million people, they say, could starve to death because of lockdowns.

Think of it. There's so many cultures that are at poverty level. They don't have the ability to just stay home and collect an income.

They have to go out that day and work, or they will not eat that night. So, to lock them down, we are killing them. So, back to the question, who is essential? Short answer, you are. You are essential to God individually, and you are essential to this culture and this world in general. The church is essential. The message we preach is essential. The gospel is essential. Salvation is essential. Jesus Christ and His people are essential. Paul wrote to Timothy, 1 Timothy 3, verse 15, and he talked about the church, great description of it. He said, the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of the truth.

The pillar and the ground of the truth. Now, I know everybody's excited about the vaccine that is coming and its efficacy rate. It really is unprecedented because most vaccines have an efficiency rate of, you know, some 30%, some 40%, some as high as 70%. But to say it's been tested and this vaccine for COVID will be 90 to 95% effective. You should also know that COVID, as deadly as it is, you have a 99.98% chance of surviving it. And now a vaccine will be 90 to 95% effective in getting rid of it.

That's the hope. There is a virus far worse than COVID-19, and that's what makes the church essential. It's called sin. That's the virus. It is 100% fatal, unless there is a change in a person's life. It kills everyone who does not deal with it at the cross. But there is a vaccine for it. And the vaccine for the sin virus is not 90% effective. It's not 95% effective.

It's 100% effective. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanses us from all sin. Whenever we speak of what is essential, you have to ask, well, who are you talking about? Because we deal with what is essential to us. When it comes to the church, we have to deal with what is essential to God. Is the church essential? To Christ it is. Is it essential to God? Is it essential? Is the church essential?

To Christ it is. Can you imagine if we were having a wedding right now, and the groom came, and the guest came, and the preacher came, but the bride didn't come? We can't really have a wedding, can we, without the bride? And so let's say we're about to get started, and we've been fidgeting around for 15 minutes, and I finally go, where's the bride? And somebody shouts out, she's not coming, she's not essential. Well, I've got to tell you, to the groom she's essential.

There's no marriage without her. You know we're called the bride of Christ? You are essential to Christ. Do you know that Jesus describes you, the church, as a loved gift from the father to him? He said in John 17, in that beautiful prayer, I have manifested your name to all those you have given me. They were yours, you gave them to me, and I have manifested your name to them.

You're a love gift from the father to the son. I think you're pretty essential to Jesus Christ. So we consider here in Matthew 16 the essential church, and I'm beginning here because of the fact that it's the first mention of the very word church in the entire New Testament, comes from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ, but also because today we happen to find ourselves as the church in society in a very similar position to the early church in the Roman Empire. They were despised in the Roman Empire, they were maligned in the Roman Empire, they were called intellectually incompetent during that time.

Much of that same rhetoric can be heard today. So what I want to do in Matthew 16 is look in particular at one verse, that is verse 18, but I'm going to read a few verses for context and then show you four reasons why the church is essential. Let's begin in Matthew 16 verse 13, when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, who do men say that I, the son of man, am? So they answered, some say, they said, some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He said to them, but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, you are the Christ, that's Messiah, you're the Messiah, the son of the living God.

Jesus answered and said to him, blessed are you Simon bar Jonah, that is son of Jonas, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build you. And you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Then he commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ. Once again verse 18 is what I'm going to principally be looking at with you and I'm going to give you those four reasons. Reason number one, the church is essential because of its designation. Notice the term, the word itself, I will build my church.

He didn't say I'm going to build my club or I'm going to build my base of followers or I'm going to build my online community or my YouTube channel, I'm going to build my church. A term that is used 110 times in the New Testament, this is the first mention of it, church. Now most people hear the word church and it brings a distinctively religious connotation. They think of a building in a community, that's the church, that's where we go, it's a place. Or to others it's an institution. In my mind I think of frowning men in robes with collars. That's how a lot of people think of the church, a building or an institution.

