Last week, we noted that the Church is of supreme importance to God. Not just because he decreed that he would build it, but that he made that decree with a promise, five incredible truths. The truth that there would be opposition to this church, this building, this edifice, this body that he would build. Opposition. He decreed it with the promise of a confession. Remember, Peter, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. It is a personal confession. It is a spiritual confession. It is an exclusive confession. with a foundation in mind. No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid Jesus Christ. Make no mistake, the church is built on the foundation, yea, the cornerstone of Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross. The church was decreed and promised with a dominion in mind. The gates of Hades shall not prevail against the church. It is an onslaught against the satanic opposition of this world and the spiritual influences of this world. Jesus Christ decreed with a promise there would be opposition in mind. There would be a confession, a foundation, a dominion, and finally a dedication. And the text told us last time a dedication of Jesus the Savior for His church, and a dedication of the saints to do the work of the ministry. And that's really the reason why I repeat that succinctly this morning is that really is the foundation of the illustrations that the New Testament describes as what it means to be the church. And so as we start this series that's going to go through September, if we don't start on the right foundation, guess what we're going to look like spiritually? the Leaning Tower of Pisa, right? We're going to have a problem, and it won't be a problem that we want to ask visitors to come and see, right? Because why do people go see the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Not because it's amazing, but that they're amazed that it hasn't fallen over yet. because it was poorly constructed on a bad foundation, okay? It was meant to be a bell tower calling people to worship, but now it calls people to laugh at it, okay? This is not what the church is meant to be. We're not called to be a laughing stock. We are called to be built on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ, and we are to walk our lives through what it means to be in Jesus. And so as we look at that, I want to remind us that today we want to see how this church that God decreed is then described. That will give us a good idea of how He wants us to function in unity and love. And these two messages are vital for our understanding of our individual and corporate role in God's kingdom advance during our lifespan. As a result of our walkthrough, these multiple passages this morning, and the illustrations that the church gives or that the Bible gives about the church, we will see today that we must understand our role within God's church. and maximize our effectiveness for God together. Remember, as Crossroad, we want to navigate life's crossroads together. God, as you'll see, describes His church in such a way that there is a unity among diversity, that there is a togetherness that is meant for the accomplishing of the work of God. There is a male and femaleness, and both of those are needed and necessary as we operate and function in harmony and unity together. Not unanimity, but unity to the glory and honor of Jesus, our King. Now, I do have what I'm calling an interlude. That was the introduction, you're welcome. I do have what is called an interlude with an explanation because I would do injustice to the topic of the church if I didn't first explain some really important facts about what the church is. Now, when Jesus declared in Matthew 16, I will build my church, based on the English grammar, excuse me, the Greek grammar that's translated into English, when did he intend that to occur? I will build my church. Was it past? Was it present? Was it future? Okay. Now, that from Jesus' perspective, I will build my church, looking backward now, we can see when that began. All right? And so before we take time to highlight these nine illustrations that illustrate the New Testament uses to describe the church, we need to explain first that the church is universal in scope and local in manifestation. Are you tracking with me? The church is made up of all saved believers all true born-again Christians from Pentecost, which was shortly after Christ ascended to heaven. We see that in Acts chapter 2. Until the rapture, that's Christ's appearance to catch up all Christians to heaven. We see that in 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18. So it's not limited to a particular denomination. Right? I did get an amen to that. That's good. Indeed, Scripture teaches that there is only one universal or invisible church. Now, since you and I understand the truth that the invisible church began at Pentecost, it began with people who are no longer alive physically. We know the church teaches, the scriptures teach, that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So if we've been given new birth, new life, through Jesus Christ, when our physical body dies, our eternal soul never dies. It continues on for all eternity to God's glory. So to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And isn't that a great comfort? to know that our past loved ones are there surrounding us like a great cloud of witnesses, and in this race of life, they're cheering on with the saints. Now, I'm not sure that they're actually looking at us. I wouldn't be looking at us. I'd be looking at Jesus if I were them. But I do know that they are inevitably already awaiting the rest of the church to come. But because the church, the universal church and the universal nature of the church is the fact that it is invisible, and it is started at a specific time and has continued to the present, how is it that we are to apply the commands in the New Testament if that church is a representation of people that have been already gone, as it were, in the past, who are here today and who will come later should the Lord tarry? And the answer is, every single time we look at the church in specifically the epistles, we are going to find it show up in our second understanding of it, not just its spiritual entity, not just its universal scope, but in its local manifestations. That is the present church exists globally in local individual bodies around the globe. Like Crossroad Baptist Church, we are a local individual group of gathered believers bought by Jesus, called for His purpose, to His glory, for His service. So when we're going to talk about the church, I am going to try to showcase some specific truths that are applicable to Crossroad Baptist Church. Would they apply to some of our other churches around the community? Absolutely, but specifically you're here hearing me and I am the under shepherd along with Pastor Steven of this ministry and we co-shepherd the body of believers here at Crossroad Baptist Church for the purpose of equipping you to do the work of the ministry. And then there are three servers, deacons, table servers among us that also aid in the work of the ministry as your representatives, as aids to our pastoral leadership to help equip you and also to take care of the physicalities of this ministry, right? And they're not, just like Pastor Stephen and I aren't in charge of the 2,000 plus churches all across this great valley that has seven and a half million people. Neither are deacons responsible for all of the municipalities of every single church building throughout this great building. You're welcome, deacons. Aren't you glad about that? And nor are you as a congregation responsible for or accountable to God for the other bodies governed throughout the valley, right? We're accountable to God and responsible for this local assembly. So think of it this way. This is a silly illustration, but I'm going to say it anyway because sometimes I can be silly. If I can get it to show up. It shouldn't say hink of, sorry, it should say think of. Think of the golden arches. Just so I don't get proprietary here, I didn't say it, but you all know what the golden arches are, right? They represent a worldwide restaurant that some often frequent. The relationship of this universal church to the local church is similar to the relationship this large corporation to each individual franchise and of course it's called McDonald's, right? McDonald's franchise has its own local leadership and unique characteristics but each still has a central owner and a common product like a Big Mac or their triple cheeseburger or their McNuggets. right? Or they're McFlurries, right? They used to have a McRib. They keep resurrecting that every now and then. It's not too bad actually if you can, you know, just Anyway, McDonald's and pork, not probably a good idea. But anyway, the idea here is each local franchise has its own ownership and leadership. And that means that you can go to one McDonald's and though it's a similar product, it may not have been cooked the same way. It might be cold and not hot. It might not be managed very well. The bathrooms could be gross or whatever, right? We have issues with different locations and so you may not frequent that one. But each Bible-based local church has its own local leadership. Yet each is owned by Christ and has a common message, salvation from sin by faith in Jesus Christ. So, lest we get too lost here, each local church is part of the universal body of Christ. It's a group of individual believers who meet together in specific geographical locations around the globe, hence the word local, and who subscribe to the Christian faith. It is also called the visible church. Most references to Ecclesia in the New Testament refer to local churches. Most references. There are some that refer to it universally, but most references refer to it as the local church. So, for example, Acts 14.23. If you want to turn there, you can. Go ahead and turn. So this might be the beginning of our multitudinous scripture search. Acts, of course, the history book following the gospel. The history of the Acts of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Word of God of the saints throughout their local and known world. The Acts of the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 14. and verse 23. Notice what it says. Acts 14. Let me back up. every church. Okay? Plural elders, singular church. And where are those churches located? Real cities. Does that make sense? You see it? Okay? Every church. When they had appointed elders in every church. They prayed with fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. And then they passed through other cities, and they come to Pamphylia, and now Paul's going to preach, and so we're just following the history of the church here. But remember, there's churches, singular, there's a church or churches in cities, real cities, singular churches with plurality of leaders in every city, single church. Now, as we continue, the following verses, name a few of them. Acts 13.1 mentions the church in Antioch. Romans 16.1 mentions Phoebe, who is from the church in Cenchrea, which was a village seaport near East Corinth, mentioned in Acts 18.18. 