The ministry and church Jesus established.
Joe Lewis, January 26, 1996
I'd like to talk to you this evening about our Ministry - the ministry that Jesus established and The Ministry that Terry and I are part of.
You know, it's a privilege to be part of this Ministry because we feel unworthy to even be ca-alled. But God has indeed called us into this place of responsibility. That's a privilege.
One of the things that I'm thankful for - for The Ministry that we know, left on record for us in the teachings that we have that Jesus gave in the ministry that Jesus established and all - is because we are going to be judged on the day of judgment by the teachings of Jesus. And so, we best keep to them and follow and live by them, or we are going to come up short on the day of judgment. In John twelve - the last part of - the last half of John twelve - we read that we'll be judged by the words of Jesus and things to keep from.
It's kind of like the laws that we have got in this land - it's nice that we are taught the laws of the land because, then we know how to live so we don't get thrown in jail all the time. It's - it's just because we are told how to live - so that we can know how to live within the law. Now, if we were not told how to live within the laws of our nation and we got thrown in jail - that wouldn't be very just would it? But we are warned - we are told - we're prodded to learn - and that's the same in God's Kingdom.
When The Ministry is righteous, then God's Kingdom has hope of being righteous, and we'll know how to live that we will know salvation on the day of judgment.
So, in Luke sixteen, verse thirteen through eighteen, we read there about John the Baptist . . . . says, "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Jesus is trying to teach you can't serve two things.
And one of the things we are going to get to here is - is the main point that he's trying to address - for the Jews - is to give up the old law - it's - it's after the flesh, and you, who ah, are born again, are no longer of the flesh, and are born again - have new life, um, - so, keep those thoughts in - in mind as - as we read here - can't serve two things - can't serve and be married to the old law and to be married to Christ, if you're still living in the flesh - because, if your still living in the flesh and you're still keeping the old law and claim to be serving Christ, you're an adulterer - spiritually. So Jesus wanted them to know - was trying to get this point brought home - the flesh must be put to death - the old - put the old law away and you're free to remarry, but be married to Christ.
Verse fourteen says, "And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided - derided him, or sneered at him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than - than one tittle of the law to fail. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery." (sic) That's why that - that last verse I read is in this paragraph. Jesus wanted them to get that - that point. He's not teaching a lesson about adultery - he's using adultery as a tool because people understood what adultery was. He was using that as a - a tool to help them understand that you don't keep the old laws anymore - it's fulfilled - it's - it's completed - every tittle of the law will be completed in me, Jesus - himself, by the time - after which Jesus rose from the dead.
So, he wanted them to get that point. They were dead to the flesh, therefore they were free to marry him, and not be keeping the old law. He didn't want them keeping the old law anymore. And he brings that point across - the law and the prophets were until John, since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. If the law and the prophets were until John, then that means the law and the prophets and that method of serving God was done. When - when John came and started teaching men that the other was done and was starting a new kind of ministry now and it's going to begin with John and we read of John foretelling of Christ, who was a chief Apostle and High Priest. Well . . . . kind of an overlap there isn't there? Because Christ hasn't died yet - the whole law hasn't been completely fulfilled yet. Not until he died and ro - rose from the dead.
You know, one of the interesting things about John the Baptist is he had every right to be ahm, - he was born into a family of Aaron’s descendants both on his father’s side and his mother's side. His father was ah, of the course of Abiah, and Abiah was a descendant of Aaron. His mother was one of the ste - of the daughters - she was born of the daughters of Aaron. So, John the Baptist - if the Old Testament law was going to continue, and the prophets and the priesthood and all that was going to continue - John the Baptist would have been one - just as in his - one of the priests - become a high priest - but we don't read that John the Baptist was a high priest. In fact, we read - I'll give you the reference - ah, you can look at - in Matthew three and four - he ate ah, - his meat was ah, locusts and wild honey. He wore camel's hair. That is not the clothes of a high priest, and that is not the food of a high priest. The high priests ate well, and they dressed well - Purple, scarlet, gold - that's the fare - that's the clothing of a high priest. The - the priesthood ended with John the Baptist.
The next thing I would like to speak about regarding the ministry - it is the foundation of the church. The ministry is the foundation of the church. Ephesians two - if you want to write done verses eighteen to twenty two - says, "For through him people have access by one Spirit unto the Father." (sic) Now, remember, there are many spirits. There are many spirits in the world today - there were many in Jesus' day, and there are many today. One spirit leads somebody one way, and another spirit leads somebody another way. But God's spirit - the holy spirit - will only lead people to worship God and to follow God like Jesus taught. There's no question about Jesus having the holy spirit, and all the Apo - the other Apostles being led of the holy spirit. But there are people today that are not following the leadings of the holy spirit, but they are taking the name of Christ and they're worshiping in the name of Christ and they're ahm, establishing churches in the name of Christ. But they are not following the teachings of Christ.
