Grant County church of Christ
October 21, 2007
WHAT’S RIGHT WITH THE CHURCH?
TEXT: I Timothy 3:14-16
All too often we hear the question asked about what is wrong with the church. Lets turn it around and ask, "Whats right with the church?”
I. THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST HAS THE RIGHT FOUNDATION.
· Christ promised to build His church. Matthew 16:18
· Christ died so the church could come into existence.
· The foundation message of the church was the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Acts 2:ff
· Christ is the foundation stone. Acts 4:12
· Peter declared Jesus to be the "Chief Cornerstone". I Pet. 2:4-8
II. THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST HAS THE RIGHT STRUCTURE.
· If Jesus is the foundation then we are the rest of the building.
· Each part of the building has its function. I Cor. 12 & Eph. 4
· All parts of the building have to function in the right way.
III. THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST HAS THE RIGHT HEART.
· The church should have a loving heart. John 13:35
· The church should have a dedicated heart.
· The church should have a generous heart. (Acts 6)
IV. THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST HAS THE RIGHT EFFECT.
· The church is the "salt of the earth." Matthew 5:13
· The church is the "light of the world." Matthew 5:14
· The church is the "Bearer of Good news." Romans 1:16
V. THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST HAS THE RIGHT TERMS OF ENTRY
· Since the church is the vestibule of heaven, we must enter through the proper steps. Any other entry requirements are those that are planned by man and are not necessary.
THE CLASSIFIEDS??!!
There are classified directories that often prove helpful in secular affairs. What if someone published a directory of church members and put you in the one that best described you? Into what classification do you suppose you would fall? Maybe the following will be suggestive of some of the possibilities!
PILLARS: These are the Christians who worship regularly, attend every Bible class, give liberally of their time and money, and live consecrated lives every day of the week. They love the Lord and His church.
MOVEABLE SUPPORTS: These give their time and money IF they like the preacher and IF things are going as they want them. Otherwise it is a different story. These require attention or else they get pushed out of shape.
LEANERS: These "lean" on the church for funerals, weddings, benevolence or some such need, but they give no time or money to support it.
SPECIALS: These work for the church enthusiastically on some special occasion that happens to appeal to them, but they cant be depended on. One never knows when something will appeal to them.
ANNUALS: They dress up, look serious, and go to church about once a year.
SPONGES: They try to soak up all the blessings and benefits the church affords, but they give next to nothing in returnnot even much loyalty.
TRAMPS: These people go from congregation to congregation, but support none. They wont place membership lest they feel obligated to go to work. These are the church drifters.
GOSSIPS: They talk freely to everyone. That is, they talk to everyone except the Lord, and they talk about everything except the Lord. And, me, they are not found exclusively among members of the opposite sex.
BENCH WARMERS: They come to services when they want to, but they dont really participate in the service. They seldom sing, and if the service is uninteresting they go to sleep.
ORPHANS: These are children who are sent to church. The parents take them places through the week but they are sent to church on Sunday.
RASCALS: These are the people who use the church for social or business advancement but who have no real love for it or for the Lord.
THANK GOD for the PILLARS! And we should be prayerful and concerned that somehow through the goodness and grace of God many other types can be changed and become pillars. It does and CAN happen! Will YOU work to let it happen?
INTERESTING PLACES FROM THE BIBLE
JERICHO
Jericho is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Situated in the wide plain of the Jordan Valley (Deut 34:1,3) at the foot of the ascent to the Judean mountains, Jericho lies about 8 miles northwest of the site where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, 5 miles west of the Jordan.
Since it is approximately 800 feet below sea level, Jericho has a climate that is tropical and at times is very hot. Only a few inches of rainfall are recorded at Jericho each year; but the city is a wonderful oasis, known as "the city of palm trees" (Deut 34:3) or "the city of palms" (Judg 3:13). Jericho flourishes with date palms, banana trees, balsams, sycamores, and henna (Song 1:14; Luke 19:4).
There were actually three different Jerichos throughout its long history. Old Testament Jericho is a little more than a mile from modern Jericho located about 17 miles northeast of Jerusalem. New Testament Jericho a little more than a mile west of modern Jericho and south of Old Testament Jericho.
By far the most imposing site of the three is Old Testament Jericho, a pear-shaped mound about 400 yards long, north to south, 200 yards wide at the north end, and some 70 yards high. It has been the site of numerous archaeological diggings and is a favorite stop for Holy Land tourists.
Old Testament Jericho first appears in the biblical record when the Israelites encamped on the east side of the Jordan River (Num 22:1; 26:3). Joshua sent spies to examine the city (Josh 2) and later took the city by perhaps the most unorthodox method in the history of warfare (Josh 6). Joshua placed a curse on anyone who would attempt to rebuild Jericho (Josh 6:26).
As the Israelites settled into the land, Jericho was awarded to the tribe of Benjamin, although it was on the border between Ephraim and Benjamin (Josh 16:1,7). Jericho is only incidentally mentioned in the reign of David (2 Sam 10:5) and does not figure prominently again in Old Testament history until the reign of King Ahab (about 850 BC; 1 Kings 16:34), when Hiel the Bethelite attempted to fortify the city and Joshua's curse was realized. During the days of Elijah and Elisha, Jericho was a community of the prophets (2 Kings 2:5) and was prominently mentioned during this era (Ezra 2:34; Neh 3:2; Jer 39:5).
New Testament Jericho was plundered by the Romans in the early years of Herod the Great. But Herod later beautified the city and ultimately died there. Jesus passed through Jericho on numerous occasions. Near there He was baptized in the Jordan River (Matt 3:13-17), and on the adjacent mountain range He was tempted (Matt 4:1-11). It is believed that between Old Testament Jericho and New Testament Jericho Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). Here too Zacchaeus was converted (Luke 19:1-10). And Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan has the road from Jerusalem to Jericho as its setting (Luke 10:30-37).
Visitors
You are our honored guest and we welcome you back anytime you are in the area.
Prayer List
Bill Mollett was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and scheduled for surgery on November 5.
Bo Mollett has been diagnosed with stomach ulcers
Sandy Mills will have outpatient surgery tomorrow to remove a kidney stone.
David Jewell is out of town for 2 weeks on business please pray for his safe return.
Guest Speakers
In Jerry absence today Rob Kendrick from Mt. Sterling will deliver the message this morning, and Earl Abshire, from the Verona church be our speaker this evening.
Reminder
If you need a ride to church services please let Jerry know as soon as possible.
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MEET WITH US
205 Hopperton Lane
Dry Ridge, KY 41035
Sunday AM Worship……..... .9:30AM
Sunday Bible Study………...10:40AM
Sunday PM Service……….. .6:00 PM
Wednesday Bible Study…... 7:00 PM
Minister: Jerry Carmichael
Website: