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December 19, 2019 8:00 am
All right we got this church right there in the middle of all this new beginning, surrounded by all the struggles facing all the persecutions all the finger-pointing's old difficulties. And God begins to establish this church boot on the rock, and he says I want you to another that as I build my church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it. So I want to know what the church was founded on men.
I would ask myself the question to what extent can we say that we look like this. Welcome to The Encouraging Word, featuring the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton that's that unique South African Rd. you heard moments ago dive into this message on the undefiled church just a few moments will dive into God's word but Dr. Wilson wants to remind you that we are here for you. We love to pray with you and for you we can do that keyboard keyboard on our website@twonline.org that's DEW online.org or love the beach on the phone as well. It's a little bit of an old school connection, but sometimes it's just what we need a conversation with someone to pray with 86689 is the number 866-899-9673 and today's message Dr. Don Wilton pray together showing father, we thank you for the indwelling power and presence of your Holy Spirit.
We also placed. It's just an amazing thing to think that you would've saved us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us and yet we not ourselves, but Christ who lives in us more. Today we give you thanks for so much precious mother's and father's grandparents loved ones.
Husbands and wives and our children and our grandchildren for beautiful church like this water privilege given.
So today Lord is we study your word together.
Speak to us in Jesus name we pray. Amen. I I had a sense in my heart this week as I was studying and going through what God had given to us to consider in the book of acts in Chapter 11 and I want you to turn there with me. I had a sense in my heart that God was going to say something of a particular significance to all of us to beginning with me. I obviously cannot make you do that, nor can any of us here wearing church but God by his spirit will say to you, I believe that this would that I'm about to share with you could will be one of the most significant words for us as a people that God has ever given to me in my life and my ministry, particularly during our beloved congregation.
Now why my saying all of that sounds like I'm sitting up something and I don't mean at all. But I do know that God is going to say something very significant.
So I guess what I want to share with you before I read to you from the book of acts.
In chapter 11. You will remember back in Matthew's Gospel Jesus gathered his disciples and he said who do people say that I and some of them said well you know you're a prophet and some state you this and some said you that you remember how Peter saved you are the Christ, the son of the living God.
Remember that. And Jesus looked at Peter and he said he and Peter I want you to know that what I'm about to tell you you are going to have a significant part to play. But you are not.
I am the rock and I want you to know that it is upon me that I the Lord Jesus will build my church, and then he made a statement. He said in the gates of hell will not prevail against my church. Now let me just go through that again because if you miss this you going to back to get a hold of what is about to happen. Jesus said you are Peter, and I'm going to use your little part of the big part we know how God would use Peter the apostle Peter as he uses all of us but he said to him. Upon this rock to cross me I am the rock by alone and God, and upon me on the Lord Jesus Christ I Jesus said, not you, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against. So guess what I want to say all of us today. I made to tell you that I see the gates of hell coming against the church in America today like never before. So I have to ask the question why what's going on what's happening to the church. The gates of hell are infiltrating the church in America. There are many churches that are in trouble breaking up that are dividing that are full of all kinds of problems fussing and fighting curing firings. They firing pastors and ministers left and right. People are not getting along, becoming divided and Jesus said I'm my church on me and when I do the gates of hell will not prevail against.
When you look at us today. We are first Baptist Church, Spartanburg 250 E. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29306. We all one gathering you look at our church. I love this church I love this country I love what God is doing. I love everything about this church would you not know that when Jesus spoke about the church. He was speaking about you and me believers we gather in buildings. The building is not what Jesus was talking about.
So you cannot come and say well we had an earthquake, and the windows fell out that's that's got nothing to do with the gates of hell when he spoke about the gates of hell he was talking about an unbridled unmitigated attack dividing will 101 and I'm going to be speaking on the final September attack, but right now let's focus on what's going on here so Jesus made this statement, he lived his life and when he was crucified just before we went to the cross. He gathered his disciples, he taught them. Then he went and was crucified. God raised him from the dead. Then he went to the mount of the sanction and you remember this in the lost book of the New Testament in Matthew's gospel chapter 28 we found the great commission Jesus made another statement he said I want you to go in the world and preach the gospel teaching and preaching and baptizing in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit, and I will be with you until the end of the so we got to think about the church on Jesus against the gates of hell will never prevail. Then we got this great admonition.
