Growing and Witnessing

What is the Church supposed to do? And, why? These are the questions that we seek to answer in this week's message on the Church. Simply, we say that the Church is to worship the Triune God, nurture one another, serve Christ and others, and witness to the glory of God's grace and love in Christ. 

Who is really in charge of the Church? Jesus Christ. He's the head of his body, and when the Church is disconnected from him, she dies. His original authority is stewarded by the rightfully elected officers of the congregation. 

What is the Church? Who or what makes up the Church? We answer those questions in our new sermon series on the Church. In short, the Church is all those in the world who profess the true religion and their children. The Church is the household of God. 

What is the proper posture of prayer? Humility. The parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee illustrates this point beautifully. Humble prayer is the result of a living faith. 

The thief on the cross pled for Jesus to give him mercy as he died. His simple prayer is instructive to us. It tells us that God always hears the prayers of sinners. It also tells us that our hope rests in the mercy and grace of God through faith in Christ.

Jonah prayed a masterful prayer in the midst of his distress while in the belly of the fish. His prayer reminds us that we can pray at anytime and from anywhere. It also reminds us that we should view our circumstances as the vehicle through which our sovereign God is saving us. Finally, it reminds us that we should always thank God for his constant presence and salvation in our lives.

Daniel taught us how to pray a prayer of confession when he recorded his own prayer to the Lord on behalf of the Judeans. He acknowledged sin, accepted responsibility, pled for God's mercy, and relied upon God's mercy for hope. We should do the same. 

Stephen prayed a most remarkable prayer at the moment of his death. He submissively asked God to receive his spirit after his body had been killed by the angry mob's stones. Then, he prayed for his persecutors compassionately asking God not to hold their sins against them. 

Hannah's prayed a raw prayer before God as she expressed her pain before God in his grace. There is much we can learn from her as she boldly came before the throne of God. 

Paul prayed for the Ephesians and we can learn a lot from him about how to pray for other people. We thank God for them, ask Him to give them a spirit of knowledge and wisdom, and that He enlighten the eyes of their hearts.