Acts 2:41-47-"Then they that
gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added
unto them about 3,000 souls. And they continued steadfastly in the
apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in
prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were
done. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And
sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man
had need. And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and
breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and
singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people.
And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."
One of the greatest challenges that I feel we are facing
today is to have a clear vision of the Church. It is so essential because
there is so much falseness and deception. There are so many who claim to
be the Church. Some even have the correct name--Church of God. We need to
know what the Church is, and have a vision of it. We need to know who is
part of it and who is not.
God has a pattern for building His Church.
Psa 127:1-"Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that
build it:except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in
vain."
God did not leave man with the decision of how to build
the Church. Organization and committees of men have nothing to do with it.
This is God's building. He is the only one who builds and keeps it.
Matt 16:18-"...and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." There is
only one Church that is going to stand in this day and age. We need a
vision of that one Church. The scriptures says in
Pro 29:18, "Where there is no vision the people perish: but he that
keepeth the law, happy is he."
Many people are lost today because they no longer see the
Church. Ecumenical spirits have blinded and deceived people to the point
that they can no longer see the Church clearly. Their vision of what Jesus
built is getting dim. The church of God is distinct from all the corrupt
religious system of today.
Do you see the Church in the midst of the congregation?
Only those who are saved from sin are in the Church. Not everyone in the
congregation is saved and sanctified. This is especially true in a large
congregation. Some people will look at a hypocrite and say, "if that
is the Church,I do not want it." We need to see the Church in the
midst of that.
It is going to take a clear vision to be the Church. Do
you see the true Church of God in the midst of false churches of God? Many
have the right name, but have fallen away from truth. We need to be able
to know the difference.
God is still saving souls and bringing people out of
Babylon to the church of God. There is only one. The Church is the body of
Christ. He does not have more than one body. It is not a conglomeration or
union of the different denominations. Jesus is the head of the Church and
He is in the midst of it.
God's word condemns having more than one wife; we do also.
Yet, the religious world teaches that Christ is married to every
denomination. No, Jesus is the head of only one Church. He has only one
bride. The Church is not invisible. She was a visible body in the morning
time of the gospel day.
Acts 2:44-"And all that believed were together, and
had all things common."
Rev 1:20-The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest
in my right hand, and seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the
angel of the seven churches; and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest
are the seven churches." Jesus is in the midst of the candlesticks.
The candlesticks are the churches. The plural form of the church is
churches. In scripture this always means local congregation of one
body--the church of God. John was referring to the different congregation
in Asia that were standing for the same truth.
If you cannot see Jesus in the midst of the Church, you
will never see the church of God. Jesus needs to be lived out in your
everyday life. Your deeds should portray Jesus to the world.
Eph 1:18-"The eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what
the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." We need
our spiritual eyes enlightened so that we can have clear vision and keep
our eyes on Jesus. If we have our eyes on Jesus, we will see the church
because He is is the midst of her. It is wonderful to be a part of God's
beautiful Church. For people to see the Church, they must realize that God
has a separated people.
2Cor6:14-18-"Be ye not equally yoked together with
unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ
with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the
living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and
i will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from
among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing and I will receive you, And I will be a father unto you, and ye
shall be my sons and daugthers. said the :Lord Almighty. "God's
people have come out from all these religion.
We are glad that we heard the call when we were in
Babylon. God told us to come out there. God is calling every soul to come
out and be separate. His church is separated.
Col 2:20-22-"Wherefore if you be dead with Christ
from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are
subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to
perish with the using:) after the commandments and doctrines of men?.
"We must be completely separated from the commandments and doctrine
of men. We must be detached from everything that is false. We are called
out to be a peculiar and holy people.
1Pet2:9- "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth
the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light."
Revelation 18:4-"And I heard another voice from
heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of
her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
Babylon is plagued. False religion is plaguing souls and i
do not want any part of it. We must separate ourselves from that. It is
essential for you to, depart from everything that is wrong or false. God
does not want you contaminated and plagued with those things.
