“Believing and Healing happens where Grace is Found”
If it is all about Christ, it is all about Grace
What should you look for in a Church?
Look for a congregation that believes in confession and forgiveness and avoid a fellowship of perfect people—you will not fit in. Seek one where members confess their sins and show a humble spirit toward God and others [1 Peter 5:5-7]. A place where the gospel is preached, where acceptance is simply an admission of guilt and faith in Christ. Healing happens in a church like this. Followers of Christ have experienced His grace and are to proclaim His grace.”
How important is it for a believer to forgive. Answer: very important! Mat_18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. That is not how you are born again! Therefore, we known He is speaking to the saved. I believe many things can be resolved between believers and will not be answered for at the Believer’s judgment.
Matthew, Mark and Luke tell a believer how to live and the warning for not following Christ. And John was written to tell the unsaved how to be saved, John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Jesus asked the Disciples, who do the people say that I the Son of man am?
Mat 16:15 He saith unto Peter, But whom say ye that I am? Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Then Jesus said, “I will build my Church”. This is the First mention of Church in the N.T. What did He build it upon? Answer: It was not Peter but his confession, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
What are the things that are essential to make a Church?
1] Where the teaching and preaching of the Word of God is found. Jesus said, “I will build my Church”. And later it is said, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. This verse in context of other verses, in Acts 2:43,44 and i.e., V45, And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. Is that the mandate for the church today? Answer: They were looking for the LORD to come back then and not thinking of 2, 000 years later. Can we today return to selling all our possession and goods and part them to all who have need? Considering other scripture since then, I do not think so. We are told to work to have to give, and to provide for our own. But the principle of V45 is still alive today: our possessions are not our own but gifts of His grace. We are to be liberal in our giving, [2 Cor. 9: 6-11]. Considering scripture can we say I am my own person? Answer: I do not think so, [1 Cor.6:19-20]. And our children are His, who given to us for a time, [Psalm 139:13-17]
My point is this: it is the LORD who adds to His Church then and now.
A] The Believer has the words of life, and those words are the message of Christ, [John 20:19-23]. Only Christ can forgive sin and He did at the Cross. Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
And we have this treasure within, 2Co 4:5 -7 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Jesus did not send them forth to forgive sin! He sent them forth to proclaim Him who forgives sins. Do you remember Matthew 16:15-19? He wants all of humanity to know and be able to say as Peter said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. The message from our lips that the world needs to hear is about the grace and mercy, we found in Jesus Christ. And if no one tells them about the promise of grace and mercy and everlasting life in Jesus; they will die without believing in Him, who was provided for them, John 3:16 and Titus 3:4-6
B] Being born again is at the point of believing, John 3:14-16. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: Joh That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Joh For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Believing happens when we are persuaded of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, “...for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”
“Belief is persuasion:” If you are persuaded that something is true, you believe it. Meaning you have confidence in whom you have believed. Are you persuaded that Jesus is able to keep that which He promised? “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” John 6:47
A church must be a place where the Spirit works, where healing happens, where grace is found, and acceptance rather than condemnation. It is where Christ is the Head and not man-made rules, and not the congregation, and not the board and not the pastor. Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
It must be a place where believing happens, where the gift of eternal life is received, John 1:12-13, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
1 Cor. 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
It must be a place where believers, who are away from the LORD can hear then message of confession and forgiveness in 1 John 1::6-9 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can believe God to do what is right/to do as He promised. He will cleanse us from all sin” (1 John 1:8-9). Not he might cleanse us, could cleanse us, would cleanse us, or has been known to cleanse us. He will cleanse us! The certainty of his words/ His promise. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We have a beautiful example in Luke 15: Both were sons of their farther, both received their inheritance. The younger left and the older stayed home. Even in the far country the younger is referred to as the father's son [hwee-os and so was older son until he refused the father's request to come in and join the party to welcome home his brother]. You know the story. To me this shows: the pig pen of self-righteousness is as bad as the pig pen in the far country. In v31 the father calls older son [teknon] which means in this story, a son not in fellowship with father. Reminds me of Luke 18: 9-14. And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
The story of the two sons in Luke 15 shows that a believer can get away from the LORD and still be a son and be received back and restored to fellowship when he does as the younger son did. That is a picture of the grace of God.
2] A church must have fellowship. This is not just the getting together of a dinner and sharing conversation and pictures and our plans. Although that is a fellowship that is needed. But that is not this fellowship. I witnessed two Vietnam Veterans greeting each other and I heard the words they shared. There was a spirit of oneness, a bond of two people who had gone through then same experience. They simply said to each other “love you brother”. That is the same fellowship that must be in the Church if the Spirit is to work and where grace is to be found.
I am going to stop here and pick up next week. But let me say, there are a lot of attitudes, and practices that should not be found in the local body of believers. There was a sense of genuineness in the Veteran’s greeting and not a lot of meaningless words. Believers have a bond; The Spirit of Christ and it should be evident, and it must be If His Spirit is to work, and grace is to be found!
<