Building God's Way

Today’s Verse:

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. ~Matthew 16:18

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Hudson Taylor aptly said, “God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.” As a man of faith, he lived and practiced this throughout the entire time that he planted churches, started schools, trained laborers, and advanced the cause of missions across China. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Founder and Owner of the local church. He is also the Builder of the local church. He said, “I will build my church.” Nobody loves the church more than Jesus does. From the day He started the church, He has been intricately involved in building it. Let us see how Jesus is building His local churches.

Jesus is building His church through His people.

“Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:10). We are the people of God. The people of God are saved people. They have repented of their sins and, by faith, received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. They are also a submissive people. They are obedient to the Lord’s commands and Word. All of God’s people are to be involved the Great Commission of proclaiming the gospel message to sinners. All of us are to be witnesses to everyone, even to the uttermost part of the earth. God uses His people as fervent witnesses of the gospel to bring others to Christ and to build His church.

Jesus is building His church through His programs.

“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:42). Every church must be evangelistic. Programs must strategically be the means by which the gospel is given to people. We are to teach and preach Jesus in the church and in homes. We utilize planned events such as Resurrection Sunday, Friend Day, Christmas, music specials, and the preaching services for the presentation of the gospel. We have organized soulwinning days. We use buses and vans to bring children and adults to church to hear the gospel. Our programs must be Bible-based and gospel-centric.

Jesus is building His church through preaching.

Foremost in building the church is the preaching of God’s Word. God uses preaching to compel and convince sinners of their need of salvation. Preaching is the means by which God’s people are built up in the Word of His grace. Preaching and teaching is when God’s Word publicly reproves, rebukes, and exhorts with all longsuffering and doctrine. Gospel preaching should weave the gospel into every message, and an invitation should be given at the end of each message. The Holy Spirit uses preaching to convict the hearts of men that they need to be saved.

Jesus is building His church through His power.

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me….” (Acts 1:8a). Without the power of God, we can do nothing. We need God’s power to preach the gospel, witness, and help sinners see their need for Christ. God’s power does the convicting, the converting, and the transforming. God’s power overcomes objections, stubbornness, and pushback. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” We need more power and not less power.

Jesus is building His church His way. Let God use you to build His church and make a difference in the lives of others.

Have an evangelistic God Morning!

Bible Reading Schedule: Jeremiah 42-45

#Missions #Church #Matthew #Soulwinning #Evangelism #Jesus