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 mentions the church of Corinth, for which the book is named. Revelations 2 and 3 mentions seven specific local churches by name based on their geographical location. So the whole New Testament is full of mentions of local churches in real cities with plurality of leadership all throughout, serving God, preaching the same message. So God intends every believer to be a part of a local church. It is committed to His Word, governed by His believers who are led and served by His two offices and who keeps His two ordinances. The Puritan Pastor Richard Baxter once said, the Church of Christ consists of particular churches guided by their own overseers. and every Christian must be a member of one of these churches. This is Richard Baxter. So, therefore, as we get into the Word today, we must understand our role within God's church and maximize our effectiveness for God together. All right, now, let me step back here for just a second and let me describe a modern issue, a modern, I would call it a problem, a modern problem in the idea of the local church that has manifested really strongly at the turn of the 21st century, okay? And that is the idea of, well, church membership is never taught in the Bible. Now I will tell you, there is no chapter and verse in the New Testament, or the Old Testament for that matter, since the church isn't mentioned there. It's all about Israel, right? There's no chapter or verse that specifically says, thou shalt join Crossroad Baptist Church. Right? You're not going to find that. But I will tell you this. There were Israelites who were Israelites by nationality, national birth, and Israelites who became proselytes of Israel that are alluded to as the people of God in the Old Testament. And there are procedures and processes by which they became those. And one of those procedures and processes came about in the life and ministry of Jesus in preparation for the building of this church that is so intrinsic to first century knowledge that we, 2,000 plus years removed from it, don't really understand the culture of it. So let me explain this before I dive into the message, just so we comprehend where we're going and we can get this solid foundation behind us. Culturally speaking, in fact, I just finished reading through the book of Leviticus again. I do love the book of Leviticus because I love seeing the mercy and grace of God and His provision for all people in every area from providing for one another, caring for each other's animal, caring for each other's households and property, caring for those who are visitors in their midst. But it can get pretty tough to read some of these Old Testament legal standards that don't apply to us anymore, right? But I remember I finished reading through the book of Leviticus and seeing this interaction of the community. And throughout that, one of the things that's really prominent in the book of Leviticus is the sacrificial system. The first 11 chapters, 10 chapters of Leviticus are about sins that are committed, sins that were committed by omission or accidentally. So there's on-purpose sins, accidental sins, and here's a way to take care of them. And they're always taken care of by a substitute for the sinner that requires blood. Fast forward to the New Testament, we know that substitute singular is Jesus, and He paid for the sins of all men everywhere who will repent with His blood, and it's precious blood. Amen? What you had in the sacrificial system was a requirement, as you read through Leviticus, for the sacrifices themselves to be pure and for the sacrificers to be pure. So there's washing rituals in the Old Testament. Not only if you touch this, now you're unclean until evening, so you've got to wash your clothes and wash your body. Well, that's a lot of washing. And by the way, Israel as a nation is pretty much geographically and demographically very similar to Arizona, especially Jerusalem. Dry, dusty climate. So what they often had in their own households were rooftop water cisterns and collection systems that also opened up into what we would even consider like a mini pool or a little baptistry kind of style that had steps down in where they could physically immerse or wash their bodies and their clothes. And the rainwater of course kept it constant and they could flow in and out, boil it and use it for drinking, all kinds of stuff like that. And this was all over Jerusalem. In fact, the Temple Mount, where Peter preaches at Antioch, is covered with, we've not excavated all of them, but we think it was something like 3,000 baptistries, washing areas. Now remember, when it was first dedicated by Solomon, he sacrificed 30,000 oxen. And something like, I don't remember how many, a hundred and something thousand sheep and goats, okay? there's a lot of need for washing basins on the top of that Temple Mount. So when Peter preaches at Pentecost and he says, hey, you know this Jesus Christ that you just crucified? and He rose from the dead three days ago, and on the Feast of Pentecost, 40 days later, He ascended to the Father. He is the Messiah, and you killed Him, and you need to repent, because there is no other name given among men whereby you must be saved." And what happens? They were cut to the heart, the Bible says, in Acts chapter 2. God's Spirit just preached God's Word to them, and they realized, we have left our Christ, we murdered our Christ, and we need to call on faith and repentance on our Christ and receive Him as Lord, because He is Lord. And 3,000 people were saved, and the very first thing they did was they were baptized. Now, baptism does not save them. That baptism did two things. Number one, it declared we no longer believe that Mosaic Law, that Judaism, and the laws of the Jews are our means to righteousness. We believe that Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection is the one and only means that we can get to God. And by that faith, through repentance and faith, their declaration of that was a dying to self, being buried in the waters of baptism, being resurrected to walk in newness of life. It was the same preaching of repentance that John preached before Jesus came. And before he baptized Jesus, who, by the way, knew no sin and didn't need to be baptized for the regeneration of sin, which is a proof that baptism does nothing for you but gets you wet, doesn't cleanse you from sin. It identifies you with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. So they were turning their backs on Judaism and turning their face toward Jesus Christ, the Lord, and they became a part of His church. Now, the very fact that we know the number of believers means they were keeping a roster or a membership. Okay, is that a big leap? Have we jumped really far here? I'm just asking because it seems like in 2024 we've got a lot of confusion on why are there local churches with local church membership? It began at Pentecost. So you begin to read, then read a little bit further from Acts chapter 2, you get to Acts chapter 6, and there's all of these people. Guess what happens when they got baptized? Some of their Jewish family members said, you're abandoning the faith. You're abandoning Judaism. You're turning your back on Moses. I'm kicking you out of my house. They became homeless. So the church sold properties and land, and they provided food for them, and it becomes an overwhelming number of widows and orphans and people that can't be cared for. And so the apostles are like, we can't continue distributing food and reaching the necessary means of taking care of these people. Hey, you local church at Jerusalem, which by the way was pastored by James, the stepbrother of Jesus, I say stepbrother, he was Father Joseph, Mother Mary, but Jesus was conceived supernaturally by the Holy Spirit, but natural conception for James through Joseph and Mary. And so James is Jesus's brother, he becomes the pastor of Jerusalem, and so the apostles bring this problem to the local church of Jerusalem, and he says, hey, we've got an issue. Will you choose from among yourselves your own membership as a group, a congregation, as it were. I'm putting that modern word into the ancient text. I apologize, but I'm trying to make an illustration here. Will you choose from among yourselves your called-out assembly, your rostered, numbered membership seven Holy Spirit filled men who can help distribute to the needs of this group that we can't minister to, because we apostles, we need to give ourselves daily to the ministry of the word and to prayer. We need to take care of the spiritual needs of this body, and we need somebody, we need help with the physical needs. Now, we learned by those proto-deacons there in Acts chapter six, that they aren't just caring for physical needs, because you've got Philip and Stephen, and both of them are powerful preachers. I mean, Stephen preaches probably one of the most convicting messages recorded in the book of Acts, and he gets stoned to death because of it. Philip goes on to evangelize and plant churches all through Judea, and his daughters get involved. In fact, they're called evangelists as well. Okay? So, a deacon doesn't need to be just someone who serves, quote-unquote, without the word service, but deacons can serve with the word service as well. So two of seven. So you have a local congregation that has a roster selecting seven people from among that roster that are Holy Spirit-filled men who can serve, and the word serve there is diakonos, or diakonia actually, means to serve tables, another conscripted term, so that they can take care of the physical needs of the people in that community that are part of the roster of the church. Now we find later that the church, a couple of chapters later, that the church is now growing, and there's another 5,000 souls that are saved and added to the church. By the time we get to the end of the first century, well, I'm sorry, the end of Paul's journey in the mid-60s, Paul would write to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6, and he would declare, excuse me, in 1 Timothy 5, he would declare, look, you have a roster of people among you, and of some of them there are widows. And here's some stipulations for how you can know which of these widows should the church take on and care for specifically. And he says they have to be at least 60 years old, they have to have no family that can care for them, they have to have a characteristic, their life has to be characterized by a life of love and service for Jesus that is just evident to everybody. Now, you tell me if he's not telling that to a specific local church. By the way, Paul's telling this to Timothy, who's the pastor of Ephesus at this point. We know that because 1 Timothy 1 tells us he's in Ephesus and he wants him to remain in Ephesus, because that's where he's pastoring, a local church in Ephesus. And he's saying, you keep track of the roster in your area, and of that roster, there's some widows that need to be cared for. Now if there's no number, there's no specific group and it's not a specific membership, how in the world are they going to determine who's qualified to be a part of that group? Okay, so what I'm arguing is, because we're so far removed from the culture of the first century, and we don't necessarily understand what it meant to be a proselyte, turning from Judaism to Christianity in that culture, and what the purpose of that identifying, separating from Judaism and to Jesus was about, we don't understand that membership of a local body was intrinsic. It was just a given in the New Testament. Now let me give you one other final argument that is an argument from church history. The world was declared to be Christian politically by Constantine some 300 years later. And prior to that, however, in every local city, the gathered groups of Christians that were overseed by elders, plural, and served by deacons, that we know that from the stipulations in 1 Timothy 1, excuse me, 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, those assemblies were being attacked by their local political people, Romans, because Christians would not declare that Caesar is Lord. They would declare only that Jesus is Lord. In fact, we have historical documentation that goes from the first century all the way to the third century that leads up to a litmus test for Christians that often led to their death. they would be pulled into their local magistrate's office, whether business owners or they're just local folks that live in the city, and they were asked the question, will you recite this phrase, will you take a pinch of incense and will you go into the local temple dedicated to Caesar, and will you say, Caesar is Lord, and give a pinch of incense? And if you'll do that, then you can continue being an upstanding citizen in our community. and scripture and church history records. that true followers of Jesus refused to declare