What Every Christian Should Know About The Church – Part 2

Hey, podcast listeners! Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash podcast and click the donate button, or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. And I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.

On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. Today, we're going to look at the eighth historic belief of historic Christianity, the eighth pillar, if you would, of the Christian faith, and that is the church. Today, we're going to examine what the Scriptures say every Christian should know about the church. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, every Sunday, millions of Christians around the world gather in groups of all sizes. And today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explains that while churches look a little different from congregation to congregation, they're all united by a singular God-given mission, and that is to go into the world and make disciples. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Dr. Jeffress? Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Before we open our Bibles to Ephesians chapter 5, I'm pleased to remind you about the upcoming Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska.

The dates are June 15th through 22nd. One of the keys to living a healthy Christian life is taking regular periods of rest. Amy and I developed this discipline long ago, and we found that there's nothing quite like relaxing on board a luxurious cruise liner with God's majestic creation as a backdrop. Our ship departs from the world-class port of Vancouver, British Columbia on June 15th, and for seven days we'll explore the majesty of Alaska together.

Take some time to look at the itinerary online and reserve a premier cabin location while there's still room. You can find all the details at ptv.org. In a progressive world that's constantly second-guessing our historic Christian values, sometimes it's hard to know where to draw the line. For example, how do we respond when someone questions the credibility of the Bible?

And what should we say when a son or daughter pushes back on the true gospel, asserting that all roads lead to God? In my book called What Every Christian Should Know, I'll equip you with rock-solid answers on 10 core beliefs. This may be the most important book you'll read this year. It's a best seller, and a copy is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Again, it's called What Every Christian Should Know.

We'll give more details right after my message, but right now let's give our complete attention to the subject at hand. I titled today's message What Every Christian Should Know About the Church. Now let's talk for a moment about the beginning of the church. The church has not always existed.

We talk about Moses. He was never a member of the church. John the Baptist wasn't a member of the church. The church had a beginning time. Even in Jesus' day, the church was still future.

Remember what he said in Matthew 16? Upon this rock, I will build my church. The church was born on the day of Pentecost. We went through this in our series on Acts, so I won't belabor it, but let me show you the birthday of the church, Acts 2, beginning with verse 1. When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

All the followers, 120 of them, were in that upper room. Remember, Jesus had told them to wait there. He said, John baptized with water, but I will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. So they were there waiting for that, and suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as a fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. Later on, Peter would look back on this day and describe it as the day they received the baptism with the Holy Spirit of God. I've defined on your outline the baptism with the Holy Spirit as the supernatural act of God by which Christ immerses believers with the Holy Spirit, joining them to himself and to other Christians. They were waiting for the baptism with the Spirit, but since Acts chapter 2, every Christian, the moment he is saved, is immediately baptized with the Holy Spirit of God.

First Corinthians 12, 13 again says, for with one spirit, we were all baptized into one body. That's how we became a part of the universal church. Now let's talk about the activities of the church.

You have a description of the activities of the early church in Acts 2, beginning with verse 42. They were continually devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe, and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together, and they had all things in common. Verse 46, day by day, continuing with one mind in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.

And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. My very first sermon here, 15 years ago, was based on this passage. It was titled A Church That Wins. And I use the word wins, W-I-N-S, as an acrostic for the four activities of the early church.

The W in wins stands for worship. Acts 2 says they were praising God together. Psalm 34, verse 3 said, oh, let us magnify the Lord together and let us exalt his name. The purpose of worship is to magnify God. To magnify something means to make something look bigger. You think, wait a minute, we're supposed to magnify God? Is it really possible to make God bigger? Remember, vision is a matter of perspective. For example, have you ever done this, maybe as a child, take two nickels and put one in each eye and look up at the sky, and these two little nickels can block out the entire sun that is billions of times larger than the nickel.

How is that possible? Vision is a matter of focus, what we're focusing on. There needs to be one day a week when we lay aside the concerns that we have and focus on God, focus on him. And when we do that, he regains his proper place in our life, his proper size in our life.

