I GUESS I DON’T KNOW YOU

The church is meant to be powerful.  This can be found in Matthew 16:18-19.  It reads, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

I don’t want to expound on the whole thing but let me just point out a few things about this.  First of all the church is laid on a strong foundation.  That is strength and it can mean unshakable.  Nothing can ever move it.  So strong the power of darkness can’t even move it.  Second, the church has been given access to the Kingdom of God.  We can know the will of God.  This is incredibly powerful!

But look at the churches today.  It is not powerful!  they have been shaken to the core and it does not bother them.  They have no presence in their communities and it suits them just fine.  They lacked vibrancy in their worship and they are proud of it.  What went wrong?

Since churches are made of Christians, you look at them too and they’re living mediocre lives.  They live to survive but not thrive and multiply.  They have Bible but there is no appetite to learn from it.  They go in and out of the church unmoved.  When struggles come, they easily break.  What went wrong?

The preceeding verses may reveal an answer.   The scenario was about Jesus asking the disciples who do the people think who He is.  The disciples had some answers.  But when Jesus asked them who do they think He is, they went silent until Peter answered.

Matthew 16:15-16, “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter in his shining moment answered correctly.  He declared that Jesus is the Son of the Living God!  To declare such this was truly powerful!  Later on this simple yet powerful knowledge of who Jesus is at the core of the movement of the church that swept the world!

If the church is to be what it is meant to be then it has to answer the same question: Who is Jesus?  Do the church really know who Jesus is?  Do the church know what he can really do?  And if they do, will they act on it?  If the church does not act on what the Bible says, what would that prove?

Main Point:  How the church acts and does its ministry determines what it knows and believes about Jesus Christ!

It’s not too late to make the necessary adjustment.  The church can still be powerful just what it is meant to be!  They just need to answer who is Jesus for them?  And then act on what the Bible tells them to believe.

(an excerpt of the sermon given last August 15,2010 at Full Life Baptist Fellowship, Dagupan City, Philippines)