Caesar as Lord and refused to worship in Caesar's temple in that way. And you know what happened? They became food for the wild animals in the Colosseum. They became fodder for the swords and the spears and the knives of the Romans for sport, death for sport. They became lanterns in the gardens of rulers like Nero, where they were dipped in oil and they were burned alive. They became pieces of ornamental decorations as their skin was filleted off their body, just like the Nazis did, by the way, in the 30s and 40s, and they were made into lamps and other things, shoes and other leather garments. I don't mean to be disgusting here, folks, but you tell me, if you're willing to identify with Jesus, are you willing to identify with his local body? So the New Testament is intrinsic in the New Testament, this membership, okay? Now, please don't take this explanation as somehow I'm angry or I'm mad at you, or if you're not a member of my church, you don't belong here. That is not at all what I'm saying. You have a choice, right? And we love you. We would love for you to be a part of our local body of believers. We really would. We mean that in all sincerity. But what we're trying to say is, much like baptism that does not save you, is an outward sign of an inward relationship that you assent to the singular death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. So when you do so, as you've already placed your faith in Jesus, you are meant, God's Holy Spirit places you in the body universal, but He wants you to serve in a body local. And the intention is that you would be a member of that body. And because we live in modern America, our declaration of membership also comes with the stipulations of protection from governmental oversight. And that's the reason why we have a membership the way it is, in application to a modern adaptation of a New Testament practice. that was intrinsic in the New Testament. So, don't get me wrong, I know there are incredible, awful abuses to church membership. I know that. I know that for a fact. Some of you have shared with me your horrible experiences in past churches that abused the concept of membership. They were like, Jesus said, they were like the Gentiles who lorded over you, right? But it shall not be so among you, right? But past abuses in your life are not an excuse or a reason not to accept what God intends for you to be a part of a local assembly of believers. So I would say, be careful as we look at the text to let the text speak and be open to the truth of God's word. Because we must understand that our role within God's church will help us to maximize our effectiveness for God together. Now, let's jump in, and because this is a sermon series, I don't have to finish all of these things. And if I don't, that's okay. I know you love me, and I love you, and we're a happy family together, and you're always happier when I get you out in time to eat lunch. So we'll make sure that happens, all right? So as we take a look at the first point then, that caveat aside, now we're going to focus on the application of the local church. in the church is Jesus Christ's body. This is the first illustration. Not only is the church decreed by Jesus, but it is now described. Now next week, if I do get through all nine of these points, we're going to talk about some of the work or the do, the duty of the local church. Decreed, described, and then has a declared duty. And we'll talk about that as we walk through this. But first of all, the church is Jesus Christ's body. So As we look at this, as you think about that, what lessons might we learn from the fact that the human body, though one, has many parts? Now, we all understand, and unfortunately we're now in an era, post the Iraqi and Afghanistan war, we have a lot of veterans that have come back maimed from the battlefront. Many of them are wounded warriors are missing limbs or eyes or ears, or they've lost the ability to hear or see because of IEDs and the travesty and horrendous nature of war. Can they function? Absolutely. Are they human? Of course. Do they have value? 100%. Okay, this is an illustration. But the many parts of the body are functioning together. Is it harder now for a serviceman or a servicewoman to come back from the front without arms and legs? Is it harder for them to function? Yeah. Do they need help from a community around them that can help them, a family unit, someone who can live with them to help feed them, help clothe them, help bathe them, help take care of their medical needs and provide them their supplements and medication because they can't do what they were physically able to do before? And the answer to that, of course, is yes. So the many parts of the body, though the parts can go missing, or, the older we get, stop functioning the way they're supposed to, right? The reality, though, is those parts are part of the body. And, in fact, I would argue that they are important parts, yea, even essential parts for a body to function as a self-sustaining, self-sufficient means of accomplishing God's purpose. So, the fact that it's Christ's body in 1 Corinthians, excuse me, Romans 12, 4 and 5, clearly displays this idea. So let's take a look at that really quickly, Romans 12, 4 and 5. It says this, for as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we being many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. You notice that we are one body and we love the fact that we're all connected to Christ. You know, you've heard the old axiom, well, I can worship the God in spirit and truth. I can go worship Him in the wilderness without anybody else. Is that true? Sure. Kind of, technically, right? But that would be like saying, you know what, my arm would really like to be at the Grand Canyon this morning. So I'm going to take my arm, I'm going to drive it up to the Grand Canyon, I'm going to leave it there, then I'm going to come back and worship at Crossroad while my arm's at the Grand Canyon. I'm going to miss my arm. And I'm going to tell you, my arm isn't going to survive very long without the rest of my body. Right? It's gruesome. I'm sorry. I apologize for that illustration. But you understand what I mean there. That's the idea. The body is one body. It's one. It's not meant to be divided into multiple parts. It's meant to be a singular body together. How about 1 Corinthians chapter 12? 