If we focus only on our problems, like those nickels, we're going to be filled with anxiety and worry and stress. There needs to be a time that we look at God and remember who he is, and that is the purpose of worship. They worship God.

The I in that acrostic stands for instruction. Acts 2 42 says that they devoted themselves, first of all, to the apostles' teaching. Now remember, this was in the days when there was no New Testament, so the apostles actually had to do the teaching. They were the ones who were revealing the truths about this new movement called Christianity. Today, we don't have any apostles. The apostles were limited. There were 12, and then one, the apostle Paul. We don't have them around to teach, which we did.

We don't, but we have something just as good. Their teaching has been deposited into the Word of God. The Word of God is the depository of the apostles' teaching. Jude talks about the faith that has been once for all delivered to the saints, and so God has given every church, every tree church, a pastor-teacher to teach the Word of God. Ephesians 4 verses 11 to 13 says, he gave some as apostles, but some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastor and teachers. That word pastor's teachers is one word.

There's one office, the pastor-teacher. The pastor's primary job is to teach the Word of God, the apostles' teaching. Now, we're to read God's Word for ourselves. We can study it for ourselves, but that's no substitute for sitting under the preaching, the teaching of God's Word from somebody who has been gifted to proclaim the truths of God's Word.

Instruction, the third word in this acrostic, worship, instruction, the end stands for nourishment. Again, Acts 2 42 says, they were given themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship. Now, when the Bible talks about fellowship, it's not talking about the coffee and donuts kind of fellowship we have in Sunday school. That word fellowship fellowship talks about koinonia, the deep relationship the Christians had with one another, the nourishment. We need other Christians in the church to do things we cannot do for ourselves.

For example, Christians can help challenge us when we become complacent in our Christian life. In Hebrews 10, 24 to 25, the writer said, let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together. When we come together, we stimulate one another. That word stimulate literally means to provoke or irritate. You maybe think, oh, I have somebody who irritates me every time I come to church. Now, this is in a positive sense.

The word irritate here refers to a piece of sand in an oyster that irritates that oyster but causes it to produce a pearl. When we're around other Christians who are different than we are, maybe somebody is more giving than we are, we're motivated to be giving by their example. When we're around somebody who's more loving than we are, we're provoked, irritated, stimulated to become more loving.

I need to be more like so and so. It is a positive kind of stimulation. They challenge us when we become complacent. Sometimes other believers can encourage us when we are discouraged. Have you ever come to church discouraged, but somebody has said something to you that's encouraged you and given you a different perspective?

When we go through a great loss, other Christians can encourage us as well. Last Sunday night, a couple in our church was home watching television getting ready to go to bed when lightning struck their house. And the lightning bolt was very specific.

It struck a propane line, propane gas line, and their house erupted into a ball of fire and they barely escaped that house, only with the clothes on their back. And as soon as I heard about that, I called them, tried to make contact with them, but I couldn't get hold of them. And I found out later I had the wrong number.

And finally, I got in touch with them Tuesday and I apologized for not getting in touch earlier. And they said, oh, pastor, that's okay. Our Sunday school class was right here.

Just as soon as we had a need, they were here to help meet that need. That's what the church does. The church is there to encourage other people when we're going through a time of loss.

The S in this acrostic stands for sharing. Worship, instruction, nourishment, sharing. Acts 2 47 says the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. How did the church grow?

It was Christians who shared the gospel, what had happened to them with other people. And that's the purpose of the church. You know, Ephesians 4 verse 12 says the reason we come together, the reason God has given spiritual gifts to the church is so that we can equip the saints for the work of service to the building up, the adding to the body of Christ. Did you know the primary reason we come together in worship is not to save lost people? Most lost people never wander into a church. The church service is primarily for believers, to equip the saints.

That would be you. To equip the saints for the work of service. That word equip, cardamismon, refers to the loading up of a ship with supplies before it sets out on a long journey.