Somebody said it's the place you go when you are hatched, matched, and dispatched. When you're born you go to church, when you get married you go to church, when you die they have a service at church. And for some people that sums up their relationship to church. Did you know that the original term, church, has no religious nuance whatsoever? Rather it was a secular term, even a governmental term.

The Greek word is the word ekklesia. And that word for church, ekklesia, simply means an assembly, regularly scheduled assembly of citizens, Greek citizens. That was a church. When the citizens gathered together for a purpose, that was called an ekklesia, a church. Later it came to specifically mean a legislative body of citizens, like a jury.

They would adjudicate a court case. When they would gather together to hear the case, that was also called a church. So the main idea of church is a gathering of people who assemble with a common goal.

Now did you know that the term shows up in the Old Testament? Though not translated as church in English, it does show up. And there's a few places that show up. And there's a few places it does.

I want to give you one noteworthy place. That is Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 10. God is instructing Moses to speak to his people, the children of Israel. And he says this, gather the people to me that I may let them hear my words so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth. The word used, gather the people, is the word church.

Ecclesiadzo. Gather them together. So the basic idea then in the Old Testament and the New Testament is God's people gathered together. God's people gathered together. Now when I speak of church, I'm speaking of that church. I'm speaking of people who are really saved people. Not people who just go to church, but people who are the church because they are converted people, saved people. But the fact that Jesus chose to use this term, ekklesia, church, indicates a couple of things.

Number one, it indicates that we are different from the rest of society. This is Jesus building a brand new community, a new society. That's the church. In fact, the word itself, I told you that word ekklesia comes from two words stuck together.

The two words are this ekk, which means out from, and the other word kaleo, which means to call. So literally the words put together mean to call out from. A church is a new society called out from the society at large to be God's people. So it indicates that we are different from our society. This isn't just a group that meets with a common interest. This is a group that meets with a group that meets for God's purpose. It's a holy convocation, a holy assembly. Also, it indicates that we gather. The very meaning of the word is people gathered together. So the fact that Jesus chose this term anticipates that we would be gathering together. By the way, that's been happening for 2,000 years since the resurrection. For 2,000 years since the resurrection, Christians all over the world have decided to gather together principally on Sunday, the Lord's Day, to celebrate his resurrection. We gather.

People go, well, why do we have to gather? One man asked his wife that. It was a Sunday morning. His wife had gotten dressed for church. She had her purse.

She had her coat on. She was about to go out the door, and she noticed her husband is still in his bathrobe and his PJs. And she says, you better get dressed. We're going to church. He goes, I'm not going to church. She goes, you're not going to church? Give me one reason why you're not going to church. He goes, I'll give you three reasons why I'm not going to church.

So he said, reason number one, the church is cold and uncaring. Number two, nobody there likes me. And number three, I just don't feel like it. Those are my three reasons. She goes, well, I'm going to give you three reasons why you should go. Number one, the church is warm and friendly. Number two, there's a few people there who like you.

And number three, you are the pastor, sweetheart, so you better get dressed and come. We have for months been able to use technology, and I'm glad that we have it. We continue to use it. Technology definitely has its benefits. You can get on your phone and talk to people on the other side of the world. You can FaceTime person on the other side of the world. You can have Zoom meetings.

I've had a lot of those lately. You can listen to online sermons. All of that is great, yet the New Testament calls us to gather together. Now, I know this is very, very, very controversial.

If you don't think it's controversial, just look at some of my social media comments. You're killing people. No, we're actually meeting according to state regulations. But the idea that the church would even gather together during this season. First of all, I want to say we care about your physical health, and we'll take every precaution, including distancing and using all sorts of things to rub on our hands and tell people to wash their hands and watch percentages.

At the same time, we think that you are adults, and you're able to make your own choices about your life and your health, and you don't want to place your family in jeopardy or anybody else, and we leave that decision to you. But let me tell you why we gather. We gather together, first of all, because it fuels our faith.

It fuels our faith. You know, we were shut down for months. We reopened, gaining momentum. Then they asked if we'd shut down again, so we shut down again, and then we were allowed to reopen. We reopened again.

I had people on that Wednesday night come up to me going, thank you for opening. I've taken church for granted. I realize I need the church.