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 12 to 27. And he says this, for as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body being many are one body. Hmm, surprise, surprise. So also is Christ. So Christ is one body. For by one spirit, we are all baptized into one body, whether Jew, Greek, slaves, free. We've all been made to drink into one spirit, for in the fact the body is not one member, but many." So singular body with many members. Do you see that? Singular body, many members, many parts. By the way, 206, I think, 206 bones in the human body. Don't know how many muscles or tendons are. My dad could tell you that. But that's a lot. That's a lot of bones. And they're all kind of important. Imagine if you didn't have bones in your feet. A pretty floppy piece of flesh there. It would be kind of difficult to walk with that, right? Keep going. Verse 15, if the foot should say, because I'm not a hand, I'm not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And the answer, of course, is no. That's silly. It's part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I'm not an eye, I'm not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them in the body, just as he pleased. And if they were all one members, where would the body be? But now, indeed, there are many members, yet one body, and the eye can't say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you, nor much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our unpresent presentable parts have greater modesty." We cover them, but we really need them. But our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another." Now he's moving to the spiritual truth of the body, which is a next week sermon. The body, the singular body with many members, is meant to care for one another. So, the body. How about Ephesians 1, 22? Ephesians 1, 22 and 23. And He put all things together, this is God the Father, put all things together under His, Jesus' feet and gave Him, Jesus, to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. So, Jesus is the head of the body and all of us are in the body, we're members of the body of Jesus together. By the way, that is a universal body that he's talking about. Ephesians 5.23, but he's telling that to a local body. I know it gets a little confusing. Ephesians 5.23, for the husband is the head of the wife, also Christ is the head of church, therefore he is the savior of the body. Colossians 1.18, says, and he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he, Jesus, may have the preeminence. So if we, one body with many members, in the unity of the body serve together, we actually are manifesting the glory that belongs to Jesus to God the Father's glory. So every, if we were to go to Ephesians chapter 4, so go back to Ephesians. If we go to Ephesians chapter 4 verses 15 to 16, which we talked about last week was part of our scripture reading. We understand this is a little bit more difficult to understand, but it says this. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. So, what he's actually saying is that every member of the local church should be involved in ministry. Every joint contributes to the unity of the body. Ministry is not the job of the pastor exclusively, or of a select few. Rather, it is the responsibility of the entire body. The church honors the Lord through every member ministry. The result is a healthy and growing body. C. H. Spurgeon said this, every man, woman, or child who is in our churches should be set to work for the Lord. Now, let me illustrate it this way, very personally. We have a problem in the ladies' room, in our building. We have three deacons, two of whom work full-time and have full-time jobs, and one who's retreaded. That's a fancy word for saying retired. Get it? Retreaded? Yeah, you're welcome. Which means he has multiple things going on. And you know what? It's not necessarily easy for those three guys to constantly drop and come over here and take care of the municipal issues. But maybe there's someone in here saying, you know, I'm not an elected deacon, but man, I could probably clean out a filter. I can turn a wrench. I could help mow some weeds. I could put some weed killer out. I could help the property. Guess what? That's part of you saying, you know what? I can serve my deacons. I'll go and tell the deacons, hey, could you give me a list of things that I could help you with? And the deacon say, oh, oh, you're my favorite person, right? Yes, here's a list, right? Maybe they won't be as expressive as their Italian pastor, but they will definitely be grateful to you, and they will certainly put you to work doing some of the municipal things around this five-acre tract of land with two buildings, right? Guess what? If this was all about just Pastor Stephen and I and three deacons, just the five of us, nothing would happen around here because we'd never be able to keep up with it all. We'd mow the grass and do the other 47 things that have to be done. And by the time we were halfway through the 47 things, we still have to go back and mow the grass again, which takes about four and a half hours, by the way. Okay? Yeah, it's two acres of grass. It's pretty bad. Anyway, it's wonderful. I'm sorry. It's wonderful. So the point is when a healthy church is a growing body, it means that every man, woman, or child is set to work for the Lord. So we need to understand that our role within God's church and we need to maximize our effectiveness for God together. You say, well, I can't. I'm at the age where I can't sit on a mowing, a lawn tractor for four and a half hours. What can I do, pastor? Well, maybe your gift is not, gifting is not service. Maybe it is a speaking gift. Maybe there's someone in the church that needs to grow in their faith. Maybe there's a discipleship need. Come and talk to us about that. I can already list for you 15 people that I know that are seeking mentors and disciples, disciple makers. So this is what it means to be a body. Number two, and I think I will get through number three, and then we'll call it quits. Number two, the church is Jesus Christ's family. So jump to 1 John really quickly. 