THIRD PART: JUST JESUS JESUS IS NOT THE PRIORITY OF HIS CHURCH WHOM DO MEN SAY THAT I THE SON OF MAN AM? MATHEW 16: 13 JESUS HAD COME TO CAESAREA PHILIPPI, WHICH IS LOCATED TWENTY-FIVE MILES NORTH OF THE SEA OF GALILEE. AT CAESAREA PHILIPPI,WHERE THE WATERS OF THE JORDAN BEGIN, THERE IS A MASSIVE ROCK FACE---SORT OF LIKE A MINIATURE EL CAPITAN. ITS ONE OF THE PRETTIEST SPOTS IVE SEEN ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. THERE JESUS GATHERED HIS BOYS AND ASKED THIS QUESTION: WHOM DO MEN SAY I AM? HIS DISCIPLES THEN REPEATED THE THEORIES CONCERNING HIM THAT WERE FLOATING AROUND ISRAEL. SOME SAY YOURE JOHN THE BAPTIST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CAME ON THE SCENE, SAYING, REPENT! THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND. YOU SOLDIERS, QUIT OPPRESSING THE PEOPLE. YOU TAX COLLECTORS, QUIT EXTORTING FROM THE PEOPLE. YOU FATHERS, BE GOOD TO YOUR CHILDREN. GET IT TOGETHER. REPENT. WHEN JESUS APPEARED, HE BEGAN HIS MINISTRY WITH THE SAME WORDS: REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND. SO, REASONED SOME, BECAUSE OF HIS MOREL TEACHING AND CALL TO REPENTANCE, JESUS MUST BE JOHN THE BAPTIST, RETURNED FROM THE DEAD. OTHERS SAID, NO. HES ELIJAH, RETURNED FROM HEAVEN. HAVENT YOU SEEN THE MIRACLES HES DONE? THE LEPERS ARE CLEANSED. THE BLIND SEE. THE LAME WALK. MIRACLES HAPPEN. HE MUST BE ELIJAH. OTHERS SAID,NO. HES JEREMIAH. HAVENT YOU SEEN THE CARE HE SHOWS TO THE LOST, HOW THEY MOVE HIS HEART, HOW HE WEEPS OVER THEM? HE MUST BE JEREMIAH, THE WEEPING PROPHET WHO CARED SO TENDERLY FOR THE LOST SHEEP OF ISRAEL. NO, OTHERS SAID. HE MUST BE THAT PROPHET, REFERRING TO THE PROPHET PROMISED IN DEUTERONOMY 18: 15, WHO WOULD COME AND FULLY EXPLAIN THE LAW OF MOSES. SCRIPTURE RECORDS THAT THE PEOPLE MARVELED AT THE GRACIOUS WORDS OF JESUS, SAYING, NO MAN SPEAKS LIKE THIS MAN. TRULY, THE COMMON PEOPLE HEARD HIM GLADLY. SURELY HE MUST BE THAT PROPHET. AS I LOOK AROUND THE ROGUE VALLEY IN OREGON, THE COUNTRY, AND THE WORLD,. I SEE CHURCHES BUILT UPON ONE OF THOSE FOUR MISCONCEPTIONS. THERE ARE THOSE WHO SAY, WERE GOING TO BUILT OUR CHURCH ON JOHN THE BAPTIST. THATS WHO JESUS IS. WELL CALL IT FIRST MORAL MAJORITY CHURCH. WELL TELL OUR COMMUNITY TO REPENT. WELL PICK IT 7-11. WELL WRITE OUR CONGRESSMAN. WELL ORGANIZE AND LET OUR VOICE BE HEARD IN THE COMMUNITY. WELL TELL PEOPLE TO GET TOGETHER MORALLY. AND WELL MEET TOGETHER TO ACTIVATE BELIEVERS, TO MOBILIZE CHRISTIANS, TO GET THEM GOING. OTHERS SAY, NO, NO, NO. OUR CHURCH IS GOING TO BE BUILT UPON ELIJAH. THATS WHO JESUS IS. WELL CALL OUR CHURCH MIRACLE CENTER. IT WILL BE FILLED WITH MIRACLES, SIGNS, AND WONDERS. PEOPLE WILL SEE THE GLORY AND POWER OF GOD FALL AT EVERY SINGLE MEETING. ITS GOING TO BE HEAVY! OTHERS SAY, NO, NO, NO. OUR CHURCH IS GOING TO BE BUILT UPON JEREMIAH. THATS WHO JESUS IS. WELL CALL OUR CHURCH THE EVANGELICAL EXPRESSION. WELL HAVE A MILLION-DOLLAR MISSION BUDGET. WELL