In verse nineteen it says, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
Well, Christ is the ah, the chief corner stone - he is (-an-) Apostle and ah, we are built upon the found - that foundation of the Apostles and the prophets, and Jesus himself being the chief corner stone of that foundation.
One of my Companions was telling us of a construction project he was on, and they were putting in the forms for the foundation. And his teacher left, and he had told them, these four stakes - the four corner stakes - he said, "if you have to move any stakes, go and adjust those three - don't move this one - this one here has to stay." Well, they couldn't - they had to make - they thought they had to move that one - it was just going to be a lot easier to move that one to make the thing look sq - come out square. Got their forms all put in and everything and the teacher came back and he kind of ha - stood there and looked the thing. Something caught his eye - and he had a trained eye - looked at it and said ah, "Somebody moved that corner post." He could see that things weren't right - the foundation wasn't right.
The object here was in - for the church - the foundation of the church - you look and see if the ministry is right. The ministry is the foundation of a church. Is the ministry going out two and two together like Jesus sent? That's one thing you can look for - see if the ministry is right. Another thing you can look for to see if the ministry is - is the right ministry - is, are these men or women led by the holy spirit? Do I see fruit of the holy spirit in their lives? Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, meekness, gentleness, temperance - these - these things - are they there - are they in these peoples' lives?
Another thing about the ministry was that they were made poor. In Matthew four verses eighteen through twenty two - I won't read them - but that's where ah, Jesus called Peter and Andrew and James and John. Those four men were fishermen on the sea of Galilee. He called them - they left their careers, and their fathers, to go and preach The Gospel. They left their ah, livelihood - followed Christ. In chapter ten of Matthew ah, in verse nine you can read ah, that they were to make no provisions for their journey which they were going to be going on. Going to preach The Gospel.
You know, a farmer doesn't stand in one corner of his field and throw seed as far as he can throw it, does he? Neither do God's True Servants. God's True Servants have given their lives so that they can go throughout the land preaching The Gospel - seeking the needy. . . . Which means that - that inserts - that brings in the - the part - a homeless ministry. It's another thing you can look for - in - in seeking for a True Ministry - The Ministry that Jesus established.
You know, there's many people, who read their Bible, and have no idea that there truly are people worshiping today like there were in the first century. They have never met anybody doing that in their lifetime. But they have prayed that if God has a True Christian on the earth today, or in America today, or in some other country, or if he had any Ministers that still went out two and two like he did in the first century, would you please lead me to them. There's people who have prayed - many people who have prayed that messag - that prayer. And then God has led them to This Flock.
Terry and I are, in one sense, homeless. In another sense, we have many homes, and we have stayed in many of your homes. In another sense - the other sense, we're homeless - in the sense that Jesus was, and that Paul was, and Peter and the other twelve Apostles - the other Apostles were homeless, so that they could go - be free to preach The Gospel. They didn't have to hold down a job as well to meet their financial obligations of a home.
You can read that in Matthew eight, verse twenty ah, there's in that verse about Jesus saying, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head." We read - we read of Jesus staying out in the garden ah, in mount Olivet - in the mount of olives. He likely stayed with many people, like Mary and Martha and her brother, Lazarus - maybe stayed in their home - maybe stayed at - one time in Luke's - Ma - in Mark's home with him and his mother and their servant, Li - Rhoda, there in Jerusalem.
Um - for further ah, evidence ah, in the New Testament ah, first Corinthians four and verse eleven - Paul - this is long after Jesus died - we see Paul still in - ah, after Jesus died Paul didn't change the doctrine of Christ and take up a home - it says he still had no certain dwelling place - he was still going place to place preaching The Gospel and staying with those who would receive one of God's True Servants into their home.
That's also why we read of - in Acts nine, verse forty three - about Peter staying at Simon's house, a tanner down in Joppa. Because Peter didn't have a home of his own. He wa - he was on the road. He was preaching The Gospel. Telling people about Christ, the Messiah, who had come - who rose from the dead - and telling about their own hope - he had servants also.
