Power of the Local Church

Psalm 122:1-2 (NKJV)

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” 2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!

There was a magazine article of Jesus dressed in blue jeans, gold chain and flowing hair with the caption: 'Follow Jesus and forget the church!'

That's the new religious direction people are moving in, but without the local church - there is no hope at all for humanity! We are trying to get away from the very institution, Jesus died for!

You can hear the passion in the words David wrote concerning the house of our God. We can never stray from the true value of the local church and all that it stands for.

Genesis 28:12-16 (NKJV)

12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Jacob spoke of being in the house of God with heavenly beings moving along a ladder God dropped on earth / giving us a divine connection - this is found in the house of God...not your house!                 

The Church is a Place of Recovery

Isa. 58:11-12, The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 Those from among you shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

There is nothing like watching God transform lives right in front of you! Don't tell me that it doesn't matter what church you go to! God called you here - God saved you here - God will rebuild and restore you here!!

People come here out of Desperation / Chaos / Calamity / Depression / Hopelessness

And God began to put you back together again...right here! Marriages, Ministry, Money, Calling, Children...the power of recovery found in His local church is amazing to behold.

All of the setbacks, tears, and failures we've suffered together as a family, has built us up, and caused men and women to stand firm in their faith - come what may! There is a strength and a hope that can only be found in the local body of Christ.

I learned how to be a man / preacher / husband / father / laborer - in the house of God...think back to places where God met with you...I appeal to you like Moses, when God said, 'Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.'

The Church is a Place of Development

The voice of a Man in God's house brings development

Ephesians 4:20-24 (NKJV)

20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

I remember challenging men to come in a tie...and watching them rise up to the challenge, gain ministry, have Jesus bring a desire in their lives, and an order - that's done in the local church. Being in the mother church of Killeen TX, I learned how to be a man, a father, a leader, and a worker – in the local church!

Artie told me they were at a parade in Chinle - their entire church was out there in their Potter's House T-shirts, and the Emcee of the parade stopped the festivities and with the microphone he said, 'Look at the Potter's House Christian Church...and just look at what they've done to our teens, our families, and our community...I don't go to this church, but they deserve a round of applause.' Over 20k people cheered them on...the local church preaching Jesus Christ and bringing hope to a dying generation. This will be our testimony! When people come to our church, they're never the same!

The Church is a Place of Calling

I was 17 when God called me to preach. I’ll never forget God speaking to me while in the middle of church…He leaned in to my ear and whispered…’It’s time.’ I knew exactly what that meant! I knew that God had called me to preach His word – listen, this happened at church!!

Acts 6: 1-7* Speaks of people selected for service and ministry…IN CHURCH!!  This is where you’ll find your destiny…not anywhere else!!

2 Thessalonians 1:10-12 (NKJV)

10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. 11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.