OFFER CLASSES IN DOOR-TO-DOOR EVANGELISM. WELL SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, EXPAND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD GLOBALLY, AND WELL REACH THE WORLD EVANGELISTICALLY. LIKE JEREMIAH, WELL WEEP OVER THE LOST. NO, NO, NO, OTHERS SAY, OUR CHURCH IS GOING TO BE BUILT UPON THAT PROPHET. WELL HAVE THREE-HOUR MARATHON BIBLE STUDY MONDAY, TUESDAY, AND WEDNESDAY NIGHTS. WELL HAVE SEMINARS AND SYLLABI. WELL BECOME HERMENEUTICALLY FLAWLESS, EXEGETICALLY EXCELLENT. WELL OFFER HEBREW, GREEK, CHALDEAN, AND ARAMAIC. WELL PARSE EACH VERB. WELL KNOW EACH DOCTRINE THOROUGHLY. WELL BECOME A GREAT TEACHING CENTER. LOOK AT OUR TEXT. JESUS RESPONDED TO NONE OF THESE SUGGESTIONS. IT WAS ONLY WHEN PETER SAID, THOU ART THE CHRIST---THE CHRISTOS, THE ANOINTED ONE, THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD,---THAT JESUS SAID, UPON THIS ROCK ILL BUILD MY CHURCH. THE CHURCH--- NOT A PLATFORM FOR MINISTRY, POLITICAL ACTIVITY, OR INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY---WHICH SIMPLY SAYS, WE WANT TO KNOW JESUS PERSONALLY, IS THE CHURCH JESUS WILL BUILD. WHEN PEOPLE SAY , JESUS, YOURE NOT SIMPLY A MOTIVATOR FOR US POLITICALLY, A TEACHER TO US INTELLECTUALLY, A POWER FOR US MIRACULOUSLY, OR A PROGRAM FOR US IN MISSION MINISTRY. YOURE EVERYTHING. YOURE ALL THERE IS. WE JUST WANT TO KNOW YOU. WE WANT TO LOVE YOU. WE WANT TO TALK WITH YOU, LEARN ABOUT YOU, AND BECOME MORE LIKE YOU. JESUS WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH UPON THEIR CONFESSION. AND WHEN A GROUP OF PEOPLE COME TOGETHER AND SAY, JESUS, WE LOVE YOU. WERE IMPRESSED WITH YOU. WE WANT TO LEARN OF YOU WALK WITH YOU, GUESS WHAT HAPPENS? THE COMMUNITY AROUND SUCH A GROUP BEGINS TO CHANGE. WERE WE MARCHING AGAINST MARIJUANA? WERE POLITICALLY ACTIVE? NO. ITS JUST THAT WHEREVER JESUS IS, THE SURROUNDINGS WILL BE INFLUENCED VERY DEFINITELY. WHERE JESUS BUILDS HIS CHURCH, THERE WILL BE SIGNS AND WONDERS. POWER WILL BE EXPERIENCED---NOT WITH FANFARE OR FOR ITSELF---BUT IN A SUPERNATURALLY, NATURAL WAY. WHERE JESUS IS THE CRISTOS, LOVED AND HONORED, THERE WILL BE EVANGELISM, NOT BECAUSE OF A NEED TO BE A PART OF SOME PROGRAM FOR EGO GRATIFICATION, BUT RATHER BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL WANT TO SHARE WHAT THEY HAVE DISCOVERED IN CHRIST. THEY WILL BE IN LOVE WITH HIM AND WILL FIND THEMSELVES TALKING ABOUT HIM, TAKING EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE ONE WHO MEANS SO MUCH TO THEM. THE PERSON WHO IS ROCK-SOLID IN THIS LIFE AND ON INTO ETERNITY WILL BE THE ONE WHO SAYS, JESUS, ITS YOU PERSONALLY. NOT MINISTRY. NOT STUDY. NOT ANYTHING BUT YOU. I APPRECIATE YOU, I LOVE YOU, AND IM COMMITTING MYSELF TO YOU. JESUS, YOURE EVERYTHING TO ME. THATS MY PRAYER FOR US. THATS MY PRAYER FOR YOU. IN JESUS NAME. AMEN.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 04:25:21 +0000
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