In Matthew ten and verse eight, we read there that The Gospel would be given and taught freely. Well, you know what? If this was a church that Terry and I owned, or, Terry and I owned, we couldn't be preaching The Gospel here freely. We'd have to be taking up some collections - and you might even call them tithes - which, in the New Testament ah, they were - they are mentioned - tithes are mentioned twice in the New Testament, but you know what? Jesus is rebuking the ah, Pharisees when he's - mentions the tithes both times. Because, he was trying to respond, "If you're going to keep the old law - if you're going to demand on keeping the old law, quit bragging about all this tithing you're doing, and get doing the weightier things. If you're going to insist on keeping the old law, which was done away with - which was wo - fulfilled in me - which was until John - If you're going to insist on keeping that, then keep the weightier matters - the things like faith, and love, and things like that. Yes, if you're going to keep the Old Testament, you got to keep the tithes too." (sic) - but they were not doing the weightier - more important functions of the law - they were letting go - but they were keeping - doing the tithes and making a big issue about it.
You know, that's what people do today too - there are churches that actua - actually advertise - in the church - through the congregation - how much one person or another donated to the church. That's against God's teaching or will.
Just to ah, - do you want to turn to Acts fourteen and verse fourteen? And see there where Barnabas and Paul were referred to as Apostles? Um, I'm not going to give - to read to you any more verses - I might give you some references though - ahm - another verse you can add to that one is Galatians one and verse nineteen - we read there of James, the Lord's brother - it lists a bunch of names then one of the first twelve Apostles - names the Lord's brother - is also referred to as an Apostle. There were more than twelve Apostles - in Luke ten, we read there of seventy other men that Jesus sent out - and ah, the word Apostle means "sent one" - there were seventy more also sent out - that Jesus sent.
I'm going to have to quit right there.
Um, Jesus wanted his - his ministry to continue and, ah, in - in Matthew - I'm going to have to mention one more thing - Matthew nine verses thirty eight - thirty six to thirty eight - Jesus told his - his people to pray for more labourers of the Harvest - for the Harvest - so he did not intend to stop at Paul, did he? In John twenty, verse twenty one he said he was sending others as God had sent him - said, "I'm help - sending you as my father has sent me." (sic) And we read throughout the New Testament - Apostles going out two together. Even in Rev - the book of Revelations, we read about two witnesses - two together - going - going out in the late part of the first century. Two witnesses together - may it ever be so.
The ministry and church Jesus established.
Terry Wells, January 26, 1996
. . . church in one hour's time . . . (--) the church that Jesus established. (--)
I'm going to speak tonight about the church. Um, church isn't a building. You know that in the New Testament, in the Bible, the church was never referred to as a building but it was ah, - it comes from a Greek word that means ah, - the Greek word is ekklesia - it means "called out." And we're called out and it refers to people. That was the church.
You know the - the first person, you might say, ah, that was in the church in the New Testament was the first person that Jesus said "follow me," and he followed him. That person was in the church. Ah, a follower of Jesus.
I noticed some things about the church in the - in ah, - in the New Testament - um - I noticed ah, that ah, - the first thing I noticed about it's that it was a separated church. Um, - We read in second Corinthians that ah, the - the Lord's desire - in ah, second Corinthians about chapter six - was that the people come out from amongst ah, - come out from amongst the world and it says, "Touch not the unclean thing." And, "I will be a God to them, and they shall be my people." This is something that ah, characterizes what we read in - of in the scripture that the church was separated. And, when Paul wrote the letters he wrote, he often addressed the letters to "the Saints" in this area or that area - to the Saints. The word "Saint" means "a holy one" or "a separated one." He was addressing people who were a part of the church. The church that Jesus established.
One thing about it ah, that's the experience of - of some in the New Testament ah, that experienced what it is to be separated. And not only - not only does it mean that ah, God would like to separate us from the things that are in the world, but he'd like to remove the things that are in the world from us. Sometimes we hear that expression ah, ah, the Lord would like to - he gets the gold out of the earth, but then, he spends a lifetime getting the earth out of the gold. And it's a work of separation.
In the - John chapter nine we read about a man who was blind. And this man received sight when he obeyed Jesus. And, in giving his testimony to the Pharisees, he was just giving his testimony of what happened to him. And they were offended. The religious world was offended at the testimony of the man who experienced the touch of Jesus. The religious world will always be offended at the work of Jesus. You know what they did to him? They cast him out. They cast him out. And often it's the experience of people when they begin to get their eyes opened and begin to see the - begin to see the scripture - it becomes living and real to them - they're cast out of ah, - they - they're cast out. He was cast out of the synagogue. Many are cast out of their - whatever their religious affiliation was. They don't - they don't want that. They don't need that. They don't need Christ interfering with their sys - the way they have it set up. This man found himself cast out when he was brought in to a wonderful fellowship of Jesus, and his Apostles and disciples.