This message is hard on religious people who have been in
sectism all of their lives. Some may be sincere, hoping that they can stay
and change things and rescue it. You cannot do it. God has said He would
have healed her a long time ago, but she would not be healed. You must
flee from the midst of her and separate yourself. God's people have no
reason to be in Babylon. I have no fellowship with false religion. Even if
they have the correct name but are not teaching the doctrines of God, we
have no fellowship with them. You may try to hold on both sides, but you
will become a partaker of their sins. You will become plagued if you do
not separate from them. It will destroy you and your congregation. The
message is to come out. Every child of God has had to come out` of some
places. If it is wrong, you will not make it right by staying there. You
may say, "I will try to help them." You can be separated and
pray for them. Fellowshipping them is not going to help them. We must
separate ourselves.
There are no sinners in the Church that Jesus Christ
built.
Rev22:14-15-"Blessed are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter
in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers,
and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth
and maketh a lie." That is what is outside the Church of God.
Every saved person is a member of God's Church. Salvation
adds you.
Acts2:41-"Then they that gladly received his words were baptized: and
the same day there were added unto them about 3,000 souls. You may sit in
the congregation and measure up outwardly, but you are not a member until
you are saved. I am glad that I am not keeping the roll book. God has the
records. He makes no mistakes. If I were keeping records, I may put down
someone's name who is not saved or not add someone who is. God knows
exactly who is and who is not in his Church.
The religious world is full of witchcraft. They are
deceiving and using trickery and cunning devices. They are deceiving souls
by the millions, That is what is meant by sorcerers and murderers in
Rev22:15 Idolaters refers to false religion setting up men and worshipping
them. They do this by esteeming the commandments of men higher than the
Word of God. God's people are called out of that.
1Pet2:9-"But you are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth
the praises of him that called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light. "Have you been called to the marvelous light of the gospel?
Col 1:13-<"Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.
"Salvation changes people. They are no longer under the power of sin.
Thank God for the separated church
John15:19-"If ye were of the world, the world would
love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. We are separated from
the world and false religion. We are called to one faith and one body--the
body of Christ. To be the Church, a complete separation from the world is
needed. Sometimes it is not easy to separate. There is a process of time
and events that you must go through to be separate. We begin to come to a
knowledge of what is and is not pleasing to God.
You need to see the importance of being separate. Sectism has mingled so
much with the world, it is hard to tell them apart. The church of God is
separated and has distinct characteristics. That is why the religious
cannot see the Church. They have mingled into fellowship with ungodly
things and cannot tell right from wrong. They cannot see because they are
not separated.
There is nothing more beautiful than to see all the saved,
free from worldliness and coming together in one body and spirit. They are
all holy. They are all measured to the standard. There are no "big
I's" and "little you's". It is a complete body working
together just as God wants it.
In John12:32 Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up
from the earth, will draw all men unto me. "We must lift up the
standard in our lives for all me to see Jesus.
John 17:20-21-"Neither pray I for these alone, but
for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all
may be one; as thou ,Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may
be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." The
world will never believe in Jesus until they can see a unified Church.
Unity brings power to our witness. The Church will never be a witness to
the world if it is trying to fellowship that is false. It cannot be a true
witness until it is separated.
Eph2:5-6-"Even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath
raised up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus." God is gathering His people. When God saves you, He want to
gather you together into one body. Sometimes people get saved despite
being in false religion. God does not save you to make you a member of
some false system. He wants to call you out and gather you to a heavenly
place. The church of God is a heavenly place. God wants all his children
to be together. People cannot maintain an experience of salvation for very
long in false religion. If they do not let God gather them, they will
drift in their souls and lose their relationship with God.
Only the truth will satisfy. The purity of the Church
makes false religion appear repulsive.
