in a world where people question 1.the existence of god 2.the creation of the world 3.the depravity...
TRANSCRIPT
In a world where people question
1.The existence of God 2.The creation of the world3.The depravity of man 4.The judgement of God 5.The promise of heaven
IS THE CHURCH STILL RELEVANT ?
The promise of the church
A reminder :
(a) of his coming
(b) of his dying
(c) of his victory
(d) of his presence
(e) of his principles
(f) of his purposes
The purpose of the churchTo tell the world of God’s marvellous ways :
He sent heaven’s best for earth’s worst
He loves those who hate him
He blesses those who trust him
He calls his creation to follow him
He will redeem the earth which was Made for Him !
The perseverance of the church
Despite :
Opposition
Persecution
Defamation
Prosecution
Ridicule
AttackThe church still marches on !
In a society which has decided :
Faith is not neededPrayer does not workThe bible is not trueLives are not transformedGod does not heal Morality is man madeWe are the masters of our soul
Does the church have something to say ?
The early church (1) Proclaimed the Lordship of Jesus
To the crowd in the city
To the beggar at the temple
To the rulers at the city hall
To the people at Solomon’s colonade
THEY NOT ONLY PROCLAIMED IT – THEY PROVED IT !
The early church(2) Proved the necessity of prayer
1:14 constantly in prayer (wisdom)
2:42 devoted to prayer (growth)
3:1 going to the place of prayer (healing)
4:31 they prayed & place shook (power)
Prayer is the most important thing in my life. If I should neglect prayer for a single day I would lose a great deal of the fire of faith. ( Martin Luther)
The early church
(3) Lived by the word of God
Ch 2: devoted to the apostles teaching
Ch 4: obedient to God – not to men
teaching & proclaiming Jesus
Ch 6 refused to neglect God’s word
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RIGHTLY GOVERN THE NATION WITHOUT GOD & THE BIBLE !
The early church
(4) Shared what they had with others
they gave to the needy (ch2)they helped the sick & poor (ch3)they sold what they had for others (ch4)they organised help for widows (ch6)
They lived the Jesus way
They made a difference !
The early church
(5) Suffered for what they believed
Ch 4 – jailed for helpingCh 5 - jailed for healingCh 6 – jailed for preachingCh 7 – persecuted for their beliefs
but the church grew....and the gospel spread
What they had was not only worth living for – it was worth dying for
The early church
Experienced the reality of God
They heard his voiceThey felt his touchThey knew his presenceThey experienced his powerThey proved his faithfulnessThey saw his hand at work
Proved the reality of God
IN THE PAST
IN THE PRESENT !
ARE YOU A MEMBER ?