I need people. It fuels our faith. When you hear truth alongside somebody else hearing the same truth or singing the same song, there's a level of encouragement and affirmation you cannot get alone. There's a psychological impetus when you gather together that affirms and fuels your faith, much more so than if you individually curate what you want to hear when you want to hear it on your Facebook page.

This is why Hebrews 10 25 is so important. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. So number one, it fuels our faith. I want to give you a second reason why we gather. We gather not only because it fuels our faith, but it enhances our humanity. Human beings were not meant to be in isolation. We were built by our Creator to interact with other human beings, and you starve people of that, you are going to have detrimental results.

It's one of the first principles of the Bible, Genesis chapter 2. It is not good that man should be alone. You know what happens when they are alone? It's called failure to thrive. Failure to thrive is a medical term. They talk about babies dying from failure to thrive, but now they're talking about adult failure to thrive. And I was reading an NBC article this week about the toll that this has taken in the most vulnerable area of our population, which is the very elderly, convalescent homes, who not only are facing life from a fragile physical condition and afraid of this virus, but having now to be isolated even from their family. The article said because of this isolation there is a rise in patients who are dying from failure to thrive. Dying from it. They become quiet, disengaged, and withdrawn. The isolation accelerates the aging process. So because they can't have family with them, they die quicker.

It's tragic. Seventy times, seven zero times, the Bible uses, the New Testament uses the phrase one another. One another. And one another is a kind of a phrase that requires people have proximity to one another.

It's hard to do things with one another on a Zoom call. Now, I just want to address this, because I got asked this way before this mess called COVID-19. I got asked this for years. Can I be a Christian without going to church? Well, the answer is technically yes, because you're not saved by going to church.

You're saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone. But to ask that question, can I be a Christian without going to church, is not a Christian without a team. Can I be a bee without a hive? Can I be a drummer without a band?

Yeah, but you'll annoy everybody. So can I be a Christian without getting together with other Christians? Well, yeah, because you're not saved by that. But why would you ever think you'd want to do that? Well, the answer is yes, because you're saved by faith in Jesus Christ.

You're saved by faith in Jesus Christ. But why would you ever think you'd want to do that? So it fuels our faith. It enhances our humanity. Another reason we gather is that it provides accountability. It provides accountability.

When you are with somebody else and say something or hear something and you can look at body language and discuss or dissent or clarify, that's helpful. When you're saying, well, I don't need the church. I'm not into organized religion.

That's usually a cop-out. It's a way of saying I don't want accountability to anyone for anything. I just want to do my own thing.

That's dangerous. Proverbs 18, verse one, a man who isolates himself seeks his own desire. He rages against all wise judgment.

Some people prefer isolation so they don't have to be accountable to anyone. That's Skip Heitzig with a message from the series 2020. Right now we want to share about a resource that will help you cultivate an enduring faith through every season of life. What stands between you and a more fruitful walk with Jesus? Find out how four prominent women in the Bible faced their struggles in a new teaching series from Lenya Heitzig called Queens of the Bible. Here's Lenya on the Queen of Sheba. Hearing is the first step towards spiritual blessing.

Right now hearing is a step toward blessing because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Hear more from Lenya as she explores the faith and the failings of four different queens in scripture. The Queens of the Bible collection of teachings is our way of saying thank you when you give $35 or more today to support this Bible teaching ministry. Look the cost of following Christ is to go wherever he leads.

Get your copy of these unique teachings when you call 800-922-1888 or give online securely at connectwithskip.com slash offer connectwithskip.com slash offer. Tune in tomorrow as Skip Heitzig shares how God has preserved his church over time reminding you why the church is necessary for you. This is Jesus talking. It's my church Jesus says. It's my church.

I will build my church. Notice to whom it belongs. Doesn't belong to a pastor. Doesn't belong to a board of directors. Doesn't belong to a group of elders or a board of deacons or bishops. It belongs to Jesus Christ. Jesus built it. Jesus owns it. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications. Connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever changing times.