I was thinking once ah, if you were to ask yourself - if you were living ah, during the days that Jesus walked - and you were to ask yourself, "Where - where is the - where is the true church? Where is it - how - how can ah, - how would I recognize the true church? You would most likely be surprised to know that there was a - a homeless man ahm, preaching in Je - in Judaea and in Galilee - and he had some disciples following him - and along with those disciples there was a small group of other followers.
And when Jesus was crucified, some of those followers were very close - they were close enough to see the crucifixion - and to see the - the - the - the agony that Jesus went through. They probably wouldn't have - if you had asked them what church they go to, or - or what their denomination or affiliation was - they probably - you would - probably would have gotten just a blank look . The only thing that was really of any interest or importance to them was that the one they loved - the one who'd done something for their lives - changed their lives - was now being crucified for their sins. And they wouldn't have been able to give you any labels. Ah, they wouldn't have been able to tell you the - even the history of their - of - of the label that they were a part of. They'd just tell you, "A man named Jesus came into my life" - and like that man in John nine - "A man named Jesus made some clay and he touched my eyes and he told me to go wash, and I washed, and I came seeing." (sic) That was their testimony.
So, it's a separated church.
Another thing I like about the church - it's a praying church. A church that was praying. In Acts chapter twelve - those first chapter - first verses you read that ah, Herod had apprehended James, the brother of John, and he, ah, he slew him. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he took Peter also. And Peter was put in prison, and Herod was going to wait for the opportune time to bring him forth. And it says in verse five, that prayer was made by the church without ceasing unto God for Peter.
Prayer is - a - a church that doesn't pray is - is a - a - it is a dead thing. This church was praying without ceasing because of the - of the specific urgency of the situation it was in. But Paul told the Thessalonians - this - he'd have been in ah, - that they should pray without ceasing - all the time. Now, it doesn't mean twenty four hours a day, continually praying, I - I'm sure - but prayer - prayer is an important part of your life , and every day, prayer - pray.
Jesus told us a lot about prayer and he was anxious to ah, reveal to us the truth about prayer. And that - that truth is found in Matthew chapter six - that people find it easy to pray in public. And prayers in public tend to be made for the - the attention of the public. So that ah, they get - people that pray in public get the honor of - because they're seen in public - but Jesus wanted them to understand it's what you - what's in private that counts. When you go into your closet close the door and pray in secret, and your heavenly father, who sees in secret - he'll reward you openly. Prayer was to be within. It's an important part of - in your church - that Jesus established.
And, he set the example in prayer. So many times we read of his example in prayer. Even in going up t - on the mount of transfiguration, it says in Luke that he went up to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered. John says that one night he - he went up all night - he continued in prayer all night unto God. He told us to pray with importunity - to keep asking. To keep asking. And he said, "Men ought always to pray and not to faint." Prayer is an important part in it and if the church is not praying, the church is dead. In the New Testament, Christians were praying Christians. They had a praying example in Jesus - they had a praying ministry.
The - the ch - the church in the New Testament is a nourished church. It's a nourished church. It's a church that gets fed. In Revelations chapter twelve we read - we - read there about the church. And ah, there, it's likened unto a woman - a beautiful woman - and she has a crown on her head, and the crown has twelve stars - on her head. And, it says she is travailing in birth - to give a - to give birth to a child. But there's a - there's a dragon there - another - this great dragon with ah, ten heads and seven horns (sic) and this dragon wants to - to devour the child as soon as it's born. And so, this woman is taken into the wilderness and she's nourished in the wilderness. She's nourished for a - a period of time - I can't tell you how long that is - but that was the church and she was nourished. Peter said ah, "Desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby."
Sometimes people have had the experience of having busy and full lives, but empty and starving souls- nothing in their soul. Sometimes we heard an expression called beware of the emptiness of a busy life. The Lord would like to nourish his church. God has a feeding program.
Denominational religion gives you a social program. It gives you a financial program. It gives you a building program. It gives you lots to fill your life with, but nothing for your soul - nothing for your soul.
God has a feeding program for his church. People are nourished. They get something within.
The other day, I was reading a, ah, a letter. It was an account of a funeral of a Sister Worker that passed away on the East coast. She was in her early fifties and she died of cancer. There's a remarkable statement made - the observation made that this Sister Worker would say sometimes - she said, "You know, I really rather enjoy watching my body fade away, and watch it get weaker and weaker." She says, "I'm actually enjoying this because I know there's something living inside - I know I have something living inside that isn't effected by what's happening to my body." She had - she was nourished - there was something inside - even when the outward man was perishing, the inward man was being renewed day by day.
It's a - it's a nourished church.
The church is a submitted church. This would be another quality. As Jesus was submitted to his heavenly father, and as the ministry was submitted to Jesus, the church also is submitted to the ministry. Um, not only submitted just in matters of - well, in natural things, but submitted in spiritual things.
