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The most amazing church on earth # 1 Message @ PVCOC 1-7-12

This series called the most amazing church on earth is to introduce you to God’s ideas of the church in His heart, the church that He had in mind since the beginning of time, the church that He inhabits to change the world and bring about His awesome plan.

Message 1 will be about the church in the book of acts

Message two is about the church in history and how God shaped it.

Message 3 is about the last days church and how it will ushering in the second coming of Jesus.

THIS IS TEACHING FOLKS, – TO EMPOWER YOU WITH TRUTH SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THE PLAN AND PURPOSE OF GOD FOR YOUR LIFE.

The word church means:

GK1577 {ekklēsía} \ek-klay-see’-ah\a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):–assembly, church. THE CALLED OUT ONES!

The word is used in the new testament to refer to the people of God in the old testament:

This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: (Acts 7:37, 38 KJV)

These are a people called out. A people who heard God’s voice and responded. Just the same for those who in Egypt heard the voice of God through Moses and heeded the call to place the blood of a lamb on the door posts of their house to be saved from the angel of death. And now this new testament era the called out ones are those who have heard the call of God through the mouth of the preachers of the gospel to come out of the world and obey God by placing the blood of Jesus on their hearts.

THE CHURCH IN THE BOOK OF ACTS BEGAN

Jesus prophesied about this church as one that would be invincible:

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. (Matthew 16:18 ESV)

Jesus’ idea of church was a powerhouse of spiritual strength that would overcome all odds. He saw a church that would fill the earth, that would overcome demonic opposition, that would reach every nation, that would overcome every obstacle placed in its path.

Can you picture such a Church?

The people of God at the time of Jesus arrival in Israel were longing for a redeemer, they were longing for a savior. The long awaited and long promised messiah had finally come.

The Jews for centuries had longed for the coming king, the one they called messiach, the messiah. How their hearts ached for him to come. He was to come and rule over their enemies, conquering them and bring great victory to Israel. With Rome as the cruel oppressor this season was especially painful. Men would go to the wailing wall, a place where once the temple mount was the place of the temple of Solomon in the time of Israel’s greatest victory, her glory days. At this wailing wall they cried out to God for a messiah to come. Today they still go there and pray the same prayer.

For many of the Jews in Jesus day, they rejected Jesus as the messiah, but for those who accepted his claim to be the great I AM – there was intense joy, of a measure that could never be accurately described by any gentile person.

Into this scene came:

The 500 – who witnessed Jesus ascend up into heaven 40 days after his resurrection (1 Cor 15:6)

The 120 – who waited in the upper room for the Holy Spirit to fall on them to give them power in a spiritual sense. (Acts 1:15)

The 11 – who were his faithful disciples, who had lived on earth with him for three and half years. (Acts 1:13)

Marks of the first church

1. There was explosive power. On the first day, the day of Pentecost ere was over 3000 saved and baptized in water.(Acts 2:41) In the first week there was 20,000 saved and committing to follow. (Acts 4:4 tells of 5000 men)Jesus Christ and become part of this new movement of believers called the people of the way, later to be called Christians. (Acts 11:26)
2. There was very powerful miracles of every kind. Healings that were spectacular leading to the whole city knowing what happened. (Acts 4:16) Healings that resulted from just Peter’s shadow passing over them. (Acts 5:15) Healings resulting from a person coming into contact with a handkerchief that had touched one of the apostles. (Acts 19:12) Dead raised. (Acts 9:40)
3. Works of judgement that produced fear in the people. One couple who lied to the apostles about their offering dropped dead when they were confronted with the truth that they had actually lied to the holy spirit. (Acts 5:5) Sorcerer who opposed the gospel was struck blind in a instant at the instruction of the apostle Paul. (Acts 13:11) A king who rejected the gospel and rose up in pride was suddenly filled with worms and died! (Acts 12:23)
4. Strong persecution arose. The Jewish ruling council immediately opposed this new and fledgling movement, threatening the apostles and commanding them to stop preaching about Jesus, (Acts 4:21) had little effect as the apostles as they prayed to God for boldness. (Acts 4:29) The first martyr was Steven, who was stoned as Saul who later became the apostle Paul looked on. (Acts 7:58-59) Saul was responsible before his conversion for the death and imprisonment of many Christian believers. Paul himself ended up in prison for the last few years of his life for the preaching of the gospel. (Acts 28:20) Of the 11 apostles 8 of them were martyred for heir faith in places as far afield as turkey, India and Ethiopia.
5. Whole cities were impacted by the life changing power of the gospel. By the end of the book of acts it is recorded that the apostles had filled the whole world with their message. This all took place over a matter of only 30 years. (Acts 17:6)