1 John 3 says, Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God. Therefore the world does not know us because it did not know Him. We should be called the children of God. We're part of God's family. What about John 1.12? John 1.12. So jump back to the beginning of your New Testament, the fourth gospel. John 1.12 says this. But as many as received Him, that's Jesus, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name. the children of God. Go on to Galatians 3. Galatians 3, so back toward the center of the epistles. Galatians 3, verses 26 to 28. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There's therefore neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise." Now, this is an interesting connection. A couple of thoughts here. First of all, he's not saying that there's no gender, okay? What he's actually saying is the ways we used to define and classify ourselves are meaningless in the body of Christ because we are united under one God, one Lord, and one Father. We're all brothers and sisters in the same family. Doesn't matter what ethnicity you're from. Doesn't matter what demographic you're from. It doesn't matter how much money you make or don't make. It doesn't matter any of the things, whether you're male or female. It does not matter what those identifying factors are. What matters is you are part of God's family. That's what he's saying. And then he links us to the spiritual people of God, Old Testament Israel, and he gives us a connection to the promises that were given to Abraham. That's another sermon altogether. All right, look at chapter four, verses five B through seven. So the second half of verse five, and he says this. after he says we've been redeemed for this purpose, that we might receive the adoption as sons. So our redemption is to receive adoption as sons. So again, children of God, family of God, verse six, and because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. There's a link to the prayer that when the disciples said, teach us how to pray, and he said, start out calling him daddy. And Jesus is the one who links us to Daddy, Daddy Father, right? And so, again, we're part of the family. Look again later on, chapter 6 and verse 10. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, so we're not to grow weary in living for Christ, we'll reap what we sow, we'll reap after we sow, we reap in the same kind as we sow, and we reap much more than we sow. That's the context of this. That's one of the difficulties of preaching a topical message. Gotta tell you the context. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are in the household of faith. Okay, again, hobby horse, right? Wait, wait, hobby horse, hobby horse. Okay, I'm on my hobby horse again. There's a distinction here between the household of faith and those who are not of the household of faith. Church membership not members of the household of faith. Now, if you're saved and a baptized believer, you're a member of the universal church, but you're meant to identify with the local church. Okay, wait, I gotta get off the hobby horse. Okay, I'm off the hobby horse now. So the point here is this, families aren't meant to be split up. They're meant to be gathered together. I mean, how else would we enjoy those motley demonstrations of family disunity, I mean unity, around Thanksgiving and Christmas, right? Oh my goodness. Yeah, you've never lived, if you haven't been, to an extended Italian Horkavy family or Christmas or Thanksgiving with the full extended family. Let's put it this way. We had a Morganti family reunion. That was my grandmother and my dad's mom's side. Morganti family reunion in 1994. We had over 300. at that reunion from all over the world, from Sicily, from upstate New York, Connecticut, South in America, from Europe, from London. My two cousins from, my second cousins from London both came speaking Cockney English. And I had to say, whoa, whoa, whoa, are we speaking the same language here? I have no idea what you're saying. Can you slow down? By the way, what is a boot and a bonnet? Anyway, it was very, very interesting. But we're all the same family. And that's the point. We're from all walks of life. but we're all part of the same family. So the second major picture of the church highlights the intimacy that every believer has with God and with other believers. As we mentioned in 1 John 3.1, John is astounded that God would grant us the privilege of being the sons of God. And yes, we're the creatures of a powerful God. We are the servants of a great master. We are the subjects of a majestic king, but we are much, much more. We are the children of a loving father. What influence should our being children of God and the hope that we have of eternal life and inheritance in heaven, what influence must that have on the way we live? That's an important question, right? What are some of the significant privileges and responsibilities that come with being a part of God's family? That's an important question we should ask. How do these apply to our local church? These are important questions. And so a Christian without a local church is like an orphan without a family. You and I need the local church. Now in a large family, each other older sibling takes on responsibility to train the younger ones and aid their parents in the love of the family, chores around the house and center. And I got the raw end of the deal, okay? Any firstborns represent here? Any firstborns? Yeah, okay, thank you, thank you, raw end of the deal. It didn't help that my brother was 15 years younger than me. And quite frankly, it was partly on me. I