Transforming Series (19): Who are the ones in Church?

Where is the Church? This is not the right question. The question is: Who are the ones in Church?

Yes, we are chosen to bring the sheep of Jesus "back home." 

"And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” John 10:16 ESV

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

God has a family. We are the family of God. We are His Church. We are His body. 

“And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."” Matthew 16:17-19 ESV

Note that the Father must reveal to us who Jesus is. Many are mistaken about who Jesus is for lacking of the Father's revelation. But we can't see Jesus if we don't see His body! It is simple like that!

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27 ESV

Jesus has sanctified His Church. He Himself is presenting the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. The Church is holy and without blemish!

We, the Church, will never fall apart. We, the Church, have been built by Jesus Himself. 

Let us straighten up our vision to see how God sees and to be the Church Jesus has built. Let us be free of anything that is not fit into the Church of God. 

If we look around and there is something falling apart, it is not the Church. It may be called a church, but it is not the Bride! If it is divided, it is not God's family. If there are people fighting each other, attacking each other, they are not in the Family of God. 

If there is division it is not the Church. If there are denominations it is not the Church. If there are pastors fighting against each other there is not the Church. 

Where is the Church then? Whenever you find people loving and serving one another there is the Church.

 "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”Philippians 2:1-6

Are you this kind of people? Then you found the Church!

As a pastor in the Church I have not sheep, I feed the sheep of Jesus. He called them "My Sheep." If they are His, nobody can claim them as their own. 

My heart is carrying the flame of Love to reach out the lost, to make disciples of men and women for the Lamb. And there are many around the world doing the same thing. Each of us in a territory assigned by our Master. 

So I don't want to bring them into a family that is falling apart. I don't want to have them come to an environment marked by quarrels, disputes and hate.  

The Church is not what we see many times around us. If we can see certain boundaries, if we can see people set apart by lines and locked in buildings with different names, communities made by different members who are under the care of that specific pastor, like other flocks of many pastors, that is not right! 

If you can't discern and distinguish the Church even in the midst of the confusion of men you will never see Jesus! 

John could not see Jesus first until He saw the lamps-stands. The lamps-stands are the Church. I hope you can understand this. Find the Church where you are. Not that particular one that we are confused to call church and it is located at Special People Avenue number 6. No! The Church is not a location, because the Church is made of living stones. And they move all around!

There is one flock and one Shepherd only. Whenever you find disciples of Jesus working together despite their human backgrounds you see the Church. Whenever you find them United and not discriminating each other you have been in the Church. And if you are free to move around "speaking the truth in love... to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” This is the Church! Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels (not men, not pastors - Angels) of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Revelation  1:12-13, 20 ESV

Josimar Salum