A church is a group of believers who regularly gather in Christ’s name to officially affirm and oversee one another’s membership in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom through the gospel preaching and gospel ordinances. The gathering of believers is important because this is where we, as believers, “go public” and declare our highest allegiance to the Lord. The local assembly is an outpost or embassy, which gives a public face to our future nation, and it is where we bow before our king in worship. It is also wee our King enacts His Rule through preaching, the ordinances, and discipline. Through Baptism and the Lord’s supper, the church waves the flag and dons the army uniform of our nation (it makes us visible. To be baptized is to identify ourselves with the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as well as to identify our union with Christ’s death and resurrection (Matthew 28:19). To receive the Lord’s Supper is to proclaim his death and our membership in His body (1 Corinthians 11:26-29). We must understand that God wants His people to be known and marked off, He wants a line between the church and the world. Therefore, … READ MORE

In the Old Testament the Lord was working through the nation of Israel to take the message of redemption to the world, and the coming of the Messiah to the world. As Christ came, He presented Himself to the world as the Redeemer and Savior of all who would come to Him for salvation. In doing so, He also established a body for those who turn to Him from their sin. That body is called the church. This is more than a universal body, that all believers are apart of, it is manifested locally as a fellowship of believers who have joined together for discipleship, and reaching out to the community that they are planted. The key to this kingdom living, starts with Jesus. Jesus builds his church on the confession made by Peter in Matthew 16:16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” Jesus is building His church upon people who believe the the truth of the gospel. This truth is manifested in a recognition that I am a sinner (validated by the reality that I will one day die – Romans 6:23), and that I am in need of a Savior (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is … READ MORE

As we consider the Sovereignty of God, we need to remind ourselves of a few cautions: 1. We should never use God’s sovereignty as an excuse for our own shortcomings. I should never say simply that, “God wanted me to do that because that is how He made me.” God has never promised top work in the heart of others just to make up for our struggles. I must continue to work to learn, and grow.2. We should not allow God’s sovereignty to cause us to respond passively to the actions of other people that affect us. We should always take all prudent steps within the will of God to protect and advance our situation.3. We must never use the doctrine of God’s sovereignty to excuse our own sinful actions or decisions. We must understand that God will hold us accountable for our harmful decisions and sinful actions. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to u s and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Our duty is to obey the “things which are revealed” that is the will of … READ MORE