Hebrews12:22-"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of
the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of
angels. "The verse says "ye are come. "We can come to it
today. Heavenly Jerusalem is not in the Middle East; it is a spiritual
city. Verse 23-"To the general assembly and church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the
spirits of just men made perfect. "When we become a member of this
heavenly Jerusalem, our names are written in heaven. When you repent of
your sins the Lord adds you to the Church. You must depart from sin and
all that is false. You must consecrate yourself entirely to the Lord, be a
living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. The only membership that
will count is if your name is written in heaven. All earthly membership
are voided.
Rev 21:2-"And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband. "The church is the bride of Christ. She is pure,
undefiled, and beautifully dressed in white robes of righteousness. This
is the church that will stand.
God has always had a people, and they have always been a
separated people. In the old testament, whenever old Israel mixed and
mingled with the other nation, God was not pleased. When Israel was in
Egyptian bondage they were not free to worship God. God's people are never
free until they are separated.
Deut7:6-"For thou art an holy people unto the Lord
thy God: The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto
himself, above all the people that are upon the face of the earth."
God separates for himself alone. God is a jealous, with a godly jealousy
over his bride. God does not want anything to defile or contaminate his
Church. He does not want to share or have her just doing as she pleases.
She is totally submitted to him as the head.
Psa4:3-"But know that the Lord hath set apart him
that is godly for himself..."God will save you from the midst of a
wicked world, and set you apart.
It is heartbreaking to think of the divisions of the past. We would love
to go and gather them up, but we cannot do it. We cannot bring them back.
They will have to get a vision of where the truth is and come to it. We
cannot sacrifice truth for the sake of anyone. We must keep ourselves
separate and pure; trusting that by the grace of God some will see the
difference.
Division hinders vision. Division is sin. It is the work
of the devil. Satan wants to blind people. Jesus came that we may have
life and have it more abundantly. He came to enlighten us and give us a
clear vision. Christ can heal spiritual blindness.
2Cor4:3-4-"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to
them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds
of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them"
Why is division so dangerous? It causes people to have
double vision. They will begin to see two bodies. Question will arise of
who is right. We need to be single eyed. Keep your eyes on Christ and him
only. We cannot get our eyes on division. If we do, we will lose our
vision of the Church. Many people have double spiritual vision. They try
to fellowship with two bodies.
Acts 2:44-"And all that believed were
together..."In the morning time ther were not two bodies. People were
either saved and a part of the church of God or they were outside of the
Church. People do not want to believe, but it is the same today.
Salvation brings a desire to be with the saints; that is
normal and natural. You will lose your desire for the things of the world.
Start living right and your worldly friends will forsake you. Stay true to
God, and after a while they will no longer invite you to their parties.
When you stand for this truth, it will separate you.
Acts 2:44 tell us the believers"...had all things in
common. "This is common salvation. Everyone obtains salvation the
same way. No longer do we have things in common with the world or false
religion. We are living in a day and age where Bible salvation is not so
common anymore. False religion has a multitude of ways to become a member
of their church. For some, baptism or some other rite is the door to their
church; with others, having their names recorded on a earthly roll
book. That is not salvation. Bible salvation is still common with the
saints. When you repent of your sins, the Lord saves you. There is only
one way to be saved.
There are some essentials we must possess to have a clear
vision of the Church and truth. The reason The people in Acts the second
chapter had all things in common and were in unity is because they obeyed.
Acts 2:42-"And they continued steadfastly in the
apostle doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
"That scriptures contains some of the essential ingredients in
keeping your vision clear. If you fail to obey the doctrines, fail to
fellowship, or fail in your prayer life, you will lose your vision. You
will not be in one accord.
When someone has gone off with a false doctrine, it does
not take very long before you sense another spirit coming from them.
Fellowship becomes strained. With every false doctrine of men, there is a
false spirit. Every division was over doctrine. We need a clear vision of
the simple truths of God's Word. You need to know the truth of the
doctrines. How is your vision. It is so important today.