Guess what I want you to do. I want you to going will and so Jesus left we going to this palace. Of time and in the book of acts. In chapter 2, the spirit of God comes down at Pentecost and God seems his power to reside in each person equipping every believer to be able to carry out what Jesus told us to do both with in the church and with the church but between acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 11, seven years process by seven years and some from the time of Pentecost until the time of the book of acts in Chapter 11 seven long years goes by before the church becomes the church and how do we know that in Chapter 11, the church becomes the church because in Chapter 11, we find the church at Antioch and the Bible is going to teach us very clearly in acts chapter 11 verse 26 that this was the first time that God hold the gathering of believers, Christians that's very interesting, because he didn't call them African-Americans. He didn't call them Europeans even call them Jews.
He didn't call them Gentiles.
He didn't call them Irish or Chinese. He said those who believe in my name, I designate them and pronounce that the name be Christians, and it took seven years for that to happen. So I'm just going to ask very quickly why was there a saving time before the institution of the New Testament church and the marching orders to going over the world and with three reasons why number one because God that he had to establish what we call apostolic authority spiritual leadership in the church.
Corruption will be back with more of those powerful points about who were called to be as a church, you know, the undefiled churches. Today's title is not about my church more churches talk about all of us. The body of Christ.
Are we pursuing a sense of purity own life, revealing the prejudices that perhaps were grown up with any to let go of. Just know that if you are dealing with something perhaps let go up to turn your back on God's calling for something fresh and new. Let us pray with you about our phone numbers 8668986689996730 feet rather connect with his keyboard keyboard online@twonline.org that's DW like the Encouraging Word online connect with opportunities to say thank you so many of you are using here. These holidays, the Amazon smile process of knowingly buying tickets and concert elements and everything you buy on Amazon things for Christmas presents with each of those times you invest some of that portion of the investment is coming to us as a nonprofit ministry. All the details on our website@twonline.org just look for Amazon smile.
Now let's dive back in today's message with Dr. Don Wilton leadership was very important so acts chapter 2, three, five and six amongst many other things you see a group of people to begin to rise up and take the reins of ritual leadership. I want you to listen very carefully to this because this is fantastic stuff to be honest with you first thing I'm going to tell you is this you so me church today in America that does not have the right spiritual leadership and I'll give you a reason why the gates of hell are destroying the church. It's the leadership principle, our country, you start talking about the leadership principle what God was saying is listen.
I want to tell you something you have read leadership in the gates of hell church member to the issue of spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity. Remember back in acts chapter 2 with a lot of respect. The church was very new at what the church was doing. They were babies in Christ took seven years for some of these brand-new Christians to grow in the grace and knowledge and admonition of the Lord Jesus, and finally in acts chapter 11.
We meet a whole group of believers who are no longer babies. They are spiritually mature believers.
So my next announcement that I want to make to you is what God was trying to tell me is that you show me a church today in which the church is overrun by spiritual babies in spiritual diapers and the gates of hell will rip the church to pieces no different to the way in which we look off their own children and grandchildren capable of making the unders about a beautiful little baby on the front row.
What a beautiful little girl is that little girl a boy what a beautiful little boy babies and little children don't take care of themselves.
They need mature adults to be well there was a reason why we had a seven year wait. You know what it is.
It's called prejudice.
See folks when the church was established by Jesus and began this extra mission that God had given to them. The Jews were going ballistic.
The Jews said wait a minute, this Jesus and this gospel of Jesus is about us who cares about the Samaritan who cares about the Gentiles. The whole message at any cost with tongues of fire came down was that God strike that this gospel was going to be giving people so that people might come to know the Lord Jesus Christ prejudice not never shared with us in this congregation, but let me give you an illustration you know that about 20 years ago to revise that it was more like 22 1/2 years ago in this church on a Sunday morning we had an African-American couple walk. I can still see them.
I walked down the saw and they requested membership in our church a wonderful Christian couple father while still know them very well very well like I'm enjoying this church requested membership, you know, 22 1/2 years ago when I finished presenting this African-American coupled to the new member Fellowship committee would God meet with them regarding salvation and begin the process. I walked up this in this great church and I went to that goal day to shake hands with people. When I got to that goal day people came by came body eventually there was one couple left standing.
I may tell you this couple laws without giving you their name.
They had been members of this church for over 50 years I was the new kid on the block. They were wonderful people and by the way, I just want to tell your never stopped loving them off to what I'm about to that man. To me, standing right there and he said to me, Dr. Wu, my wife and I want you to know how very happy we all that you and Mrs. will come to church.
We think you are exactly the right person. We we are so thrilled and I were very kind and generous in what they say to us, and then he said to me he said Dr. Wilton because we love you so much.
He said you know that couple the time to join our church this morning.
I said yeah he said I not welcome here. I said what you mean they not welcome me. I said well don't get me wrong, nothing against him personally, but they were locked to worship in their own church not to. We don't do that and then he said he said you're obviously not from around these parts. Well some of you going to say what was the outcome of this little talk to all that we had at the back door. I was the new kid on the block. I looked in very respectfully said that man, sir. I said I need you to. As long as I am's Baptist Church everyone is welcome to come and worship the Lord Jesus in this place and he said to me he said well I'm afraid you're going to lose a lot of members. I want you to take a close look at my face and see with you detect any concern on my part of. They did leave and I remained friends with them for years, but I didn't agree with them. Why seven years between acts chapter 2 in acts chapter 11, number one, the issue spiritual leadership number to the issue of spiritual maturity, and number three. The issue of pride and prejudice when you get to acts chapter 11 those three issues are settled. Spiritual leadership is been established.
Spiritual maturity has risen up among the believers and prejudice has walked out the back door because all of a sudden Peter came in he said we believe that Christ died for all people and in fact in the preceding verses to the one that I read to beginning at verse 19 got to the point because of spiritual leadership maturity that I said so lewdly. We understand that this gospel is no longer just for the Jew, for there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither my own little female in the bon mot free because we are all one in Christ Jesus.
In fact that bothers me greatly how many people got so much to say about women's rights in America, but I have nothing to say about the abuse and the persecution of women in Arab and Muslim countries all across the world. Something is wrong and so we find ourselves being presented with the undefiled church and I believe beloved friends when we study the church in Antioch which was the First Christian Church. One can extrapolate from the church at Antioch foundational principles, according to God's economy that constitute the filed church read if you ask Chapter 11 and verse 19. Now, those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over. Stephen traveled as far as Phoenician Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except the Jews.
But they were some of the men of Cyprus and Cyrene coming to Antioch spoke to the Jews. Also preaching the Lord Jesus Christ and the hand of the Lord was with them in a great number who believed turned to the Lord Jesus Christ. In this report came to the all right that we got this church).
The middle of all this new beginning, surrounded by all the struggles facing all the persecutions all the finger-pointing's old difficulties. And God begins to establish this church boot on the rock, and he says I want you to know that as I build my church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it.
So I want to know what the church was founded on. Then I will ask myself the question to what extent can we say that we look like they were given one non-these days came down from Jerusalem to Antioch of one of the 9 Mb to foretold by the spring they would be a great famine all over the world, which historically came to fruition during the reign of Claudius, so the disciples did to everyone according to his ability to send relief to do and to send relief to all those living in Judea, and they did so sending about the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul such powerful truth. Nothing can prevail against the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. For you understand that great truth and are assured place in the body of Christ. It's not about membership in my church or your trip to the church you drove by little while ago with your listing on the radio. It's about you like to speak to someone praying to someone about that right now beloved the connected 866-899-WORD that's her phone number 866899967, 24 hours opportunities to connect with the right resources also online.org TW online.org getaway God has spoken you ready to give you I'd love to help you pray this prayer with me safe.
I know I know that if you pray that we love to get Road and I want you to know that I love you much and by the way, leave don't go away. What ever you do is I'll be right back stirred your heart.
Let's talk right now that 866-899-WORD that's 866-899-9673 or online@twonline.org and that's the place you find this wonderful resource for 2020 about studying God's word every day this year again. I was pleased to join with several pastas and Christian leaders from across the country in writing a brand-new 52 week devotional called the heart of worship. I want to make a copy available to you and for you to have copies that you can get to send to your families and friends at Christmas time. What a wonderful Christmas gift to give to those that you love. In fact, as we begin a new year, beginning with God.
So thank you my friends for picking up the phone and calling to request the heart of worship devotional today. God bless you the number to call is 866-899-WORD. That's 866899673 or online at tewonline.org, RG hello my friends I want to speak to you personally today from my heart to yours. I don't think there is a better more important time for us to respond to our world by standing up for righteousness. Now with this in mind I would like to invite you to become and encourage her ministry partner.
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