A - a - a - a river - a river, if it's to be useful and - and not a dangerous thing, needs to be contained within its banks. Needs to be contained within its banks. When a river gets out of its banks, it becomes a - a - it becomes a dangerous thing.
Um, a - a - a horse is of no use to anyone until it - you get a bridal on it - until it's trained - until it learns submission. Otherwise it's - it's just - it's just a wild beast. It might be nice to look at, but it's of no use.
And a fire - a fire is a very useful - a very ah, important thing as long as it's contained in the - in the stove. But once it gets out of the stove, it's a very destructive and deadly thing.
And so it is with a man. A man must be submitted - must be submitted to the - to the will of God. Otherwise, he's just a - he's just a wild thing. He's dangerous to himself - he's dangerous to others. And out of his banks - ah, no control.
And, ah, a - a church not submitted is of no use to God. A church not submitted is not - is not the Lord's way - it's not his church. But a mark of his people is that they're submitted people. Submitted - submitted to those in authority. And not only in the church, but also in - in - in - in the natural human. Ah, submitted to the government. We have - remember - ah, Paul's ah, counsel and Peter's counsel on this. That he - they did not want to see their people resisting the government - ah, but they wanted - or - or not paying - of not giving tribute where tribute was due. They wanted them to fit in with the laws of the land. They were to be a submitted people. The - th - this is the picture we have of the New Testament church. They were a submitted people.
Ahem, a few others. It's a loving church - a helping church - and a grateful church. And I can't - there's not time to talk about each of those ah, areas. But um, I'd like, maybe, to speak about the last a little bit. A - a grateful church - very -.
Those that we read of here in the New Testament, they were a grateful for what had come to them, and they expressed that gratitude often in thankfulness and prayer to God. In Acts chapter five - . . . . this was - this was not your ah, - Peter and John made - spoke before the counsel and they'd been examined of the counsel and they'd been forbidden to preach or speak in the name of Jesus and - and they may have ben -been beaten and let go. And Peter and John returned to the church - to - they returned to their own company. They told them what had happened, and their response - it says, "When they heard this, " - in Acts - in the Acts chapter four - "they lifted up their voice to God with one accord," they said, "Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?" Verse twenty seven, " For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, " (sic) and - and so on. It says, "When they prayed, the place was shaken together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." (sic).
That was the church. It wasn't a big church then - it was just a little group there. The Lord isn't interested in numbers - not interested in numbers. He's interested in quality. Wasn't - not interested in how many people are saying they're Christians. Doesn't matter at all to God if there's five million people who claim to be Christians. What - what matters is what God thinks of that individual soul.
Um, the church wa - is a grateful church - is a thankful church. Um, it's a - that's a law and Paul just wasn't keeping it along with some other little advice that he was giving, and he just told them - says, "You rejoice for ever more - rejoice evermore and pray without ceasing." (sic) There wasn't anyone who could ah, - was more qualified to give the (-apa the-) - that counsel to rejoice evermore, than Paul was. Ah, just in his own experience - how he'd been turned from - from such an empty - ah, such a busy but empty life - to - to become a Servant of God - a homeless Servant of God. And - and having the privile - the privilege of - of the - being a steward of the riches of Christ. He was a man full of rejoicing. And, not only that, but the hope that was laid up for him, ah, it ah, - he - he would - I think he knew that ah, there was going to be a crown waiting for him - that ah, God would give to him, when he finished his course. And he did encourage people, You just rejoice - rejoice evermore.
You know, it's a wonderful thing that um, - you know sometimes there's - a few years ago, there was a little song out, and it just - it kind of went like this, um, um, - the little refrain was - well, there's a little - there's all kinds - there was all kinds of bad things listed - it said, "well, don't worry, be happy - don't worry, be happy." And um, there was all these - these things, but it said "don't worry, be happy." Well, of course, that's - you - you really can't just be happy unless you have something to be happy about.
And ah, that's the thing about The Gospel. The Gospel isn't a don't worry, be happy sort of Gospel. The Gospel gives you something to rejoice about. And God puts this into your heart. And he gives us a living hope.
And so, things can be very dark - and like that Sister Worker that I was mentioning - even though she was watching her body fail by the day, she was - she was - she was enjoying it, because, she knew she had something living inside. And she knew that that would never die. She was rejoicing evermore.
And this is a mark of - of - of this church that we read of - this is a mark of the church, that God's true people today would no doubt be people that are rejoicing in spirit and in truth. And we're - we're thankful for that work and ah, may that work continue, for Jesus sake.