very much enjoyed taking my little brother around with me especially to them all as a 17-year-old. Did you know that babies are kind of chick magnets? And as a 17-year-old, it was a really, really fun experience to have. And then I started realizing, I started getting kind of dirty looks because, I mean, I was 17 with a baby. And I felt like getting a shirt that said, he's my brother, you know. But the point is that oftentimes as older siblings, we are tasked with the priorities to help care for our younger siblings. Hey, you older folks in the church, There's a whole generation coming up that needs you to care for them. They need you. Not just to point out the things that they're doing wrong. Well, back in the day, we used to do this. Well, that's great. That was 75 years ago. How about today? How can you help me do it today? Are you tracking? I'm not mean to throw you under the bus, okay? But my point is, the elders are to teach the younger, right? We're to partner with one another. were to help grow in grace. Older ladies teaching the younger ladies to live soberly, to live in honorable way, to love their husbands, to be keepers at home, right? To care for their kids. And the keepers at home doesn't mean they can't work outside the home. That does not mean that. They can work outside of the home. In fact, especially if that's a household management priority and a need for you as a husband and wife and you get to decide that together. And I have no say in that because I'm just a shepherd equipping you to do the work of the ministry. I will never tell you what you're supposed to do in your own home unless the Bible says what you're supposed to do, then I can declare it because the Bible says it. But your home is your home and you're going to stand before God for how you lead your home. And husbands, you better love your wives in an intimate way. You better know her enough to know whether she can or should work outside the home, whether that's appropriate for your family. And guess what? If that's the decision you make, nobody in the body should be, well, did you see so-and-so was working outside the home? She should be at home. Well, are you her husband? Can you make that decision for her? Are you gonna stand before Jesus one day and say, dear Lord Jesus, there were eight women in our church and let me tell you all about the problems that they had. I don't think that's gonna happen. When you and Jesus stand before each other and he says, hey, show me those good works you've done. You're gonna say, yes, Lord, here they all are. And all you're gonna be thinking about is the glory of God and hoping that not too many of them are wood, hay and stubble. And most of them are gold, silver and precious stones, right? I know I'm being silly. I'm being silly. And I hope you're taking this to heart in a way that you know I love you. I'm not criticizing or condemning. In fact, I feel the liberty to be able to talk like this because I know I have a sweet-spirited congregation. And your disposition is such that you're receiving this with grace and you're not getting grumpy or angry at your pastor for calling you out. Because I'm not calling anybody out. Right? I'm just saying this is a family and we need to treat each other like a godly family should treat each other, not an ungodly family. Boy, oh boy, my dad and his brothers have stories to tell, let me tell you. So the church functions in the same way as a family. We must not shy away from aiding one another in the older and or more mature with the younger, less mature who are being big brother or big sister. My question is, who are you a big brother or a big sister to? Think about that. We must understand our role within God's church, and we must maximize our effectiveness for God together. I told you I'd end on number three. I'm gonna end on number two. So as we conclude this morning, let us be reminded, that'll give me seven points next week instead of nine, and we will get through them. The last ones particularly are really short. Let us conclude with this closing thought. Because the Church of Christ is of supreme importance to our sovereign God, we must not treat our local church lightly. We must not forsake the fellowship of ourselves together, as such is the manner of some, especially as the day approaches, Hebrews 10, 19 through 25. But rather, we must gather together to provoke one another to love and good works. Right? This is a command. We've learned that the Bible, well, we're gonna go over nine illustrations. We learned about two of them today. God calls this local assembly and the universal assembly, he calls it his body and he calls it his family. So let me close with this. You nourish and cherish your body, don't you guys and gals? Right? Get a hangnail, you don't let it fester. You go either try to cut it out, have someone in the family help you cut it out, or go to the doctor who can cut it out, right? Because an ingrown toenail is not a fun experience. Think how well you care for your body. But God wants you to care for one another in the same way. Will you nourish and cherish your local church? And if you're not connected to a local church, hey, guess what? I know a great one that would love to have you. It's called Crawford Baptist Church. Pastor Steven and I shepherd it with wonderful men and women that are a part of it. We'd love to have you. The second reality is we are indeed the family of God. So we've seen clearly through these two illustrations of the nine what the church is. It's God's people that are meant to serve and function together for the growth of the local assembly under God-given called servant authority to manifest His glory in an evangelistic disciple-making relationships. And as we learn more about the marvel of God's design, this incredible church, we will soon see what God intends the church to do. All of these allow us to understand our role within God's church and maximize our effectiveness for God together. May God help us by His grace to effectively serve one another together. Let's pray.