The reason we come together Sunday is to give you the supplies you need, the encouragement, the instruction to go out and share Christ with others. Just imagine going to a gas station, filling up your tank with gas, taking the nozzle out, screwing the lid back on, replacing the nozzle, sitting in your car, locking the doors and just sitting back and closing your eyes and say, oh, this feels so good to have a full tank of gas. I think I'm just going to sit here and savor the full tank I have.

That'd be kind of ridiculous, wouldn't it? The reason you fill up your tank with gas is so you can go someplace. And that's what this is. This is a spiritual filling station. It's to give you the spiritual fuel you need to go out and share the gospel with others.

That was the early church. You know, there's a credit card, American Express, that used to have a slogan, membership has its privileges. That's a good slogan for a local church. Membership does have its privileges, but it also has its responsibilities. Because this is the body of Christ. Because we are joined together, the Bible says we have a responsibility to other Christians. What are those responsibilities we have in the church? Well, first of all, we have a responsibility to join the church. Not just to be a spectator, but to actually join the church. People say, where do you get membership in the church?

Well, one way we know about that is 1 Corinthians 12 27. Now, you are Christ's body and individually members of it. Now, he's talking about the universal church, but you are not. You should be a member of the body of Christ. The moment you are saved, you join the universal church. Well, the local church, as Francis Schaeffer once said, is the universal church cut down to size.

We are members of the universal church in the same way we ought to be a member of a local fellowship. And when we don't, we are the ones who suffer for it. Just imagine what would happen if you cut off your hand. What would happen to that hand? Because it didn't receive the blood supply and the oxygen it needed, it wouldn't be like that.

It wouldn't be long until that hand atrophied and withered up and died. When we're not a part of a local group of believers, we don't receive the spiritual nourishment we must have. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, once said, if you introduce a person to Christ and do not get him involved in a fellowship of believers, you have created a child for the murderer, Satan.

A child for the murderer, Satan. The New Testament does not know anything about isolated Christianity. Boy, we here in the West need to remember that. We're so individualistic, me, me, me, me, me, me. There's no such thing as isolated Christianity in the Bible.

We're like those porcupines in northern Canada who were freezing to death and huddled together. They needed one another, even though they needled one another. We need one another, which is why we're supposed to join the church. Secondly, my responsibility to attend the church.

It's not enough to just be on a membership role. We're to actually attend the church. We've seen this every year for the last several decades. Church attendance continues to decline.

That's certainly been true since the pandemic. We need to be in the church, not only for what it does for us, but what it does to other people. Again, we're a part of other people. When we're not here, other people suffer for that.

Just think about this. When you're not here in your place in the pew, there's one less voice praising God in worship. There's one less prayer being offered at God's throne of grace. There's one less person exercising his spiritual gift for the building up of the body. When you're not here, there's one less person sitting under the instruction of God's word, becoming a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ. Your absence impacts other people tremendously. And that's why the writer said in Hebrews 10 24, let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some. Not coming, especially after the pandemic, has been a habit, a bad habit for people.

It's a habit that must be broken. Thirdly, my responsibility to serve in the church. I'm to join. I'm to be a tender, but I'm to serve in the church. First Peter 4 10 reminds us that as each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. We've done series on spiritual gifts. When you were saved, God gave you a unique spiritual gift to use in his service. And this church and the body of Christ at large will never be healthy and complete until each individual member of this church is using that unique gift that God has given to you. Again, using the analogy of the body, Paul said in Ephesians 4 16, from whom the whole body being fitted and held together by that, which every joint supplies according to the proper working of each individual part.

That's a mouthful of words, but Paul is simply saying the health of the body depends upon the proper working of each individual part. A few months ago, I had one of these body scans. Have you ever had one of these body scans they do where they check the major organs? And so the person who was doing it said, there is something on your thyroid.

Can't tell what it is, but you might want to check that out. So I took the scan to my physician, Dr. Mabley, and I showed it to him, told him about it. He said, thyroid, no big deal.

