Praise the Lord for
Easter season that leads us to the Pentecost season. We will celebrate the Day
of Pentecost on May 27, 2012. The day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spiri came
upon the disciples in the form of mighty wind and fire, was the day when the
Church of Jesus Christ was born. The Church has been under the same manage ment
for over 2000 years. In the words of late Chuck Colson: When the church is the
church, the people of God, moved by the Spirit of God, do the work of God, evil
can not stand against them." Carl Henry called the church "the New Society of
God's people, the new society of the twice born". The church is neither a civic
center, social club, nor encounter group. It is no mere Sunday morning meeting
place. It is a new society created for the salvation of the lost world, pointing
to the kingdom to come.
Our Lord Jesus made
an Audacious claim and promise when He said, "I will build my church and the
gates of hell can not prevail against it. Our Lord has promised, giving the
assurance that ultimately His new community of called out people will triumph
over the forces of sin and evil.
When Christians in
early centuries gathered together they became known as the "Communion
sanctorum," meaning the communion of saints. They were indeed that, bound
together as only men and women could be who were surrounded by an angry, hostile
society, which was ready to feed them to the lions. By the grace and power of
Jesus they became the visible church, that made visible the mystery of Christ's
salvation , and that witness turned the world upside down.
It is written that
Jesus loved the church. Indeed, He gave himself up for the church. John Calvin
wrote, "So highly does the Lord esteem the communion of His church that He
considers every one a traitor... who perversely withdraws himself from any
Christian society."
Dr. Warren Wiersbe
wrote, "he does not attend church to hear a sermon, or to have fellowship,
though he enjoys both, but to bear witness that Jesus Christ is alive and
worship Him."
Praise the Lord for
Pentecost, the birthday of the church.
See you in
Church.
Pastor
Brown
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