Plenty of people live without a thyroid, not too long, but they do. Just don't worry about it. Do you think that's what Dr. Mabley said?

Not on your life. He's a great doctor. And he said, we're going to get that checked out. That's important. That could have real consequences if it's not working like it needs to.

So we checked it out and everything's fine. But he understood just the simple principle that as goes the thyroid, so goes the body. Every part is important in the body. Every part of the body of Christ is important in the body of Christ.

When you're not working properly, using the gift God has given you, it affects the entire body and kingdom of God. We have a responsibility to use our spiritual gift. And finally, my responsibility to give to the church.

You knew I was getting here, didn't you? But it's a real biblical responsibility. The Bible teaches what we call storehouse giving.

Malachi 3 10 says, bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. There was always in God's plan a central place to bring your gift. In the Old Testament, it was the tabernacle and then the temple. In the New Testament, it is the local church. Acts 2 47 says, when Joseph came and brought his gift, he laid it at the apostles' feet. And as somebody said, the apostles' feet were firmly planted in the church. But there's an even greater reason to give to the local church. It's because the local church, unlike any other organization, was created by God, not man.

It was created by God as his chosen vehicle to carry out his purpose to make disciples. Some of you may have seen me on Fox News talking about the faith of Queen Elizabeth. One of the many signs of her deep Christian faith was the fact that she chose a man named John Stott, a revered Anglican cleric, conservative Bible expositor.

She had John Stott as her personal chaplain for 31 years. John Stott wrote, if the church is central to God's purpose, as seen in both history and the gospel, it must surely also be central in our lives. How can we take so lightly what God takes so seriously?

How dare we push to the circumference what God has placed at the center? The church should be central in our lives because it was central in Jesus' life. Jesus loved the church and gave himself love for her. That's what every Christian should know about the church.

If the church was important to Jesus Christ, and it certainly was, then the church should be a priority for you and me. My prayer is that today's study has deepened your resolve to engage in a local church family where God's Word is taught. Now before I turn things back over to David, I'll remind you that time is running short to request my best-selling book called What Every Christian Should Know. It's the one that I wrote to coincide with this practical teaching series. Maybe you have a student in your home, perhaps a grandchild who's wrestling with their Christian heritage. My book will help your loved ones understand the truth that God has provided about his loving nature.

It'll help them stand strong when they're challenged by cynical peers and professors. The title of my book once more is What Every Christian Should Know, 10 Core Beliefs for Standing Strong in a Shifting World. And a hard-done copy of my book is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. In closing, I'd like to invite you to become one of our loyal Pathway Partners. A Pathway Partner is someone who agrees to give a generous gift every single month in order to reach more people with Pathway to Victory. As a Pathway Partner, you're entitled to an impressive list of benefits. But the best part is that your giving will have 12 times the impact over the course of one year, impacting lives around the world for God's glory. So, give us a call or go online and become a Pathway Partner today.

David? Thanks Dr. Jeffress. Today when you invest in the ministry of Pathway to Victory by becoming a Pathway Partner or by giving a generous one-time gift, we'll say thanks by sending you the best-selling book by Dr. Jeffress called What Every Christian Should Know. Call 866-999-2965 or visit our website ptv.org. Now when your investment is $75 or more, we'll also send you the complete unabridged collection of audio and video discs for the What Every Christian Should Know teaching series.

Plus, we're going to send along a study guide you can use on your own or maybe with a small group. But time is running out to take advantage of this offer, so get in touch right away. One more time call 866-999-2965 or if you'd like go to ptv.org. You could write to us. Here's that mailing address P.O. Box 223-609 Dallas, Texas 75222.

Again, that's P.O. Box 223-609 Dallas, Texas 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Next time Dr. Jeffress will talk about what every Christian should know about Christlikeness. So, join us Wednesday for Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in his word. To become a Pathway partner go to ptv.org podcast and click on the donate button or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.